Abstract: A media receiving device receives media programmes with associated interactive services, a selected one of which can be triggered by a user pressing a selected one of a plurality of interactive buttons. The media receiving device is provided with a remote control having fewer than said plurality of interactive buttons, and preferably only one such interactive button. The media receiving device maps the interactive button pressed on the remote control to a selected virtual button, based for example on contextual information available to the device.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods that allow a member of an online community to assign personal rankings to other members of the online community to prioritize and personalize content generated by the other members of the online community to the member of the online community.

Abstract: Systems and methods allow consumers of advertisements to vote on advertisements in order to receive an offer, discount, etc. from the advertisers. After advertisers are selected, consumers vote on offers that advertisers have extended to the consumer if they vote for the advertisement and/or if their advertisement is selected as a winner. After a period of time, or any other trigger, one or more winning advertisements may be selected and the winning advertisers must honor their offers/prizes to a selected subset of consumers. The selected subset may be all consumers, all consumers who voted for the winning advertisement, all consumers having defined demographic or behavioral information, etc.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods that allow users to self-organize and build self-governed online communities around any topic or genre of interest, such as sports, news, politics, science, and/or broader or more specific topics. The online communities may be groups of like-minded individuals who can govern themselves by democratically selecting leaders and rules. The selection process for leaders and/or rule may be automatic using algorithms, based on voting, or a combination of both.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture into a clothes drying environment includes a sponge-like core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein, a generally oblong-shaped cover substantially surrounding the core and retaining the core in a compressed condition, and a moistening substance retained within the core. The cover includes a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, a plurality of protuberances spaced generally evenly from one another, each protuberance having a generally conical shape, and one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening disposed at a distal end of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, and each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover. Furthermore, each of the dispensing openings is not positioned generally opposite the fill opening.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture to a clothes drying environment includes a core and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The core is comprised of a sponge-like material for retaining a moistening substance within the core, and the cover has at least one opening extending through to the core for permitting the release of moisture to the clothes drying environment.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture into a clothes drying environment includes a sponge-like core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein, a generally oblong-shaped cover substantially surrounding the core and retaining the core in a compressed condition, and a moistening substance retained within the core. The cover includes a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, a plurality of protuberances spaced generally evenly from one another, each protuberance having a generally conical shape, and one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening disposed at a distal end of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, and each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover. Furthermore, each of the dispensing openings is not positioned generally opposite the fill opening.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture into a clothes drying environment includes a core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The cover includes a plurality of protuberances, each protuberance including a flattened tip at a distal end thereof, a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, and one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening being disposed at the flattened tip of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture to a clothes drying environment includes a core and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The core is comprised of a sponge-like material for retaining a moistening substance within the core, and the cover has at least one opening extending through to the core for permitting the release of moisture to the clothes drying environment.

Abstract: A method of automatically reducing power consumption in a load control system having a central controller and a plurality of load control devices controlling the amount of power delivered to a plurality of electrical loads, the method comprising the steps of configuring a load shedding tier defining a load shed parameter for each of the electrical loads; the controller determining the total amount of power presently being consumed by all of the plurality of electrical loads; the controller comparing the total amount of power to a threshold amount of power; the controller automatically transmitting a digital message to the plurality of load control devices if the total amount of power exceeds a threshold amount of power; and the load control devices controlling the amount of power delivered to the electrical loads in accordance with the load shed parameters of the load shedding tier in response to the digital message transmitted by the controller.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for deodorizing articles in a clothes drying environment includes a core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein; a cover substantially surrounding the core, the cover including a plurality of protuberances, each protuberance including a flattened tip at a distal end thereof, a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening being disposed proximate the flattened tip of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, and each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover; and a deodorizing substance retained within said core.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture to a clothes drying environment includes a core and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The core is comprised of a sponge-like material for retaining a moistening substance within the core, and the cover has at least one opening extending through to the core for permitting the release of moisture to the clothes drying environment.

Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention is a Zymomonas integrant and derivatives of these integrants that posses the ability to ferment pentose into ethanol. The genetic sequences encoding for the pentose-fermenting enzymes are integrated into the Zymomonas in a two-integration event of homologous recombination and transposition. Each operon includes more than one pentose-reducing enzyme encoding sequence. The integrant in some embodiments includes enzyme sequences encoding xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transketolase and transketolase. The Zymomonas integrants are highly stable, and retain activity for producing the pentose-fermenting enzyme for between 80 to 160 generations. The integrants are also resistant to acetate inhibition, as the integrants demonstrate efficient ethanol production even in the presence of 8 up to 16 grams acetate per liter media.