Abstract: A method and system for managing shared inventory in a virtual universe. A received owner request from an owner of an inventory item designates the inventory item as a shared inventory item. The owner request specifies terms and conditions under which the inventory item may be shared for use by users other than the owner. In response to receiving the owner request, metadata comprising the terms and conditions is generated. It is ascertained that the terms and conditions in the received metadata permit use of the shared inventory item by a particular user from whom a user request to use the shared inventory item had been received and in response, the shared inventory item for use of the shared inventory item by the particular user is rendered. The particular user is not the owner.

Abstract: Methods and systems to establish and execute price offerings among the lenders and borrowers in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method comprises establishing a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method further includes executing the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, apparatus and computer program product of question generation in a cognitive system, comprising: receiving a training question; applying rules of grammar and common usage to generate variants of the training question; identifying any generalized versions of specific words, such as verbs or nouns in the training question; identifying any questions related to the training question; filtering out, utilizing a classifier, generated variants which do not make sense; and providing one or more output questions, synonymous to the training question.

Abstract: A system and method for energy conservation in a virtual universe, the method comprising: determining, at a server, available energy conservation options associated with an avatar of the virtual universe; determining, at the server, selected energy conservation options of the available energy conservation options; and applying, at the server, the selected energy conservation options to portions of the virtual universe associated with the avatar.

Abstract: Systems and methods for advertising, and, more particularly, systems and methods for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe. A method for managing ephemeral locations in a virtual universe (VU) includes causing a computer infrastructure to: render an ephemeral location upon a triggering in the VU; teleport a VU user avatar to the ephemeral location; permit the user avatar to interact in the ephemeral location; teleport the user avatar out of the ephemeral location; and un-render the ephemeral location.

Abstract: A method and system for improving network interaction is provided. The method includes monitoring biometric attributes of a user and determining a functionality status of a mobile hardware device of the user. A cognitive state of the user is determined based on the biometric attributes of the user and selections associated with transmitting the cognitive state of the user and the functionality status of the mobile hardware device to additional hardware devices of additional users are received via a graphical user interface. A user task interaction plan is enabled based on the cognitive state of the user and the functionality status of the mobile hardware device. The cognitive state of the user, the functionality status of the mobile hardware device, and the user task interaction plan are transmitted to the additional hardware devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods to establish and execute market-driven variable price offerings among the lenders and borrowers in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method comprises establishing and executing market-driven variable price offerings among lenders and borrowers. A bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage is formed based on the established and executed market-driven variable price offering.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product are disclosed for sharing a crowd sourced wireless network, wherein a first user uses a first device to access a wireless network, and the first device includes an application to grant automatically access to the wireless network to all of a defined group of people. In an embodiment, the method comprises restricting the automatic grant of access to the wireless network by, when one person of said group of people requests access to the network, a network control obtaining a determined strength of a defined relationship between the first user and that person, and granting the person access to the wireless network only if the determined strength of the defined relationship meets one or more set criteria. In an embodiment, the first device uploads a series of relationship scores to a server, and network control receives these scores from the server.

Abstract: Security system devices are configured to retrieve historic first sensor data acquired from a protected area in response to receiving a threat alarm notification from a peer security system that is related to an area monitored by the peer security system, wherein the protected area is different from and geographically separate from the area monitored by the peer security system. The system devise determines that a security threat is indicated for the protected area by assessing the retrieved selection of historic first sensor data as a function of a relation of the threat alarm notification from the peer security system to the protected area, wherein assessing the historic first sensor data without the function of the relation of the threat alarm notification from the peer security system to the protected area results in determining that the security threat is not indicated for the protected area.

Abstract: A system and method for disabling a function of a feature of a vehicle based on a validation request to a centralized validation authority, prior to a use of the feature includes determining that a condition is met as part of a startup sequence of the vehicle, transmitting the validation request to the centralized validation authority, in response to determining the condition is met, wherein the validation request is part of the startup sequence of the vehicle, receiving a validation decision from the centralized validation authority, and disabling the feature of the vehicle as a function of the receiving the validation decision.

