Abstract: A social networking service presents information about the social network using multiple feeds in a user interface and provides mechanisms for filtering the content. A content feed includes the most recent content generated by the user's connections, and a highlights feed displays content based on importance and relevance. A user may add content to the social networking service through a composer interface. A user may also filter either or both of the content feed and the highlights feed using a filtering interface, which allows selective filtering of the feeds using one or more different types of filters, including as filtering by the source of the content, friends or networks, and/or content type.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to benchmarking a server computer (“server”), e.g., a storage system of the server. The process can benchmark a candidate server using data from a production server that is handling live traffic of an application, e.g., a social networking application. The process includes collecting, from the production server, production data that is indicative of a workload of the production server, and generating a benchmark program using the production data. Upon execution of the benchmark program, the candidate server is made to process a workload generated based on the production data. The benchmark program records the performance of the candidate server, which is indicative of a performance of the candidate server in processing a workload similar to the production data. The performance results can be used in determining whether to upgrade the configuration of the production server to that of the candidate server, e.g., to improve performance.

Abstract: Lookalike models can select users that are predicted to share characteristics with a specified set of seed users. The processing requirements for lookalike models can be decreased by identifying features that have low impact on model accuracy, and therefore can be excluded from creating models. Also, by identifying preferred seed sources and training parameters, accurate lookalike models can be created with less overhead and in less time. The features and training parameters can be identified by obtaining a sample seed set, extracting seeds with a defined set of features, and using the remaining training seeds to train a model. Performance of this model can be compared to a standard model to see if the model performs well. If so, features excluded from the features used to create the model, a seed source, or training parameters used to create the model can be selected.

Abstract: In particular embodiments, a method includes receiving, from a client device associated with a first entity of a communication service, a search query from the first entity, identifying one or more content items matching the search query, the one or more content items being associated with one or more second entities of the communication service, and sending, to the client device responsive to the search query, one or more search results corresponding to one or more of the content items, respectively, each content item of the search results being associated with a second entity that does not correspond to an entity on a gray list, wherein the gray list is based on a black list.

Abstract: Techniques to leverage data from mobile headers are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may comprise a network component, a data component, and a web component. The network component may be operative to receive a request for a web page from a phone, the request transmitted using one or more network packets, and to transmit the web page to the phone. The data component may be operative to extract a phone number from a header of the one or more network packets. The web component may be operative to customize the web page based on the extracted phone number. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A client device receives from a user, in an application associated with a social networking service provided by a server system, a first user input for creating a first post on a social networking system. In response to the first user input, a plurality of icons for selection by the user are displayed. A selection of a first icon from the plurality of icons is received from the user. The first post including a first image associated with the user is posted to the social networking system. The first image includes the first icon overlaying at least a portion of a profile picture of the user.

Abstract: An auto-focus head-mounted display (HMD) dynamically generates aberration-adjusted images based on measured accommodation of user's eye(s). An aberration-adjusted image is an image distorted to correct aberrations that would otherwise occur at a retina of the user due to image light passing through optics of the HMD. The aberration-adjusted image corrects the aberrations of the HMD and “accounts” for the aberrations of the eye so that the resulting retinal image is free of optical aberrations due to the HMD but preserves correct eye optical aberrations that are correlated with a current accommodative state of the eye.

Abstract: A prediction system can predict future trending topics. The prediction system can classify social media posts by region and vertical, extract text from the posts, tokenize the extracted text, and organizing the tokens into n-grams. The prediction system can store the n-grams from the posts in a cumulative set of n-grams, with each n-gram tagged with the originating post's identified region, vertical, and a time value. The prediction system can compute, for each n-gram, a frequency within each category defined by a region/vertical pair. The prediction system can fit occurrence data for n-grams to a polynomial and identify the slope of the point on for the current time. The slope can be used as a prediction of growth or decline for the n-gram. The prediction system can identify n-grams with a comparatively large slope within that region/vertical as likely to be trending in the future.

