Understanding Celebrity is a thorough introduction to the process of creating and sustaining celebrity as a market commodity. Turner successfully separates his work from previous evaluations of celebrity by clarifying the differences between types of celebrity and thoroughly identifying distinct areas of production. In a split from the central paradigms surrounding the study of celebrity, that is, the “celebrity culture,” Turner instead offers a clear evaluation of the agents of production, with the intent to highlight their contribution to the construction and consumption of celebrity. The chapters are divided into three sections. In Part One “Introduction,” Turner looks at the field of celebrity study, describes the rise of celebrity, and provides a clear account of the function of celebrity in current society. Providing a substantial review of the work on the construction of celebrity and fame, he focuses on the social functions of celebrity and on the culture of the media industry itself. Critical of the so-called globalization of celebrity production, Turner argues that the power of a few dozen transnational corporations contribute greatly to the construction and subsequent consumption of the range of celebrity figures. And, although not overtly critical of the nature of such corporations, Turner segues into a careful and concise set of assertions concerning the control of the media image and the production of celebrity in Part Two. Part Two “Production” contains a summary of the celebrity as commodity and logically follows in Turner’s theory of the phenomenon. In this section, Turner provides a concise description of those involved in the celebrity industry, from agent to publicist. The description of the impact of public relations and news media is detailed and understandable, not an easy task given the multiple issues involved in creating and maintaining celebrity in today’s market. This text is strongest in Part Three “Consumption,” which identifies the ways celebrity is consumed and provides a clear exploration of how and why we are so fascinated with celebrities, particularly those with whom we identify with on a personal level, that is, those we feel we know through information about their personal lives. Turner argues that it is even more powerful when the consumer identifies with similar traits or circumstances in the celebrity’s life or person. In the example of Diana, Princess of Wales, Turner offers a view of the celebrity as authentically loved and mourned. Turner argues that Princess Diana was valued for her position, but also for her ability to be seen as real, vulnerable, and “one of us.” Turner successfully places the celebrity in the world of social meaning and influence in today’s often fragmented society. He explains that celebrity is, in part, about making parasocial, or imagined, connections with celebrity, but it is also about making personal connections based on perceived similarities. The connection to celebrity is not only between the consumer and the image, but across consumers as well; the celebrity forges a common bond across members of a social group who share common consumption. Finally, Understanding Celebrity offers a succinct evaluation of the historical changes within the media industry as they apply to celebrity, and Turner’s discussion of fame for fame’s sake is appropriate, given the popularity of current reality television, where “real people” are famous merely because they are on a television program. The downside of Understanding Celebrity is its less than enthusiastic discussion of celebrity in the first two sections, with rather dry examples of celebrity used to illuminate points about consumerism, the process of production, and the general market. The third section is the most valuable and stimu-

Understanding CelebrityUnderstanding Celebrity, by TurnerGraeme. London, UK; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004. 148 pp. $115.00 cloth. ISBN: 0-7619-4167-3. $36.95 paper. ISBN: 0-7619-4168-1.

A method is provided for modifying an image. The method comprises displaying an image, the image comprising a portion of an object; and determining if an edge of the object is in a location within the portion. The method further comprises detecting movement, in a member direction, of an operating member with respect to the edge. The method still further comprises moving, if the edge is not in the location, the object in an object direction corresponding to the detected movement; and modifying, if the edge is in the location, the image in response to the detected movement, the modified image comprising the edge in the location.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and program

A method for operating a voice trigger is provided. In some implementations, the method is performed at an electronic device including one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes receiving a sound input. The sound input may correspond to a spoken word or phrase, or a portion thereof. The method includes determining whether at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to a predetermined type of sound, such as a human voice. The method includes, upon a determination that at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to the predetermined type, determining whether the sound input includes predetermined content, such as a predetermined trigger word or phrase. The method also includes, upon a determination that the sound input includes the predetermined content, initiating a speech-based service, such as a voice-based digital assistant.

Voice trigger for a digital assistant

Systems and processes are disclosed for controlling television user interactions using a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can interact with a television set-top box to control content shown on a television. Speech input for the virtual assistant can be received from a device with a microphone. User intent can be determined from the speech input, and the virtual assistant can execute tasks according to the user's intent, including causing playback of media on the television. Virtual assistant interactions can be shown on the television in interfaces that expand or contract to occupy a minimal amount of space while conveying desired information. Multiple devices associated with multiple displays can be used to determine user intent from speech input as well as to convey information to users. In some examples, virtual assistant query suggestions can be provided to the user based on media content shown on a display.

Intelligent automated assistant for tv user interactions

In one embodiment, a method includes maintaining access to information comprising nodes and edges; receiving a request from a first user corresponding to a first user node for a structured document corresponding to a first concept node; determining a first data set that identifies concept nodes connected by edges with user nodes that are each connected by edges with both the first user node and the first concept node; determining a second data set that identifies concept nodes connected by edges with the first concept node and user nodes that are each connected to the first user node; generating a score for each concept node in the data sets; selecting one or more concept nodes based on their scores as recommended nodes; and transmitting to the client device the structured document and code executable by a client application to render node names or identifiers of the recommended nodes for display.

Dynamically generating recommendations based on social graph information

In particular embodiments, a method includes receiving an unstructured text query, identifying nodes and edges from a social graph that correspond to n-grams in the text query, and then generating structured queries that include references to the identified nodes and edges.

Structured search queries based on social-graph information

In particular embodiments, a method includes receiving an unstructured text query, parsing the text query to identify n-grams; determining a score that the n-grams correspond to particular nodes and edges from a social graph, identifying those nodes and edges with a score greater than a threshold score, and then generating structured queries that include references to the identified nodes and edges.

Detecting Social Graph Elements for Structured Search Queries

In particular embodiments, a method includes receiving an text query, identifying nodes and edges from a social graph that correspond to character strings from the text query, and then generating recommended queries that include references to the identified nodes and edges.

Personalized structured search queries for online social networks

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an unstructured text query from a first user of an online social network; and accessing, from a data store of the mobile client system, a set of nodes of a social graph of the online social network. The social graph includes a number of nodes and edges connecting the nodes. The nodes include a first node corresponding to the first user and a number of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network. The method also includes accessing, from the data store of the mobile client system, a set of grammar templates. Each grammar template includes one or more non-terminal tokens and one or more query tokens. The query tokens include references to zero or more second nodes and one or more edges and each grammar template is based on a natural-language string.

Client-Side Search Templates for Online Social Networks

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving from a client system of a first user an unstructured text query. The method includes parsing the text query to identify one or more n-grams. At least one of the n-grams is an ambiguous n-gram. The method includes searching a plurality of keyword generators to identify one or more keyword suggestions matching the ambiguous n-gram. The method further includes calculating a keyword score for each identified keyword suggestions and generating one or more suggested queries including one or more n-grams identified from the text query. The one or more identified keyword suggestions having a keyword score greater than a threshold keyword score. The method includes sending one or more of the suggested queries to the client system of the first user for display.

Maxime Boucher

Papers

Structured search queries based on social-graph information

Detecting Social Graph Elements for Structured Search Queries

Personalized structured search queries for online social networks

Client-Side Search Templates for Online Social Networks

Keyword Search Queries on Online Social Networks