Abstract: Location data that corresponds to one or more user devices each associated with a user may be obtained. Based on the location data, the particular location of a user may be determined. Similarities between various users may be identified when it is determined that those users have visited the same locations. Upon at least two users visiting a threshold amount of the same locations, one or more recommendations may be provided to the users, whereby the recommendations relate to places that those users have yet to visit. In addition, the users may have the opportunity to reveal information about themselves to other users, while maintaining their anonymity. As a result, the users may meet people and learn about new places that are likely to be of interest to those users.

Abstract: Systems and methods for authentication generate keys from secret credentials shared between authenticating parties and authenticators. Generation of the keys may involve utilizing specialized information that, as a result of being used to generate the keys, renders the generated keys usable for a smaller scope of uses than the secret credential. Further, key generation may involve multiple invocations of a function where each of at least a subset of the invocations of the function results in a key that has a smaller scope of permissible use than a key produced from a previous invocation of the function. Generated keys may be used as signing keys to sign messages. One or more actions may be taken depending on whether a message and/or the manner in which the message was submitted complies with restrictions of the a key's use.

Abstract: An item-providing system supplies items to a user device for consumption at the user device via communication infrastructure. The device may correspond to a book reader device or other type of device. The item-providing system uses a content delivery module to deliver the items to the user device.

Abstract: Various embodiments utilize geometric hashing to automatically recognize and track and an object. For example, a user can capture an image of a product, or other object, and a point detection algorithm can identify particular features of the product and designate feature points of the product within the captured image. Hash values are then determined for each feature point by determining a basis for the image and determining the location of each feature point relative to that basis. A hash table including the identified hash values is then created and compared to hash values for either a stored product when performing object recognition or from a reference image when performing object tracking.

Abstract: Techniques for user authentication are disclosed. In some situations, the techniques include receiving, from a client device, an authentication request to access a network resource, the request including a user identifier, obtaining a security credential associated with the user identifier contained in the received request, generating an authorization code based on the obtained security credential, providing to the client device instructions to obtain first information corresponding to the generated authorization code, receiving, from the client device, the first information provided in response to the provided instructions, and, when the first information received from the client device corresponds to at least a portion of the generated authorization code, authorizing the client device to access the network resource.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to, in part, determining an expiration of a password or other security data based on a measured complexity of the password or the security data. A user may enter a password to be associated with an account or a resource (e.g., a login for a user account, etc.). The password may be analyzed to determine an entropy value of the password, which is a measure of complexity of the password. A password manager may then determine an expiration of the password based on the entropy value of the password. Thus, a more complex password may be assigned an expiration date that is longer than an expiration date assigned to a less complex password. In some aspects, the expiration date may be dynamically updated as a user continues to enter inputs for a new password.

Abstract: Techniques are described for enabling a virtual machine to be presented with an amount of available guest memory, where a hypervisor or other privileged component manages the mapping of the resources based at least in part on the capacity of resources one or more hosts. This enables resources to be effectively oversubscribed to on host computing devices that have a limited amount of total available resources but which are running multiple virtual machines. For example, each virtual machine on the device can be presented as having access to the total amount of available resources that are available on the device or more in some cases. In some cases, resources may be mapped to a plurality of hosts that have available resources.

Abstract: A process is provided for providing network content to a client computing device by one or more content providers in conjunction with a network computing provider. The client computing device requests a network resource from the network computing provider. The network computing provider provides the network resource request to a first content provider. The first content provider provides a request for one or more embedded resources associated with the network resource to at least one second content provider on the behalf of the network computing provider. The network computing provider obtains the requested network resource and one or more associated embedded resource from the first content provider and the at least one second content provider. The network computing provider may provide the obtained content to the client computing device for processing.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for generating an image-based color palette based on a color image. A color palette can be a collection of representative colors each associated with a weight or other metadata. A color palette may be generated based on palette generation criteria, which may facilitate or control a palette generation process. Illustratively, the palette generation process may include image pre-processing, color distribution generation, representative color identification, palette candidate generation and palette determination. Representative colors with associated weight can be identified from a distribution of colors depicted by the color image, multiple palette candidates corresponding to the same color image can be generated based on various palette generation criteria, and a color palette can be identified therefrom.

Abstract: A user can be notified of certain events or occurrences according to time and location information specified by the user. In some embodiments, a user can specify a location such as an office or warehouse, and can select an automatic range such that whenever the user is within the automatic range of that location, notifications are automatically delivered to the user. The user can also specify a management range, such that when the user is outside the automatic range but inside the management range the user will not receive the notification unless the notification has been pending for a specified delay period. Such an approach enables notifications to be delivered when the notifications are most relevant. If the maximum delay has passed or the user is outside the management range, the notification can be automatically delivered to the user or another user can be selected to receive the notification.

