Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides recommender system for generating a recommendation of an item by combining a set of utility models adaptively to facilitate a decision-making process. The system includes a utility model database containing the set of utility models and a query module for receiving at least one query about the item from a querying entity. The system also includes a rule engine to specify a subset of utility models to be applied to the item and to specify a weight function of the specified utility models. Further included in the system is a set generator coupled to the utility model database, the query module, and the rule engine. The set generator computes a set of ratings by applying each of the utility model in the subset to the item and generates an overall rating for the item based on the weight function. The system further a communication module to return the overall rating.

Abstract: The disclosed technology is a computer application that establishes communication between a conversation-finder module and a computer application environment. The conversation-finder module determines a conversational floor based on three or more floor determination inputs. The conversational floor associates at least two of the three or more floor determination inputs as being on the conversational floor. The conversation-finder module and the computer application environment can be responsive to each other and can adapt to each other. That is (either or both), the computer application environment can adapt to the conversational floor(s) determined by the conversation-finder module; and the conversation-finder module can determine the conversational floors responsive to a floor determination input and/or control input from the computer application environment.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system, a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) that facilitates collaborative interaction with content by multiple users are described. In this system, users of a distributed group of dedicated electronic devices provide signals that indicate their current actions as they view the content. Using these signals, the system provides additional signals for display on the group of electronic devices. These additional signals provide an environment that includes the content and the current user actions, which allows the users to collaboratively interact with the content and with each other. Moreover, the multiple users may be dynamically aggregated based on their actions, which allows a social network to be established and dynamically maintained based on user activities and interests.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and a computer-usable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to enable a presentation device to automatically accommodate conversations in a social space. This system monitors a first playback position in a time dimension of an experiential data stream on a local device for at least one local audience member, and monitors one or more utterances received by the local device. Then, the system enables the presentation of the experiential data stream in response to the step of monitoring.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and a computer-usable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to present replacement/additional content in conjunction with an experiential data stream by maintaining a first playback position in the experiential data stream, detect proximity of the first playback position to an insertion coordinate associated with the replacement/additional content, and present content at the insertion coordinate from the replacement/additional instead of from the experiential data stream content.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system, a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) for collaboratively generating content from multiple users is described. This system may allow multiple users to create and maintain content that includes a complicated object, including linked spatial and text information, which can include dynamic spatial relationships between components in the complicated object. In particular, the system may receive one or more modifications to content associated with the complicated object from one or more users, and may provide signals to display the modified complicated object in a 3-d space or virtual environment on a display based at least in part on the cumulative modifications.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and computer-program products are disclosed for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model where some avatar controller piloting commands are automatically issued by a virtual world client to a virtual world server responsive to the focus of the avatar controller.

Abstract: Device, method, and computer program product for monitoring the social health of a persistent virtual environment. The disclosed technology monitors social interactions between subscribers of on-line entities who have interactions related to the persistent virtual environment.

Abstract: A physical token operates together with an online server to test whether a user operating a user computer to access a service available at the online server is human. The physical token has two states: inactive and active. When in the inactive state the physical token displays interaction instructions for performing a physical action on the token. When the interaction instructions are satisfied, the physical token transitions to the active state and displays a response that may be used for satisfying a challenge issued by the online server to the user seeking to access the service.

Abstract: Device, method, and computer program product that provides a user interface for monitoring the social health of a persistent virtual environment. The disclosed technology allows a user to monitor and diagnose the health of the persistent virtual environment based on the social interactions between subscribers of on-line entities who have interactions related to the persistent virtual environment.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating cognitive processing of simultaneous remote voice conversations is provided. A plurality of remote voice conversations participated in by distributed participants are provided over a shared communication channel. A main conversation between at least two of the distributed participants and one or more subconversations between at least two other of the distributed participants are identified from within the remote voice conversations. Segments of interest to one of the distributed participants are defined including a conversation excerpt having a lower attention activation threshold for the one distributed participant. Each of the subconversations is parsed into conversation excerpts. The conversation excerpts are compared to the segments of interest. One or more gaps between conversation flow in the main conversation are predicted.