Abstract: Various of the disclosed embodiments relate to line-of-sight (LOS), e.g., optical, based networks. Particularly, systems and methods are provided for aligning nodes in a line-of-sight communication network with their peers. The nodes may be placed and passively aligned with one another as position information is passed between peers. The elevation indicated in the position information may be refined based upon relative barometric pressure readings between peers. In a next phase, isolated networks of nodes may be integrated with the network of nodes contacting the Internet backbone. Finally, routing algorithms may be implemented to address weather effects (e.g., fog) and congestion to optimize network service.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a beacon associated with a third-party content provider (e.g., a business), a current session information of the first user of an online social network. The first user's mobile device is proximate to and in a wireless communication session with the beacon, which is located at the third-party content provider. One or more second users who are associated with geographic locations within a threshold distance of the location of the beacon are selected. A notification referencing the selected second users is sent to the first user's mobile device, indicating that the second users are nearby.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for dynamically responding to demand for server computing resources. The embodiments can monitor performance of each of multiple computing systems in a data center, identify a particular computing system of the multiple computing systems for allocation of additional computing power, determine availability of an additional power supply to allocate to the identified computing system, determine availability of a capacity on a power distribution line connected to the particular computing system to provide the additional power supply to the particular computing system, and allocate the additional computing power to the identified computing system as a function of the determined availability of the additional power supply and the determined availability of the capacity on the power distribution line.

Abstract: Users of a social networking system perform actions on various objects maintained by the social networking system. Some of these actions may indicate that the user has a negative sentiment for an object. To make use of this negative sentiment when providing content to the user, when the social networking system determines a user performs an action on an object, the social networking system identifies topics associated with the object and associates the negative sentiment with one or more of the topics. This association between one or more topics and negative sentiment may be used to decrease the likelihood that the social networking system presents content associated with a topic that is associated with a negative sentiment of the user.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to marketing products through a social networking system. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present invention relate to allowing social networking users to purchase products through the social networking system and to add products to shopping carts associated with third-party merchants.

Abstract: A head-mounted-display adjustment apparatus may include a spring assembly that includes a spring with a restoring force. The adjustment apparatus may also include a strap with a distal section coupled to a head-mounted display and a proximal section coupled to the spring assembly such that (i) the strap is extendable, via deflection of the spring, away from the head-mounted display, and (ii) when a user is wearing the head-mounted display, the restoring force of the spring holds, via the strap, the head-mounted display against the user's face. The adjustment apparatus may additionally include a projection assembly that couples the spring assembly to the head-mounted display and via which the spring assembly is extendable away from the head-mounted display. The adjustment apparatus may further include a mount that couples the projection assembly to the head-mounted display. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A social networking system provides a user with a feed of content items associated with other users connected to the user via the social networking system. Additionally, the social networking system identifies additional content items having various characteristics to the user. If the user selects an additional content item, further content items having one or more characteristics matching the selected additional content item are identified and presented to the user along with the additional content item. For example, a size of the selected additional content item is increased and the further content items are presented in a smaller size proximate to the selected additional content item.

Abstract: A varifocal block includes liquid crystal (LC) lens and a liquid lens structure in optical series. The LC lens has a plurality of optical states, including an additive state that adds optical power to the LC lens and a subtractive state that removes optical power from the LC lens. The liquid lens structure comprises a transparent substrate layer, a deformable membrane, and a volume of liquid enclosed between the transparent substrate layer and the deformable membrane. The deformable membrane has an adjustable range of optical power dependent on an adjustable curvature of the deformable membrane. The plurality of optical states of the LC lens and the adjustable range of optical power of the liquid lens structure together provide a continuous range of optical power for the varifocal block.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the generation and presentation of product recommendations, ratings and/or reviews to social networking users. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to detecting a user's interest in a product or product category and presenting the user with a summary of product information, such as recommendations, ratings and/or reviews of the product or product category by other users within a social networking system, including by socially connected users.

Abstract: Relevant content is prepared and selected for delivery to a member of a network based, in part, on prior online activities of the other members of the network, and the closeness of the member's relationship with the other members of the network. The relevant content may be an online ad, and is selected from a number of candidate online ads based on click-through rates of groups that are predefined with respect to the member and with respect to certain attributes. An online ad's revenue-generating potential may be considered in the selection process.

