Abstract: Systems and approaches are provided for optimizing self-portraiture. The background of the self-portrait can be enhanced by image registration or stitching techniques of images captured using one or more conventional cameras. Multiple standard resolution images can be stitched together to generate a panoramic or a composite image of a higher resolution. Foreground elements, such as one or more representations of users, can also be enhanced in various ways. The representations of the users can be composited to exclude undesirable elements, such as image data of one of the users extending her arm to capture the self-portrait. An ideal pose of the users can automatically be selected and other image enhancements, such as histogram optimization, brightness and contrast optimization, color-cast correction, or reduction or removal of noise, can automatically be performed to minimize user effort in capturing self-portraits.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate remotely controlling a wireless lighting module. The wireless lighting module can include a power source such as a battery, a solar cell, and the like as well as an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs can be controlled based upon a received input (e.g., communicated by way of a radio frequency signal, an infrared signal, . . . ). For example, the input can be obtained from a remote control, a sensor, a differing wireless lighting module, an radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and so forth. The input can be utilized to switch one or more LEDs on or off, change the intensity or color of illumination, modulate illumination, alter the direction of illumination, etc.

Abstract: A security network provides reduced power consumption and more robust communication of messages in comparison to conventional wireless systems. Reducing power consumption as discussed herein ensures that the security system is able to operate for a long duration of time, potentially with minimal or no power from an electrical grid. Additionally, redundant communication paths as discussed herein provide a more robust way of selectively forwarding security data to a remote server. The availability of multiple communication paths ensures that a respective remote target recipient such as a server resource or remote communication device operated by a user can be notified of a trigger event during power failure conditions, such as when certain communication functionality of a security system is disabled.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for real-time server testing in a production environment. Unlike traditional testing frameworks, embodiments of the present invention enable a server in production to be tested using live messages received from users. This eliminates the need to design and write test scripts to cover various scenarios and enables the server to be tested under live conditions. A test controller executing on the server under test can receive message attributes from a test client that define the types of messages to be used for a particular test. The test controller can identify live messages as they are received by the server that match the message attributes. The messages can be processed by the server in real time and then tested according to message tests received from the test client.

Abstract: Video content can be analyzed to identify particular sections of the video content. Speech to text or similar techniques can be used to obtain a transcription of the video content. The transcription can be indexed (e.g., timestamped) to the video content. Information describing how users are interacting with or consuming the video content (e.g., social media information, viewing history data, etc.) can be collected and used to identify the particular sections. Once the particular sections have been identified, other services can be provided. For example, custom trailers and summaries of the video content can be generated based on the identified sections. Additionally, the video content can be augmented to include additional information relevant to the particular sections, such as production information, actor information, or other information. The additional information can be added so as not to interfere with the important sections.

Abstract: Images may be analyzed to determine a visually cohesive color palette, for example by comparing a subset of the colors most frequently appearing in the image to a plurality of color schemes (e.g., complementary, analogous, etc.), and potentially modifying one or more of the subset of colors to more accurately fit the selected color scheme. Various regions of the image are selected and portions of the regions having one or more colors of the color palette are extracted and classified to generate and compare feature vectors of the patches to previously-determined feature vectors of items to identify visually similar items. The visually similar items are selected for presentation in various ways, such as by choosing an outfit of visually-similar apparel items based on the locations of the corresponding colors in the image, etc.

Abstract: A power management system for a lighting circuit may include a grid shifting controller that includes a processor and a connection to an external power source. The power management system may also include a communication interface associated with the grid shifting controller. The grid shifting controller may be configured to provide control information to a processor of at least one grid shifting electrical fixture over the communication interface, the control information being configured to direct the at least one grid shifting electrical fixture on the use of power from the external power source and an energy storage device associated with the at least one grid shifting electrical fixture.

Abstract: A power management system for a lighting circuit may include a grid shifting controller that includes a processor and a connection to an external power source. The power management system may also include a communication interface associated with the grid shifting controller. The grid shifting controller may be configured to provide control information to a processor of at least one grid shifting electrical fixture over the communication interface, the control information being configured to direct the at least one grid shifting electrical fixture on the use of power from the external power source and an energy storage device associated with the at least one grid shifting electrical fixture.

