Abstract: Technologies are described herein for providing a monitoring service in a cloud-based computing environment. A request is received from a user to subscribe to the monitoring service. The monitor workflow may correspond to the monitoring service. A first call to a finder application is executed over a communications network to retrieve data points according to the monitor workflow. A second call to an analyzer application is executed over the communications network to identify a relevant data point in the data points. A third call to a notifier application is executed over the communications network to notify the user of the relevant data point.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to controlling a game with a mobile touch-enabled device. A thumbstick and a mode selection button can be rendered on a display of the mobile touch-enabled device. The thumbstick can be rendered on a reassignable area of the display and the mode selection button can be rendered on a mode selection area of the display. A touch (e.g., drag) from the mode selection area to the reassignable area can be detected, and an operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to the touch in the reassignable area while the touch is detected without discontinuity of contact from starting the drag. Further, upon detecting discontinuation of the touch, a different operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to a subsequent touch.

Abstract: Techniques to isolating a portion of an online computing service are described. The following description may refer to the isolated portion as a deployment unit configured with a complete build of the online computing service. In one embodiment, after applying one or more changes to the complete build, the deployment unit may be used for testing these changes using end-to-end tests. In another embodiment, the deployment unit may be dedicated to a specific group of tenants that require at least some isolation from other tenants. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus are provided for facilitating reverse reading of sequentially stored variable-length data records. Each record is stored with accompanying size metadata that identifies the size or length of the record. Further, if the length of a given record is greater than a threshold (e.g., 127 bytes when the length is stored with variable-length quantity encoding), such that more than one byte (or other storage unit) is needed to store the record length, an additional byte (or other unit) is configured to store the size/length of the record length (e.g., the number of bytes required to store the record length). The most significant bit of the additional byte is set to 1, so that during reverse reading, the location and size of the record length value can be quickly determined.

Abstract: Embodiments discussed herein include: accessing by a user terminal a recording of a communication session in the form of a media file wherein the media file comprises at least an audio component; accessing by the user terminal, metadata associated with the media file, wherein the metadata comprises an indication of a respective one or more visual representations of each of a plurality of events determined to have occurred during the communication session, wherein at least some of the visual representations comprise text converted from at least one communication stream of the recorded communication session, and wherein the metadata further comprises timing information linking the respective visual representations to the events; playing the media file using a media playing application running on the user terminal; and controlling play back of the media file so that a play back rate of the audio component is synchronized with a rate of a user scrolling through the visual representations.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for determining whether a short amount of text is irrelevant. Initially, an article is selected having one or more comments of varying length. Depending on the number of comments available, a native context may be constructed based on a given comment and other neighboring comments. In other embodiments, a transferred context may be constructed from the given comment and topically similar comments extracted from other, topically similar articles. A native context-aware feature may be determined from the constructed native context and a transferred context-aware feature may be determined from the constructed transferred context. These features may be leveraged by a language classifier to determine whether a given comment is irrelevant.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system for processing data. During operation, the system obtains a graph of a social network, wherein the graph includes a set of nodes representing users in the social network and a set of edges representing relationships between pairs of the users. Next, the system stores, on a single computer system, a static representation of the graph, wherein the static representation includes a first set of fixed-size blocks representing the nodes and the edges and a first index that maps a set of identifiers for the nodes and the edges to offsets of the first set of fixed-size blocks. The system then uses the static representation of the graph to process, by the single computer system, one or more queries of the graph.

Abstract: In example embodiments, a machine, including one or more processors and a memory, tracks, by communicating over a network with a plurality of devices associated with a user, activity of the user. The machine develops, using the one or more processors, an activity model for the user based on the tracked activity of the user. The machine determines, an anomaly in a current activity of the user relative to the developed activity model, the anomaly having a type and a duration. The machine calculates, based on the type and the duration of the anomaly, a confidence value corresponding to whether the user needs assistance and a severity value indicating severity of the user's need for assistance. The machine provides, to an emergency contact and via the network, an alert indicating that the user needs assistance based on the confidence value or the severity value.

Abstract: A first processor enters a control record in a database and then selects the control record and locks it with a pessimistic lock. If the first processor finishes its operations, it deletes the control record. A subsequent processor searches for the control record and attempts to lock it with a pessimistic lock. If the subsequent processor is successful in locking the control record, it determines that the first processor has failed in performing its process, and takes desired action.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving search results using social routing are provided. In example embodiments, an affinity metric and match metric are determined for a plurality of users. The affinity metric indicates an interaction level between a given user and the match metric indicates how well the given user matches parameters of a search string. Based on a correlation between the affinity metric and the match metric, one or more items of content may be transmitted to one or more selected users. Improved search results can then be generated based on interactions with the one or more items of content.