Abstract: A social networking system generates a region-specific brand page for presentation to a requesting a brand paged based on location information associated with the user. The region-specific brand page includes data about the brand and aggregated data about users' actions associated with the brand in the social networking system and is presented in a format determined in part by the location information associated with the user. Additionally, the region-specific brand page may include data describing interactions with the brand by users connected to the user viewing the brand page, even if the connected users are associated with location information associated with a different geographic region than the user.

Abstract: A display system divides a screen into regions and applies a different set of rendering/encoding parameters to each region. The system applies a first set of parameters to a first region that is being viewed by a fovea of an eye of a user. The system may also apply a second set of parameters to a second region that is being viewed by a parafovea of the eye, and apply a third set of parameters to a third region that is being viewed by the area of the eye outside of the parafovea. The first set of parameters are selected to yield relatively high image quality, while the second set of parameters are yield intermediate quality, and the third set of parameters yield lower quality. As a result, the second region and the third region can be rendered, encoded, and transmitted with less computing power and less bandwidth.

Abstract: A method for enabling a notification-providing system to allow third-party publishers to push notifications of interest to a user device as part of a notification subscription service. A computing device may receive notifications from one or more third-party systems. Each notification may be associated with one or more tags. The computing device may determine one or more interests of a user based in least in part on social graph information of the user. The computing device may match the user interests to the received tags to identify relevant notifications. The computing device may send one or more of the identified notifications to one or more delivery channels of the user.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) presents viewable media to a user. The HMD includes a light source and an optical block. The light source includes a first sub-pixel mounted on a first set of microbumps at a first height from a substrate and emits light within a first optical band, and a second sub-pixel mounted on a second set of microbumps at a second height from the substrate that is different from the first height, and emits light over a second optical band that is different than the first optical band. The optical block receives the image light from the light source, and directs the image light to an eyebox, wherein the first height and the second height mitigates longitudinal chromatic aberration and field curvature in the optical block.

Abstract: Technology is provided for a device sled having a latch handle with a plunger lock. The sled chassis has a bottom wall and a sidewall extending between a front sled portion and a rear sled portion and a latch handle. The latch handle includes a proximal end portion pivotably coupled to the sled chassis proximate the front sled portion. A latch pawl extends from the proximal end portion of the handle. The latch handle is pivotable between a latched position where the latch pawl is positioned to engage a latch feature of a cubby chassis, thereby preventing movement of the sled chassis with respect to the cubby chassis, and an unlatched position where the latch pawl is disengaged from the latch feature of the cubby chassis. A handle lock is disposed on a distal end portion of the latch handle to selectively lock the latch handle in the latched position.

Abstract: Technology is provided for omnidirectional wheels having rolling surfaces configured to roll over obstacles when the wheel is moving sideways with respect to its axis of rotation. The omnidirectional wheel can include a central disk assembly and a pair of lateral disk assemblies coaxially positioned on opposite sides of the central disk assembly. The central disk assembly can include a central carrier plate having a first diameter and a plurality of central rollers each rotatably coupled to a circumferential margin of the central carrier plate for rotation about a first roller axis oriented orthogonal to an axis of the wheel. Each lateral disk assembly can include a lateral carrier plate having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter and a plurality of lateral rollers each rotatably coupled to a circumferential margin of the lateral carrier plate for rotation about a second roller axis oriented orthogonal to the wheel axis.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) divides an image into a high resolution (HR) inset portion at a first resolution, a peripheral portion, and a transitional portion. The peripheral portion is downsampled to a second resolution that is less than the first resolution. The transitional portion is blended such that there is a smooth change in resolution that corresponds to a change in resolution between a fovea region and a non-fovea region of a retina. An inset region is generated using the HR inset portion and the blended transitional portion, and a background region is generated using the downsampled peripheral portion. The inset region is provided to a HR inset display, and the background region is provided to a peripheral display. An optics block combines the displayed inset region with the displayed background region to generate composite content.

