Abstract: A rating submitted by a user may be compared to ratings submitted by other users in a user community. The users within the user community may be identified using respective descriptive tags. A subset of users within the community may be defined using the descriptive tags. A tag-specific comparison may be made between the rating submitted by the user and a particular subset of the user community. The user may add, edit, and/or remove descriptive tags responsive to the comparisons. Cohesive groups may be identified within the user community. Ratings submitted by members of a cohesive group may be used to suggest content to other members of the group.

Abstract: A user-contributor may submit a plurality of related content items and associated metadata to a website corpus. One of the items may be designated as the primary version, and the rest may be designated as secondary versions. The metadata may be associated with the primary version in the website corpus, and, as such, may act as a representative for the secondary versions. An interface may display the primary version in connection with indications of the secondary versions. Ratings of the primary version may be used to determine an overall user rating of the submitter, whereas ratings of the secondary versions may not. Similarly, only the primary version may count against a submission limit of the user and/or be eligible for selection as representative content of the submitter.

Abstract: A design application uses metadata-based techniques (e.g., runtime reflection) to examine class metadata of design objects. A key object is provided by a programmer of a graphical design application to generically animate properties of design objects in one or more animation frames. Using runtime reflection or other metadata techniques, the key object finds properties of each design object and updates specified property values for animated display in one or more animation frames. A key set object is provided to group multiple key objects into a sequence of key frames along a timeline. In this manner, a programmer can provide a small amount of support program code (e.g., a key class and a key set class) that can be associated with selected design objects at runtime of the design application in order to allow an animation designer to decide which design objects and which properties to animate.

Abstract: A prototyping tool is provided to an artistic team, which can use the tool to experiment with, demonstrate, and communicate aspects of the user interface interaction with various user interface elements. These user interface elements can be defined within a layered graphics representation of the user interface artwork, rather than individual flattened graphics files. By setting properties on individual user interface elements through the prototyping tool, the artistic team can review how the elements will appear and behave during typical interaction with a user. Furthermore, a description of the interaction properties and relationships of these user interface elements, as defined by the artistic team, is captured for communication to a programming team. The programming team can then load the layered graphical representation and the interaction description to implement the user interface interactivity developed and proposed by the artistic team.

Abstract: A person is viewing a display. By evaluating tracked information about the person, the display and/or the content being viewed, a tracking system determines that an opportunity exists to present an advertisement that is relevant to the person in the context of the person currently viewing the display. The tracking system provides advertiser data for the advertisement and instructions for generating the advertisement to a synthesis system local to the viewer and the viewer's display system, which dynamically synthesizes the advertisement and provides it to the display.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for preserving a user experience by maintaining a network component. The method includes continuously monitoring the network component for an abnormality. Upon detecting an abnormality, the method includes querying the network for resources. The method additionally includes implementing alternative network resources to compensate for the abnormality in order to preserve a user experience. The system may include a self monitoring component for monitoring operation of the network component and detecting an abnormality. The system additionally includes a resource location and negotiation module for querying a network to locate and negotiate for resources for compensating for the abnormality upon detection of the abnormality. The system may also include a reporting module for providing a user with an abnormality report.

Abstract: A networked computing environment in which a computing device is configured according to configuration information associated with a detected communication network is presented. As a computer detects a change in the network to which it is connected, the computer obtains configuration information associated with the newly detected network. According to the configuration information, the computer is configured such that some computer functions are presented and/or made available and accessible, while other computer functions are hidden and/or made unavailable and inaccessible.