RFID tags, often debated over their surveillance capabilities, may be as vulnerable to destructive software viruses as other computing devices. The New York Times reports a group of computer researchers affiliated with Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam recently demonstrated how it is possible to infect a very small portion of the memory in an RFID chip […]
A computer-graphics-based alternative to conventional optical colonoscopy, known as virtual colonoscopy (VC) or computed tomography colonography (CTC), is rapidly gaining popularity. During this procedure, which was concurrently developed by our group at Stony Brook University [5] and by other researchers [10], the distended colon is imaged by a helical or multislice CT scanner. The acquired abdominal CT scan commonly consists of 350--750 axial images of 512x512 sub-millimeter resolution, providing excellent contrast between the colon wall and the lumen. A 3D model of the colon is then reconstructed from the CT scan by automatically segmenting the colon out of the rest of the abdomen and employing an electronic cleansing algorithm for computer-based removal of the residual material. The PC-based visualization software employs volume rendering and allows the user, typically a physician, to interactively navigate through the virtual 3D model of the colon. An intuitive user interface with customized tools supports measurements and virtual biopsy to inspect suspicious regions. Unlike optical colonoscopy (see the sidebar "Conventional Colorectal Cancer Screening"), VC is patient friendly since the patient undergoes less rigorous preparation prior to the procedure. VC is also a fast, noninvasive, highly accurate, cost-effective method for mass screening of colon polyps.
Technology will never cure all wireless security ills. It will take a coordinated effort involving corporations, manufacturers, employers, and end users to fight the fight.
IT executives have a pressing need to understand the dynamics of information management costs and their ability to control these costs through carefully chosen policies governing data collection and retention.
How can technology be engineered to inspire user trust? How can businesses, consumers, and individuals employ that trust—without destroying it—for the sake of their human relationships?
Sophisticated intruders take full advantage of the lack of forensic readiness. To respond more effectively to such attacks, computer security professionals and digital investigators must combine talents and work together.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) software clients have become part of the standard suite of PC applications for many users. With millions of users worldwide sharing music, video, software, and pictures,15 file movement on these networks represent a significant percentage of internet traffic. Beyond the much discussed copyright infringement issues, P2P networks threaten both corporate and individual security. […]
Interactive RFID-enhanced museum exhibits let visitors continue their scientific exploration beyond the museum's walls. But museums must still help them understand the technology and address their data privacy concerns.
Unlike many of the sciences, where experimentation and theory go hand-in-hand, computer science generally has taken a different approach, viewing theory as the driving force and experimentation too often as a postscript. But there is a growing faction of CS researchers working to change that modus operandi, calling for higher visibility for experimental computer science […]
When properly secured, anonymized, and optimized for research, administrative data can be put to work to help government programs better serve those in need.
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.
