Personal risk taking is a major public-health problem in our society. It includes criminal behavior, drug addiction, compulsive gambling, accident-prone behavior, suicide attempts, and disease-promoting activities. The costs in human life, suffering, financial burden, and lost work are enormous. Some of the insights from the psychology of personal risks seem applicable to computer-related risks, and […]
Reuse of well-tried components promises cost-effective construction of high-quality software systems. With this approach, third-party software components are usually integrated into complex software systems. The risks of using such components of different suppliers are both technical and judicial. Some technical problems were discussed by Peter G. Neumann in the July 2006 "Inside Risks" column. Here, […]
The story of the Aceville elections has received some attention in the national press, but it is worth considering from a Risks perspective. This column is based on reports by AP (Affiliated Press, "Unusual Election Results in Ohio Town," 2/30/04) and Rueters ("Losers Question Ohio Election," 2/30/04). The Aceville, OH, municipal elections last February—the city’s […]
Life in the digital world is often frustratingly similar to the real world, especially when it comes to never having enough room for all our stuff. The more space we get, the more we need and want. It’s an endless stream of supply-and-demand. But digitally, at least, we’re making some serious headway. The cry for […]
Computer science students certainly need math, and the math they need should include what Peter Henderson recommended in his article "Mathematical Reasoning in Software Engineering Education" (Sept. 2003), namely, discrete math and logic. But computer scientists also need other kinds of math. A typical set of math courses toward a CS undergraduate degree might include: […]
Four biomedically oriented grid systems, ranging from SARS diagnosis to arthropod evolution, demonstrate the promise of grid computing in medical practice and biological science.
When Communications Senior Editor Andy Rosenbloom first pitched the special section featured in this issue, I must admit I rolled my eyes skeptically. Images that appear more real than real? I mean, come on. Was this sci-fi talk, or perhaps a touch of sci-in-the-sky? But Andy’s enthusiasm soon turned contagious as he described the various […]
You could say this month’s issue is a study of computer-human interplay. Indeed, we feature two special sections that analyze human behavior from two very different angles. One creates computing tools that may alter human behavior, the other studies human behavior in order to build effective computing environments. We look first at the newly established […]
We explore a new form of wearable systems, called LIBS, that can continuously record biosignals such as brain wave, eye movements, and facial muscle contractions, with high sensitivity and reliability.
Communications of the ACM (CACM) is now a fully Open Access publication.
By opening CACM to the world, we hope to increase engagement among the broader computer science community and encourage non-members to discover the rich resources ACM has to offer.
