Abstract: A device for mounting a light bulb and bulb base to a ground stake having a mounting ring for attaching a bulb and a bulb base to the ground stake. A sealing ring is disposed in the mounting ring having the bulb received in an upper end of the sealing ring and the bulb base secured to the lower end of the sealing ring whereby the sealing ring restricts moisture from flowing around the bulb and into the bulb base when the bulb is screwed into the sealing ring.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a payment application personalized for a merchant physical location include receiving a first customer location from a first customer device that is running a payment application. A first merchant physical location is then determined to be associated with the first customer location and, in response, first merchant physical location personalization information is retrieved. The first merchant physical location personalization information is then provided for display as a user interface on at least one personalized merchant physical location screen that is provided on the first customer device using the payment application. The at least one personalized merchant physical location screen is configured to send an instruction to the payment application provider device to make a payment from a first customer account associated with the first customer to a first merchant account associated with the first merchant physical location.

Abstract: Remotable porting layer is described. In an embodiment, a porting layer remotes an embedded application to a computing system platform that is different than a computing system platform for which the embedded application was developed. The porting layer includes a communications protocol that receives data communications from the embedded application via IP-addressable ports of a socket-based interface. The porting layer can transfer the data communications to any of a graphic component, an event component, or a state information component of the computing system platform which processes the data communications according to the computing system platform and hardware configuration.

Abstract: Dynamic digital recording is described. A client device is configured to include digital recording capabilities. The digital recording capabilities are automatically enabled when recording media is connected to the client device, and the digital recording capabilities are automatically disabled when the recording media is not connected to the client device.

Abstract: Diagnostic methods and systems are described in which a client or consumer electronic device can be remotely controlled and operated for purposes which include performing diagnostics and/or implementing remedial measures designed to remedy identified problems associated with the consumer electronic device.

Abstract: a method is described which may be used to compress EPG data. EPG data may include a plurality of television programs. Each television program may have one or more values that respectively describe one or more television program characteristics. In one implementation, the EPG data is compressed by comparing the one or more values of each said television program with unique combinations of values to find a match. Each value in each unique combination describes a television program characteristic. Each of said unique combinations is in a table that includes a plurality of identifiers, and wherein each said identifier references one said unique combinations. For each said match, one or more values of the television program are replaced with an identifier in the table that references the matching unique combination of values.