Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for generating and display a listing of offers of items to be sold on a third party marketplace. The system includes a processing unit and a storage device coupled to the processing unit. The processing unit has stored information for configuring the processing unit to receive a plurality of offers wherein each offer is associated with an item to be offered for sale, item information, and a seller identification. The processing unit is further configured to receive a search criterion, sort the plurality of offers based on the seller identification to generate one or more seller-specific offer listings, sort each of the seller-specific offer listings based on the search criterion, and generate a listing of offers by iteratively selecting an offer from each of the seller-specific search listings.

Abstract: A facility for specifying and previewing changes to a web site is described. Sets of changes to a web site are scheduled for release at a specified time. While the changes are being specified using a tool/interface, methods for showing the change as it will appear on the live web site are implemented. Inconsistencies between specified changes and changes in future releases may be identified as the changes are specified. Web page preview functionality is provided to allow any release to be viewed before publication to a live web site. The preview further allows inconsistencies between selected changes and changes in other future releases to be identified.

Abstract: Optimized object traversal techniques are presented to move an object focus in an intuitive manner in a display interface using a navigational controller. The optimized object traversal enables two-directional movement (e.g., up, down, left, right, or other direction) of the object focus and not confined to a sequential movement order. The optimized object traversal may vary an order of the object focus selection between objects based on a selection path of a user (e.g., which object previously had the object focus). The optimized object traversal techniques use an edge point on the object having a current object focus to identify a next object to receive the object focus. Objects may be identified based on an orthogonal alignment, a distance from the edge point, a container order (e.g., in tie breaking instances) and/or by a coded assignment.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamic pricing of web services utilization. According to one embodiment, a method may include dynamically predicting utilization of a web services computing resource that is expected to occur during a given interval of time, and dependent upon the dynamically predicted utilization, setting a price associated with utilization of the web services computing resource occurring during the given interval of time. The method may further include providing the price to a customer.

Abstract: An architecture and techniques for implementing a unified and extensible meta-testing framework within a distributed environment. This framework allows entities within the distributed environment to run tests written in different testing frameworks in a unified way. In addition, this disclosure describes techniques for allowing an entity within the distributed environment to test itself, both from its own perspective as well as from the perspective of other entities within the distributed environment.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing multiple level text cloud navigation are described, where various categories are displayed in a first text cloud and, when a category is selected, a second text cloud is displayed having child nodes of the selected category and selected lower level nodes. The categories, child nodes, and selected other nodes are displayed using an importance identifier indicative of the number of results in that category or node, a relative importance thereof, a similarities metric, a recommendations metric, or the like.

Abstract: A technique in which content is supplied to an electronic reader device is described. A time at which to send content to the electronic reader device is stored in a content server based on user preferences, user electronic reader device interaction or network conditions. The content is transmitted to the electronic reader device at the time for later display. Additional content may be securely supplied to the electronic reader device for purchase. The additional content may be in a format such that when a user later enters a request to purchase the content, the content can be instantly displayed.

Abstract: A lightweight throttling mechanism allows for dynamic control of access to resources in a distributed environment. Each request received by a server of a server group is parsed to determine tokens in the request, which are compared with designated rules to determine whether to process or reject the request based on usage data associated with an aspect of the request, the token values, and the rule(s) specified for the request. The receiving of each request can be broadcast to throttling components for each server such that the global state of the system is known to each server. The system then can monitor usage and dynamically throttle requests based on real time data in a distributed environment.

Abstract: An item authority system is provided. The item authority system uses rules to identify item definitions that match or potentially match an item description. When a unique match is found, then the item authority system may indicate that the item description describes the same item as the item definition. If multiple matches or only potential matches are identified, then the item authority system may allow a user to manually indicate which item definition matches.

Abstract: A facility for providing a gift is described. In one embodiment, the facility receives information identifying a first person that will give a gift and a second person that will receive the gift given by the first person. The facility then automatically chooses a gift to be given to the second person by the first person.

Abstract: A user device determines whether a modem specifies at least one network present at a current geographical location of the user device. When the modem does not specify any present networks, the user device identifies one of the present networks that is available to provide a roaming service to the user device, and adds the identified network to a list of preferred networks in the modem.

Abstract: A system and method for content distribution are provided. A content provider generates a network topology having one or more subnetworks made up of content sources. The content provider segments content, such as applications, into segments for distribution. The content provider then distributes the content such that for each identified subnetwork, each content segment is distributed to a content source. Subsequent, client computing device requests for content can be serviced by selecting a content source in a particular subnetwork selected for delivering the requested content to the client computing device to minimize traffic flow of the requested content through the nodes of the distribution network.