Abstract: Various technologies pertaining to modifying visualizations are described herein. A client computing device requests a visualization from a server computing device, and the server computing device constructs the visualization responsive to receipt of the request. The server computing device further identifies anticipated transformations for the visualization, and transmits the visualization and the transformations to the client computing device. The client computing device displays the visualization, and responsive to receipt of a request to modify the visualization, executes a transformation provided by the server computing device to update the visualization.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for quickly and easily browsing to points of interest within a recorded video. In examples, the present system works in tandem with a segment list which includes a list of different video sequences of a stored video of an event. One typical example of a segment list is a play-by-play (PBP) which is prepared contemporaneously with a sporting event. Segments from a segment list may be associated with, or indexed to, corresponding sequences from the stored video. Thereafter, a user interface allows a user to interactively watch or browse the event by jumping to a desired point in the video for playback by selecting its associated segment from the user interface.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage media are provided for analyzing a large amount of social media data from a large population of social media users and constructing correlational data models between one or more events that occur within each user's timeline. Social media posts directed to personal experiences of a large number of social media users are extracted. Event timelines are generated for each of the social media users, based on their personal experiences. The event timelines are analyzed with a particular event of interest to measure correlations between events occurring within the timelines and the particular event of interest. Using the measured correlations, a correlational data model is thereby constructed. The correlational data model may be used for application to decision-making calculations by one or more systems in an active or passive manner.

Abstract: A universal coupling is disclosed for electrically and mechanically connecting flexible printed circuit (FPC) components within asymmetric FPC modules. The universal coupling allows a first FPC component to be connected to a second FPC component in two or more different orientations. This allows identical FPC components to be used in two or more asymmetric FPC modules. This in turn allows a reduction in the number of parts and tooling required to fabricate the two or more asymmetric FPC modules, and a simplification of the fabrication process.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system for processing data. During operation, the system determines a current incoming queries per second (QPS) to one or more components for processing queries of a graph database, wherein the graph database is replicated across multiple clusters and distributed among a set of storage nodes in each of the clusters. Next, the system uses the current incoming QPS to estimate, for the one or more components, an expected QPS associated with fanning out of the queries to the clusters. The system then selects a number of clusters in the multiple clusters for fanning out of a query based on the expected QPS and one or more throughput limits for the one or more components. Finally, the system transmits the query to one or more of the storage nodes in the selected number of clusters.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to utilization of shared Wi-Fi. For instance, network access rights of a Wi-Fi network can be controlled by a mobile device of a point of contact for the Wi-Fi network. Moreover, utilization of a Wi-Fi network can be tracked and usage data indicative of historic utilization of the Wi-Fi network can be retained. Further, groups of users between whom Wi-Fi credentials are shared can be created.

Abstract: A mobile apparatus for detecting an intention to input data on a screen relating to a locked state of the mobile apparatus is provided herein. Upon detecting the intention to input data on the screen related to the locked state, the mobile apparatus enters into an inking mode that enables input of data directly on the screen relating to the locked state. As such, while the mobile apparatus remains in the locked state, the input data is captured on the screen.

Abstract: An input from a current user selects, for display, a profile for another user. The current user's profile, and the selected profile are compared to identify a difference. A replication tag, corresponding to the difference, is displayed in the display for the selected profile. The information giving rise to the identified difference is replicated from the selected profile to the current user's profile, based on user actuation of the replication tag.

Abstract: A network- and/or client-side device configuration system facilitates automatic configuration of portable electronic devices. Predetermined configuration parameters for a particular portable electronic device are generated and stored. A computer-readable visual symbol such as an optical graphic code (for example, a tag, barcode, or matrix code) is generated by a network-side service and transmitted to an authorized user of the particular portable electronic device. The portable electronic device reproduces the visual symbol and transmits a message (which may or may not include the reproduced visual symbol) to the (same or different) network-side service. The network-side service authenticates the portable electronic device, and authorizes the portable electronic device to access and use the predetermined configuration parameters to automatically configure itself.

Abstract: An initial data center is selected to host an online conference. This data center can be selected based on the geographical locations of the participants. Typically, the data center closest to the centroid of the participants is selected. During (or before) the conference call, an ‘effective’ centroid is calculated based on effective distances. Effective distances are based on a combination of the physical distance between a participant and a data center, and an effective distance factor (or weighting) that is based on one or more of the participant's device/driver type, the participant's network type, the participant's connection type, and a participant weighting factor.