Abstract: A system includes a single common graphical user interface for a network of home appliances, comprising a communication window and a task window, both of which are connected to the network. A communication window includes agent utterance bubbles associated with a software agent, and user utterance bubbles associated with a user of the appliances. The agent utterance bubbles display agent utterances, and the user utterance bubbles display user utterances to be selected by the user in response to the agent utterances. A task window includes a selection window for selecting tasks and appliances, and an application program interface for a selected task and appliance. A network of home appliances includes several home appliances connected to an appliance controller by a network. The appliance controller includes the single common graphical user interface.

Abstract: A query for a database is represented as a vector including multiple elements. Each element is a control, and each control has a current setting. The database is queried with the query to produce a current synopsis. The current synopsis is added to a current summary. The current synopsis and the current controls and a current summary including the current synopsis are visualized on a graphical user interface. A new setting for the controls is indicated to produce a new synopsis that when added to the current summary makes a next summary most different than the current summary. The querying, visualizing, and indicating until a termination condition is reached to generate a most interesting summary of the database.

Abstract: A method solves a combinatorial optimization problem including multiple elements and values. An ordering function is applied to an instance of the combinatorial optimization problem to produce an ordering of elements. The ordering of the elements is modified repeatedly to produce a re-ordering of the elements. A placement function is applied to each re-ordering of the elements to obtain solutions of the combinatorial optimization problem, until a termination condition is reached, and a best solution is selected.