Mashup Madness

I've been playing with mashups. No, I haven't gone mad with the potoato masher - a mashup is a web application that uses content (think images, video, music, etc) from more than one source to create a more interesting display/ outcome.

I've been tinkering with Google maps. I must admit that this took me a while to feel comfortable with, but when I finally got the hang of it I had a lot of fun playing around with it. The instructional video made it look very easy and gave me lots of hope that I would be able to create my own map, which I did and I'm quite happy with it.

The mashup concept is something I was familar with from watching The Gruen Transfer on TV. The show ran a competition where viewers could go to the website and use the tools provided to create their own ad. The results were always interesting and very entertaining and
no.2 mupp-ette and I were very keen to create our own ad, but we just didn't get around to it. So this little exercise might just be the impetus I need to play with more mashups applications.

Hopefully in my next posting I will include my map mashup because at the moment I can't for the life of me remember how to do this. BRAIN FADE or as my sister used to say "LOST IN SPACE". How rude! Anyway, the image I've chosen to include with this posting was taken earlier this year at Burleigh Heads, Queensland. I took the photo while the mupp-ettes very grudgingly accompanied me on a walk around the Burleigh Heads National Park (which incidentally is the map I've been working on).

Video killed the.........?

This time I've been exploring videos online. It's been FUN! I've been looking at YouTube, Google video, Dailymotion and Vimeo. I've discovered lots of wonderful videos and great ways for libraries and organisations to utilise online videos as ways to promote themselves or their services.

The mupp-ettes are always telling me about videos they've either seen or their friends have seen on YouTube, so I was very aware of it as a video sharing site. I wasn't aware of how easy it is to upload and share your own video clips. This isn't something that I've personally attempted yet, but the instructions on how to actually do it look very easy. Maybe one day, but until then I've found a great video clip to share. Wait for it.....it's the Muppets singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". There was a comment posted that thought that this clip was "blasphemy", but I think Freddie Mercury would approve. So I'm going to share it with you and trust you'll enjoy it!

Web Browsers wanderings and wonderings

I have a confession to make....

Before this little excursion into the world of web browsers I had primarily used Internet Explorer. I was aware of other browsers of course, but hadn't really felt any great need to use any of them. Well, the times they a-changing!

I've looked at Opera, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and this muppet is impressed with what they saw. My own preference is probably for Firefox. True, it did take a little getting used to (as I said old muppet, new tricks) but I quite like it. It has different features and a lot of similar features packaged in a different way to trusty old Internet Explorer. As I used to say to the mupp-ettes, "How do you know that you don't like it if you haven't even tried it". Great words of wisdom, hey?

Anyway the upshot is that I find myself using Firefox more and more, not that I'm giving Explorer the old heave-ho. There is an option to "Fashion Your Firefox" which recommends add-ons that you might find useful. I particularly liked the Executive assistant features and Cooliris, which allows you see images as a "wall". You can also decorate your browser to suit your personality. Hmm green and furry - that would be a nice look. Maybe I should suggest it to Mozilla.

Google Mania!!

I've been exploring the wonderful world of Google. It is so much more than just a search engine, which is what I've been primarily using it as. First I started by looking at the Google Translate feature. I can now say (not with the correct inflection or accent) "I'm thirsty" in different languages. This could come in very handy some day. The translator did have a problem with translating "Gidday mate" but all things considered that's not a major problem. I could even translate whole webpages into different languages. I'm just so impressed with this technology. I can see this feature being invaluable in libraries which has a diverse client base of many different backgrounds.

Next I went looking at Google books. I was able to search for a couple of books that I've been looking for at different book shops. I know that one is out of print and I didn't have any luck in locating it, but I found the other one and could even go off and try to purchase it if I wanted. Maybe after Christmas...

i-Google looks absolutely amazing. It allows you to personalise your Google home page. I'm going to add different gadgets to show me the time, film news, local weather maybe even horoscopes and crosswords. The mupp-ettes will never get me off the computer now! Won't that make them happy? I can't wait to have proper play with this feature.

