Abstract: A variety of methods for driving electro-optic displays so as to reduce visible artifacts are described. Such methods include (a) applying a first drive scheme to a non-zero minor proportion of the pixels of the display and a second drive scheme to the remaining pixels, the pixels using the first drive scheme being changed at each transition; (b) using two different drive schemes on different groups of pixels so that pixels in differing groups undergoing the same transition will not experience the same waveform; (c) applying either a balanced pulse pair or a top-off pulse to a pixel undergoing a white-to-white transition and lying adjacent a pixel undergoing a visible transition; (d) driving extra pixels where the boundary between a driven and undriven area would otherwise fall along a straight line; and (e) driving a display with both DC balanced and DC imbalanced drive schemes, maintaining an impulse bank value for the DC imbalance and modifying transitions to reduce the impulse bank value.

Abstract: This application discloses a wind pressure-driven air intake device for natural ventilation of zero power consumption. Such a device comprises multiple tunnels being arranged around a common central chamber, each having an inflow valve at its inner end connecting the central chamber and an outer end open to ambient airflow. The inflow valve allows only inward flow from a corresponding tunnel into the central chamber. The central chamber has an opening allowing airflow exit to a space to be ventilated. The device is capable of capturing ambient wind flow and wind pressure to be fed to the vented space regardless of wind flow direction towards the device, with no need for a powered air driver.

Abstract: Systems and methods enable most valuable players (MVPs) of a gameplay session to play a bonus gameplay session where other players (non-MVP players) participate as player-spectators in online video games and, through a collective voting mechanism or through active interaction, determine the occurrence of certain events or contents of the bonus gameplay in real time. In this manner, non-MVP players are able to directly affect the course of the bonus gameplay.

Abstract: A program is executed using a call stack and shadow stack. The call stack includes frames having respective return addresses. The frames may also store variables and/or parameters. The shadow stack stores duplicates of the return addresses in the call stack. The call stack and the shadow stack are maintained by, (i) each time a function is called, adding a corresponding stack frame to the call stack and adding a corresponding return address to the shadow stack, and (ii) each time a function is exited, removing a corresponding frame from the call stack and removing a corresponding return address from the shadow stack. A backtrace of the program's current call chain is generated by accessing the return addresses in the shadow stack. The outputted backtrace includes the return addresses from the shadow stack and/or information about the traced functions that is derived from the shadow stack's return addresses.

Abstract: Enforcing shadow stack violations at module granularity, rather than at thread or process granularity. An exception is processed during execution of a thread based on code of an application binary, which is enabled for shadow stack enforcement, that calls an external module. The exception results from a mismatch between a return address popped from the thread's call stack and a return address popped from the thread's shadow stack. Processing the exception includes determining that the exception resulted from execution of an instruction in the external module, and determining whether or not the external module is enabled for shadow stack enforcement. Based at least on these determinations, execution of the thread is terminated when the external module is enabled for shadow stack enforcement, or the thread is permitted to continue executing when the external module is not enabled for shadow stack enforcement.

Abstract: A natural ventilator is herein disclosed that is free of moving parts, wind-activated, rain-proof, and free of dust or smog infiltration. It is not only suitable to be a standalone natural ventilator, but is also advantageous to be used as an enhanced exhaust exit in a forced-air ventilation system, for such enclosed spaces or objects as buildings and vehicles. It can also be used as a suction generator that supplies so-called suction or negative pressure to help stabilize such building components as roof membranes by channeling the low pressure to their underside to balance the wind uplift above. The ventilator has an enhanced rainwater-proof method that serves to defend the vent system, and the space being vented, against rainwater invasion, even if raindrop trajectory becomes highly oblique from vertical as driven by strong winds.

Abstract: A program is executed using a call stack and shadow stack. The call stack includes frames having respective return addresses. The frames may also store variables and/or parameters. The shadow stack stores duplicates of the return addresses in the call stack. The call stack and the shadow stack are maintained by, (i) each time a function is called, adding a corresponding stack frame to the call stack and adding a corresponding return address to the shadow stack, and (ii) each time a function is exited, removing a corresponding frame from the call stack and removing a corresponding return address from the shadow stack. A backtrace of the program's current call chain is generated by accessing the return addresses in the shadow stack. The outputted backtrace includes the return addresses from the shadow stack and/or information about the traced functions that is derived from the shadow stack's return addresses.

