| Computer scientists find vulnerabilities in Cisco VoIP phones Jan 4th 2013, 20:50 Researchers have found vulnerabilities in Cisco VoIP telephones, recently demonstrating how they can insert malicious code into a Cisco VoIP phone (any of the 14 Cisco Unified IP Phone models) and start eavesdropping on private conversations—not just on the phone but also in the phone's surroundings—from anywhere in the world. | | Turning smartphones into secure and versatile keys Jan 3rd 2013, 18:09 It's already possible to open doors using an app -- but we are a long way from seeing widespread acceptance of this in the market. Now, researchers have developed a piece of software that will make the technology even more secure and versatile. | | Secure communication technology can conquer lack of trust Jan 2nd 2013, 16:55 Many scenarios in business and communication require that two parties share information without either being sure if they can trust the other. Examples include secure auctions and identification at ATM machines. Exploiting the strange properties of the quantum world could be the answer to dealing with such distrust. | | Social media 'narbs' may have predicted violence in Libya Sep 14th 2012, 17:14 Social media expert Ananda Mitra coined the word "narbs" to describe the small pieces of information floating in the digital sphere. His research shows that using social media to spread hate messages is a trend, not a fad, and that narb patterns may have predicted the violence in Libya. | | Built-in germanium lasers could make computer chips faster Sep 10th 2012, 12:24 Researchers have investigated how they could make the semiconductor germanium emit laser light. As a laser material, germanium together with silicon could form the basis for innovative computer chips in which information would be transferred partially in the form of light. This technology would revolutionize data streaming within chips and give a boost to the performance of electronics. | | Towards computing with water droplets: Superhydrophobic droplet logic Sep 7th 2012, 12:20 Researchers in Finland have developed a new concept for computing, using water droplets as bits of digital information. This was enabled by the discovery that upon collision with each other on a highly water-repellent surface, two water droplets rebound like billiard balls. | | Researchers make clinical trials a virtual reality Aug 30th 2012, 16:58 Clinical trials can be time-consuming, expensive and intrusive, but they are also necessary. Researchers have developed an invention that makes clinical trials more efficient by moving them into the virtual world. | | Photonics: Think thin, think vibrant Aug 29th 2012, 15:22 Flat panel displays and many digital devices require thin, efficient and low-cost light-emitters for applications. The pixels that make up the different colors on the display are typically wired to complex electronic circuits, but now researchers have developed a display technology that requires a much simpler architecture for operation. | | Magnetic vortex reveals key to spintronic speed limit Aug 28th 2012, 20:30 Spintronics use electron spin to write and read information. To mobilize this emerging technology, scientists must understand exactly how to manipulate spin as a carrier of computer code. Now, scientists have precisely measured a key parameter of electron interactions called non-adiabatic spin torque that is essential to the development of spintronic devices. This unprecedented precision guides the reading and writing of digital information and sets the spintronic speed limit. | | By text-mining the classics, professor unearths new literary insights Aug 27th 2012, 11:39 One researcher combines programming with text-mining to compare 18th- and 19th century authors' works with one another based on their stylistic and thematic connections. He crunches massive amounts of text to map how books are connected to one another -- from each's word frequency and choice to its overarching subject matter. | | Computer-simulated knitting goes right down to the yarn Aug 17th 2012, 17:53 A new method for building computer-simulated knitted fabric out of an array of individual stitches has just been developed. The innovation creates a 3-D model of a single stitch and then combine multiple copies into a mesh, like tiles in a mosaic. | |