Presenting images from slow image-event stream

1. A method of dynamically presenting temporally ordered image events, comprising:

using a processor to receive at irregular intervals a plurality of temporally ordered image events;

storing the received image events in an ordered list corresponding to the order in which the image events were received;

accessing, according to a pre-determined rule, stored image events from the ordered list;

when the image events are received at a rate less than a presentation rate, sequentially presenting the accessed image events for a presentation period corresponding to the presentation rate, and

interrupting the sequential presentation of the stored image events when a new image event is received and presenting the received new image event for the presentation period and resuming the sequential presentation of the accessed image events; and

when the image events are received at a rate greater than the presentation rate, sequentially presenting the accessed image events a first time in the order in which the accessed image events are received at a time later than the time at which the accessed image events were received when the average image rate is greater than the presentation rate.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further including presenting previously-presented image events in the reverse order in which they are received.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further including presenting previously-presented image events beginning with the image event prior to the most recent first-time image event presented.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further including providing a flash-back time interval and presenting previously-presented image events in the order in which the previously presented image events are received beginning with the image event that is a flash-back time interval prior to the most recent first-time image event presented.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the flash-back time interval is the length of time since the first image event was received or the average time between image events.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the flash-back time interval is less than the length of time since the first image event was received.

7. The method according to claim 4 , further including continuing the flash-back presentation until the image event prior to the most recent first-time image event is presented.

8. The method according to claim 4 , further including interrupting the flash-back presentation with the presentation of a first-time image event.

9. The method according to claim 4 , further including completing the flash-back presentation and commencing another flash-back presentation beginning with the image event that is a multiple of flash-back time intervals prior to the most recent first-time image event presented.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further including receiving an image event from each of a plurality of users.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein image events are presented to each user at a different time.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the image events include one or more images and the images are displayed.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the image events are the posting of a new image event, the receipt of a comment on a prior image event, or the receipt of an approval of a prior image event.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further including removing an image event from the ordered list.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further including consolidating a plurality of image events into a single image event.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further including presenting consolidated information for the single image event.

17. The method according to claim 1 , further including evaluating an image event for interest and removing or consolidating image events with lesser interest from the ordered list.

18. The method according to claim 1 , further including modifying the presentation rate for different types of image events.

19. A non-transitory program storage device readable by one or more processors and comprising instructions stored thereon to cause the one or more processors to:

receive at irregular intervals a plurality of temporally ordered image events;

store the received image events in an ordered list corresponding to the order in which the image events were received;

access, according to a pre-determined rule, stored image events from the ordered list;

sequentially present, when the image events are received at a rate less than a presentation rate, the accessed image events for a presentation period corresponding to the presentation rate, interrupting the sequential presentation of the stored image events when a new image event is received and presenting the received new image event for the presentation period and resuming the sequential presentation of the accessed image events; and

sequentially present, when the image events are received at a rate greater than the presentation rate, the accessed image events a first time in the order in which the accessed image events are received at a time later than the time at which the accessed image events were received when the average image rate is greater than the presentation rate.

20. A device, comprising:

a processor;

a storage memory for storing a plurality of image events; and

a program memory operatively coupled to the processor and the storage memory,

the program memory storing instructions configured to cause the processor to: receive temporally ordered image events at irregular intervals;

store the received image events in the storage memory in an ordered list corresponding to the order in which the image events were received;

access, according to a pre-determined rule, stored image events from the ordered list;

sequentially present, when the image events are received at a rate less than a presentation rate, the accessed image events for a presentation period corresponding to the presentation rate, interrupting the sequential presentation of the stored image events when a new image event is received and presenting the received new image event for the presentation period and resuming the sequential presentation of the accessed image events; and

sequentially present, when the image events are received at a rate greater than the presentation rate, the accessed image events a first time in the order in which the accessed image events are received at a time later than the time at which the accessed image events were received when the average image rate is greater than the presentation rate.