Have been learning loads of computer stuff from my colleague. Here are two really useful ideas.
1. Mashups
What is a mashup?
“A web mashup is a web page or application that combines data from two or more external online sources. The external sources are typically other web sites and their data may be obtained by the mashup developer in various ways including, but not limited to: APIs, XML feeds, and screen-scraping.”
This is something I find really useful. You always want to combine information from multiple sources so you can see at a glance everything you need to know. E.g. carpark rates combined with carpark locations (this makes good sense; you can tell which carparks are cheaper within a radius from your location).
Here’s a selection of mashups i find really useful and cool:
a. Weather
b. Parking Map
What is a Portable App?
“A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.”
A really useful app would be GIMP, a Photoshop alternative, that is open-source. Load it onto your thumb drive and you can run it on any computer.
