Abstract: There is provided a system and method for an item-based economy in a virtual world. There is provided a server for providing an item exchange for a virtual world lacking a common currency for item valuation, comprising a processor configured to receive a request from a client having an inventory to initiate the item exchange, present a user interface on a display of the client for the item exchange, receive a selection of either a second quantity of second items or a third quantity of third items for the item exchange from the client, remove from the inventory of the client a first quantity of tradable items defined by a first exchange value or a second exchange value based on the selection, and add the second quantity of second items or the third quantity of the third items to the inventory of the client based on the selection.

Abstract: Features and techniques are disclosed for interacting with paginated digital content, including a multi-purpose tool and an annotation mode. The multi-purpose tool, which may be represented by a graphic (e.g., a movable interactive graphic), can provide access to multiple modes (e.g., copy, define, note, and/or highlight modes) that a user can invoke. The mode invoked determines the functions performed by the tool when interacting with the paginated digital content. The annotation mode, which may be invoked using the multi-purpose tool or independently thereof, can allow a user to create and edit annotations, such as highlights and notes (e.g., sticky notes, margin notes, and/or highlight notes), for paginated digital content. Editing the annotations may include selecting a desired color for the annotation, for example. The annotation mode may also allow a user to intuitively merge and delete annotations previously added to paginated digital content.

Abstract: A collection of well-formed, but possibly semantically invalid, binary encoded multimedia data components or packages as well as the binary encoded announcement, signaling, and interchange protocols used in their transmission are converted into one or more well-formed extensible markup language (XML) files. Such XML files may then be validated according to one or more pre-defined XML schemas, or similar schema languages, in order to verify that the data and protocol structures and substructures adhere to prior defined semantic constraints.

Abstract: A web page or group of pages can be automatically generated based on images selected by a user. The images are analyzed for color and groups of colors for the page background and image framing are determined. Images are analyzed to determine the shapes of the images and the images are placed within appropriate shapes on a page on the web. Click-through rate can be estimated for images and this click-through rate used during the web page generation. Important sections are evaluated in the images and cropping may occur for the images on a page. Text and video can be part of the web page. Software applications can be accessed from the web page as well. The online web pages can be tailored for presentation on a mobile device.

Abstract: This document describes, among other things, a computer-implemented method that can include receiving, from a web server system, web page code to be provided over the internet to a computing device. The web page code can correspond to a particular web page served by the web server system. The method may include generating an intermediate representation of at least a portion of the web page code, and comparing the intermediate representation to a prior intermediate representation of the particular web page. Based on a result of the comparison, the method can include determining what portion of the web page code to analyze for re-coding of the web page code before serving the web page code to the computing device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating evaluation of one or more electronic documents. One or more templates are extracted from the one or more electronic documents. At least one area in the one or more templates is identified. The at least one area includes a response provided by a user associated with the electronic document. One or more groups are generated based on similarity between the responses in the at least one area in the one or more templates. The one or more groups are distributed to one or more remote workers or a crowdsourcing platform for the evaluation.

Abstract: Methods and devices for facilitating access to a webpage associated with a contact are described. In one aspect, a method includes: obtaining a first contact entry; determining if the first contact entry includes a webpage identifier; and if the first contact entry includes a webpage identifier, populating a portion of a web browser with the webpage identifier included in the first contact entry.

Abstract: A method for determining if a user of a computer system is a human. A processor receives an indication that a computer security program is needed and acquires at least one image depicting a first string of characters including at least a first and second set of one or more characters. A processor assigns a substitute character to be used as input for each of the second set of one or more characters. A processor presents the at least one image and an indication of the substitute character and when to use the substitute character to the user. A processor receives a second string of characters from the user. A processor determines whether the second string of characters substantially matches the first string of characters based on the substitute character assigned to each of the second set of one or more characters and determines whether the user is a human.

Abstract: Described is an improved approach for implementing a handshake mechanism to permit effective versioning and updates for data within an enterprise application. Version numbers are associated with sales catalog objects, where the appropriate version number is associated with the specific object to be published as the run-time object for the sales catalog. Each of the sales catalog versions is associated with a unique identifier, where one of the identifiers is recognized as the “run-time” version identifier. The sales catalog having the recognized run-time identifier value is visible to and accessible to the ordinary users of the system as the runtime sales catalog. All other sales catalog versions associated with other identifiers are not visible/accessible to ordinary users.