Abstract: Techniques for managing secure data transfer, including firmware updates and/or cryptographic keys, may be provided. For example, a portable device may be provided that includes at least a first memory configured to store data associated with secure firmware updates while the device is interacting with a second device. In some examples, a network connection with a third device may be established. The data associated with the firmware update may be received from the third device by utilizing the established network connection. Further, in some examples, the received data may be stored in the first memory only while the first device is interacting with the second device. The portable device may also enable a firmware update of the second device based at least in part on the data stored in the first memory.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes recording one or more actions being performed by an agent using at least one resource of a resource provider environment, the at least one resource being associated with a non-restricted zone in the resource provider environment. The method includes creating a primitive that describes the one or more actions. The primitive is able to be executed on at least one different resource in a restricted zone in the resource provider environment to perform the one or more actions using the different resource. The restricted zone includes resources associated with a customer that are directly accessible only to at least one authorized entity. The method includes submitting the primitive to the restricted zone in the resource provider environment. The primitive is able to be executed by the at least one authorized entity on the at least one different resource in the restricted zone.

Abstract: A code for accessing a resource having a customer account associated therewith is presented via a secondary device, and authentication data indicative of the code that was presented is received from a primary device. The primary device is identified as a trusted device associated with the customer account responsive to receiving the authentication data therefrom, and the secondary device is authenticated for access to the resource responsive to identification of the primary device as the trusted device associated with the customer account.

Abstract: Resource management techniques, such as cache optimization, are employed to organize resources within caches such that the most requested content (e.g., the most popular content) is more readily available. A service provider utilizes content expiration data as indicative of resource popularity. As resources are requested, the resources propagate through a cache server hierarchy associated with the service provider. More frequently requested resources are maintained at edge cache servers based on shorter expiration data that is reset with each repeated request. Less frequently requested resources are maintained at higher levels of a cache server hierarchy based on longer expiration data associated with cache servers higher on the hierarchy.

Abstract: A computing device can periodically acquire a current track time for a media content item being played. The device can periodically compare the current track time with a respective start time and a respective end time for each line (or segment) in a plurality of lines of text (or segments of text) associated with the media content item. If the device determines that the current track time is between start and end times for a given line of text, then the device can display the given line of text. A user of the device can scroll through the lines of text associated with the media content item. If the user selects a particular line of text, the device can identify a start time for the selected line of text. The device can then play the media content item at the identified start time of the selected line of text.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for using relevance indications provided by a user in performing a search. Search results corresponding to a search query are provided to a user of a client computing device. The user provides a relevance indication corresponding to relevance of at least one of the search results. A subsequent search is performed which takes the relevance indication into account.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for selectively and dynamically determining one or more words of an electronic book to present with comprehension guides. For instance, an electronic device rendering an electronic book may determine whether to display some, all, or no words of the book with comprehension guides for words within the electronic book based on word difficulty, contextual importance or aspects of the user. Techniques are also provided for determining the content of comprehension guides to be presented with the words.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for an account state simulation service for cloud computing environments are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of service managers coordinating respective distributed network-accessible services, and a metadata manager. The metadata manager receives an account state change simulation request, indicating (a) an initial account state of a client account and (b) a collection of operations to be simulated. The metadata manager generates a response to the account change state simulation request, comprising at least one of (a) a representation of an expected end state of the client account reachable as a result of performing the collection of operations (b) an indication of an expected failure of a particular operation of the collection of operations or (c) an estimate of an expected billing amount associated with an implementation of the collection of operations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing requesting routing functionality associated with resource requests for one or more resources associated with a content provider are provided. The request routing functionality can correspond to the processing of domain name service (“DNS”) requests for resources by computing devices and the resolution of the DNS requests by the identification of a network address of a computing device that will provide the requested resources. Based on the processing resource requests initiated by a client computing device, a CDN service provider can obtain performance information from client computing devices and correlate the performance information into a prioritized list for classes of client computing devices. The prioritized list can be utilized in resolving subsequent DNS queries.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described to provide fault tolerant folded Clos networks. A folded Clos network is disclosed including a set of tier 1 routers interconnected with a set of tier 2 routers. Tier 1 routers are configured to view a set of tier 2 routers as a single aggregate router. Accordingly, tier 1 routers are unaware of faults between tier 2 routers and additional tier 1 routers. A throwback router is connected to each tier 2 router to facilitate handling of data under such fault conditions. When a tier 2 router receives undeliverable data, the data is passed to a throwback router, which retransmits the data to an additional tier 2 router. Data that is retransmitted multiple times can be disregarded by the throwback router.