Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating item returns on behalf of customers of an electronic commerce site. Embodiments of the disclosure can, in one example, facilitate item returns on behalf of a buyer where the seller is a seller in a multi-seller marketplace. A return shipping label can be generated on behalf of the seller as well as communications between buyer and seller archived in the event of a subsequent dispute.

Abstract: A speech-based system may be configured to receive and act upon spoken requests from a user. In some cases, a spoken request may ask the system to play content such as music without specifying from which of multiple available content sources the music is to be obtained. In response to such a request, the system analyzes feature scores for each of the content sources. The feature scores indicate usage characteristics of the different sources by a current user or groups of users. The features scores for a particular source may be averaged or otherwise combined to create a composite score, and the source having the highest composite score is selected as the source of the requested content.

Abstract: A system enables end user devices to receive audio announcements from third party cloud-based resources. For example, the system may include a first party cloud-based resource providing tokens to the third party cloud-based resource in order to prevent the third party cloud-based resource from causing audio announcements to be output by user devices without authorization. In some cases, the tokens may be time based and prevent the third party cloud-based resource from causing audio announcements to be output by user devices after a predefined amount of time. In other examples, the tokens may be use based and prevent the third party cloud-based resource from causing the user device to output more than a predetermined number of audio announcements.

Abstract: A dynamic biography module in a user device receives a request for supplemental information corresponding to an electronic media item being consumed by a user. The dynamic biography module determines the user's reading location in the electronic media item and determines a version of the supplemental information corresponding to the reading location. In response, the dynamic biography module provides the corresponding version of the supplemental information to the user.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for caching of a hierarchical model of a network site. Upon receiving a request to resolve a network site, a hierarchical site model associated with a network site is retrieved. A directory model associated with the network site is also retrieved. A caching process is initiated that retrieves at least a subset of page models and loads them into a cache. The caching process is executed in parallel with the processing of the hierarchical site model.

Abstract: Optimization preferences are defined for optimizing execution of a distributed application. Candidate sets of application parameter values may be tested in test execution environments. Measures of performance for metrics of interest are determined based upon the execution of the distributed application using the candidate sets of application parameter values. Utility curves may be utilized to compute measures of effectiveness for metrics of interest. A multi-attribute rollup operation may utilize the computed measures of effectiveness and weights to compute a grand measure of merit (MOM) for the candidate sets of application parameter values. An optimized set of application parameter values may then be selected based upon the computed grand MOMs. The optimized set of application parameter values may be deployed to a production execution environment executing the distributed application.

Abstract: A network-based enterprise or other system that makes items available for selection to users may implement real-time updates to item recommendation models based on matrix factorization. An item recommendation model may be maintained that is generated from a singular value decomposition of a matrix indicating selections of items by users. A user-specific update to the item recommendation model may be calculated in real-time for a particular user such that the calculation may be performed without performing another singular value decomposition to generate an updated version of the item recommendation model. Item recommendations may then be made based on the user-specific update and the item recommendation model. In various embodiments, the item recommendations may be made in response to an indication or request for item recommendations for the particular user.

Abstract: A user can use a finger, or other such object, to provide input to a computing device. The finger can be positioned and/or oriented at a distance from the device, and the device can determine an input that the user is attempting to provide based on a position, motion, or gesture associated with the finger. One or more cameras can capture image information, which can be analyzed to attempt to determine the location and/or orientation of the finger. If the finger is at least partially outside a field of view of the camera(s), the device can use another sensor (e.g., EMF) to determine one or more potential locations of the fingertip. The image information then can be used to determine which of the potential locations actually corresponds to the fingertip by analyzing that portion of the finger or hand represented in the image information.

Abstract: Techniques for facilitating collaborative consumption of content items, such as electronic books, movies, videos, songs, and the like. Multiple users may consume a content item over a substantially common period of time, such as over a day, week, month, etc. Each user may utilize one or more electronic devices (e.g., electronic book reader devices, tablet devices, laptop computers, etc.) to consume the item, and each user may share his or her thoughts and may otherwise provide progress updates to the other users over the period of time.

Abstract: A connectivity manager (CM) of a provider network selects, from a plurality of ERGs (edge resource groups), a particular ERG comprising an edge router and a network marker translation agent to be used for routing traffic between a resource collection of a VCS (virtual computing service) and a client network. The CM detects a condition that triggers the selection of a second ERG to be used for at least a subset of the resource collection's traffic, and initiates a set of configuration changes to enable the use of the second ERG for connectivity between the first resource collection and the client network.

