Abstract: Techniques are described that facilitate generating useful content based on user interactions, such as by providing an answer-providing service that facilitates interactions between users who supply questions and users who supply responses to the questions of other users, as well as using the generated content in various ways. In some situations, users are compensated for participating in interactions with the answer-providing service in various ways, including by sharing a portion of an ongoing revenue stream generated from an answer to a question with users who provided responses that are used as part of the answer. In some situations, the sharing of an ongoing revenue stream related to an answer may be split between the users who provided the responses for the answer in various manners, including based on assessed levels of expertise of those users.

Abstract: Techniques, including systems and methods, take frequent captures of data sets for the purpose of forensic analysis. The data set captures are taken at the block level in various embodiments. Data set captures are used to instantiate forensic storage volumes that are attached to computing instances. The computing instances can access data in the forensic storage volumes at a state corresponding to a specified capture time. A user can select different capture times to re-instantiate the forensic storage volume to see how the forensic storage volume changed between captures.

Abstract: A data center includes a floor that supports rack computing systems and walls that enclose a computing room. The computing room holds the rack computing systems. One of the walls is a movable wall. The movable wall translates relative to the other walls to increase or decrease the size of the computing room.

Abstract: In some implementations, a testing service receives a test execution request for executing test operations on a test target. The testing service may map the test execution request to a particular type of supported test framework from among a plurality of types of supported test frameworks. The testing service may obtain a test package provided by a user that requested the testing, such as from a cloud storage location. The testing service determines a computing capacity for executing the testing and appropriates a plurality of workers in a cloud computing service. The testing service configures the plurality of workers for executing the test operations based on at least one of the test framework, the test execution request or the test package. The testing service provides test execution chunks from the test package to the plurality of workers for executing the testing on the test target.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing data transmissions between computing systems based at least in part on using a streaming transport protocol. At least some such data transmissions may be performed using HTTP, with one or more underlying transport protocols used to implement the HTTP-based data transmissions. HTTP-based data transmissions performed using an underlying streaming transport protocol, for example, may send data without performing error detection for reliability and without ensuring ordered delivery of the sent data. In addition, one or more HTTP-based data transmissions may be initiated using an underlying streaming transport protocol, but subsequent data transmissions may switch to using a different underlying transport protocol (e.g., TCP) or different transmission technique that is performed without using data streaming.

Abstract: An electrowetting display device includes: a lower substrate, a pixel electrode disposed on the lower substrate, a lower water-repellent layer disposed on the pixel electrode, a plurality of partitions disposed on the lower water-repellent layer and an oil layer disposed on the lower water-repellent layer between the partitions, and wherein the partitions include a side wall having a reverse taper structure.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for assessing risk associated with different software applications which are installed on user computing devices in an enterprise networked environment. Ratings are generated for the different software applications based at least in part on respective characteristics of the different software applications. Risk profiles are generated for the installations of the different software applications on the user computing devices in the networked environment. The risk profiles are generated based at least in part on the respective ratings, the respective user computing devices, and the respective end users associated with the respective user computing devices.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing scalable private services in service provider networking environments. A service provider that provides a large, public, multi-tenant implementation of a web service to multiple customers via a public API endpoint may allow a customer to request the establishment of a private implementation of the service. In response, a service private instance may be automatically and/or manually established for the customer that provides a private API endpoint to the service and that is at least in part implemented on single-tenant hardware that is not shared with other customers. The service private instance may initially be implemented as a relatively small scale and possibly limited implementation of the service when compared to the service public instance. As the needs of the customer grow, the service private instance may be automatically and/or manually scaled up from the initial implementation.

Abstract: Image capture can be improved by capturing a sequence of images and analyzing the images to select the image with the least blur and/or an acceptable amount of blur. Gradients can be calculated for at least a portion of the images, and gradient histograms generated. Two or more component curves can be fit to each histogram, such as by using a Gaussian mixture model, and the curves can be compared to determine an amount of variation between the curves. The image with the smallest differences between component curves, or with differences less than a specified blur threshold, can be selected as a sufficiently sharp image and provided for viewing, processing, or another intended purpose of the image to be captured.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electrowetting display device and a manufacturing method for the same, using a UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer. The UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can include a UV-cured fluorine based material positioned above a cured UV reactive material. In an embodiment, the electrowetting display device can also include a substrate with a layer of pixel electrodes formed over the substrate, and partition walls formed over at least a portion of the layer of pixel electrodes. In one embodiment, the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can be formed between the partition walls and above an inter-layer insulation film. In another embodiment, the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can be formed between the partition walls and above the layer of pixel electrodes. The electrowetting display can also include a water repellent layer formed over the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer.