Abstract: Systems and methods enable most valuable players (MVPs) of a gameplay session to play a bonus gameplay session where other players (non-MVP players) participate as player-spectators in online video games and, through a collective voting mechanism or through active interaction, determine the occurrence of certain events or contents of the bonus gameplay in real time. In this manner, non-MVP players are able to directly affect the course of the bonus gameplay.

Abstract: A natural ventilator is herein disclosed that is free of moving parts, wind-activated, rain-proof, and free of dust or smog infiltration. It is not only suitable to be a standalone natural ventilator, but is also advantageous to be used as an enhanced exhaust exit in a forced-air ventilation system, for such enclosed spaces or objects as buildings and vehicles needing air relief. The ventilator assembly has rainwater-proof shapes or fixtures that serve to defend the vent system, and the interior space being vented, against rainwater invasion, even if raindrop trajectory becomes highly oblique from vertical as driven by strong winds. It also includes shapes or fixtures to prevent fume condensation from drifting outward and staining the exterior of a building or vehicle, or the like, that is being vented.

Abstract: A variety of methods for driving electro-optic displays so as to reduce visible artifacts are described. Such methods include (a) applying a first drive scheme to a non-zero minor proportion of the pixels of the display and a second drive scheme to the remaining pixels, the pixels using the first drive scheme being changed at each transition; (b) using two different drive schemes on different groups of pixels so that pixels in differing groups undergoing the same transition will not experience the same waveform; (c) applying either a balanced pulse pair or a top-off pulse to a pixel undergoing a white-to-white transition and lying adjacent a pixel undergoing a visible transition; (d) driving extra pixels where the boundary between a driven and undriven area would otherwise fall along a straight line; and (e) driving a display with both DC balanced and DC imbalanced drive schemes, maintaining an impulse bank value for the DC imbalance and modifying transitions to reduce the impulse bank value.

Abstract: A natural ventilator is herein disclosed that is free of moving parts, wind-activated, rain-proof, and free of dust or smog infiltration. It is not only suitable to be a standalone natural ventilator, but is also advantageous to be used as an enhanced exhaust exit in a forced-air ventilation system, for such enclosed spaces or objects as buildings and vehicles needing air relief. The ventilator assembly has rainwater-proof shapes or fixtures that serve to defend the vent system, and the interior space being vented, against rainwater invasion, even if raindrop trajectory becomes highly oblique from vertical as driven by strong winds. It also includes shapes or fixtures to prevent fume condensation from drifting outward and staining the exterior of a building or vehicle, or the like, that is being vented.

Abstract: A variety of methods for driving electro-optic displays so as to reduce visible artifacts are described. Such methods include (a) applying a first drive scheme to a non-zero minor proportion of the pixels of the display and a second drive scheme to the remaining pixels, the pixels using the first drive scheme being changed at each transition; (b) using two different drive schemes on different groups of pixels so that pixels in differing groups undergoing the same transition will not experience the same waveform; (c) applying either a balanced pulse pair or a top-off pulse to a pixel undergoing a white-to-white transition and lying adjacent a pixel undergoing a visible transition; (d) driving extra pixels where the boundary between a driven and undriven area would otherwise fall along a straight line; and (e) driving a display with both DC balanced and DC imbalanced drive schemes, maintaining an impulse bank value for the DC imbalance and modifying transitions to reduce the impulse bank value.

Abstract: Performing shadow stack functionality for a thread in an audit mode includes initiating execution of a thread at the processor. Execution of the thread includes initiating execution of executable code of an application binary as part of the thread and enabling shadow stack functionality for the thread in an audit mode. Based at least on the execution of the thread in the audit mode, at least a portion of the shadow stack is enabled to be a circular stack. In response to determining that usage of the shadow stack has reached the defined threshold, one or more currently used entries of the shadow stack are overwritten, preventing the shadow stack from overflowing.