Abstract: Managing power feeds includes monitoring a waveform of a high-voltage power feed supplied to an electrical load to detect potential interruption of the high-voltage power feed and switching to another power feed to supply power to the electrical load in response to identifying the waveform pattern. Monitoring a waveform includes processing the waveform to determine if one or more waveform patterns are present in the waveform. A waveform pattern indicates, by its presence in a waveform of a power feed, a power event associated with the power feed, and some waveform patterns indicate potential interruption of the power feed. Switching to another power feed in response to determining potential interruption of the power feed based on waveform monitoring enables an uninterrupted power supply.

Abstract: A service provider may provide a companion container instance associated with a mobile device in order to facilitate operation of the mobile device. The companion container instance and the mobile device may be associated in a database operated by the service provider. Furthermore, the companion container instance may execute various operation on behalf of the mobile diver based at least in part on a task definition indicating a software function to be executed by the companion container instance. The software function configured to execute the various operations on behalf of the mobile device.

Abstract: Techniques for distributed determination of scene information are described herein. Scene information may include, for example, information associated with geometries, lighting, colors, texture, shading, shadows, audio, camera attributes, and other information associated with a scene. A first portion of scene information may, for example, be determined by one or more first components, while a second portion of scene information may, for example, be determined by one or more second components. In some cases, at least part of the first portion of scene information may be provided from the one or more first components to the one or more second components. The one or more second components may use the at least part of the first portion of scene information in combination with at least part of the second portion of scene information to generate at least part of a resulting image and/or resulting audio associated with the scene.

Abstract: A server obtains a challenge from another computer system during a negotiation with a client according to a protocol. The server injects the challenge into a message of the protocol to the client. The client uses the challenge in an authentication request. The server submits the authentication request to the other computer system for verification. The other computer system verifies the authentication request using a key registered to the client. The server operates further dependent at least in part on whether verification of the authentication request was successful.

Abstract: Techniques and solutions are described for throttling automated polling requests. For example, an automated polling request that is generated by a web page can be received and a decision can be made to throttle, or not throttle, the automated polling request. The decision can be made based on comparison of the automated polling request with previous automated polling requests (e.g., during a throttling time period). For example, repetitive automated polling requests that occur during a throttling time period can be throttled.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for implementing a mobile inventory transfer station within a workspace of an inventory management system. In embodiments, inventory transfer instructions for moving inventory stored within container holders in a workspace may be received. A portion of container holders within the workspace may be identified based on characteristics associated with the items of the inventory transfer instructions and first information identifying the items stored in the portion of container holders. A mobile container unit and a mobile manipulator unit may be selected based on distances between the units and the identified portion of container holders within the workspace. Instructions may be transmitted to the mobile container unit and mobile manipulator unit for navigating to the identified portion of container holders in the workspace and transferring inventory between a particular container holder and a container associated with the mobile container unit by the mobile manipulator unit.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for supporting cached volumes at storage gateways are disclosed. A storage gateway appliance is configured to cache at least a portion of a storage object of a remote storage service at local storage devices. In response to a client's write request, directed to at least a portion of a data chunk of the storage object, the appliance stores a data modification indicated in the write request at a storage device, and asynchronously uploads the modification to the storage service. In response to a client's read request, directed to a different portion of the data chunk, the appliance downloads the requested data from the storage service to the storage device, and provides the requested data to the client.

Abstract: Aggregation of network traffic source behavior data across network endpoints may be implemented. Indications of endpoint-specific network traffic directed to different network endpoints may be received. Aggregate traffic source behavior data may be generated across multiple aggregation levels. One or more traffic aggregation nodes may be implemented for each aggregation level to maintain different respective portions of the aggregate traffic source behavior data. Different granularity of the aggregate traffic source behavior data may be maintained at each of the aggregation levels. An indication of traffic source behavior for traffic sources may be provided such that responsive actions, such as traffic control actions, may be performed with regard to the traffic sources.

Abstract: Live migration may be performed for virtual computing resources utilizing network-based storage. A virtual compute instance operating at a source host may be moved to a destination host. The virtual compute instance may be a client of a network-based storage resource that stores data for the virtual compute instance. Access to the data stored for the virtual compute instance may be limited to the source host. When migration is performed, the destination host may be prepared to assume operation of the virtual compute instance. Operation of the virtual compute instance at the source host may be paused and the access to the data at the network-based storage resource may be modified to limit access to the destination host. Operation of the virtual compute instance may then resume at the destination host.

Abstract: When a client requests a data import job, a remote storage service provider provisions a shippable storage device that will be used to transfer client data from the client to the service provider for import. The service provider generates security information for the data import job, provisions the shippable storage device with the security information, and sends the shippable storage device to the client. The service provider also sends client-keys to the client, separate from the shippable storage device (e.g., via a network). The client receives the device, encrypts the client data and keys, transfers the encrypted data and keys onto the device, and ships it back to the service provider. The remote storage service provider authenticates the storage device, decrypts client-generated keys using the client-keys stored at the storage service provider, decrypts the data using the decrypted client-side generated keys, and imports the decrypted data.