Thing 10: Mashups Are...

I like mashups.  It's neat to see how different applications can talk to each other and combine forces to make something fun or useful.  I really liked this spelling one - it would be a fun way to create interesting titles or headings for posts or on e-invitations.  I was also kind of hypnotized by the Color Fields tool and spent a lot of time just looking at the images that showed up as I scrolled through different colors.

I think that one of my favorite websites is a mashup.  I use MapMyRun as a training tool to log my exercise and runs.  It allows me to map the routes around my neighborhood that I run regularly (or even just once) and not only does it give me a precise distance, it calculates my average rate of speed and calories burned if I enter how long it took me.  The mapping tool is really easy to use - it relies on MapQuest.  It's also able to import data from the Nike+ site that I use when I'm wearing my shoe sensor.  There's a calendar on which I can enter my runs as well as trips to the gym or days I play tennis.  It seems like this multi-functionality makes it a mashup. And a darn good one at that.

Those are my thoughts on mashups, but I'm not quite done with this post.  The English teacher in me can't ignore something - the guy from zdnet in the video misspelled the word Internet when he wrote it on the board!  (He forgot the second e.)  I recognize it was probably an oversight rather than an actual ignorance of the word's spelling, but I think that's kind of ridiculous.  Jeez.