I have been really fascinated with what has been happening with these Mashup applications we have been seeing a lot of lately. By Wikipedia definition, a mashup is a “website or web application that seamlessly combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience.”

There’s this really cool Mashup out there that is derived from Google. The site is called Gmaps Pedometer. Basically, this is a really useful site for runners, cyclists, walkers or others who are interested in the distances and elevations of the routes they travel. The application will allow you to double click on points on multiple points to create an exact map of the route desired. The application automatically calculates the exact distances and will even allow you to toggle to a “hybrid” map to show satellite and elevation.

Once you create a map, you can easily bookmark the page and email to anyone you wish, allowing them to interact with the map in any way they desire. I created a map of my most common cycling route at White Rock Lake. The route starts at my driveway and travels around the lake, meanders through residential streets and then ends up at my house again. According to Gmaps Pedometer, this route is 10.37530083827207 miles. I am not about to double check with my micro-ruler, so I will take their word for it.

There are some other really cool Mashups out there that are really intriguing. Here’s just a few:

• simplybill
• rollyo
• simplyhired
• zillow
• writely
• wayfaring
• plazes

Really excited about doing some mashups of our own at RD2. We have some specific executions of these around our business process that we are experimenting with. Ironically, this AJAX thing that is getting so much press is a combination of technologies that we have been using for years. So, coding accordingly is a relatively natural transition. If we must call it AJAX now, then, I guess we can call it that too.