Abstract: Techniques for determining and using a thermodynamic model that characterizes a thermodynamic response of an enclosure conditioned by an HVAC system are disclosed. To determine a thermodynamic model, temperature information when the HVAC system operates in a first state may first be received. A response interval may then be determined where the response interval indicates an estimated time between when the HVAC system begins operating in the first state and when the temperature within the enclosure begins to change in a direction associated with the first state. Weighting factors corresponding to basis functions may then be determined, where the weighted basis functions characterize the temperature trajectory of the enclosure in response to the HVAC system operating in the first state.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for recommending collaborators of media content based on authenticated media content input are provided. In some implementations, the method comprises: receiving a request from a content creator to initiate presentation of broadcasted media content using a media device, wherein the request invites a plurality of users to participate in the broadcasted media content; determining that a user of the plurality of users has interacted with the broadcasted media content, wherein the user has been permitted to interact with the broadcasted media content in response to providing user authentication information; determining collaborator information associated with the user based on the user authentication information; and automatically causing, without user interaction, the determined collaborator information to be presented to the content creator for associating with the broadcasted media content.

Abstract: Different ad selection techniques may be evaluated and compared by (i) combining ads generated using at least two different techniques and (ii) determining performance statistics of these combined (e.g., interleaved) advertising serves over time. The relative performance of the different techniques can then be determined. These principles can also be used to gauge different ad scoring techniques. These principles can also be used to gauge different ad rendering techniques.

Abstract: An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and an infrared energy directing element formed integrally with a front surface of the thermostat body. The passive infrared sensor may be positioned behind the infrared energy directing element such that infrared energy is directed thereonto by the infrared energy directing element. The thermostat may also include a temperature sensor and a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based on measurements from the passive infrared sensor.

Abstract: An optical system is provided that uses unwanted light to perform autofocus functions. More particularly, one or more optical elements may be used to reflect unwanted light to one or more secondary image sensors associated with an autofocus function. Such unwanted light may include, for example, IR, UV, or visible light not necessary for creating a resulting image detected by a primary sensor.

Abstract: A request for geographic content is received from a client device. The request includes (i) an indication that a user invoked the digital mapping service in a vehicle and (ii) an identifier of the user. In response to the request, profile data for the user is automatically retrieved. The profile data includes indications of previous interactions of the user with a digital mapping service. Geographic content then is generated based on the indications of previous interactions in view of relevance of the previous interactions to an automotive context. The generated geographic content is provided to the client device for presentation in the vehicle.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for enhancing speech recognition accuracy. In one aspect, a method includes receiving voice queries, obtaining, for one or more of the voice queries, feedback information that references an action taken by a user that submitted the voice query after reviewing a result of the voice query, generating, for the one or more voice queries, a posterior recognition confidence measure that reflects a probability that the voice query was correctly recognized, wherein the posterior recognition confidence measure is generated based at least on the feedback information for the voice query, selecting a subset of the one or more voice queries based on the posterior recognition confidence measures, and adapting an acoustic model using the subset of the voice queries.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for processing local entities. In one aspect a method includes accessing data specifying query terms for each local entity in a set of local entities, and for each query term a term value based on a number of instances of queries that include the query term occurring in a query log, and a selection value based on a number of selections of search results that each reference the local entity in response to a query that includes the query term and attributed to the query term; selecting a first local entity from the set of local entities; selecting a subset of second local entities from the set of local entities; and for each second local entity in the subset, determining a measure of similarity of the second local entity to the first local entity.

Abstract: A method includes performing a first activity with content associated with a first content type selected from the group consisting of television programming, online content, on-device application, search queries, information views, and other content types described using a predefined format, wherein the predefined format includes an action specification and a content specification; logging the first activity in accordance with the predefined format; performing a second activity with content associated with a second content type selected from the group consisting of television programming, online content, on-device applications, search queries, information view's, and other content types described using the predefined format, the second content type being distinct from the first content type; and logging the second activity in accordance with the predefined format.

