Abstract: Electronic devices may include force sensitive sensors. The sensor may include a first layer of electrodes, a second layer of electrodes and a deformable dielectric material separating the first layer of electrodes and the second layer of electrodes. A conductive material may be disposed to negate capacitive effects between an object near to or touching the touch surface and the electrodes of the first layer and the electrodes of the second layer. A force applied to the sensor may be detected based at least in part on a change in capacitance between at least one electrode of first layer and at least one electrode of the second layer resulting from deformation of the deformable dielectric material. This disclosure also describes techniques for assembling electronic devices including these components.

Abstract: A separate distributed buffer cache system may be implemented for a storage client of a distributed storage system. Storage I/O requests may be sent from a storage client to one or more buffer cache nodes in a distributed buffer cache system that maintain portions of an in-memory buffer cache to which the requests pertain. The distributed buffer cache system may send the write requests on to the distributed storage system to be completed, and in response to receiving acknowledgements from the storage system, sending a completion acknowledgement back to the storage client. Buffer cache nodes may update buffer cache entries for received requests such that they are not available for reads until complete at the distributed storage system. For read requests where the buffer cache entries at the buffer cache node are invalid, valid data may be obtained from the distributed storage system and sent to the storage client.

Abstract: A web server computer system receives a plurality of measurements for a metric from one or more computing resources associated with the web server computer system. Each measurement includes metadata for the measurement, which specifies attributes of the measurement. The web server computer system determines, for each measurement and based at least in part on the metadata, a fully qualified metric identifier for the measurement. The web server computer system uses the fully qualified metric identifier to partition the plurality of measurements into various partitions. Once completed, the web server computer system transmits a request to one or more aggregator sub-systems of a computing resource monitoring service to store the plurality of measurements.

Abstract: Beacon pods that provide location information to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The beacon pods may emit location information, which may replicate global positioning system (GPS) satellite information, provide a homing signal, provide access to a mobile telephone network as a signal repeater or booster, and/or provide other information and/or connectivity to a UAV, which may aid navigation and/or other operations of UAVs. The beacon pods may be configured for use in a residential location, which may enable a beacon pod to connect to residential power and computing networks. The beacon pods may establish secure data communication with UAVs and may log events related to UAVs, which may be used for various purposes.

Abstract: A propeller alignment device is described. The propeller alignment device can include a second retainer attached to a propeller and a motor. The propeller alignment device can also include a first retainer that does not rotate, but that is aligned with the second retainer. The first retainer can include two or more magnets oppositely orientated relative to each other. The second retainer can also include two or more magnets oppositely orientated relative to each other. As the second retainer rotates relative to the first retainer, the magnets may alternatingly align with each other. In the absence of a current applied to the motor, the magnets may magnetically bias the second retainer into a predetermined orientation relative to the first retainer. The predetermined orientation can be predetermined to correspond to an alignment of the propeller that is desirable (e.g., that minimizes aerodynamic drag on the propeller).

Abstract: Processes are disclosed for embodiments of a caching system to utilize a snapshot file or other limited size data structure to store a portion of the data stored in a cache. The snapshot file can be stored on persistent or otherwise non-transitory storage so that, even in case of a restart, crash or power loss event, the data stored in the snapshot file persists and can be used by the caching system after starting up. The snapshot file can then be used to restore at least some data into the cache in cases where the cached data in the cache is lost. For example, in cases of a cold-start or restart, the caching system can load data from the snapshot file into the empty cache. This can increase the number of cache hits since the cache is repopulated with useful data at startup.

Abstract: A computing resource monitoring service receives a request to store metrics data. The request includes the metrics data and a fully qualified metric identifier generated based at least in part on metadata included in an earlier request to store other metrics data for the same metric. The service uses the fully qualified metric identifier to identify an aggregator datastore for storing the metrics data. Once the service has identified the aggregator datastore, the service accesses the aggregator datastore to store the metrics data such that the metrics data and the other metrics data can be obtained in response to a request to obtain data for the metric, where the request includes the metadata.

Abstract: Ultrasonic tracking of a worker's hands may be used to monitor performance of assigned tasks. An inventory system includes inventory bins configured to store inventory items, an ultrasonic unit, ultrasonic transducers, and a management module. The ultrasonic unit is configured to be worn by a user in proximity to the user's hand and to periodically emit ultrasonic sound pulses. The ultrasonic transducers are arranged relative to the inventory bins and configured to receive the emitted pulses. The management module is operatively coupled with the ultrasonic transducers and configured to process signals generated by the ultrasonic transducers to identify an inventory bin based on proximity of the ultrasonic unit relative to the identified inventory bin. The management module monitors performance of an assigned task based on the identified inventory bin.

Abstract: Techniques are described for identifying book title sets. The techniques may include a first-pass comparison with other books to identify other candidate title sets. A second-pass comparison may then be performed with respect to the candidate title sets. The first-pass comparison may be based on book metadata such as titles and authorship. The second-pass comparison may include a more comprehensive content comparison, such as comparing the body text of the books.