Abstract: A system and method for presenting location-based communication in an online game relative to a player from a communication source is provided. A communication to a recipient from within a simulated three-dimensional environment of an online game is accepted. A source co-located with the recipient of the communication is determined. An apparent proximity and direction of the source relative to the recipient is evaluated. A recipient specific adjustor to the communication is applied. Presentation of the communication is modified by the apparent proximity and direction of the source to the recipient in the display based on the adjustor applied.

Abstract: A system and method for providing text of interest to a player from text messages in an online game is provided. A player profile for a player participating in an online game is maintained. Text messages from sources in the online game are received substantially simultaneously within a buffer for a limited text area of a display during an online game session. A main conversation in which the player is involved with one of the sources from the text messages is identified and removed from the buffer. The text messages in the buffer not identified as the main conversation are analyzed for text of interest to the player included in the player profile. The text of interest is provided in the limited text area in the display interspersed with the main conversation concurrent to receipt of each text message within which the text of interest was included.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates location-aware, mixed-reality gaming platform. During operation, the system determines a layout of a user's surrounding. The system further detects the user's location and/or nearby objects. Next, the system associates virtual content to the determined layout and associates a set of game rules with the virtual content. Subsequently, the system produces a visual and/or audio representation of a game based on the game rules and virtual content to the user, thereby allowing the user to play a game that corresponds to his surrounding and location.

Abstract: A system facilitates traversing digital records with dimensional attributes. The system stores a number of digital records. The system further associates a respective digital record with a number of attributes, wherein a respective attribute can be specified in a number of levels of abstraction. The system allows a user to control a presentation of the stored digital records based on their attributes. The user can set one or more criteria for the attributes of the digital records to be presented by: specifying the value of at least one fixed attribute of the digital records to be presented, changing at least one non-fixed attribute of the digital records to be presented, and/or specifying a level of abstraction for the fixed and/or non-fixed attribute of the digital records to be presented. The system then presents a set of digital records to the user based on the attribute criteria set by the user.

Abstract: A system facilitates automatically determining the hypothetical context information or the distribution of hypothetical contexts. During operation, the system receives a request from a user for one or more recommendations. The system also receives a current context substantially associated with the request. The system then determines a hypothetical context for the request, wherein the hypothetical context may be determined by considering several sources of information, including but not limited to the current context, past contexts, and relationships between the current context and past contexts. Next, the system determines one or more recommendations for the user based on the hypothetical context. Finally, the system returns the one or more recommendations to the user.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for recommending activities to a user. During operation, the system determines an activity-type distribution based on the user's personal profile and/or population prior information, thereby facilitating prediction of future activities for the user. The system further searches for and receives one or more activities based on the activity-type distribution. The system then scores each received activity and recommends a number of activities to be performed by the user in the future and a number of corresponding venues, based on the activity-type distribution and the weight distribution.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides recommender system for generating a recommendation of an item by combining a set of utility models adaptively to facilitate a decision-making process. The system includes a utility model database containing the set of utility models and a query module for receiving at least one query about the item from a querying entity. The system also includes a rule engine to specify a subset of utility models to be applied to the item and to specify a weight function of the specified utility models. Further included in the system is a set generator coupled to the utility model database, the query module, and the rule engine. The set generator computes a set of ratings by applying each of the utility model in the subset to the item and generates an overall rating for the item based on the weight function. The system further a communication module to return the overall rating.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for recommending leisure activities to a user. During operation, the system receives at least one query for leisure activities. The system then determines a collaborative filtering score of a candidate activity based on a collaborative filtering model, a soft query score for the candidate activity based on a soft query model, a content preference score for the candidate activity based on a content preference model and the user's past behavior, and a distance score for the candidate activity based on a distance model. Next, the system generates a composite score for the candidate activity by calculating a weighted average of the collaborative filtering score, the soft query score, the content preference score, and the distance score. The system further returns a recommendation list containing the activities with the highest composite scores.

Abstract: A method for providing emergent and flexible workflow management to a user. The user communicates with other users, using a message-based system having embedded information management resources. The message-based system has a viewer. A message is generated at the message-based system. The message has metadata. The metadata of the message is updated using the embedded information management resources. The metadata include at least one of the group of a deadline, a reminder, a deferral and an obligation. The message is sent to the other users. Some of the metadata of the message are displayed on the viewer of the message-based system. Some of the metadata of the message are tracked at the message-based system.