Abstract: One variation of a method for linking images in social feeds to branded content includes: loading an image to a social networking system; receiving, from a first user, a tag including identification of an item visible in a particular region of the image; associating the tag with the particular region of the image; based on the tag, correlating the item with a particular brand; posting the image to a social feed of the particular brand within the social networking system; and in response to interaction with the image, in the social feed, by a second user, directing the second user to brand content specified by the particular brand.

Abstract: Particular embodiments may provide a transceiver in geosynchronous orbit. The transceiver may include a plurality of forward channel receivers. At least one of the forward channel receivers may receive (1) a forward channel laser communication beam transmitted from a ground station and (2) an E-band frequency having a bandwidth of 81-86 GHz. The transceiver may also include a plurality of forward channel transmitters having different frequencies. The forward channel transmitters may transmit user beams to endpoint devices, wherein the user beams are derived from the forward channel laser and MMW communication beams. The transceiver may also include a plurality of return channel receivers, wherein the return channel receivers receive user beams from the endpoint devices. The transceiver may also include at least one return channel transmitter, wherein the return channel transmitter transmits a return channel laser communication beam to a ground station.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to receive metadata for audio content associated with an audio content item for presentation in a news feed to be displayed on a screen of a computing device associated with a user. The metadata is transformed for display in the audio content item. The transformed metadata is displayed in the audio content item. In addition, systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to present an audio content item in a news feed to be displayed on a screen of a computing device associated with a user. An input by the user for scrolling the news feed and the audio content item on the screen is received. A pop out player is presented in response to disappearance of the audio content item from the screen based on the scrolling.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request to establish an audiovisual streaming session between a first device and a second device; determining a level of network connectivity for a network associated with the first device or the second device; receiving data from the first device. The data may the data represent facial expressions of a user in a video captured by the first device. The data may be generated by the first device using the video based on: detections of a face and facial features of the user in the video and application of one or more subtractive filters using the detected face and facial features. The subtractive filters may be selected based on the level of network connectivity. The method may also include sending the data to the second device with instructions to process the data and display a representation of the user's facial expressions.

Abstract: A haptic glove comprises a glove body including a glove digit corresponding to a phalange of a user hand. The glove digit has a first ribbon layer of a first average width and a second ribbon layer of a second average width greater than the first average width. The first and second ribbon layers are configured to be positioned on a first surface of the digit and formed lengthwise along a bend centerline of the glove digit that bisects a surface of the glove digit. A central axis of the second ribbon layer is aligned with a central axis of the first ribbon layer. The first ribbon layer comprises a first extendible material having a first range of elastic extensibility and the second ribbon layer comprises a second extendible material having a second range of elastic extensibility greater than the first range of elastic extensibility of the first ribbon layer.

Abstract: To promote an object maintained by a social networking system, an advertiser identifies the object to the social networking system. Based on the user interaction with one or more posts associated with the object, the social networking system selects one or more candidate posts from the one or more posts. Promotion efficacies of each candidate post for a group of users having one or more common demographic characteristics are determined and a candidate post is selected based at least in part on the promotion efficacies. The selected candidate post may be identified to the advertiser or presented to additional users having the common demographic characteristic by the social networking system.

Abstract: An apparatus for creating haptic stimulations is provided. The apparatus includes pod(s) coupled to a garment, each pod including: (i) an outer internal structure that defines an opening, (ii) an inner internal structure disposed in the opening defined by the outer internal structure, and (iii) an airtight bladder, pneumatically coupled with a pneumatic device, surrounding the inner and outer internal structures. Further, when a bladder of a respective pod is at a first pressure, respective top surfaces of the internal structures contact a first portion of a user's body, said contact with the first portion of the body having a first area, and when the bladder is at a second pressure, the top surface of the inner internal structure and/or the top surface of the outer internal structure contact a second portion of the user's body, said contact with the second portion of the body having a second area.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes, for each of multiple interactions by a user with an online service, collecting: device information describing a device used by the user for the interaction; access information describing how the user accessed the online service for the interaction; and a count value of the interaction. The method further includes determining based on the collected information a historical count value for each of one or more particular combinations of device and access information.

