Abstract: Method, media, and systems for compressing objects, comprising: receiving a request to write a first object including a first key and a first value, wherein the first object is of a given type; receiving a request to write a second object including a second key and a second value, wherein the second object is of the given type; classifying the first object to a compression dictionary according to at least one rule based on a value of the first object and/or the key of the first object; classifying the second object to the compression dictionary according to at least one rule based on a value of the second object and/or the key of the second object; and compressing the first object and the second object based on the compression dictionary.

Abstract: A system for logging database transactions comprises a memory (comprising a direct access storage device) operable to store a database, a database log, and a plurality of log buffers associated with the database log. Each log buffer is operable to store at least one log record associated with a database transaction. The system further comprises a processor operable to log a first record of a first database transaction using the database log and write the database log to the storage device. The processor is further operable to log a second record of a second database transaction in a first of the plurality of log buffers substantially concurrently to the database log being written to the storage device.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for distributing data items. A plurality of nodes forms a distributed data store. A new master candidate is determined through an election among the plurality of nodes. Before performing a failover from a failed master to the new master candidate, a consensus is reached among a locality-based failover quorum of the nodes. The quorum excludes any of the nodes that are in a failover quorum ineligibility mode.

Abstract: Certain example embodiments described herein relate to techniques for introducing semantic concepts into complex event processing (CEP) systems and/or methods. In an event processing system, for example, an event bus is configured to receive a stream of events, each having a predefined event type. An event processing agent is configured to execute predefined queries on the events, with each query conforming to a query language, and with the query language being enhanced via a semantic extension corresponding to an ontology. An ontology management component in communication with the event processing agent stores mappings (optionally specified at design time) between concepts of the query language and concepts of the ontology that enhances the query language.

Abstract: Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for metadata enhanced filenames. A filename is received, the filename including a first set of characters that represents a name for the electronic file, and a second set of additional characters. The filename is parsed to identify the second set of additional characters. Metadata associated with the electronic file is determined based on the second set of additional characters without downloading additional data of the electronic file. The electronic file is processed based on the determined metadata.

Abstract: Systems, methods, computer program product embodiments are provided for locking retained resources of database information in a distributed shared disk cluster environment. An embodiment includes providing a request on demand for physical access to a page by a task of a node among a cluster of nodes, managing selective bypassing of waiting access requests to the page at intranode and internode levels in response to the request on demand, and handling requests for page ownership to prioritize a request on demand. Further included are determining whether another node holds a lock on the page and identifying an access type for the waiting access requests in order to coordinate transfer of the lock to the node.

Abstract: A system including a processor to create a history database in a storage medium for storing signal strength history records, each history record including an indication of one or more signals and a signal strength for each of the one or more signals detected by a mobile device, each of the history records being mapped to a rendering device, receive a first signal strength record, compare the first signal strength record to at least some of the history records to find one of the at least some history records which is a sufficiently close match to the first signal strength record, wherein the sufficiently close matching history record is mapped to a first rendering device, select the first rendering device for the user interface software to send control commands to, and store the first signal strength record in the history database mapped to the selected rendering device.

Abstract: A method includes hierarchically identifying occurrences of some of the words in the set of sentences; creating a first index for each of some of the words based on the upper hierarchy of occurrences identified for each word; receiving input of a queried word; hierarchically identifying occurrences of the queried word in the set of sentences; creating a second index based on the upper hierarchy of occurrences identified for the queried word; comparing the first index and the second index to calculate an estimated value for the number of occurrences of a word in the neighborhood of the queried word; and calculating the actual value of the number of occurrences of a word in the neighborhood of the queried word based on an upper hierarchy and lower hierarchy of the occurrences on condition that the estimated value is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

Abstract: Methods, computer products, and systems for selecting advertisements in response to an internet query are provided. The method provides for receiving an internet query having query terms, and retrieving and ranking a first set of advertisements using a query likelihood model. Sampling words are selected using pseudo-relevance feedback and translation models, the internet query, and the first set of ad materials. Sampling words are chosen from the words in the first set, and the pseudo-relevance feedback model is used to select word w in the distribution of words based on a probability that w generates query term q(p(q|w)). The translation model calculates p(q|w) based on a translation probability that w translates into q(t(q|w)). A second set of ad materials are retrieved and ranked using an expanded query which adds the selected sampling words to the original query. The second set of ad materials is presented to the user.

