Abstract: Techniques for providing friction-free transactions using geolocation and user identifiers are described herein. These techniques may ascertain a user's location based on a location of a mobile device. A transaction between the user and a merchant may be completed with zero or minimal input from the user based on the geolocation of the mobile device and the user identifiers. In some implementations, a transaction initiated earlier is completed when the mobile device arrives at the merchant. Additionally, a parent-child or similar relationship may be established between multiple devices. Security on the mobile device based may be provided by biometric identification and calculation of variance from regular movement patterns. Advertisements may be sent to the mobile device based on bids from merchants near to the mobile device. Promotions may be sent to the mobile device when more than a threshold number of mobile devices are located at the same merchant.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between task requesters who have tasks that are available to be performed and task performers who are available to perform tasks, such as by an intermediary electronic marketplace or other task fulfillment facilitator system. In some situations, task performer users and/or other users may create task subscriptions for use in automatically identifying tasks of interest to the users about which the users desire to receive notification. The users may be notified of the identified tasks in various ways, such as by sending electronic messages of various types to the users that include indications of the tasks identified for those users based on their subscriptions. Tasks of interest may be identified in various ways, such as based on task attributes of interest specified for a subscription that are later matched against tasks that are available at the time of the matching.

Abstract: A global demand forecast is generated for a product group in a computer system, where the product group comprises a plurality of products of a predefined genre. A historical relationship between an aggregate of product level demand forecasts and actual demand for the products in the product group, and the global demand forecast are used to adjust a critical ratio employed to generate a product level demand forecast in the computer system for a product in the product group. The critical ratio expresses a probability that the product level demand forecast will exceed an actual demand for a corresponding product.

Abstract: Item scarcity resulting from a high demand of the item is addressed by providing users a high demand sale process. In some aspects, users may opt-in to purchase the item in a sale by transmitting a mobile message to a host over a mobile device network prior to a sale of the item. If the user is eligible, the host then attempts to purchase the item on behalf of the user once the sale begins.

Abstract: A system and method for management and processing of resource requests is provided. A content delivery network service provider receives a DNS query from a client computing device. The DNS query corresponds to a requested resource from the client computing device. The content delivery network service provider associates the client computing device with a cluster of other client computing devices. Based on routing information for the cluster, the content delivery network service provider routes the DNS query. The process can further include monitoring performance data associated with the delivery of the requested resource and updating the routing information for the cluster based on the performance data for use in processing subsequent requests from client computing devices in the cluster.

Abstract: A load balancing system for a merchandise fulfillment network is described. The load balancing system employs PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) load balancing functionality or other kind of closed loop control functionality to select, on an order-by-order basis, which fulfillment resources (such as fulfillment centers) are to handle customer orders.

Abstract: A meaning of a term is determined using the contents of a corpus of books through use of metadata about the books within the corpus, terms in the same work which provide context, and so forth. Users may query to determine the meaning of a term. Users may also build vocabulary skills by testing as well. A changing meaning of a term over time may be determined and utilized as well. Searches are facilitated by the enhanced ability to determine meaning of the terms, particularly in context. Feedback from the searches may also be used to refine future searches.

Abstract: Generally described, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward the identification of items for inclusion in a recommendations list that may be displayed concurrently with an item selected by a user or users. The recommended items may be items that are of potential interest to the user and/or may be items that are related to the selected item. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system for generating one or more recommendations lists, providing those lists to users, evaluating users' interactions with those lists, and modifying the engines or techniques used to identify items that are to be included in the recommendations lists.

Abstract: A personalization network service enables developers to develop recommenders that can be made available to content site operators for providing recommendations to end users. The personalization network service may also be capable of optimizing the use and selection of the recommenders for different end users, groups or segments of end users, content sites, and the like.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing execution of programs. In some situations, program execution is managed for multiple users using excess program execution capacity of one or more computing systems. In some such situations, excess or otherwise unused program execution capacity may be made available to execute programs on a temporary basis, such that the programs executing using the excess program execution capacity may be terminated at any time if other preferred use for the excess program execution capacity arises. The excess program execution capacity may in some situations be provided in conjunction with other dedicated program execution capacity that is allocated to particular users, such as to use unused dedicated capacity of some users as excess capacity for other users. In some situations, the techniques are used in conjunction with a fee-based program execution service that executes multiple programs on behalf of multiple users of the service.