Abstract: A lens includes an optically transparent substrate having a first lens surface and a second lens surface opposite to the first lens surface. The first lens surface includes a plurality of Fresnel structures. A respective Fresnel structure of the plurality of Fresnel structures includes a slope facet and a draft facet. The respective Fresnel structure of the plurality of Fresnel structures is characterized by a representative pitch. The representative pitch of the respective Fresnel structure is based on a distance of the respective Fresnel structure from a reference axis of the lens. A display device that includes the lens and an electronic display coupled with the lens for outputting light through the lens and a method for transmitting light from an electronic display toward the lens are also described.

Abstract: A special-purpose hardware accelerator may include a cache configured to store an input matrix related to performing a convolution operation and a matrix-multiplication subsystem pre-configured with matrix-transform coefficients for performing matrix-transform operations. The matrix-multiplication subsystem may perform the convolution operation by (1) reading the input matrix from the cache, (2) transforming the input matrix via matrix multiplication, (3) transforming, via matrix multiplication, a parameter matrix that includes convolution parameters for performing the convolution operation, (4) applying the transformed parameter matrix to the transformed input matrix via an element-wise multiplication operation, and then (5) performing an inverse-transformation operation on the results of the element-wise multiplication operation to create an output matrix for the convolution operation. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can determine at least one survey to be presented to users of the social networking system, wherein the survey is targeted to a number of users at each time interval. A uniform distribution of users that may be surveyed is determined, wherein users in the uniform distribution are each assigned a numerical value. A sampling window that references a numerical range that is adjusted upon completion of each time interval is determined, wherein users that have been assigned a numerical value within the numerical range are eligible for the survey.

Abstract: A display device comprises a display panel having a plurality of pixels for emitting light disposed on an active area of the display panel. The pixels may be grouped into a plurality of subsets, each subset of pixels coupled to a corresponding power line. The subsets of pixels may be programmed and operated in succession in a rolling configuration. The power line may be configured to provide a low supply voltage to turn on the corresponding subset of pixels, or a high supply voltage to turn off the corresponding subset of pixels. By turning off each subset of pixels when the subset is not being programmed or controlled to emit light, a picture quality of the display may potentially be improved, by preventing leakages or tailing effects in the non-emitting pixels when of the display.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can identify an object depicted in an image. True color information associated with the object is obtained from a true color database comprising true color information for a plurality of objects. A color delta associated with the object is determined based on the true color information and captured color information associated with the object. The image is modified based on the color delta.

Abstract: A lead user may share an on-line media content experience with one or more followers by identifying content of interest being experienced on the lead user system, identifying one or more followers with whom to share the content of interest, inviting the followers to experience the content of interest, and enabling the followers to access the content of interest.

Abstract: An online system determines a frequency with which its users delete information stored in a browser on client devices associated with each user. When a user accesses the online system, the online system determines a user identifier associated with the user and determines if one or more conditions are satisfied based on information received from a browser used to access the online system. If a condition is satisfied, the online system communicates an instruction to the browser to communicate information associated with a third party and the user identifier to the third party. Information previously stored in the browser and associated with the user identifier is compared to information associated with the user identifier received from the browser. Deletion of information stored in the browser is determined when stored information associated with the user identifier differs from received information associated with the user identifier.

Abstract: A storage-media-agnostic chassis apparatus may include a media-agnostic storage bay that (1) is adapted to house media storage devices of a plurality of different media storage device types with different physical dimensions, (2) is reconfigurable via removing at least one media storage device of a media storage device type from the media-agnostic storage bay and inserting at least one media storage device of an additional media storage device type, (3) is dimensioned to simultaneously store a plurality of media storage devices, and (4) comprises a plurality of connectors adapted to simultaneously connect to the media storage devices. The apparatus may also include a storage controller card, a compute module that is separate from but removably attached to the media-agnostic storage bay, and a backplane that facilitates communication between the media storage device and the compute module. Various other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.

