Abstract: A recalculation user interface that includes visualization controls that display in response to received data, and signal capture controls that capture corresponding environment signals upon detection of a corresponding event. A declarative transformation chain is positioned between the various controls. Examples of environmental signals captured by the signal capture controls include image, video, audio, orientation, biometrics, location, weather, or any other information about the environment. Incorporating such signal capture controls into the recalculation user interface thus allows captured environmental signals to be incorporated into the logic and other data of the transformation chain. Also, an authoring tool that permits authoring of such recalculation user interfaces is described.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for assisting users with presenting data using cinematic techniques. Embodiments of the invention can be used to infer and generate cinematic techniques or combinations thereof based on a model and user action. Cinematic techniques can be used to meet the data exploration and analysis requirements of a user. As such, embodiments of the invention assist users (including non-programmers) to employ cinematic techniques (possibly in combination with other techniques) to gain insights into their data and also convey appropriate emotional messages.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for using cinematic techniques to present data. Embodiments of the invention can be used to infer and generate cinematic techniques or combinations thereof based on a model and user action. Cinematic techniques can be used to meet the data exploration and analysis requirements of a user. As such, embodiments of the invention permit users (including non-programmers) to employ cinematic techniques (possibly in combination with other techniques) to gain insights into their data and also convey appropriate emotional messages.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for using cinematic technique taxonomies to present data. Embodiments of the invention can be used to infer and identify cinematic techniques or combinations thereof based on a model and user action. Cinematic techniques can be used to meet the data exploration and analysis requirements of a user. As such, embodiments of the invention permit users (including non-programmers) to employ cinematic techniques from a cinematic technique hierarchy (possibly in combination with other techniques) to gain insights into their data and also convey appropriate emotional messages.

Abstract: A method for communicating with multiple network nodes is provided in which each node of a network has a wireless link that allows data to travel to and from the nodes in parallel, thereby taking advantage of the inherent broadcast capabilities of wireless media. The wireless link may be used in parallel with a point-to-point, land-based network linking the nodes. The method may be used for multicasting or broadcasting data on a network. Specifically, the method may be used to maintain a network cache, a routing database and quality of service in a manner that is more efficient and reliable than previous methods that use serial protocols over point to point network links.

Abstract: A business intelligence (BI) document preserves references to identities and formats of remote data sources and allows a local computing device to offload analytical operations to remote data sources. The BI document specifies a graph of entities connected by directed edges from the output of one entity to an input of another entity. An entity, for example, can represent without limitation a data structure, an external data source, a control element, an external event source, a visualization, or an update service. The entities of a BI document at a local computing device can reference data at an original data source—rather than extracting data from the original data source to a preferred local datastore. An entity of the BI document can direct a remote data source to execute transformations on the remote data before returning a solution to the local computing device.

Abstract: A business intelligence document provides functionality for testing a hypothesis on aggregated data in a business intelligence document (e.g., a spreadsheet-like document), wherein one or more of the input data values and transformation properties are designated as constrained (e.g., invariant or constrained within a range, set, enumeration, or domain). The hypothesis, which is articulated as a data mining assertion, is input through the user interface of the business intelligence document (e.g., via an expression interface or properties of a row, column, or cell) and solved over the aggregated data. The solution is then presented through the user interface of the spreadsheet-like document, such as in a table, graph, histogram, etc.

Abstract: A method for communicating with multiple network nodes is provided in which each node of a network has a wireless link that allows data to travel to and from the nodes in parallel, thereby taking advantage of the inherent broadcast capabilities of wireless media. The wireless link may be used in parallel with a point-to-point, land-based network linking the nodes. The method may be used for multicasting or broadcasting data on a network. Specifically, the method may be used to maintain a network cache, a routing database and quality of service in a manner that is more efficient and reliable than previous methods that use serial protocols over point to point network links.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for simultaneously displaying multiple-contexts in a page-oriented viewing architecture utilize the concept of page pinning in which a portion of a first document context is displayed as a fixed frame overlayed on or placed beside the display of a second document context. A user may navigate within the second document context while viewing the portion of the first document context as a pinned page on the display. Thus, a single navigational focus is maintained even though multiple contexts are displayed in the page-oriented architecture. Page pinning may be used to view two non-contiguous locations in a single electronic document or to view two pages of respective different electronic documents. A pinned page can be used to hold a particular context while a command set is executed from a command document viewed as the second context.

Abstract: The present invention provides an audio recording/playback tool that is integrated with an information viewer that simplifies recording and playback of audio annotations. The invention also provides alternative techniques to retrieve, categorize and sort the audio annotations including the ability to associate audio annotations with either pages of a document or specific points inside a page. Further, the invention synchronizes audio playback and document navigation actions. The invention supports the storage of the audio annotations in a variety of formats including the annotations stored as discrete clips labeled with properties and stored in an external database that permits, among other things, exchanging of annotations between users.