An inexpensive, wireless, battery-free microchip that stores documents, audio files, or video clips and can be pressed like a Post-it note onto just about any surface is potentially two to five years from market, according to its creators at Hewlett-Packard. The San Jose Mercury News reports these "memory spots," as HP calls them, can be […]
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A promising scanning device that would allow airline passengers to keep their shoes on while walking through security checkpoints is now being tested, reports USA Today. The ShoeScanner uses technology similar to an MRI to detect explosives in five to eight seconds. Rather than remove shoes and jackets, travelers stand in a kiosk where radio […]
The results of ACM’s General Elections were announced May 24, 2006. The new slate of ACM officers are: President: Stuart I. Feldman (Term: July 1, 2006June 30, 2008) Vice President: Wendy Hall (Term: July 1, 2006June 30, 2008) Secretary/Treasurer: Alain Chesnais (Term: July 1, 2006June 30, 2008) Members at Large: Bruce Maggs (Term: July 1, […]
With all the tools and technologies available to predict the weather, nothing apparently beats the accuracy of a cell phone tower. BBC News reports a team of scientists from Tel Aviv University has been following the signals from mobile phone masts to measure rainfall patterns in Israel—a technique it claims is more accurate than current […]
In the battle for precision, the Encyclopædia Britannica recently called for Nature magazine to retract an article it published last December impugning the accuracy of Britannica’s Web site. The article compared the accuracy of two online reference resources—the renowned leader Britannica and the upstart Wikipedia, which is created, written, and edited completely by non-experts. The […]
ACM's Publications Board issues a plagiarism policy to help stem the disturbing increase in occurrences.
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 […]
Statewide Databases of Registered Voters
A study of accuracy, privacy, usability, security, and reliability issues.
The U.S. government is developing a massive computer system that could someday collect huge amounts of data and, by linking information from blogs and email messages to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity. The Christian Science Monitor reports this little-known system—called Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight, and Semantic Enhancement (ADVISE)—is an […]
Just as the Vietnam War was the first televised war, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will likely be known as the first wars to be blogged. BBC News reports that members of this new generation of U.S. military bloggers, or milbloggers, are sharing their fighting experiences online, giving rise to what many followers claim […]
Call For Nominations For Advanced Member Grades in the ACM
ACM has three distinct member grades to recognize the professional accomplishments of our members: Senior Member—is a new member grade recognizing those ACM members, with at least 10 years of professional experience, that have demonstrated performance and accomplishment that set them apart. Distinguished Engineer, Scientist, or Member—is a new member grade recognizing those ACM members, […]
The ACM Fellows Program was established by Council in 1993 to recognize and honor outstanding ACM members for their achievements in computer science and information technology and for their significant contributions to the mission of the ACM. The ACM Fellows serve as distinguished colleagues to whom the ACM and its members look for guidance and […]
NASA will sponsor the Telerobotic Construction Challenge—a competition to award $250,000 to teams developing technologies that enable robots to perform complex tasks with minimal human intervention. The contest will be conducted in an arena containing scattered structural building blocks; the task will be to assemble the structure using multiple robotic agents remotely controlled by humans. […]
ACM is considering the de-charter of the following chapters due to inactivity. Members interested in revitalizing their chapters should contact Lauren Ryan, Local Activities Coordinator, at local_activities@acm.org. ACM will terminate the chapters listed below after 90 days unless interested volunteers express a desire to reactivate their chapter by redoing their bylaws and preparing acceptable revitalization […]
A new report alleges much of the used computer equipment being sent to developing countries for use in schools, businesses, and homes is not only unusable it is creating enormous environmental problems in some of the world’s poorest places, according to the New York Times. The report by the Basal Action Network, a Seattle-based environmental […]
A year in the life of ACM is always a study of progress and promise, but FY05 was truly exceptional. The Association recorded a third consecutive year of excellence over performance and accomplishments; introduced a bevy of new publications, products, and services to our professionally diversified members; and made great strides on a number of […]
Companies that leak confidential information about their customers and think they’ll win back their loyalty with a notice of disclosure and an apology should think again. A new study conducted by The Ponemon Institute indicates that about 23 million adults in the U.S. received notification from a firm reporting their personal information had been lost […]
Not only are U.S. federal agencies making a concerted effort to recruit some of the most talented computer hackers, so too are Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. Mark Rasch, former head of the Justice Department’s computer crime unit, notes an escalating trend in terrorist organizations trying to hire hackers to penetrate government and computer networks. […]
Medical professionals have long agreed that electronic patient records are the future, but the vast majority continue to balk at making the financial and time commitment to get there. Now Medicare, the U.S. program that reimburses hospitals and physicians for medical care to qualifying people over age 65 years, has stepped in with an unprecedented […]
The subway and bus bombings in London were a sign to security experts worldwide that the best defense governments can provide against terrorists armed with explosives remains low-tech options such as bomb-sniffing dogs, trained personnel, and working video cameras. The New York Times reports that after the billions were spent to improve homeland security worldwide, […]
The number of North American organizations expected to try Linux open source software for the first time is dwindling, according to a survey from investment banking firm SG Cowen and Co. The findings note that the number of companies planning to become first-time users of the software has fallen by half in the past year. […]
Some of the most intimidating hackers in the world have been corralled by the U.S. military as an elite posse ready to launch cyber warfare against enemy networks should the orders be issued. The group’s existence was revealed during a recent U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, where military leaders described a unit called the […]
A disturbing increase in pharming—the latest online scam to lure potential identity-theft victims—has security experts apprehensive. While phishing uses email spam to deliver fake messages to entice individuals to reveal personal or financial information, pharming automatically directs computer users from a legitimate Web site to a fraudulent mirror image of that site without any warning. […]
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Get InvolvedCommunications of the ACM (CACM) is now a fully Open Access publication.
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