Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and playing a sequence of media objects based on a mood gradient are also disclosed. A mood gradient is a sequence of items, in which each item is media object having known characteristics or a representative set of characteristics of a media object, that is created or used by a user for a specific purpose. Given a mood gradient, one or more new media objects are selected for each item in the mood gradient based on the characteristics associated with that item. In this way, a sequence of new media objects is created but the sequence exhibits a similar variation in media object characteristics. The mood gradient may be presented to a user or created via a display illustrating a three-dimensional space in which each dimension corresponds to a different characteristic. The mood gradient may be represented as a path through the three-dimensional space and icons representing media objects are located within the three-dimensional space based on their characteristics.

Abstract: The present teaching relates to discovery of user unknown interests. In one example, information related to a user is retrieved from a user profile. The information indicates one or more known interests of the user. At least one known interest of the user is identified based on the information. One or more supplemental interests with respect to each identified at least one known interest of the user are identified. The one or more supplemental interests do not overlap with the one or more known interests of the user. Supplemental content associated with the one or more supplemental interests are identified. Each piece of content in the supplemental content is ranked. At least one piece of content in the supplemental content is selected based on the ranking. The selected at least one piece of supplemental content is used to discover unknown interest of the user.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for recommending web content to a second screen. A server computer analyzes closed captioning text associated with a media program being experienced in a time period by a user having a client device. In response to the analyzing of the closed captioning text, the server automatically extracts an entity from the closed captioning text and determines an online web page describing the entity. The server utilizes a graph model to retrieve a relevant information item for the entity, where the graph model includes a plurality of entity nodes and a plurality of query nodes. The server communicates, within the time period, the relevant information item to the client device.

Abstract: Method, system, and programs for automatically deploying a plurality of distributed application stacks on a target machine. A plurality of virtual environments isolated from each other are first created on the target machine through which a user has access to a plurality of clusters. A distributed application stack is deployed from the plurality of distributed application stacks in a respective virtual environment created on the target machine. The plurality of distributed application stacks are deployed in the plurality of clusters. Based on the deployed distributed application stack, each of the virtual environments is then associated with a corresponding cluster.

Abstract: Briefly, the disclosure describes embodiments of methods or apparatuses for visualizing regions characterized by a set of labeled measurements at a variety of scale levels.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a limited use syndicated media item to authorized users. In one embodiment, a universal resource identifier that identifies the syndicated media item may be limited to a predetermined number of times it may be accessed by a particular user. In one embodiment, the limited use URL may or may not be associated with an already authorized media item. In another example, the URL may be limited to being accessed a predetermined number of times during a predetermined period of time, such as no more than three times a day. In a further example, the URL may be limited to a predetermined number of instances the URL may be accessed or distributed by a user. In one embodiment, once the predetermined threshold has been met, further attempts to access will result in the extent of access being affected.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and programs for customizing a web site are provided. In one example, a method for customizing a web site is provided. One or more representations corresponding to one or more customizable components of a web site are provided. The one or more representations are to be displayed on a display screen to a user. An input entered by the user and directed to a specific customizable component of the web site is received. How to customize the specific customizable component of the web site is determined based on the input. An instruction is generated with respect to the customizable component. The instruction is used to implement customization of the specific customizable component of the web site in accordance with the input from the user.

Abstract: A modular search object framework can provide monetization of entity based content. Such a framework can include circuitry configured to manually or automatically link monetized search terms with entities, so that the entities can be monetized without additional bids on the entities. Once the framework generates such links, advertisers may continue to bid on search terms, and create new links or change initial links. Also, through the framework advertisers may bid on an entity that can encompass a set of associated search terms. For example, instead of bidding on a great number of search terms, an advertiser can bid on a few entities that include at least a majority of the associated search terms. With such functionality, the workload of the advertiser can be greatly reduced.

Abstract: A system and method determine local intent. Local intent may reflect whether a search query should receive results and advertisements that are geographically specific. The local intent may be determined using probabilistic models that analyze historical searches to determine which search terms tend to have local intent.