Abstract: A network resource (“NR”) delivery acceleration system predicts web browsing behavior of users based on their frequent navigation habits, the navigation habits of the majority and/or content based prediction. Based on these predictions, the system accelerates the delivery of selected network resources, such as resources on web pages, to user devices in one or more ways, such as by selectively prefetching, caching, preemptively delivering, and/or pre-rendering content items. To determine access probabilities for candidate pages (such as those frequently visited by the user), the NR delivery acceleration system adapts or trains one or more models, such as logistic regression and/or frequency-based models, using individual/personalized browsing histories of users, their content (topic) preferences, and/or aggregated patterns of navigation.

Abstract: A control-plane component of a virtual network interface (VNI) multiplexing service assigns one or more VNIs as members of a first interface group. A first VNI of the interface group is attached to a first compute instance. Network traffic directed to a particular endpoint address associated with the first interface group is to be distributed among members of the first interface group by client-side components of the service. The control-plane component propagates membership metadata of the first interface group to the client-side components. In response to a detection of an unhealthy state of the first compute instance, the first VNI is attached to a different compute instance by the control-plane component.

Abstract: Control planes of virtual resource providers may be customized in a secure, stable and efficient manner with virtual control planes. Control planes may be modularized. Control plane modules may be supplied with data from standardized sensors, and required to generate standardized resource configuration requests responsive to solicitations with specified response latencies. Custom control plane modules may be selected to replace or complement default control plane modules. Financial and computational costs associated with control plane modules may be tracked. Competing resource configurations may be mediated by a control plane supervisor. Such mediation may be based on control plane module reputation scores. Reputation scores may be based on customer feedback ratings and/or measured performance with respect to module goals. Mediated configuration parameter values may be based on a combination of competing configuration parameter values weighted according to reputation.

Abstract: When servers hosting a website are under some form of deployment activity (e.g., a software update being in mid-deployment), the resources requested may not be available from all servers hosting the website. In such mid-deployment edge cases, the server would return an error message in response to the request. According to an application employing redirect instructions via a load balancer, a redirect function (such as a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) status code 302) may be configured to redirect a client request to the same location as an initial request, via a load balancer, in order to provide the client with multiple attempts of reaching an updated host (e.g., a server hosting a resource based on a recent deployment), without having to receive error codes or otherwise fail to receive the requested resource.

Abstract: An electronic device may include a door filter that is moveable to transition between a first position that enables visibility of a display located behind or underneath the filter and a second position that causes air entering the electronic device to pass through an air filter. In some embodiments, the door filter may be moveable or rotatable relative to a door filter frame that is removably coupled to an electronic device housing and located over an aperture in the electronic device housing. The door filter may include a first portion that couples to a second portion to secure or at least partially enclose the air filter. When the door filter frame is decoupled from the electronic device, a security door may close the aperture by engaging the same coupling points in the electronic device housing as previously engaged by the door filter frame.

Abstract: In certain aspects, where a network resource is configured (e.g., created, launched, modified, etc.) the dependencies between the network resource and other resources can be determined and stored. Subsequently, then a request is made to reconfigure the network resource, the stored dependencies can be accessed to determine whether or not to allow such a requested reconfiguration.

Abstract: Customers of a computing resource service provider may provision a logical volume using resources of the service provider. The customers may further specify a performance level for a portion of the logical volume that is greater than the minimum performance of the remainder of the logical volume. The service provider may then monitor the access patterns of the logical volume and dynamically increase performance of the most active area of the logical volume to the performance level specified by the customer.

Abstract: A probabilistic data structure is generated for efficient query processing using a histogram for unsorted data in a column of a columnar database. A bucket range size is determined for multiples buckets of a histogram of a column in a columnar database table. In at least some embodiments, the histogram may be a height-balanced histogram. A probabilistic data structure is generated to indicate for which particular buckets in the histogram there is a data value stored in the data block. When an indication of a query directed to the column for select data is received, the probabilistic data structure for each of the data blocks storing data for the column may be examined to determine particular ones of the data blocks which do not need to be read in order to service the query for the select data.

Abstract: A busway system enables multiple interchangeable power support redundancies to be provided to electrical loads. The busway system includes multiple busways extending through an aisle space, where some busways carry power from separate primary power sources, and one or more busways carry power from a secondary power source. Busways are coupled to loads to provide power support directly to the loads, indirectly via devices that distribute power to the loads via branch circuits, etc. The power support redundancy provided to a load is established based at least in part upon which busways are coupled to the load, and power support redundancies can be changed by changing the couplings of particular busways with the loads. The busways can extend through the aisle space in a staggered configuration to enable load balancing between busways by restricting loads in certain regions of the aisle space to coupling with certain busways and not others.

Abstract: Robotic arms or manipulators can be utilized to grasp inventory items within an inventory system. Information can be obtained about constraints relative to relevant elements of a process of transferring the item from place to place. Examples of such elements may include a grasping location from which an item is to be grasped, a receiving location in which a grasped item is to be placed, or a space between the grasping location and the receiving location. The information about the constraints can be used to select from multiple possible grasping options, such as by eliminating options that conflict with the constraints or preferring options that outperform others given the constraints.