Abstract: Enforcing shadow stack violations for dynamic code. A thread is executed at a processor, which includes generating a portion of dynamic code for execution by the thread, identifying a range of memory addresses where the portion of dynamic code is loaded in memory, and initiating execution of the portion of dynamic code. Based at least on execution of the thread, an exception triggered by a mismatch between a first return address popped from a call stack corresponding to the thread and a second return address popped from a shadow stack corresponding to the thread is processed. Processing the exception includes (i) determining whether the second return address popped from the shadow stack is within the identified range of addresses, and (ii) based on having determined that the second return address is within the range of addresses, initiating a shadow stack enforcement action.

Abstract: Enforcing shadow stack violations at module granularity, rather than at thread or process granularity. An exception is processed during execution of a thread based on code of an application binary, which is enabled for shadow stack enforcement, that calls an external module. The exception results from a mismatch between a return address popped from the thread's call stack and a return address popped from the thread's shadow stack. Processing the exception includes determining that the exception resulted from execution of an instruction in the external module, and determining whether or not the external module is enabled for shadow stack enforcement. Based at least on these determinations, execution of the thread is terminated when the external module is enabled for shadow stack enforcement, or the thread is permitted to continue executing when the external module is not enabled for shadow stack enforcement.

Abstract: Systems and methods to authenticate a controller having a user interface with a manually actionable control include randomly selecting a first position of the plurality of positions of the manually actuable control, prompting a user to position the manually actionable control to the randomly selected position, receiving an indication of the present position of the manually actionable control, comparing the indication of the randomly selected position with the indication of the present position, and authenticating the controller when the indication of the randomly selected position matches the indication of the present position.

Abstract: A method and product designed for preferably creating, validating and executing regression based models and calculations for Stress Testing and Entity Planning purposes is provided covering model execution life-cycle details from model creation, validation, and execution. The preferred embodiments include a self-service regression based model configuration and creation with workflow approval tool called a model wizard; a central standardized I/O data interface called ODS to receive and store quarterly historical and spot financial market information, and reference data used as model input, and to store model output(s) in the preferred form of quarterly base and stress projections; a java based execution engine to run the approved models from the repository with ability to apply model adjustments; a web-based user interface to view the model lineage, input, equations in mathematical form using MathJax and the output.

Abstract: Exposing a leap second to a plurality of applications includes identifying that a positive leap second should be added to the end of a chosen date. Based on the occurrence of the positive leap second, a first conversion component is exposed to a first application. The first conversion component presents, over a period of two seconds of actual time, a last second of the chosen date as if it is one second of system time. Based on the occurrence of the positive leap second, and based on a second application opting in to leap seconds, a second conversion component is exposed to the second application. The second conversion component presents an extra 61st second of system time at the end of a last minute of the chosen date.

Abstract: Content management in a collaboration system. Ease-of-use of shared content is facilitated. A URL is presented in a user interface. The system determines (e.g., based on user preferences) whether to display the content corresponding to the URL in a browser at the user device, or whether to display the content corresponding to the URL using a non-browser application. If the user device is configured to display the content corresponding to the URL using a non-browser application, then when the user clicks or touches or hovers, or otherwise indicates a selection of a URL, the system displays the content using the non-browser application. In this situation, the system retrieves the content from the collaboration system, stores a local instance of the content in local storage of the user device, and opens the local instance using the non-browser application. Local instance edits are synchronized with the collaboration system using a synchronization protocol.

Abstract: Described herein is a system and method for latency-aware thread scheduled. For each processor core, an estimated cost to schedule a particular thread on the processor core is calculated. The estimated cost to schedule can be a period of time between the scheduling decision and the point in time where the scheduled thread begins to run. For each processor core, an estimated cost to execute the particular thread on the processor core is calculated. The estimated cost to execute can be a period of time spent actually running the particular thread on a particular processor core. A determination as to which processor core to utilize for execution of the particular thread based, at least in part, upon the calculated estimated costs to schedule the particular thread and/or the calculated estimated costs to execute the particular thread. The particular thread can be scheduled to execute on the determined processor core.