Abstract: Approaches are described for reducing the number of memory address cache (e.g. TLB) flushes that need to be performed during the course of performing virtualized I/O. A device driver residing in a host domain registers a CPU that will be used for I/O processing and requests the hypervisor to pre-allocate a number of slots in the page tables to map memory pages during I/O operations. Upon receiving an I/O operation, when memory needs to be mapped, the driver provides the hypervisor with information about the registered CPU. The hypervisor uses the pre-allocated page table slots to create the new mapping and flushes the TLB cache corresponding to the CPU that will perform the I/O. The TLB cache belonging to other CPUs may not need to be flushed. The host driver ensures that the mapped memory page is used exclusively on the CPU or performs additional TLB flushes.

Abstract: Content comprising audio and video may be processed by different processing pipelines, but latencies between these pipelines may differ due to differences in data compression, processing loads, and so forth. The time between entry and exit from the pipeline of a frame is measured to determine pipeline latency. The pipeline latency may be used to shift timing of audio frames, video frames, or both, such that they are synchronized during presentation.

Abstract: A metal support structure for a mobile device includes a substantially flat front side configured to support a display and a back side having a lattice structure configured to provide rigidity to the mobile device while keeping a weight below a weight threshold, and to support a logic board. The metal support structure further includes a plurality of slots around a periphery of the metal support structure, configured to permit emitters for an infrared touch sensor mounted on the logic board to project infrared beams to receivers mounted on the logic board.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for identifying user interface improvements from observed user behavior. A use case description is obtained from a developer of an application. Usability metrics are collected that observe interaction of a plurality of users with a user interface of the application. The usability metrics are analyzed in conjunction with the use case description to identify at least one aspect of the user interface for improvement. The aspect includes a page or an actionable element. Information is provided to the developer about the at least one aspect of the user interface identified for improvement.

Abstract: A computing device can monitor the gaze direction of people around the device to determine whether any unintended viewers are viewing content displayed on the device. A user can activate a privacy mode of the device, such that when an unintended viewer is detected the device can take an appropriate action. In some cases the device can notify the primary user of the device using audible, visual, or tactile alerts. In other cases, the device can modify the display of content such that the unintended viewer is unable to decipher or view the content, or is otherwise notified of the detection.

Abstract: Systems and method for the management and processing of resource requests by a service provider, such as a content delivery network (“CDN”) service provider, on behalf of a content provider are provided. The CDN service provider can measure the performance associated with the delivery of resources to requesting client computing devices from various computing devices associated with the CDN service provider. In one embodiment, the CDN service provider can utilize commands responsive to an initial request for a resource that causes the requesting client computing device to transmit one or more supplemental resource requests. Information associated with the processing of the sequence of resource requests can be used to measure CDN service provider latencies.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments employed to generate device notifications based upon location data associated with a mobile device. To this end, a request to generate a device notification is obtained from a user application. Notification content is extracted from the request and an escalated or de-escalated notification level is applied that is based at least in part upon the location of the mobile device and properties about the location that can be identified.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating anticipatory distribution of applications to a network of remote hosts. A demand for each of the applications is calculated. Based on criteria within the demand and computing resources available, remote hosts are selected to receive the applications. Transmissions of the applications to the selected remote hosts are scheduled and monitored for completion according to the schedule.

Abstract: A computing device includes a data store having two or more partitions. A first partition can be used to store information, to host a first operating system, and to perform computing tasks requested by a user. The computing tasks can be performed by the first operating system and can use/manipulate the stored information. The computing device can communicate over a network with a software server to determine whether a software update for the computing device is available for download. The software update can be downloaded into the second partition autonomously from the computing tasks being performed by the first operating system in the first partition. The downloaded software update can also be installed into the second partition autonomously from the computing tasks being performed. When the device is rebooted, either the first operating system or the second operating system (if the installation was successful) can be booted.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing execution of programs, including using excess program execution capacity of one or more computing systems. For example, a private pool of excess computing capacity may be maintained for a user based on unused dedicated program execution capacity allocated for that user, with the private pool of excess capacity being available for priority use by that user. Such private excess capacity pools may further in some embodiments be provided in addition to a general, non-private excess computing capacity pool that is available for use by multiple users, optionally including users who are associated with the private excess capacity pools. In some such situations, excess computing capacity may be made available to execute programs on a temporary basis, such that the programs executing using the excess capacity may be terminated at any time if other preferred use for the excess capacity arises.