Showing papers in "Communications of The ACM in 2014"
TL;DR: This collaboratively edited knowledgebase provides a common source of data for Wikipedia, and everyone else, to help improve the quality of the encyclopedia.
Abstract: This collaboratively edited knowledgebase provides a common source of data for Wikipedia, and everyone else.
2,809 citations
TL;DR: The inherent technical challenges in realizing the potential of Big Data are explored, with a focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Abstract: Exploring the inherent technical challenges in realizing the potential of Big Data.
933 citations
TL;DR: In the same way businesses use big data to pursue profits, governments use it to promote the public good.
Abstract: In the same way businesses use big data to pursue profits, governments use it to promote the public good.
500 citations
TL;DR: How to use, and influence, consumer social communications to improve business performance, reputation, and profit.
Abstract: How to use, and influence, consumer social communications to improve business performance, reputation, and profit.
470 citations
TL;DR: Improving the sharing economy will require addressing myriad problems and finding solutions to these problems is a challenge that needs to be addressed.
Abstract: Improving the sharing economy will require addressing myriad problems.
350 citations
TL;DR: This work develops linear blending weights that produce smooth and intuitive deformations for points, bones, and cages of arbitrary topology, called bounded biharmonic weights, that minimize the Laplacian energy subject to bound constraints.
Abstract: Changing an object's shape is a basic operation in computer graphics, necessary for transforming raster images, vector graphics, geometric models, and animated characters. The fastest approaches for such object deformation involve linearly blending a small number of given affine transformations, typically each associated with bones of an internal skeleton, vertices of an enclosing cage, or a collection of loose point handles. Unfortunately, linear blending schemes are not always easy to use because they may require manually painting influence weights or modeling closed polyhedral cages around the input object. Our goal is to make the design and control of deformations simpler by allowing the user to work freely with the most convenient combination of handle types. We develop linear blending weights that produce smooth and intuitive deformations for points, bones, and cages of arbitrary topology. Our weights, called bounded biharmonic weights, minimize the Laplacian energy subject to bound constraints. Doing so spreads the influences of the handles in a shape-aware and localized manner, even for objects with complex and concave boundaries. The variational weight optimization also makes it possible to customize the weights so that they preserve the shape of specified essential object features. We demonstrate successful use of our blending weights for real-time deformation of 2D and 3D shapes.
327 citations
TL;DR: TaintDroid as mentioned in this paper is an efficient, systemwide dynamic taint tracking and analysis system capable of simultaneously tracking multiple sources of sensitive data by leveraging Android's virtualized execution environment.
Abstract: Today's smartphone operating systems frequently fail to provide users with adequate control over and visibility into how third-party applications use their privacy-sensitive data. We address these shortcomings with TaintDroid, an efficient, systemwide dynamic taint tracking and analysis system capable of simultaneously tracking multiple sources of sensitive data. TaintDroid provides real-time analysis by leveraging Android's virtualized execution environment. Using TaintDroid to monitor the behavior of 30 popular third-party Android applications, we found 68 instances of misappropriation of users' location and device identification information across 20 applications. Monitoring sensitive data with TaintDroid provides informed use of third-party applications for phone users and valuable input for smartphone security service firms seeking to identify misbehaving applications.
291 citations
TL;DR: NPUs leverage the approximate algorithmic transformation that converts regions of code from a Von Neumann model to a neural model and shows that significant performance and efficiency gains are possible when the abstraction of full accuracy is relaxed in general-purpose computing.