Abstract: A method and system for improving usage of a security compliance framework is provided. The method includes authenticating a user for: access to the security compliance frame work, access to an authoritative source component of the compliance framework, and access to a data store component of the compliance framework. A functionality status of the security compliance framework and a request associated with contents of the data store are presented to a user via a dashboard interface. In response, the request is triggered and associated results are generated.

Abstract: A method and system for improving usage of a security compliance framework is provided. The method includes authenticating a user for: access to the security compliance frame work, access to an authoritative source component of the compliance framework, and access to a data store component of the compliance framework. A functionality status of the security compliance framework and a request associated with contents of the data store are presented to a user via a dashboard interface. In response, the request is triggered and associated results are generated.

Abstract: Approaches for providing security in a networked computing environment are provided. The method includes detecting, by at least one computer device, a breach of a first system in the networked computing environment. The method also includes identifying a second system in the in the networked computing environment as an at-risk system based on a proximity of the second system to the first system. The method additionally includes re-generating, by the at least one computer device, the second system as a new system at a new location in the networked computing environment. The method further includes converting, by the at least one computer device, the second system to a decoy system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fair-sharing in bandwidth sharing ad-hoc networks. A method includes maintaining a borrower account and lender account of a borrower and a lender of an ad hoc network. The method also includes adjusting at least one of the borrower account and the lender account based upon data transfer by the lender for the borrower.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and a system where a processor(s) continuously obtains, from devices in a group of devices within a defined geographic proximity to each other, processing requests. Each request is a result of a device in the group of devices receiving and interpreting a voice command issued within a geographic area comprising the group of devices. The processor(s) buffers, in a memory resource, a portion of the processing requests obtained within a defined time interval. The processor(s) determines there are duplicate processing requests in the portion. Based on determining there are duplicates, the processor(s) rejects the duplicates. The processor(s) selects a specific device to execute each processing request from the devices where the request and the duplicates of that request originated. The processor(s) utilize the specific device to execute the processing request.

Abstract: Cognitive assistants which use feedback to highlight relevant points of interest to a user so that recommendations can be provided to the user based upon learned knowledge of the users preferences, tastes and customs are provided. For this purpose a computer-implemented method includes capturing user data of a user from a plurality of sensors, determining a cognitive state of the user from the captured data, correlating the user data to the cognitive state of the user, and making recommendations to the user based on the correlation of the user data and the determined cognitive state of the user.

Abstract: A system and method including filtering electronic data on a transaction per transaction basis and replicating the filtered electronic data in response to a request to obtain electronic data on the transaction per transaction basis. The system and method further include providing the filtered replicated electronic data for viewing.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically controlling a vehicle is provided. The method includes generating an original route of travel for a first vehicle for travel from an original location to a destination location. The vehicle is directed from the original location to the destination location such that the vehicle initiates motion and navigates the original route of travel towards the destination location in accordance with the original route of travel. Monitored vehicular attributes of the first vehicle are received and environmental attributes associated with the original route of travel are monitored with respect the first vehicle. Navigational issues associated with the vehicle traveling along the original route of travel are determined based on the monitored vehicular attributes and results of monitoring the environmental attributes. The navigational issues are used to determine if the vehicle should continue to travel along the original route of travel.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for item inquiry and information presentation via standard communication paths. More particularly, the method and system detects an item associated with an avatar of a virtual universe (VU) user in a VU and determine information associated with the item. Additionally, the method and system are operable to display the information in the VU in a high-resolution component of the VU.

Abstract: A method, computer system, and a computer program product for selectively blacklisting audio commands is provided. The present invention may include observing an audible command received by an IoT (Internet of Things) enabled device, wherein the observed audible command appears in a blacklist database. The present invention may also include blacklisting the observed audible command.