I watched a video showing me how to create my own personalised Google map. The video made it look easy, so I definitely want to do this. It showed me how to add markers, draw in a route and add pictures and videos. I'm just trying to work out a interesting map I could work on. If I'm successful I would like to add it to my blog, just to show that I did it.

With all these little adventures to get started on, the mupp-ettes better watch out, they may rarely get a turn at playing on the computer!

Pod people

I'm feeling very old at the moment. Teenage mupp-ette problems - need I say more? I was supposed to be learning about mash-ups. I love the idea of mash-ups and can't wait to actually have a proper play with one.

I don't know if I'm an old muppet or just an old muppet who can't learn new tricks at the moment, but after a number of battles with forementioned teenage mupp-ette I seemed to be having lots of problems with the map mash-up I was working on, so I've decided on taking a step back from it right now and I'll have another attempt at playing with it when I'm feeling a little stronger (both emotionally and mentally).

So this posting is about podcasts. I'd heard about them of course. The radio station that I prefer to listen to has podcasts available to download, but I've never ventured that far down the technological road.

I enjoyed exploring a number of podcasts, although I have to admit that I only listened to ones that I could "stream" (these don't require downloading and with the broadband plan we have and 2 data-hungry mupp-ettes to contend with) so as not to go over our plan's limit. The sound quality was FANTASTIC. I listened to a podcast at the British Library's site, a part of their Talking Liberties Exhibition. It was like being in the same room as the curator (except without pictures of course).

After this I found a podcast by a British radio station where 2 announcers and a caller to the program were randomly talking about Dr Who episodes. Again the sound was great and if I was a follower of the radio program I would have really enjoyed reliving the show. But as someone who had stumbled upon it out of the blue, it was all a bit random.

All of this has made me seriously think about downloading a podcatcher so that I can happily download podcasts instead of relying on streaming being available. If I do, the mupp-ettes had better watch out as their time on the internet will be severely limited!

Sorry.....for that break in transmission

I'm back. I've been very slack. I know it. I admit it and most importantly I will try to be better at blogging at more regular intervals.

The image on the left is of Sydney during a strong dust storm. It was taken during the day. The light is really eerie and other-worldly. I think it's a reminder, "Don't mess with Mother Nature!"

Well I'm back and learning about more wonderful technologies that are available to us. I've been playing with Google docs. I love the idea of being able to access and edit a document from any computer and not just being tied down to your personal computer or laptop or notebook computer or a network computer. I was even able to share the document with whoever I wanted, so that they could view the document and/or edit it.

As part of the exercise I had to draft a document which sounds so easy, but when I had no guidelines I just let my mind wander (and I'm not sure that it's big enough to be allowed out to wander on its own!). I rambled on about my personal epiphanies about ears and belly button fluff (or navel lint if you prefer). I'm not sure what the person I shared it with will make of it. Oh well...

Until next time, which won't be very long I promise.

Well I've been having more fun trying out new technology. I've been investigating tagging and folksonomies - basically that means being able to creating content and commenting on this content and other people's content. Quite a social way to be really. I've been playing with LibraryThing (which I love and intend to spend a lot more time on). You'll no doubt notice that I've put the LibraryThing widget on this blog so anyone can see a small selection of the books that I've read recently.





Another new addition to my rantings is the del.icio.us link. This allows me to save all my website favourites or bookmarks in one place - it's not stuck on a particular computer. How cool is that? There are still more of my favourite bookmarks that I need to save. I've got my fingers crossed that I can get to this shortly.





I've been a busy muppet and have had a look at Technorati too. It is the leading search tool and authority on blogs. It tracks blogs and you can see what is popular in the world of blogging and can also make sure your blog is being tracked. So much technology, so little time.Things to rant about....well I'm feeling a little mellow at the moment (probably because the mupp-ettes are on holidays and visiting the grandparents - they'll be back soon though). Stay tuned more more ranting next time.