Abstract: Approaches attempt to determine information that can help to produce more useful recommendations to be displayed in a situation where no, or little, information is available that indicates a relationship between content provided through an electronic marketplace or other content provider. For example, data available that relates to an item in a product catalog, for example color data, can be analyzed and aggregated in order to attempt to locate other items that are related and relevant to the item, at least as it relates to color and categorization of the content. Such approaches can include, for example, analyzing images, articles, and other sources of electronic content to attempt to locate items that might be relevant to the item of interest.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a base, an imaging assembly, and a holder assembly. The imaging assembly includes a first arm including a first arm first portion and a first arm second portion distal from the first arm first portion and a second arm including a second arm first portion and a second arm second portion distal from the second arm first portion. The first arm is pivotally mounted on the base and the second arm is pivotally mounted on the first arm second portion. An imaging device is mounted on the second arm second portion. The holder assembly includes a base mount mounted on a platform. A strut is coupled to the base mount, and a gripper is coupled to the strut. The gripper is configured to grip and position a part in line of sight of the imaging device.

Abstract: A modular coordinated lighting system comprising one or more wireless lighting devices that can communicate over a network and coordinate their operation to provide illumination to an area is provided. Wireless control present in one wireless lighting device can be used to propagate the wireless control of that wireless lighting device to an entire of group of lights in a lighting system. In this manner, a user can easily install wireless lighting devices that work in coordination to illuminate an area as if they are one lighting device. A networked wireless lighting device may also be configured through the user input method to operate different groups of wireless lighting modules such that lighting groups may be created. Multiple lighting groups allow a user to configure lighting provided by the modular coordinated lighting system based on their preference.

Abstract: A set of search requests may be analyzed to detect fixed phrases suitable for inclusion in a search index. Sets of candidate phrases may be identified among the search requests. Fixed phrases may be detected among the candidate phrases using statistical techniques, for example, by identifying phrases having a relatively high pointwise mutual information (PMI) with respect to component keywords. Fixed phrase detection may include keyword and/or phrase clustering. Clusters may correspond to topics defined using a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) procedure. Fixed phrase detection may include identifying phrases having relatively high PMI within particular clusters.

Abstract: Training images can be synthesized in order to obtain enough data to train a convolutional neural network to recognize various classes of a type of item. Images can be synthesized by blending images of items labeled using those classes into selected background images. Catalog images can represent items against a solid background, which can be identified using connected components or other such approaches. Removing the background using such approaches can result in edge artifacts proximate the item region. To improve the results, one or more operations are performed, such as a morphological erosion operation followed by an opening operation. The isolated item portion then can be blended into a randomly selected background region in order to generate a synthesized training image. The training images can be used with real world images to train the neural network.

Abstract: A set of training images is obtained by analyzing text associated with various images to identify images likely demonstrating a visual attribute. Localization can be used to extract patches corresponding to these attributes, which can then have features or feature vectors determined to train, for example, a convolutional neural network. A query image can be received and analyzed using the trained network to determine a set of items whose images demonstrate visual similarity to the query image at least with respect to the attribute of interest. The similarity can be output from the network or determined using distances in attribute space. Content for at least a determined number of highest ranked, or most similar, items can then be provided in response to the query image.

Abstract: Approaches provide for minimizing variations in the height of a camera of a computing device when estimating the distance to objects represented in image data captured by the camera. For example, a front-facing camera of a computing device can be used to capture a live camera view of a user. An application can analyze the image data to locate features of the user's face for purposes of aligning the user with the computing device. As the position and/orientation of the device changes with respect to the user, the image data can be analyzed to detect whether a location of a representation of a feature of the user aligns with the alignment element. Once the feature is aligned with the alignment element, a rear-facing camera (or other camera) can capture second image data of an object.

Abstract: Systems and methods track one or more points between images. A point for tracking may be selected, at least in part, on a determination of how discriminable the point is relative to other points in a region containing the point. A point of an image being tracked may be located in another image by matching a patch containing the point with another patch of the other image. A search for a matching patch may be focused in a region that is determined based at least in part on an estimate of movement of the point between images. Points may be tracked across multiple images. If an ability to track one or more points is lost, information about the points being tracked may be used to relocate the points in another image.

Abstract: Approaches provide for identifying text represented in image data as well as determining a location or region of the image data that includes the text represented in the image data. For example, a camera of a computing device can be used to capture a live camera view of one or more items. The live camera view can be presented to the user on a display screen of the computing device. An application executing on the computing device or at least in communication with the computing device can analyze the image data of the live camera view to identify text represented in the image data as well as determine locations or regions of the image that include the representations.