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subjectComputers And Society
authorNew Scientist
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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


The Great Ideas Hiding ­nder the Invisibility Cloak
From ACM Opinion

The Great Ideas Hiding ­nder the Invisibility Cloak

Physicist John Pendry talks about the profound physics obscured by his invisibility cloak and how metamaterials could help realise the perfect lens.

Skin Pigment Could Power Safe, Implantable Battery
From ACM TechNews

Skin Pigment Could Power Safe, Implantable Battery

A battery made with the skin pigment melanin could one day provide power for electronic devices installed within the human body. 

'Soft' Biometrics Is the New Way to Monitor People
From ACM News

'Soft' Biometrics Is the New Way to Monitor People

Cameras are strewn around our environment, catching glimpses of our faces everywhere we go, yet even the best facial recognition technology still has a hard time...

Europa's Choppy Ocean Looks Friendly to Life
From ACM News

Europa's Choppy Ocean Looks Friendly to Life

As moons go, Europa is doing pretty well in the looks department.

My Quantum Algorithm Won't Break the Internet… Yet
From ACM Opinion

My Quantum Algorithm Won't Break the Internet… Yet

Internet security relies on the fact that our computers can't break its cryptosystems. But the quantum algorithm you devised has the potential to do just that.

Social Media Helps Aid Efforts After Typhoon Haiyan
From ACM TechNews

Social Media Helps Aid Efforts After Typhoon Haiyan

In the wake of typhoon Haiyan, disaster relief teams are descending on the Philippines from all over the world, trying to aid the victims. Volunteers are mining...

Sunny Fix Would Let Defunct Kepler Hunt Planets Again
From ACM News

Sunny Fix Would Let Defunct Kepler Hunt Planets Again

NASA's champion planet-hunter, which recently suffered a fatal breakdown, is now looking on the sunny side.

Social Media Helps Aid Efforts After Typhoon Haiyan
From ACM News

Social Media Helps Aid Efforts After Typhoon Haiyan

Ten million people affected. Half a million displaced. Ten thousand feared dead.

Five Fascinating Things Revealed By Twitter Data
From ACM News

Five Fascinating Things Revealed By Twitter Data

When technology companies get floated on the stock market, it prompts all kinds of analytical soul searching.

Will India Get to Mars? A Guide to the Dangers Ahead
From ACM News

Will India Get to Mars? A Guide to the Dangers Ahead

With the successful launch just hours ago of its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), India has passed the first test in its bid to orbit the Red Planet. Next up is a nail...

Craig Venter: Why I Put My Name in Synthetic Genomes
From ACM Opinion

Craig Venter: Why I Put My Name in Synthetic Genomes

How has the definition of life changed during your lifetime?

Smuggler-Spotting Software Sniffs Out Dodgy Shipments
From ACM TechNews

Smuggler-Spotting Software Sniffs Out Dodgy Shipments

Machine intelligence could make it easier to spot illicit cargo among the goods that move through the world's ports. 

What Our 3d-Printed Future Looks Like
From ACM News

What Our 3d-Printed Future Looks Like

On-demand organs, Terminator-style arms, and aviation nostalgia—the best of 3D printing is on show in 3D: Printing the Future at London's Science Museum.

Silk Road Bust Hints at Fbi's New Cybercrime Powers
From ACM News

Silk Road Bust Hints at Fbi's New Cybercrime Powers

The biggest drug marketplace on the Internet has been busted.

Private Data Gatekeeper Stands Between You and the Nsa
From ACM TechNews

Private Data Gatekeeper Stands Between You and the Nsa

OpenPDS allows users to see and control any third-party requests for their information. 

Matchstick-Sized Sensor Can Record Your Private Chats
From ACM News

Matchstick-Sized Sensor Can Record Your Private Chats

Everyone knows that to have a private chat in the NSA era, you go outdoors.

Early Humans Saw Black Hole Light in the Night Sky
From ACM News

Early Humans Saw Black Hole Light in the Night Sky

Some 2 million years ago, around the time our ancestors were learning to walk upright, a light appeared in the night sky, rivalling the moon for brightness and...

Tough Robo-Challenge Casts Robots as Rescuers
From ACM TechNews

Tough Robo-Challenge Casts Robots as Rescuers

Global robotics specialists are competing to design a robot that can perform emergency-response duties during disasters. 

Biodiversity App Logs Insects By Their Telltale Call
From ACM TechNews

Biodiversity App Logs Insects By Their Telltale Call

Cicada Hunt is a smartphone app designed to listen for the call of the endangered New Forest cicada; it also can be trained to detect other animals by their calls...

Twitter Hashtags Predict Rising Tension in Egypt
From ACM TechNews

Twitter Hashtags Predict Rising Tension in Egypt

The Political Polarization Index uses Twitter to measure political tension in Egypt. 
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