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Latest News News Archive Refine your search:
dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectData / Storage And Retrieval
authorThe Washington Post
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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.


Google Maps Trained ­S to Follow Directions. Now Its Former Developer Wants ­S to Explore.
From ACM Opinion

Google Maps Trained ­S to Follow Directions. Now Its Former Developer Wants ­S to Explore.

It's not evident from the way his hair flops casually down and across, nor from his equally relaxed demeanor, but John Hanke is one of Google's most important idea...

The New York Times Was Losing $5 Per Second Thanks to Its Web Site Outage
From ACM News

The New York Times Was Losing $5 Per Second Thanks to Its Web Site Outage

The New York Times is still reeling from a massive Web outage that took down its homepage, its corporate Web site, and everything in between.

Linkedin Connects Big Data, Human Resources
From ACM Careers

Linkedin Connects Big Data, Human Resources

Every second, more than two more people join LinkedIn's network of 238 million members.

Nsa Growth Fueled By Need to Target Terrorists
From ACM News

Nsa Growth Fueled By Need to Target Terrorists

Twelve years later, the cranes and earthmovers around the National Security Agency are still at work, tearing up pavement and uprooting trees to make room for a...

Court Says Skipping Ads Doesn't Violate Copyright. That's a Big Deal.
From ACM News

Court Says Skipping Ads Doesn't Violate Copyright. That's a Big Deal.

In 1984, the Supreme Court rejected Hollywood's argument that the record button on the Betamax VCR made its manufacturer, Sony, liable for copyright infringement...

For Nsa Chief, Terrorist Threat Drives Passion to 'collect It All,' Observers Say
From ACM News

For Nsa Chief, Terrorist Threat Drives Passion to 'collect It All,' Observers Say

In late 2005, as Iraqi roadside bombings were nearing an all-time peak, the National Security Agency's newly appointed chief began pitching a radical plan for halting...

Nsa Surveillance Program Extended By Court, Intelligence Officials Say
From ACM News

Nsa Surveillance Program Extended By Court, Intelligence Officials Say

A secret court on Friday extended the National Security Agency's authority to collect and store the phone records of tens of millions of American cellphone customers...

Linguists Identify 15,000-Year-Old 'ultraconserved Words'
From ACM News

Linguists Identify 15,000-Year-Old 'ultraconserved Words'

You, hear me! Give this fire to that old man. Pull the black worm off the bark and give it to the mother. And no spitting in the ashes!

Little-Known Surveillance Tool Raises Concerns By Judges, Privacy Activists
From ACM News

Little-Known Surveillance Tool Raises Concerns By Judges, Privacy Activists

Federal investigators in Northern California routinely used a sophisticated surveillance system to scoop up data from cellphones and other wireless devices in an...

Web-Connected Cars Bring Privacy Concerns
From ACM News

Web-Connected Cars Bring Privacy Concerns

Cars will soon be so linked into wireless networks they will be like giant rolling smartphones—with calling systems, streaming video, cameras, and apps ­capable...

White House Opens More Federally Funded Scientific Research to the Public
From ACM News

White House Opens More Federally Funded Scientific Research to the Public

A new White House directive will allow the general public more access to federally funded scientific research, the Obama administration announced at the end of...

Google Asks: How Much Is Mapping Worth?
From ACM Careers

Google Asks: How Much Is Mapping Worth?

How much has mapping software changed your life?

Gps Technology Finding Its Way Into Court
From ACM News

Gps Technology Finding Its Way Into Court

The rapid spread of cellphones with GPS technology has allowed police to track suspects with unprecedented precision—even as they commit crimes. But the legal fight...

Nasa Probe Offers New View of Mercury: Alien World Right in Our Back Yard
From ACM News

Nasa Probe Offers New View of Mercury: Alien World Right in Our Back Yard

The overheated, underappreciated runt of the solar system is finally getting some attention.

Cloud Centers Bring High-Tech Flash but Not Many Jobs to Beaten-Down Towns
From ACM Careers

Cloud Centers Bring High-Tech Flash but Not Many Jobs to Beaten-Down Towns

Here in this once-thriving town of furniture makers and textile mills, where Main Street businesses have vanished, nearby fast-food joints have closed and unemployment...

A Deeper Look Into Space
From ACM News

A Deeper Look Into Space

NASA hopes the James Webb Space Telescope, which can detect ancient light that its predecessors can’t, will reveal more information about the origins of the universe...

With Better Sharing of Data Comes Danger
From ACM News

With Better Sharing of Data Comes Danger

The release of a huge tranche of U.S. diplomatic cables has laid bare the primary risk associated with the U.S. government's attempt to encourage better information...

From ACM News

Google to Enlist NSA to Help It Ward Off Cyberattacks

The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity. Under...

From ACM News

Computers Guide Traffic Lights to Reduce Congestion For Commuters, Other Drivers

There probably are just two times when you think about a traffic light. When one just turned yellow. ("Can I make it?") When one has been red for too long. ("Come...

From ACM News

Now We Know Where We Stand, and It's About Time

America has seen its last Lost Generation. Thanks to an invisible armada of incessantly broadcasting satellites, collectively called the Global Positioning System...
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