What is a Mashup, Anyway?

This past Thursday evening, I was giving a presentation on how technology/the web has advanced since the “PC era” and how we got to this age of Twitter, Facebook, Cloud Computing and awesome mobile applications.

During this presentation, a member of the group asked me to explain what a mashup was (because it was on my slide) and thankfully I had a URL (padmapper.com)  coupled with a funny story (the developer and I became email pen pals when I asked him to add a new city to the app so my friend could find an apartment) on hand — but it made me realize that to a majority of the population, it’s pretty confusing.

A Mashup combines multiple sources of information and displays it in a single web page or application. The easiest (and sometimes most useful!) example mashes together GoogleMaps and something else.

Plan a wine tour (saves a lot of Googling) with Wines and Times. Find where you live (or where you want to go) and see what’s around so you can start sniffing, swirling, and tasting some vino.

Track your package as it’s moves across the map. BoxOh: Type in your tracking number and watch your package travel from it’s origin to it’s destination (you!). Mashes together FedEx/UPS/USPS data and GoogleMaps.

Find Free Internet in your city with HotSpotr: Mashes together a list of free WiFi hotspots and displays over GoogleMaps.

Take pictures instead of listening to bad hold music.

[It's about that time when you may be on hold... trying to return that holiday gift, or even trying to figure out how it works. So, kids, this one's for you. ]

There’s nothing worse than being on hold.

Maybe you’re on your iphone/droid/blackberry (stranded without a headset) so you’re holding the thing to your hear for an hour, listening to some terrible music on repeat <— I’m THAT girl.

Maybe you’re at home on an old-school phone with a cord and can’t move from your current position (how did anyone ever do anything!?)

Or maybe you’re at work, trying to take care of some business while on your lunch break, and you’re still on hold and 1:00 is approaching rapidly.

Regardless of whatever situation you find yourself in, telephone “menus” are a true non-value added experience. Sometimes you hit the wrong button or find yourself in the wrong place.

Usually, if you want to get connected to a “human,” you hit 0… but this is not always the case, so I’ve used GetHuman for those key commands that will route you to a real life person (shocking I know, how did you ever live without it!!) For example, if you’re calling GE Money bank (shoutout) .. according to Get Human you would, “Press 1, then don’t press or say anything.”

Another example is PhoneTreeShortcuts.com, where you can find out the shortcuts for various phone menus. But something’s missing with these options…

When I first heard about fonolo, I misspelled it about three different times in Google, but I’m glad that I did. The site transcribes phone menus from many large companies, so you can scan them quickly.

Fonolo uses visual navigation to allow for the most user-friendly experience. You choose where you need to go, and fonolo will automatically dial the number, navigate their menu and then CALL YOUR PHONE. When you answer, you will be connected to your final destination. not bad.

According to Cnet, fonolo also allows you to record these calls (potentially for sending to the Better Business Bureau or other such organizations).

An added bonus– say you’ve been in a major argument with your credit card company (a good example in this economy) for secretly raising the interest rate on your card. This app lets you take notes and organize what happened when, and on what call. So, when that mean lady on the other line asks you for information (and secretly doesn’t think you know it). You’ll be there. ready.

Go show ‘em who’s boss, guys (and girls).

“Let’s start a podcast.”

A simple statement from my friend Eric that launched something very web 2.0-y that keeps both of us occupied (& out of trouble!).

So what is Millennious?

It’s a new podcast from two millennials who love technology, life, and like to discuss how tech pervades every inch of our existence.

So taking a few hints from our favorite podcasters at This Week in Tech (TWIT), we decided to give it a shot.

You can listen to our podcast:

1. Via our Website at Millennio.us

2. On iTunes (this link will automatically launch iTunes on your computer and begin the download)

And we’d love to hear your feedback- so feel free to comment on our blog, e-mail us, or dial into our voicemail service at 646-495-9244 x 73505 (this will leave us a mp3 of what you have to say, so there’s a chance we can incorporate you into our program!)

While browsing new posts from my favorite preppy fashionista, I realized that it’s about time to tackle the “Web 2.0 chain letter” that seems to be invading collaborative outlets everywhere.

Chain letters have evolved over time… first with cheesy letters, then emails, and now in social media, where one can attach multimedia to answer questions or provide additional information.

Sure, it started with the Facebook – 25 random things about me, that we were all tagged in, and I’ve come across another one- “Show Your Heart.”

The directions state to show your heart…

Show your heart in one picture:

There's just something about these two trees that gets to me.

...one item of clothing:

Anything Jackie O had in her closet(s)

...one Disney Princess

Sleeping Beauty. No contest here. Maybe I'm just waiting to wake up too? (corny, had to say it, c'mon).

...one place (it’s a tie for me)

#1. Villa San Michele, Fiesole, Florence, Tuscany.

#2. Belhurst Castle, Geneva, NY (this one is more feasible)

...one poem:

for the sake of irony, my poem is about poems…

As a tool of cognition, poetry beats any existing form of analysis (a) because it pares down our reality to its linguistic essentials, whose interplay, be it clash or fusion, yields epiphany or revelation, and (b) because it exploits the rhythmic and euphonic properties of the language that in themselves are revelatory.  — Joseph Brodsky

…one quote:

Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. -Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupéry)

And I can’t forget the final piece… to tag a few bloggers to follow up… so I know George will take this one on…

Please Visit Me - A New Site to Suggest What You (really) Want.

One thing that I like about the Internet is it brings “hinting” at something to the next level.

Know what you want for christmas? Easy- just make a wishlist and casually send it over to someone.

Online retailers have become increasingly better at helping people to get what they want.

You can write about it on your blog, twitter about it, update your gchat/facebook status – it’s making it a little easier for people to know what you really want – without even having to ask you.

Similarly, sites like Please Visit Me, circumvent all methods of what one would consider proper social etiquette and allow you to enter in both your information and your friend’s information – and your nearest airports – and an e-mail is automatically generated that finds an inexpensive flight (and sends a really friendly email).It even gives you the option to search for hotels, too.

I’m just upset they haven’t partnered with Kayak or SideStep for searching for flights- so much better!

The e-mail said:

Dear (I’m not a player) I just crush a lot,

alana marie has invited you to come visit.
We’ve checked prices between Albany, NY – Albany (ALB) and New York, NY – John F Kennedy (JFK) where your friend thinks you would fly from and found prices as low as $117.

hint hint.