Abstract: A technique for restoring file systems by applying full and incremental backups together while streaming them from multiple devices provides a faster system restore from a full backup where incremental backups must also be applied. A first storage device streams the full backup while at least one second storage device streams at least one incremental backup. As files are detected in the incremental backup, they are written instead of the corresponding file in the full backup. Incremental backups can be pre-merged to reduce their number to one less than a number of storage devices available to stream the backups, so that the full backup can be streamed along with the pre-merged incremental backup(s) to restore the file system.

Abstract: A method for compressing a sequence of records, each record comprising a sequence of fields, comprises steps of buffering a record in a line of a matrix, reordering the lines of the matrix according to locality sensitive hash values of the buffered records such that records with similar contents in corresponding fields are placed in proximity, and consolidating fields in columns of the matrix into a block of codes. In this, consolidating yields codes of one of a first type comprising a sequence of individual fields and a second type comprising a sequence of fields with at least one repetition. The second type of code comprises a presence field indicating repeated fields and an iteration field indicating a number of respective repetitions. Decompression of the records from the block codes compressed above is also described.

Abstract: Defining and matching segments is disclosed. In some embodiments, defining and matching segments includes receiving a user defined segment via a user interface input; and determining a matching effort (e.g., which can include a set of Geographic Positioning System (GPS) data) to the segment using a processor. In some embodiments, the data associated with the effort includes one or more of the following: heart rate, speed, time, and power. In some embodiments, defining and matching segments further includes storing data associated with the matching effort with the segment. In some embodiments, the user defined segment is based at least in part in uploaded GPS data. In some embodiments, the user defined segment is based at least in part on selected points on a map application.

Abstract: Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to versioning for databases. In aspects, two or more users may share the same version of data, such as a report, in a database. One of the users may seek to update the data. In response to a request from the user, a new version of the data is created. For data that is not updated via the request, the new version shares data with the previous version, thus saving space. For data this is updated, new segments within the database are created to store the updated data. Each user is allowed to access the data without blocking other users accessing the data.

Abstract: A page structure may be used to begin validation of an embedded resource prior to the time a browser issues a request to validate the embedded resource. A page structure includes information indicating one or more embedded resources in the web page and, in some implementations, its corresponding cache characteristics. The page structure may be used to generate a validation message that indicates resources to be validated. The validation message may be sent to a server at substantially the same time that the browser begins rendering the web page. The server can then begin validating the resources indicated in the validation message by sending validation requests to an origin or other server storing the embedded resources. The server then may send the validation responses back to the client computer executing the browser so that the validation responses can be used to satisfy corresponding validation requests generated by the browser.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises: receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system; associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; sending, from the social networking system, to a second user a communication generated based at least in part on the location information.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of sharing locations of users participating in a social networking service at a geographic location and communicating app related information of users participating in the social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprises: receiving location information and text descriptive information from a mobile device of a first user of the social networking service, the location information representing a geographic location of the first user, the text descriptive information manually provided by the first user on an input module of the mobile device; associating the location information with the text descriptive information of the first user in a database; sending the text descriptive information and the location information of the first user to a second user for display.

Abstract: Computer-implemented and associated operating methods evaluate robustness of a query plan by measuring performance with regard to a range of runtime conditions and producing a map of relative performance of the given query plan when compared with alternative plans for a range of conditions. The computer-implemented system comprises logic that evaluates the selected query plan in comparison to multiple alternative query plans in a predetermined range of runtime conditions that include data characteristics. The logic produces a set of performance measurements and analyzes the measured performance to map performance of the selected query plan in comparison to performance of one or more alternative query plans.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises: receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system; associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; sending, from the social networking system, to a second user a communication generated based at least in part on the location information.

Abstract: Computer services use group preferences, as partially or wholly specified by preference lists of individual members, to identify items well suited for a designated group of users. In one embodiment, items in the movie/video rental queue (one type of preference list) of a first user are prioritized based, at least partly, on the rental queue of a second, affiliated user, to give priority to items corresponding to the collective preferences of both users. Items may also be recommended to the users based on their collective preferences. In a second embodiment, the suggestion lists of multiple members of a book club are used, optionally in combination with other member preference information, to select or recommend book titles for the club. In a third embodiment, the wish lists of two or more affiliated users are used to assist others in purchasing gifts that correspond to their collective preferences.

Abstract: A system for optimizing a process of archiving at least one block of a virtual disk image includes a file system analysis component and an archiving component. The file system analysis component executes on a first physical computing device and identifies a plurality of blocks storing data comprising a file in a virtual disk image file. The archiving component executes on the first physical computing device, identifies a difference disk file storing an identification of a modification to the identified plurality of blocks storing data comprising the file, determines whether to archive the file, and transmits, to a second physical computing device, the plurality of blocks storing data comprising the file.