Abstract: A three-phase electronic electricity meter that includes configurable voltage sensing blades such that the electricity meter can be configured for use with various electrical service types. The electricity meter includes a base having a configuration to correspond to standard ANSI-type sockets. The meter base includes a plurality of individual voltage sensing blades that are received by the ANSI socket. At least one of the voltage sensing blades is movable between a first and a second position such that the voltage sensing blade contacts different areas on a meter circuit board in the first and second positions. A common circuit board can be utilized for different electrical service types and the contact arrangement can be selectively configured by moving the voltage sensing blades between their first and second positions.

Abstract: An applicator includes a hollow body having a central longitudinal axis to hold a colored ink, a shoulder portion, a central recessed portion, and a base portion. The shoulder portion is located above and merging with the central recessed portion at an upper end thereof and includes a top wall having an opening. The base portion is located below and merges with the central recessed portion at a lower end thereof and includes a bottom wall. The central recessed portion has a smooth continuous sidewall formed as an oval with major and minor diameters. The central recessed portion merges with the sidewall portion of the shoulder portion at major upper flared surfaces and at minor upper flared surfaces. The major axis decreases uniformly toward the center. The minor axis has a substantially constant dimension.

Abstract: A random access memory circuit comprises a plurality of memory cells and at least one decoder coupled to the memory cells, the decoder being configurable for receiving an input address and for accessing one or more of the memory cells in response thereto. The random access memory circuit further comprises a plurality of sense amplifiers operatively coupled to the memory cells, the sense amplifiers being configurable for determining a logical state of one or more of the memory cells. A controller coupled to at least a portion of the sense amplifiers is configurable for selectively operating in at least one of a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode of operation, the controller enables one of the sense amplifiers corresponding to the input address and disables the sense amplifiers not corresponding to the input address. In the second mode of operation, the controller enables substantially all of the sense amplifiers.

Abstract: The invention is an applicator including a hollow body having a central longitudinal axis to hold a colored ink, a shoulder portion, a central recessed portion, and a base portion. The shoulder portion is located above and merging with the central recessed portion at an upper end thereof and includes a top wall having an opening. The base portion is located below and merges with the central recessed portion at a lower end thereof and includes a bottom wall. The central recessed portion has a smooth continuous sidewall formed as an oval with major and minor diameters. The central recessed portion merges with the sidewall portion of the shoulder portion at major upper flared surfaces and at minor upper flared surfaces. The major axis decreases uniformly toward the center. The minor axis has a substantially constant dimension.

Abstract: Provided herein is a name service that includes published data that is associated with one or more duration entities and one or more modification entities, enabling the name service to more efficiently manage access to published data. To publish data, a publishing client transmits a publication request to a name service. The publication request may specify a modification entity. The name service creates at least one name entry that associates the published data with the modification entity. There are several types of requests to modify data that a name service will honor only when they originate from a modification entity.

Abstract: A system and method for distance learning that can be used to teach a typical IT training course. In one aspect, a student that desires to perform remotely an exercise from an IT training course uses his/her Java-capable browser to connect to a distance learning web server. The web server downloads to the browser a list of exercises that the student can choose from. After the student selects an exercise, the web server launches the virtual machines that are needed for the student to perform the selected exercise. The virtual machines are launched on a computer system that is remote from the student, but the computer system includes a remote display server. After the virtual machines are launched on the remote system, a remote display viewer is loaded in the student's browser and the remote display viewer connects to the remote display server. After the viewer connects to the remote display server, the viewer displays one or more of the virtual machines in a window on the student's computer.

Abstract: An IT skills evaluation system and method for evaluating an individual's IT skills. According to one aspect of the invention, the individual is required to perform one or more practical exercises. A practical exercise is an evaluation device for evaluating not only an individual's knowledge, but also the individual's ability to apply their knowledge. One or more virtual machines are associated with each practical exercise, and the test taker must use these virtual machines to complete the exercise. In one aspect, a skills evaluation system according to one embodiment includes a testing computer on which the following software is installed: a virtual machine platform for allowing multiple virtual machines to run simultaneously on the testing computer and a practical skills evaluator for presenting exams to a test taker and scoring the exam. An exam is made up of one or more practical exercise.

Abstract: Provided herein is a name service that includes published data that is associated with one or more duration entities and one or more modification entities, enabling the name service to more efficiently manage access to published data. To publish data, a publishing client transmits a publication request to a name service. The publication request may specify a modification entity and a duration entity. The name service creates at least one name entry that associates the published data with the modification entity and the duration entity. There are several requests to modify or depublish published data that a name service will honor only when they originate from a modification entity. These are (1) requests to modify published data, and (2) requests to depublish published data. A name service depublishes published data based on the termination of the duration entity that is associated with the published data, when, for example, a garbage collector detects that the duration of an entity has ended.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for reconfiguring a multiple node system after an epoch change in a manner that reduces the overhead and system unavailability typically incurred during reconfiguration. A resource-to-master mapping is established using the combination of a resource-to-bucket hash function and a bucket-to-node hash function. The resource-to-bucket hash function is not changed in response to an epoch change. The bucket-to-node hash function does change in response to epoch changes. Techniques are disclosed for adjusting the dynamic bucket-to-node hash function after an epoch change in a manner that load balances among the new number of nodes in the system. Further, the changes to the bucket-to-node assignments are performed in a way that reduces the number of resources that have to be remastered. In one embodiment, only those resources that lose their masters during an epoch change are assigned new masters during an initial reconfiguration.

Abstract: A color-coded semaphore system in which an individual wears a semaphore that signals characteristics and interests for social purposes. Each color indicates a specific quality related to the individual, such as, but not limited to, personality type, marital status, religion, politics, the type of person that the individual is interested in meeting, etc. The semaphores indicate the qualities of the individual wearing the semaphore, but also indicate to others what qualities the individual may be seeking, such as, but not limited to, personality type, marital status, religion, politics, etc. The semaphore system can be implemented using a variety of color-coded items, such as jewelry (e.g. rings, necklace's, pendants, pins, tie tacks, bracelets, body piercing jewelry, etc.), or garments using color-coded insignia. Other alternative embodiments allow multiple semaphores to be worn simultaneously to allow a variety of the individual's interests to be signaled.