Abstract: A service is disclosed for enabling web sites and other entities to provide item recommendations and other behavior-based content to end users. The service can be implemented as a web service that is remotely accessible over the Internet. Web sites use the web service's interface to report events descriptive of item-related actions performed by end users (e.g., item views, item purchases, searches for items, etc.). The web service analyzes the reported event data on an aggregated basis to detect various types of associations between particular items, and stores resulting datasets that map items to associated items. The web service's interface also provides various API calls for enabling the web sites to request item recommendations and other behavior-based content, including but not limited to personalized recommendations that are based on the event history of the target user. Advantageously, the web sites need not host the infrastructure for providing such content.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing users with access to computer networks, such as to enable users to interact with a remote configurable network service to create and configure computer networks that are provided by the configurable network service for use by the users. Secure private access between a computer network provided for a user by the configurable network service and one or more other remote computing systems of the user (e.g., a remote private network) may be enabled in various ways. For example, a user may programmatically invoke an API provided by the configurable network service to obtain assistance in establishing remote access from a remote location to a provided computer network of the configurable network service, such as to establish a VPN connection from the remote location to the provided computer network using hardware and/or software supplied to the remote location in response to the API invocation.

Abstract: A method and system for anticipatory package shipping are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method may include packaging one or more items as a package for eventual shipment to a delivery address, selecting a destination geographical area to which to ship the package, shipping the package to the destination geographical area without completely specifying the delivery address at time of shipment, and while the package is in transit, completely specifying the delivery address for the package.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for maintaining customer data in a data store system utilizing a scalable partitioning framework. More specifically, the data store of a customer service system is partitioned (divided) into multiple partitions by a partitionable key of customer data so that each partition owns a subset of the customer data. By maintaining several partitions that store a subset of the customer data exclusive to each other, blackout or brownout problems can be local to one partition and, thus, the availability for the entire system will be increased. Moreover, a set of partitionable keys, a minimal unit to be moved between partitions, is grouped and associated with a partition. By eliminating direct dependencies between the partitions and the partitionable keys, the system can have great flexibility with regard to migrating customer data between partitions and adding a new partition.

Abstract: A method of providing recommendations is disclosed and includes receiving a selection of an offering via an online site. The method also includes outputting a detail page related to the offering via the online site. The detail page includes a first selectable indicator corresponding to a social network of a visitor and a second selectable indicator corresponding to unfiltered content. The method also includes outputting at least one recommendation via the detail page. Each recommendation is associated with a member of the social network when input received via the online site indicates a selection of the first selectable indicator.

Abstract: A content provider system interacts with a network of web sites to provide behavior-based content to users. Operators of the web sites add widgets to selected web pages of their sites. The widgets, when executed on the computing devices of users who view the selected web pages, report user-generated events to the content provider system. The content provider system analyzes the reported events to detect behavioral associations between particular web sites, web pages, products, and/or other types of items. The widgets may also retrieve and display behavior-based content that is based on these item-to-item behavioral associations. For example, when a user views a particular web page, a widget on that page may request and display descriptions of, and links to, other sites or pages that are (a) behaviorally related to the page being viewed or an item represented thereon, and/or (b) behaviorally related to the past browsing activities of the particular user.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating access of users to tasks that are available to be performed, such as via a task exchange system that serves as an intermediary to facilitate performance by some task performer users of tasks supplied by other task requester users. The techniques may include automatically providing a particular group of task performer users with access to a supply of available tasks that are appropriate for those task performer users, such as based on an aggregate probability or other likelihood measure that the task performer users as a group will collectively accept to perform those tasks in a specified manner. More generally, the affinity and/or appropriateness of a group of users to perform one or more tasks may be based on various information related to the users, including past task performance behavior of those users, and/or qualifications or more general reputational aspects of those users.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring the performance associated with fulfilling resource requests and determining optimizations for improving such performance are provided. A processing device obtains and processes performance information associated with processing a request corresponding to two or more embedded resources. The processing device uses the processed performance information to determine a consolidation configuration to be associated with a subsequent request for the content associated with the two or more embedded resources. In some embodiments, in making such a determination, the processing device assesses performance information collected and associated with subsequent requests corresponding to the content associated with the two or more embedded resources and using each of a variety of alternative consolidation configurations.