Abstract: As improvements in per-transistor speed and energy efficiency diminish, radical departures from conventional approaches are needed to continue improvements in the performance and energy efficiency of general-purpose processors. One such departure is approximate computing, where error in computation is acceptable and the traditional robust digital abstraction of near-perfect accuracy is relaxed. Conventional techniques in energy-efficient computing navigate a design space defined by the two dimensions of performance and energy, and traditionally trade one for the other. General-purpose approximate computing explores a third dimension---error---and trades the accuracy of computation for gains in both energy and performance. Techniques to harvest large savings from small errors have proven elusive. This paper describes a new approach that uses machine learning-based transformations to accelerate approximation-tolerant programs. The core idea is to train a learning model how an approximable region of code---code that can produce imprecise but acceptable results---behaves and replace the original code region with an efficient computation of the learned model. We use neural networks to learn code behavior and approximate it. We describe the Parrot algorithmic transformation, which leverages a simple programmer annotation ("approximable") to transform a code region from a von Neumann model to a neural model. After the learning phase, the compiler replaces the original code with an invocation of a low-power accelerator called a neural processing unit (NPU). The NPU is tightly coupled to the processor pipeline to permit profitable acceleration even when small regions of code are transformed. Offloading approximable code regions to NPUs is faster and more energy efficient than executing the original code. For a set of diverse applications, NPU acceleration provides whole-application speedup of 2.3× and energy savings of 3.0× on average with average quality loss of at most 9.6%. NPUs form a new class of accelerators and show that significant gains in both performance and efficiency are achievable when the traditional abstraction of near-perfect accuracy is relaxed in general-purpose computing.
290 citations
TL;DR: The idea is to identify security-critical software bugs so they can be fixed first rather than waiting for them to be fixed later.
Abstract: A system and method for automatically generating exploits, such as exploits for target code, is described. In some implementations, the system received binary code and/or source code of a software applications, finds one or more exploitable bugs within the software application, and automatically generates exploits for the exploitable bugs.
270 citations
TL;DR: The Pebble story is evidence of a huge market demand for such technology, and large-scale consumer electronics manufacturers have begun to release their own smartwatches or define specifications for their future smartw watches.
Abstract: ful campaigns in the history of crowd funding at the time.a The Pebble story is evidence of a huge market demand for such technology. Generator research predicts this market will grow to 214 million units by 2018. The Pebble is not the first modern smartwatch; it was preceded by Sony’s SmartWatch. However, because Sony’s device relied on its Bluetooth connection to act as a complementary interface to compatible Sony smartphones, the Pebble could be considered the first fully independent smartwatch. Large-scale consumer electronics manufacturers have begun to release their own smartwatches or define specifications for their future smartwatches.
255 citations
TL;DR: Considering the evolving relationship between established companies and their sharing-economy counterparts.
Abstract: Considering the evolving relationship between established companies and their sharing-economy counterparts.
TL;DR: Applying a more powerful new safety methodology to security risks is applied and shows clear signs of improvement in the quality of data and in the predictability of outcomes.
Abstract: Applying a more powerful new safety methodology to security risks.
TL;DR: AR systems pose potential security concerns that should be addressed before the systems become widespread, and these concerns are addressed before they become widespread.
Abstract: AR systems pose potential security concerns that should be addressed before the systems become widespread.
TL;DR: Methods for embedding secret data are more sophisticated than their ancient predecessors, but the basic principles remain unchanged.
Abstract: Methods for embedding secret data are more sophisticated than their ancient predecessors, but the basic principles remain unchanged.
TL;DR: Student-participation data from the inaugural MITx (now edX) course---6.002x: Circuits and Electronics---unpacks MOOC student behavior.
Abstract: Student-participation data from the inaugural MITx (now edX) course---6.002x: Circuits and Electronics---unpacks MOOC student behavior.
TL;DR: The question of how much responsibility search engine operators should bear for privacy-related issues connected to search engine results is investigated.
Abstract: Searching for an answer to the question of how much responsibility search engine operators should bear for privacy-related issues connected to search engine results.
[...]
TL;DR: Facial recognition and privacy concerns are raised about the use of facial recognition technology in the workplace and how it affects the way people interact with one another.
Abstract: Facial recognition and privacy concerns.
TL;DR: This research examines whether people in the same community have strong ties or weak ties to each other, and whether those ties can be improved or worsened over time.
Abstract: Strong ties connect individuals in the same community; weak ties connect individuals in different communities.
TL;DR: On August 28, 2011, a mis-issued wildcard HTTPS certificate for google.com was used to conduct a man-in-the-middle attack against multiple users in Iran, and DigiNotar was declared bankrupt.
Abstract: On August 28, 2011, a mis-issued wildcard HTTPS certificate for google.com was used to conduct a man-in-the-middle attack against multiple users in Iran. The certificate had been issued by a Dutch CA (certificate authority) known as DigiNotar, a subsidiary of VASCO Data Security International. Later analysis showed that DigiNotar had been aware of the breach in its systems for more than a month - since at least July 19. It also showed that at least 531 fraudulent certificates had been issued. The final count may never be known, since DigiNotar did not have records of all the mis-issued certificates. On September 20, 2011, DigiNotar was declared bankrupt.