Abstract: Aspects of systems and methods for maintaining and operating agent nodes are provided. In some embodiments, calls, contacts, and other work units may be routed to individual customer service agents via a centralized queue based on a variety of factors. Some embodiments may provide market-based call pricing and customer service agent compensation.

Abstract: Secure information is managed for each host or machine in an electronic environment using a series of key identifiers that each represent one or more secure keys, passwords, or other secure information. Applications and services needing access to the secure information can specify the key identifier, for example, and the secure information currently associated with that identifier can be determined without any change to the code or manual input or exposure of the secure information on the respective device. Functionality such as encryption key management and rotation are inaccessible and transparent to the user. In a networked or distributed environment, the key identifiers can be associated with host classes such that at startup any host in a class can obtain the necessary secure information. Updates and key rotation can be performed in a similar fashion by pushing updates to host classes transparent to a user, application, or service.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items.

Abstract: State information for a page can be stored and restored using a component state manager to extract and set state information for various components on a page. Each appropriate component can register with the state manager, such that when a user requests to store state information, the state manager can extract state information for each registered component and store the state information accordingly. The user can be provided with a tag or other identifier that allows the user to subsequently request recreation of that state. In response to receiving the identifier, the state manager retrieves the stored state information and sets the state of each respective registered component on the page. The identifiers can be shared with other users to allow those users to also quickly access the same state.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for integrated stowing and picking in a materials handling facility may include a process control component for monitoring processes within the materials handling facility in order to implement opportunistic picking and stowing. To implement an opportunistic pick, the process control component may determine that an agent has stowed a unit at a respective inventory location. The process control component may determine that the inventory location (or a nearby inventory location) includes a unit designated to be picked and may issue an instruction to opportunistically pick that unit. To implement an opportunistic stow, the process control component may determine that an agent has picked a unit from a respective inventory location. The process control component may determine that a conveyable receptacle utilized by the agent includes a unit that is designated to be stowed and may issue an instruction to opportunistically stow that unit.

Abstract: Presentation by a display is enhanced by placing the active elements of the display at or substantially proximate to the surface of an electronic device. Such placement improves image quality, reduces shadow on the display, improves spill resistance, and minimizes the overall profile of the device.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for managing CDN service providers are provided. A network storage provider storing one or more resources on behalf of a content provider obtains client computing device requests for content. The network storage provider processes the client computing device requests and determines whether a subsequent request for the resource should be directed to a CDN service provider as a function of the updated or processed by the network storage provider storage component.

Abstract: A transaction processing and authorization service. If a source entity does not respond to an authorization attempt via a communications channel, the service may generate a transaction phrase corresponding to the transaction and communicate the transaction phrase to the source entity. The transaction phrase may also be stored by the service and associated with the source entity's account and the particular transaction as initiated, and may be used to identify the transaction. After receiving the transaction phrase, the source entity may then, if desired, return the transaction phrase to the service. Upon receiving the transaction phrase from the source entity, the service may then contact the source entity via the communications channel to authorize the transaction. As an alternative, a source entity may submit a replay command to the service to replay any pending transactions.

Abstract: A system for providing computing capacity includes a base module and two or more fin modules coupled to the base module. At least one of the fin modules includes one or more fins and two or more computer systems coupled to the fins. The fins form an enclosure for the computer systems to protect the at least one computer system from environmental conditions. The system can operate in an outdoor environment.

Abstract: Input and output (I/O) operations performed by a data storage device are managed dynamically to balance aspects such as throughput and latency. Sequential read and write requests are sent to a data storage device whereby the corresponding operations are performed without time delay due to extra disk revolutions. In order to minimize latency, particularly for read operations, random read and write requests are held in a queue upstream of an I/O controller of the data storage device until the buffer of the data storage device is empty. The queued requests can be reordered when a higher priority request is received, improving the overall latency for specific requests. An I/O scheduler of a data server is still able to use any appropriate algorithm to order I/O requests, such as by prioritizing reads over writes as long as the writes do not back up in the I/O queue beyond a certain threshold.