Abstract: Systems and methods for ranking communities based on members are described. One of the methods includes receiving a search query. The search query is received from a first user of a social network. The method further includes determining communities associated with the social network. Each community includes one or more posts. The one or more posts in a community are received from one or more members of the community. The method includes examining reputations of the members of the communities that satisfy the content match and ranking the communities based on the examination of the reputations of the members for presentation of the communities in a ranked order on a client device in response to the search query.

Abstract: A method for receiving processed information at a remote device is described. The method includes transmitting from the remote device a verbal request to a first information provider and receiving a digital message from the first information provider in response to the transmitted verbal request. The digital message includes a symbolic representation indicator associated with a symbolic representation of the verbal request and data used to control an application. The method also includes transmitting, using the application, the symbolic representation indicator to a second information provider for generating results to be displayed on the remote device.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving geographical information derived from a non-verbal user action associated with a first computing device. The non-verbal user action implies an interest of a user in a geographic location. The method also includes identifying a grammar associated with the geographic location using the derived geographical information and outputting a grammar indicator for use in selecting the identified grammar for voice recognition processing of vocal input from the user.

Abstract: Computer-implemented techniques can include obtaining, by a computer server having one or more processors, a phonetics-based character mapping between a source script and a different target script, the phonetics-based character mapping relating characters in the source and target scripts that have similar sounds or pronunciations. The techniques can include encoding, by the computer server, each character of the phonetics-based character mapping using an encoding scheme to obtain an encoded character mapping, wherein the encoding scheme is common to both the source and target scripts. The techniques can include generating, by the computer server, a mapping function that directly maps encoded source script characters to encoded target script characters in the encoded character mapping. The techniques can also include in response to a transliteration request, utilizing, by the computer server, the mapping function to transliterate a text from the source script to the target script.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes generating a test group for a pointer to information; generating a control group for the pointer to information; receiving conversion information from the test group and the control group; and determining, based on the conversion information, a number of incremental conversions that are attributable to the pointer.

Abstract: A smart-home device may include wire connectors that couple to an inductive power coil and a load, one or more solid-state switching elements having a first operating state in which they create a connection between the wire connectors and a second operating state in which the connection is interrupted. The smart-home device may cause the switching element(s) to operate in the first operating state to power the load; detect an anomaly from measurements from power monitoring circuitry; cause the switching element(s) to operate in the second operating state for at least a first time interval; and after the expiration of the first time interval, cause the one or more switching elements to operate in the first operating state and determine whether the anomaly is still present.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes determining interesting moments in a video. The method further includes generating video segments based on the interesting moments, wherein each of the video segments includes at least one of the interesting moments from the video. The method further includes generating a collage from the video segments, where the collage includes at least two windows and wherein each window includes one of the video segments.

Abstract: A method includes receiving an optical signal through an optical link and determining a receiving power for the optical link. The method further includes comparing the receiving power for the optical link to a first receiving power threshold and transitioning a clock and data recovery circuit form a normal mode to a holdover mode when the receiving power is less than the first receiving power threshold. The clock and data recovery circuit, when operating in the holdover mode, configured to hold a recovered clock to a known-good clock frequency. When the receiving power for the optical link is greater than a second receiving power threshold, the method initiates a transition of the clock and data recovery circuit from the holdover mode to the normal mode and reacquires synchronization between the recovered clock and a current rate of the incoming data stream using the known-good clock frequency.

Abstract: Implementations of the present application relate to caller previews for video calls. In some implementations, a method includes sending, by a caller device, a call request to a callee device and determining an identifier associated with the callee device. The method determines whether the identifier is associated with an address book of the caller device, and/or is in an outgoing call record of the caller device. An acknowledgment is received from callee device, and, upon receipt of the acknowledgment, a connection is established with the callee device. Based on determining that the identifier is associated with the address book and/or in the outgoing call record, at least a portion of a caller video is transmitted over the connection with the callee device. The caller video is transmitted prior to receipt of an acceptance of the call request from the callee device.