Abstract: Disclosed is a system for servers to redirect client requests to other servers in order to distribute client traffic among the servers. A client is assigned to a server although the client may be unaware of that assignment. When the client accesses a server, a server possibly identified to the client by a name service, the server checks the client's assignment. If the client is not assigned to this server, then in some scenarios this server redirects the client to its assigned server. The client responds by sending its request to the assigned server. In other scenarios, the first server accessed by the client proxies the client's traffic to the assigned server. A database is kept of client-to-server assignments. If the present load distribution is less than ideal (e.g., clients are assigned to an unavailable server), then the assignment database is updated to reflect how the load should be distributed.

Abstract: An automated mechanism of automatically tagging media files such as podcasts, blog entries, and videos, for example, with meaningful taxonomy tags. The mechanism provides active (or automated) assistance in assigning appropriate tags to a particular piece of content (or media). Included is a system for automatic tagging of audio streams on the Internet, whether from audio files, or from the audio tracks of audio/video files, using the folksonomy of the Internet. The audio streams may be provided by the media author. For example, the author can make a recording to be posted on a website, and use the system to automatically suggest (via prompted author interaction) folksonomically appropriate tags for the media recording. Alternatively, the system can be used in an automated fashion to develop and assign without any intervention by the author.

Abstract: A mechanism for transferring files that leverages the user-friendly process of making a phone call. The phone call provides sufficient context to enable the sharing of data. Conversely, selected data that was previously shared can initiate an alternative means of communication (e.g., a phone call, email, etc.). The mechanism separates data into a separate application from voice, and allows users to continue using the familiar telephone while obtaining all of the benefits that multimodal applications (voice and data) provide. By making a phone call, data sharing capability is activated between the call parties. Moreover, sharing can continue after the call ends. The phone call serves as an introduction mechanism for the sharing services, which are available from then on, regardless of when the phone call finishes.

Abstract: An automated mechanism of automatically tagging media files such as podcasts, blog entries, and videos, for example, with meaningful taxonomy tags. The mechanism provides active (or automated) assistance in assigning appropriate tags to a particular piece of content (or media). Included is a system for automatic tagging of audio streams on the Internet, whether from audio files, or from the audio tracks of audio/video files, using the folksonomy of the Internet. The audio streams may be provided by the media author. For example, the author can make a recording to be posted on a website, and use the system to automatically suggest (via prompted author interaction) folksonomically appropriate tags for the media recording. Alternatively, the system can be used in an automated fashion to develop and assign without any intervention by the author.