TL;DR: What if all the software layers in a virtual appliance were compiled within the same safe, high-level language framework?
Abstract: What if all the software layers in a virtual appliance were compiled within the same safe, high-level language framework?
TL;DR: A technology inspired by biological principles but 'steamrolled for decades' prepares to take off as Moore's Law approaches its long-anticipated end.
Abstract: A technology inspired by biological principles but 'steamrolled for decades' prepares to take off as Moore's Law approaches its long-anticipated end.
TL;DR: Touchless interaction with medical images lets surgeons maintain sterility during surgical procedures and improve the quality of patient care.
Abstract: Touchless interaction with medical images lets surgeons maintain sterility during surgical procedures.
TL;DR: What do the authors know now that they did not know 40 years ago?
Abstract: What do we know now that we did not know 40 years ago?
[...]
TL;DR: The latest revision of IP, IPv6 (IP version 6), supports 16-byte addresses and provides an unreliable datagram service and ensures that any host can exchange packets with any other host.
Abstract: The Internet relies heavily on two protocols. In the network layer, IP (Internet Protocol) provides an unreliable datagram service and ensures that any host can exchange packets with any other host. Since its creation in the 1970s, IP has seen the addition of several features, including multicast, IPsec (IP security), and QoS (quality of service). The latest revision, IPv6 (IP version 6), supports 16-byte addresses.
TL;DR: Human-Agent Collectives (HACs) as discussed by the authors are a class of systems human-agent collectives that allow humans to act autonomously and intelligently in conjunction with highly inter-connected computational components.
Abstract: We live in a world where a host of computer systems, distributed throughout our physical and information environments, are increasingly implicated in our everyday actions. Computer technologies impact all aspects of our lives and our relationship with the digital has fundamentally altered as computers have moved out of the workplace and away from the desktop. Networked computers, tablets, phones and personal devices are now commonplace, as are an increasingly diverse set of digital devices built into the world around us. Data and information is generated at unprecedented speeds and volumes from an increasingly diverse range of sources. It is then combined in unforeseen ways, limited only by human imagination. People’s activities and collaborations are becoming ever more dependent upon and intertwined with this ubiquitous information substrate. As these trends continue apace, it is becoming apparent that many endeavours involve the symbiotic interleaving of humans and computers. Moreover, the emergence of these close-knit partnerships is inducing profound change. Rather than issuing instructions to passive machines that wait until they are asked before doing anything, we will work in tandem with highly inter-connected computational components that act autonomously and intelligently (aka agents). As a consequence, greater attention needs to be given to the balance of control between people and machines. In many situations, humans will be in charge and agents will predominantly act in a supporting role. In other cases, however, the agents will be in control and humans will play the supporting role. We term this emerging class of systems human-agent collectives (HACs) to reflect the close partnership and the flexible social interactions between the humans and the computers. As well as exhibiting increased autonomy, such systems will be inherently open and social. This means the participants will need to continually and flexibly establish and manage a range of social relationships. Thus, depending on the task at hand, different constellations of people, resources, and information will need to come together, operate in a coordinated fashion, and then disband. The openness and presence of many distinct stakeholders means participation will be motivated by a broad range of incentives rather than diktat. This article outlines the key research challenges involved in developing a comprehensive understanding of HACs. To illuminate this agenda, a nascent application in the domain of disaster response is presented.
TL;DR: The unknown and the invisible exploit the unwary and the uninformed for illicit financial gain and reputation damage.
Abstract: The unknown and the invisible exploit the unwary and the uninformed for illicit financial gain and reputation damage.
TL;DR: The system should let users incrementally direct their search toward relevant, though not initially obvious, information.
Abstract: The system should let users incrementally direct their search toward relevant, though not initially obvious, information.
TL;DR: An agent-based approach to integrating computing in secondary-school science courses and its implications for teaching and learning are studied.
Abstract: An agent-based approach to integrating computing in secondary-school science courses.
TL;DR: New abstractions are critical for achieving SDN goals and are likely to be implemented in next generation SDN models, as well as in existing models.
Abstract: New abstractions are critical for achieving SDN goals.