Abstract: A method to correct for temporal variability in incoming streams of media and data to optimize the performance of a pattern recognition system includes the steps of receiving from one of the incoming streams a point in time when an event is announced, applying a probability distribution about the point in time, shifting a point of highest probability of the probability distribution back in time by an amount effective to accommodate for a delay between the event and the announcement, comparing a detected pattern of the event to a stored pattern of similar events and applying a confidence value to the comparison, and confirming to the pattern recognition system that the event occurred at the point of highest probability when the confidence score exceeds a predefined threshold. The method is useful to determine the time at which a particular play occurs during a sporting event, such as the time of a shot-on-goal in a soccer match.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium for providing content to a user. A method includes: identifying a first resource, the first resource including one or more links to second, other resources and at least one slot for filling with third party content, wherein first selection criteria are associated with a first slot of the at least one slots; determining for at least one of the second other resources entities associated therewith, including evaluating a page associated with the second other resource to identify entities that are associated with content presented on the page; using the determined entities to either augment or filter the first selection criteria producing enhanced selection criteria; and determining one or more content items for presentation to a user in the first slot, wherein determining includes using the enhanced selection criteria to identify the one or more content items.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for a web page, sending a first response portion for generating the requested web page to a client computing device that includes a structured document including a page-assembling process, generating one or more second response portions each for generating a corresponding portion of the requested web page that each include a call to the page-assembling process, transmitting the second response portions to the client computing device, and wherein the page-assembling process is configured to, responsive to a call corresponding to a respective second response portion, insert, or cause to be inserted, content, resources, or calls to resources included in the respective second response portion into a model representation of the structured document generated by a client rendering application at a location in the model representation determined by a corresponding place-holder code segment included in the structured document.

Abstract: Live preview of themes is provided. At least one invoked activity is detected in a web application. At least one candidate theme is obtained. The at least one candidate theme includes at least one style element for the web application. On the client device, display of a theme preview interface is caused. The theme preview interface includes at least one live preview. Each live preview corresponds to one of the at least one invoked activity and one of the at least one candidate theme. In response to selection of a selected theme, a current theme of web application is switched to the selected theme.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide methods and apparatus for implementing a microblog message page. An exemplary method can include encapsulating common logics of a plurality of message pages into a message page control base, pulling content data of a message page control of one message page of the plurality of message pages; and enabling the message page control of the one message page to inherit from the common logics encapsulated in the message page control base. The exemplary method can also include executing the common logics based on the pulled content data, to load the message page control of the one message page and to display the message page control on the one message page. The disclosed methods and apparatus can simplify the sorting algorithm with improved efficiency for the message pages to sort and manage layout of various types of controls.

Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting social content on a map are provided. In some aspects, a method includes receiving a new content item. The new content item is not associated with a social network group comprising a set of subject members and a set of viewing members. The method also includes determining that the new content item is related to the social network group. The method also includes storing the new content item in association with the social network group. The method also includes associating the new content item with a geographic location. The method also includes providing for display a map and an indication of the social network group. The map includes a representation of the new content item. The representation of the new content item is positioned on the map proximate to the geographic location on the map.

Abstract: Methods, software, and devices for processing a user-filled form are disclosed. A parsable electronic representation of the user-filled form is received. Based on parsing this electronic representation, at least one of a first or a second subset of input elements is identified. The first subset of input elements represents input fields that have received user-filled data while the second subset of input elements represents input fields that have not received user-filled data. Those text elements representing text providing descriptive context to input fields represented by the identified subset of input elements are associated with the identified subset of input elements. A graphical representation of the user-filled form is generated. In this graphical representation, text represented by text elements associated the first subset of input elements are highlighted relative to text represented by text elements associated with the second subset of input elements.

Abstract: A method for determining if a user of a computer system is a human. A processor receives an indication that a computer security program is needed and acquires at least one image depicting a first string of characters including at least a first and second set of one or more characters. A processor assigns a substitute character to be used as input for each of the second set of one or more characters. A processor presents the at least one image and an indication of the substitute character and when to use the substitute character to the user. A processor receives a second string of characters from the user. A processor determines whether the second string of characters substantially matches the first string of characters based on the substitute character assigned to each of the second set of one or more characters and determines whether the user is a human.

Abstract: Methods for preloading for a web page externally specified resources of a style sheet are provided. In one aspect, a method includes identifying at least one externally specified resource specified by a style sheet for a web page during download of at least one of the style sheet or the web page. The at least one externally specified resource includes at least one of an image, font, audio data, or video data. The method also includes determining whether the web page includes instructions to load the at least one externally specified resource, and loading the at least one externally specified resource specified by the style sheet for the web page when the determination indicates the web page includes instructions to load the at least one externally specified resource. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed for positioning, based on a position velocity measure, related media content within a media outlet such as a website, a blog, an aggregation page, an application, or the like. The related media content may be related to a media content and may link to the media content, be a derivative of the media content, summarize the media content, or the like. A location within a media outlet for a related media content may be determined and the related media content may be published accordingly. The location of a related media content may be modified from a first location to a second location. The size of a related media content may be increased and/or a related media content may be highlighted. Further, techniques are disclosed for publishing related media content within a zone from a plurality of zones associated with a media outlet.

Abstract: A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, detecting in a corrected text message an auto-correction by the first communication device of a target word of a group of words, detecting an input command requesting a transmission of the corrected text message to a second communication device, responsive to the detecting of the input command, presenting a correction alert indicating the target word that has been auto-corrected, and in response to the presenting of the correction alert, presenting an option for modifying the target word, where the transmission of the corrected text message to the second communication device is limited to after the option for modifying is presented at the first communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.