Abstract: Techniques described herein include systems and methods for throttling requests for content to reduce stress on a check out pipeline associated with an electronic marketplace thereby avoiding overstressing a server to the point of no longer processing requests from users. In embodiments, first information may be maintained that identifies a ranking for a plurality of items based on a score. A predicted velocity of content requests about the plurality of items may be maintained and second information about an actual velocity of content requests about the plurality of items may be received. In response to a request for content, a portion of items may be identified based on the scores associated with said portion and partition the portion into a number of groups or partitions based on the predicted velocity and the second information. A data object that comprises the portion of items associated with a partition may be generated.

Abstract: Techniques for managing and discovering data using visual or audible representations may be provided. The data, in some examples, may correspond with individual items, and the system may correlate each item with a representation of the item (e.g., for navigation, for accessibility, etc.). The representations may be provided to allow discovery of the items in response to adjusting the resolution, audibly requesting information, or panning across a display to discover items that are displayed as these representations outside of the original presentation of representations. In some examples, the representation of the item may not be unique to the item or may be represented as a placeholder image or description. The higher the resolution, the more detail about the item may be provided. When an item is selected, item data may be provided that corresponds with the item.

Abstract: Techniques for managing and discovering data using visual or audible representations may be provided. The data, in some examples, may correspond with individual items, and the system may correlate each item with a representation of the item (e.g., for navigation, for accessibility, etc.). The representations may be provided to allow discovery of the items in response to adjusting the resolution, audibly requesting information, or panning across a display to discover items that are displayed as these representations outside of the original presentation of representations. In some examples, the representation of the item may not be unique to the item or may be represented as a placeholder image or description. The higher the resolution, the more detail about the item may be provided. When an item is selected, item data may be provided that corresponds with the item.

Abstract: Techniques for managing and discovering data using visual or audible representations may be provided. The data, in some examples, may correspond with individual items, and the system may correlate each item with a representation of the item (e.g., for navigation, for accessibility, etc.). The representations may be provided to allow discovery of the items in response to adjusting the resolution, audibly requesting information, or panning across a display to discover items that are displayed as these representations outside of the original presentation of representations. In some examples, the representation of the item may not be unique to the item or may be represented as a placeholder image or description. The higher the resolution, the more detail about the item may be provided. When an item is selected, item data may be provided that corresponds with the item.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling a general purpose operating system to maximize the probability of time-sensitive threads, e.g., multimedia threads, gaining access to CPU resources quickly enough to meet the demands of time-sensitive tasks while allowing time-insensitive threads to meet the demands of time-insensitive tasks, is disclosed. The priorities of time-sensitive threads in an operating system are adjusted so that the time-sensitive threads have a high probability of gaining access to CPU resources quickly enough to meet the demands of time-sensitive tasks while allowing time-insensitive threads to meet the demands of time-insensitive tasks. A system responsiveness cell (SRC) value is used to determine how quickly the operating system needs to respond to time-sensitive threads and time-insensitive threads. Priorities of threads are dynamically changed according to the relative CPU resource access requirements of system profile tasks.

Abstract: A secure process may be created which does not allow code to be injected into it, does not allow modification of its memory or inspection of its memory. The resources protected in a secure process include all the internal state and threads running in the secure process. Once a secure process is created, the secure process is protected from access by non-secure processes. Process creation occurs atomically in kernel mode. Creating the infrastructure of a process in kernel mode enables security features to be applied that are difficult or impossible to apply in user mode. By moving setup actions previously occurring in user mode (such as creating the initial thread, allocating the stack, initialization of the parameter block, environment block and context record) into kernel mode, the need of the caller for full access rights to the created process is removed.