Abstract: Various of the disclosed embodiments relate to a distributed video encoding or transcoding system may utilize multiple encoding nodes to encode a video sequence by splitting the video into multiple smaller video segments. The assignment of video segments to the encoding nodes is performed to balance the use of the encoding nodes by selecting a node based on its encoding capabilities, e.g., whether the node employed a central processing unit (CPU) based encoding or a graphics processor unit (GPU) based encoding.

Abstract: An online system applies content policies regulating presentation of sponsored content to its users. For example, content policies may prevent the presentation of sponsored content items in certain positions content feeds. The online system may relax a content policy when generating a content feed for a user based on characteristics of a user. For example, the online system generates a model determining a tolerance of the user for sponsored content, and relaxes one or more content policies if the tolerance of the user for sponsored content equals or exceeds a threshold. As another example, the online system determines whether to relax one or more content policies based on a comparison of a historical amount of compensation received from the user and an expected amount of compensation from presenting content items violating a content policy.

Abstract: Optical fiber data communications are described. A controller can determine chromatic dispersion of an optical signal that is to be demodulated using coherent detection. The controller can then determine the chromatic dispersion of another optical signal that is to be demodulated using direct detection. The chromatic dispersion of the other optical signal can then be adjusted to account for chromatic dispersion experienced by the other optical signal when it propagated through an optical fiber.

Abstract: A system and method that automatically detects that a regression incident has occurred, and identifies the particular revision(s) of source code that introduced the regression incident is disclosed herein. The system and method execute one or more simulations of each revision in a window of revisions of the source code to compute values for one or more metrics. The metric values are then used to compute regression confidence values as well as a regression confidence interval—to then detect a regression incident and identify the revision that caused the regression incident. The system and method can also identify subsequent revision(s) that sufficiently fix regression incident(s) caused by a revision such that a software developer can be informed of these fixing revisions.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for improving a machine translation system. The machine translation system may include one or more models for generating a translation. The system may generate multiple candidate translations, and may present the candidate translations to different groups of users, such as users of a social network. User engagement with the different candidate translations may be measured, and the system may determine which of the candidate translations was most favored by the users. For example, in the context of a social network, the number of times that the translation is liked or shared, or the number of comments associated with the translation, may be used to determine user engagement with the translation. The models of the machine translation system may be modified to favor the most-favored candidate translation. The translation system may repeat this process to continue to tune the models in a feedback loop.

Abstract: Technology is disclosed for establishing a querying system and load balancing the multi-tiered querying system. A multi-tiered targeted query system can comprise three tiers: a web tier, an aggregator tier, and a shard tier. When load balancing of shards is performed, fan-out can occur, increasing latency. The disclosed technology performs load balancing while minimizing the amount fan-out increase. Selecting the databases to move can comprise determining which databases on that server are causing the most load, and determining if moving any of these databases will increase an expected amount of fan-out above an acceptable threshold value. Determining the expected amount of fan-out increase incurred by moving a database can be based on an analysis of a number of friend relationships between that database and other databases on the same or other servers.

Abstract: A social networking system receives information describing locations associated with a plurality of its users. Based on information identifying each user and a location associated with each user, the social networking system generates and stores hash values. For example, the social networking system maintains various geo-tiles that each identify geographic areas and generates a hash value based on a user identifier and an identifier of a geo-tile including the location associated with the user. Based on the hash values and locations associated with one or more users, the online system determines a number of unique users associated with locations included in a geographic region. When determining the number of unique users, the online system accounts for a rate at which the online system updates location information associated with various users.

Abstract: A camera system captures images from a set of cameras to generate binocular panoramic views of an environment. The cameras are oriented in the camera system to maximize the minimum number of cameras viewing a set of randomized test points. To calibrate the system, matching features between images are identified and used to estimate three-dimensional points external to the camera system. Calibration parameters are modified to improve the three-dimensional point estimates. When images are captured, a pipeline generates a depth map for each camera using reprojected views from adjacent cameras and an image pyramid that includes individual pixel depth refinement and filtering between levels of the pyramid. The images may be used generate views of the environment from different perspectives (relative to the image capture location) by generating depth surfaces corresponding to the depth maps and blending the depth surfaces.