Using Technology and Mash Ups to Fill Your Belly Basking Ridge, New Jersey

So where is the best burger in America you say? Well that all depends on where you are. It doesn't matter to know that there's this great burger joint in

Texas if you're living in New Jersey. See what I mean? And what do burgers have to do with cutting edge technology anyway you say? The answer is mash ups. If you haven't experienced mash-up technology yet, don't worry, you will soon.

What does Technology have to do with Hamburgers?

Most people agree that the power in the internet lies in the ability to pass along information. "The internet is a door that opens the mind to an unimaginable amount of information", explains Brooks Betz, Director of Professional Services at T3 Consortium in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. "Kids today know it. Before doing just about anything from homework to buying a new video game, they're going to the internet first." But the question has always been, how do I find what I want and where I can get it? First the search engine, then GPS and put the two together and voila, you've got a mash up.

Directions, Reviews, Opinions, Prices, Hours and more...

Searching for an answer on the web has certainly become a challenge. It's a battle to find what you type in to the browser, but it also has to try to figure out what you really mean (and if you spelled it correctly to begin with). Technology starts by telling you the basics - what you want to know. Then all of the other questions begin to follow. How do I get there? What's the fastest way to get there? When are they open? Can I get a burger there? How good is the burger? You get the idea. Today's technology allows you to answer all of these questions all in one place. That's where the concept of mash-ups came to being.

For a larger view of this map - Click Here

Where to Next...The Next Level

Brooks feels that there will be a next level and the software architects are working hard to figure it out. "Once a person learns how to find this kind of technology on the internet, that'll be great. But now let's take it to the next level. How does this technology transfer to the 2 inch by 2 inch screen (the mobile phone). That's the next step that I'm looking to see. Cause what's the use of all this information if I'm a trucker traveling thru Arkansas who's hungry now?"

Whatever it is, a hamburger, a hotel, or a place to take the kids for a few hours, the subject line isn't the real answer. It's how can technology get these opinions mashed together with all these other questions and tell us something we really wanted to know, but just didn't know how to ask. "I'm in complete agreement with what Brooks is saying," expresses Joseph Abbate, President and CEO of MyNuMi Group, a Springfield, New Jersey based physical therapy network. "We laugh at the burger example, but we're looking at ways to expand on what T3 Consortium's been beta testing. If our clients can find out more about us before making their decisions on where to go for their rehabilitation, then we're ahead of the curve."

The Battle Lines are Drawn

If information is key, then whoever's in charge of that information is the keeper of the key. Who is in charge of all of this mash-ed up data? Well that all depends on who you ask. There's been many a villain noted in recent history ranging from GM in the 60's, AT&T in the 80's, and Microsoft in the 90's. Who's the new nemesis you say? It's....Google. Yes, it's Google that's starting to take control. When a company like google stores every search you've ever made (Washington Post), and starts data mining that information, and directing advertising to your search likings, that's powerful.

There are some that feel perhaps Google and thier technology is getting a bit too powerful. While mashup's came in vogue with Google Earth and Google Maps, it's beginning to leave companies like Yahoo and Mapquest in the dust. With Google's recent release of MyMaps, get ready for yet another new battleground. And just imagine if the Government got into those databases...how safe and secure would you feel about that?

It's all so 2st Century..... to be continued.

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T3 Consortium, LLC - Examples of Technology Under Review:

	Go see the Best Burgers in America Mash Up and add your favorite burger joint. - Click Here
	Go Create your own Best Burger Tour - Click Here (See our Historic Tavern Pub Crawl Tour example) using TripWiser
	Using History to teach Technology - Click Here
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Read More:
	Go to the Best Burgers in America Blog (post your comments) - Click Here

And don't think it's going to stay the same. It will change as often as history does!

Go to the Best Burgers in America Map - Click Here

Mash Up Background

What's a mash-up you say? Well, I'm sure there's lots of varying definitions Click Here, but in it's simplest form, it's joining a variety of technologies or data and presenting it in a different way. You never know what people are thinking about (see for yourself). "I found this great website that shows how much snow there is at Ski Resorts in VT. I found another one that tells me where I can get package goods, along with directions, hours of operation, along with when they're open and how far they are from my house" says Betz. "How cool is that! Just think where the technology could go."

One of the most common mash-up techniques uses Google Maps, and the Google Map API (application program interface). The designer "mashes" their information into the Google Maps technology and voila, out comes a map that tells you something. Actually it's a map, a GPS, a satellite, a direction finder, all in one.

Submitted: April 21, 2007

For additional information please email T3 Consortium

Sites Covered: Tripwiser, Platial, Mapbuilder, Google Maps