Abstract: A brand engine receives a request from a user device operated by a first user to display user information of a second user. User information of the first user is mapped to at least the user information of the second user by the brand engine. The mapping may map the user information of the first user to user information of further users in a social network. The mapping may map of any combination of spatial, temporal, social, and topical data related to the users. A modified representation of received content is generated by the brand engine based on the mapping. The modified representation is transmitted to the user device. The user device displays the modified representation for the first user. The modified representation of the received content may include any combination of filtered and/or sorted content items, recommended content items, and/or modified content items.

Abstract: Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented, in whole or in part, using one or more computing devices to facilitate or otherwise support one or more processes or operations for a machine for recognizing or generating one or more Jabba-type sequences.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results including searching by subdomain and providing sponsored results by subdomain is provided. A search system according to embodiments of the present invention analyzes search queries to determine if they are to be routed to subdomains and presents results include sponsored hits sponsored on a subdomain by subdomain basis.

Abstract: A first cluster of web objects is identified from a click-through data structure. The click-through data structure can organize web objects into clusters based on query results of web objects selected by a user. Also, a second cluster of web objects can be identified from a metadata data structure. The metadata data structure can organize web objects into clusters based on metadata associated with the web objects. An output set of web objects is selected, in real time, from the identifier clusters.

Abstract: Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented using one or more computing devices to facilitate or otherwise support one or more processes or operations associated with ranking entity facets using user-click feedback.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a projection-aware compression, which may be used on image data such as, for example, spherical image data. The compression may be considered to be non-uniform in a sense that the compression need not be uniformly applied, but may be applied to image data as a function of latitude information associated with the image data.

Abstract: Methods and systems for receiving sensitive information include receiving a request for entering sensitive information, the request received from a user interface rendered on a client device. The methods and systems rely upon nested iframes, each of which is hosted by a different server. An inner iframe is hosted by a server within a secure zone, such as a digital vault. A middle iframe is hosted within the secure zone and is invoked by an intermediate server. An outer iframe is hosted by a server that provides the user interface. The server that provides the user interface may be hosted by a cloud service provider, for example. Using the nested iframes and the network topology described in the present disclosure, users are able to exchange sensitive information with a server within the secure zone through a user interface provided outside the secure zone.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium are provided for associating information (including information and services) based upon context. In one example, an apparatus includes interface logic for receiving, during a session (e.g., during a media object capture, upload session, data transfer session, or the like), context information from a user device, and user-generated information associated with the context information. The context information may relate to time, date, location, ambient conditions, biometric (e.g., relating to the user of the device), device/user identification, or combinations thereof. The apparatus further including association logic for associating service information, different from the context information, with the user-generated information based on the context information. The associated service information may include empirical information such as a map of a particular location, the map including points of interest.

Abstract: A system and method for aggregating emotions of users for a media program. A server stores reference audio signal fingerprints, each associated with a reference audio signal of the program. For each user, the server computer: receives a first audio signal fingerprint from a client device operated by a user, the first audio signal fingerprint associated with a first audio signal comprising ambient sound associated with the user and an audio signal of the program; searches the stored reference audio signal fingerprints to determine one that is related to the first audio signal fingerprint; determines an ambient sound signal by obtaining a difference between the stored reference audio signal fingerprint and the first audio signal fingerprint; and determines, using the ambient sound signal, an emotion of the user for a program segment. The server computer aggregates the emotions to determine a representative emotion of the users for the segment.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system or method for a users-to-follow recommendation engine for, based at least in part on social network information and information about users in one or more social networks, determining features relating to users, including topical features and social features, determining, using a model constructed utilizing the determined features, for a set or users, a subset of the set of users for which the user has a high linkage, relative to other linkages in the set, and determining, using the model, and displaying to the user, a recommendation to follow and an associated explanation, of at least one particular user of the subset of the users wherein the associated explanation includes a topical-based explanation when a predominant basis for the high linkage is determined to be topical and a social-based explanation when a predominant basis for the high linkage is determined to be social.

Abstract: Techniques are provided that include identifying and recommending one or more user segments as an audience for a particular campaign, such as an online advertising campaign, such as even if historical performance information for the particular campaign is limited or unavailable. Similar campaigns to the particular campaign may be identified. High-performing user segments for the similar campaigns may be identified. From these, one or more predicted best-performing user segments for the particular campaign may be identified and recommended as an audience for the particular campaign.