Abstract: End to end differentiable machine vision systems, training methods, and processor-readable media are disclosed. A differentiable image signal processor (ISP) is disclosed that can be trained, using machine learning techniques, to adapt raw images received from a new sensor into an adapted images of the same type (i.e. in the same visual domain) as the images previously used to train a perception module, without fine-tuning the perception module itself. The differentiable ISP may include functional blocks for performing specific image enhancement operations using a relatively small number of learned parameters corresponding to meaningful characteristics of the image enhancement operations.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method to assist in the discovery of music or other content by members of a social network. The present invention permits network members to network together and share information about their music collections and listening habits with a processing platform and with each other. The processing platform processes music library content and playback related data to produce similarity and compatibility measures between artists (that is, an artist-to-artist measure) and between network members (that is, a network member-to-network member measure). By combining the content and playback related data with filtering mechanisms, recommendation techniques (which may be based on the calculated measures), and set membership concepts, the present invention provides network members of the network with tools to discover artists and/or songs that are likely to be of interest to them.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method to assist in the discovery of music or other content by members of a social network. The present invention permits network members to network together and share information about their music collections and listening habits with a processing platform and with each other. The processing platform processes music library content and playback related data to produce similarity and compatibility measures between artists (that is, an artist-to-artist measure) and between network members (that is, a network member-to-network member measure). By combining the content and playback related data with filtering mechanisms, recommendation techniques (which may be based on the calculated measures), and set membership concepts, the present invention provides network members of the network with tools to discover artists and/or songs that are likely to be of interest to them.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for providing targeted content to users of a social network. The system, apparatus, and method may be used to provide advertisements, promotions, and other relevant content to a user of a social network based on analysis of the user's preferences, interests, and tastes as expressed in data contained in the user's social network. Additional targeted-content may be selected and provided to a user based on the preferences, interests, and tastes of a user's friends within the social network.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method are provided to assist users to access and process information about a group of friends who are members of a third party social network in order to determine compatibility between the user and each friend or determine the most-compatible friends within that social network. In some embodiments, the system and method may obtain login or other authentication data regarding a user to access the user information on the third party social network, such as a list of friends (e.g., a buddy list) specified within the third party social network. After accessing the list of friends, information regarding each friend's preferences, interests, likes, dislikes, etc. may also be obtained from the third party social network. Subsequently, a compatibility measure between the user and each friend in the list is determined based on the obtained information regarding the friend and the user.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method to assist in the discovery of music or other content by members of a social network. The present invention permits network members to network together and share information about their music collections and listening habits with a processing platform and with each other. The processing platform processes music library content and playback related data to produce similarity and compatibility measures between artists (that is, an artist-to-artist measure) and between network members (that is, a network member-to-network member measure). By combining the content and playback related data with filtering mechanisms, recommendation techniques (which may be based on the calculated measures), and set membership concepts, the present invention provides network members of the network with tools to discover artists and/or songs that are likely to be of interest to them.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for creating and playing back audio or multimedia content. In the case of audio content, the content may be created using a telephony instrument such as a telephone or mobile cell phone. In the case of a mobile wireless device having the ability to capture images or video, the content may be photos or video that is captured and uploaded to the inventive system. In one example, the content may be an episode of a podcast. The content is accessed and played back using a web page embeddable content player, with the player accessing an index file that contains information regarding the location and playback control of the content.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for linking a web based account to a phone based account is described. The method avoids the need to directly reveal account information, e.g. username/password, about one account to the provider of the other. The linking occurs on the web in one embodiment, with a user's browser being redirected from the web site to the web site of the provider of the voice service. The redirection URL will include account linking information. Once the user identifies herself to the web site of the provider of the voice service, the linking information can be stored in the user's phone account as a cookie. When the user access the voice service over the phone, her telephone identifying information can be used to identify her profile. When she visits the phone application corresponding to the web site, the cookie—now including linking information—can be passed to the application to identify the appropriate web account.

Abstract: A computer-based system for automatic pagination and layout of yellow pages or a commercial telephone directory uses a simulated annealing heuristic to refine a randomly determined candidate solution. The text and advertisements which are to be included in the yellow pages directory are ordered in two distinct data streams representing the order of text and the order of advertisements in the directory. The system determines a possible layout, called a candidate solution, by randomly setting parameters defining the pagination and layout. These parameters may include page breaks in the advertisement stream, column numbers for each advertisement, and an amount of padding or empty space to be added to each page. Once the parameters are set, the individual pages are laid out by putting the advertisements in the next available position in their assigned columns, and the text around the advertisements. The solution is scored based upon the guidelines for the format and layout of the yellow pages directory.