To access it, you’ll first need to enable custom gadgets in Gmail, which can be done from the Labs page under Settings. From there, you just insert the URL via the news “Gadgets” link you’ll have under Settings – http://www.twittergadget.com/gadget_gmail.xml – at which point you’ll be prompted for your Twitter login.

Fittingly, users are debating the usefulness of this on Twitter, with some arguing it’s far too small to be functional, while others think it makes Gmail even more of a sticky one-place-for-everything application.

Personally, I think it fits somewhere in between downloadable clients with lots of nifty natures and the Web interface, which requires an extra tab in your browser. It’s useful, but probably not an all-out replacement for accessing Twitter in one of the existing ways.

http://mashable.com/2008/12/11/twittergadget/

”

Put simply, Ping.fm is a status update tool that sends your updates to a handful of your favorite microblogging services. So far, Ping.fm supports Twitter, Facebook, Jaiku, Tumblr and Pownce. The concept is one that will catch on like wildfire in the coming months, and the options for submitting an update come in the form of email, IM, its Google gadget, and a desktop application.

For mobile updates, you’ll need to be able to send in text messages to the email address Ping.fm provides. I’d prefer to have a browser plugin as well, especially if Ping.fm plans on expanding its service beyond simple centralized update submissions.

Though Ping.fm is still a simple service that’s easy to use, I think a more fluid registration process for assigning various services (and even supporting multiple accounts for a given service) could make the setup process even easier. Be forewarned, you’ll need to add the Ping.fm Facebook application in order to send updates to Facebook via Ping.fm.”

from: http://mashable.com/2008/03/18/pingfm/

the article above is just saying what is Ping.fm about. so basically, Ping.fm is a simple service that allows you to post to multiple social networks with a single message. For example, website like facebook, myspace, twitter and plurk, etc. It’s all supported with ping.fm, so you can update all of them just by using Ping.fm…I’ve checked to the ping.fm site, and Now it is open for public. It’s going to be interesting to see how this site going to work for the next months, because many predict that this website is going to be very successful.

STARTUP DETAILS:

Company Name: UMapper

20 word description: UMapper is a visual, universal, Web-based map authoring application that makes it easier than ever to create maps.

CEO’s Pitch: With UMapper, you can display geo-data and any layer on top of any map data provider (Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google, Yahoo, OpenStreetMap, etc.). This makes UMapper truly universal. UMapper utilizes advanced optimization algorithms for rendering vector shapes and displaying large data sets. These performance gains, along with the use of KML for data storage, make the UMapper maps efficient and optimized for search engines. Flexible API allows website developers to integrate UMapper into their websites and bring map-editing functionality to their users. Most of all, UMapper make is fun and easy to create and distribute interactive maps.

Mashable’s Take: If you’re ever in immediate need of an embeddable Flash map, UMapper is the service for you. This Microsoft Virtual Earth mashup essentially lets you make one-off maps for anything you’d like to mark, and then share them across the Web. UMapper itself is easy enough to use: choose a title and a description, and then start marking your map. The markers are fairly customizable, in terms of color, labels’ font sizes, and support for HTML descriptions.
If you’re not a UMapper user, your creation will be anonymous, though registered members have more options in terms of privacy settings and saved account capabilities, as well as access to community features such as comments on various users’ maps. Any public map can be shared across the Web as a Gigya widget, allowing you direct posting options to a number of sites like Facebook and Wordpress. The embed and KML files are also available as export options.

UMapper competes with existing map creation services like Google, which also offer custom marker and embed options. And as there’s no shortage of map mashup makers, UMapper is another one you can add to your list of options for whatever purpose you see fit.”

http://mashable.com/2008/08/01/umapper/

“Glenn Fleishmann was on NPR’s The Works yesterday talking about Web 2.0. Glenn defined Web 2.0 as mashups, accessing and combining web APIs. Mashups and nothing but mashups.

When asked about business models for these mashups, Glenn talked about how they could start small with low costs, but said nothing about they might generate revenue or how far they can grow.

Similarly, I talked to Rael Dornfest a couple weeks ago. He also made it clear that he thought mashups are the next big thing.

When I asked Rael about some basic problems with mashups as a business (no service guarantees, limits on the queries of APIs, limits on commercial use of the APIs, numbingly slow, no barriers to entry), he had no answer.

I keep hearing people talk about as if companies are creating web services because they just dream of setting all their data free. Sorry, folks, that isn’t the reason.

Companies offer web services to get free ideas, exploit free R&D, and discover promising talent. That’s why the APIs are crippled with restrictions like no more than N hits a day, no commercial use, and no uptime or quality guarantees. They offer the APIs so people can build clever toys, the best of which the company will grab — thank you very much — and develop further on their own.

There is no business model for mashups. If Web 2.0 really is just mashups, this is going to be one short revolution.”

this blog post is taken from: http://glinden.blogspot.com/2005/11/is-web-20-nothing-more-than-mashups.html

it’s interesting to see the perspective of this person, his point is that he does not look at mashups as a web 2.0 tools, but he see the whole web 2.0 concept as nothing more than just mashups. And he does not see web 2.0 as a big and upcoming revolution, he sees it just a short revolution, because he believes that there is no busines model for mashups.

The idea is good, but it is still in beta so expect a few glitches.  Mash Maker allows you to take pre-made widgets and make floating, collapsible windows above your web content.  Calorie counters, stop watches, Google Maps and note takers are just some of the pre-installed widgets.  An API is available to create your own, but no programming knowledge is needed to use the pre-defined widgets.  The download is simple, but requires a registration to login to the plug-in.”

source: http://www.macmod.com/content/view/1406/240/

Mozilla Firefox is one of the most developing browsers and it become more and more popular each day. However, the percentage of its user compare to Internet Explorer user is still low, that’s why many web applications or websites only be suitable for the Explorer browsers. Including mashups, many are still not compatible yet with the Firefox browser.

However, Intel are currently developing a plug in that allow ease of access for Mozilla Firefox user. For the Social and Ethical issues, this relates to the Accesibility or Equality of Access. Since, Mozilla Firefox low in percentage, however, there are thousands of people around the world using this browser. Therefore, this plug-in for Mozilla develop by Intel would be very helpful and would then give equal access to mashups for all web browsers.

Since Google Earth is release a couple of years ago, it keeps on releasing new version with major breakthrough improvement.  With this trend, I can see that in the future, and it wont be long, google earth will provide the user to be able to view real-live time image and 3-d aswell.

It may look great in an instance, there are many advantages of this. For example, now people can literally see the world with the power of computer.

However, when I think of it, it will cause a lot of controversies and disadvantages. For example, a person’s privacy will be definitely violated, as they could be followed wherever the go. And also, for places like North Korea and take current example – Tibet, which is being isolated  from the pers so that the world does not know what happen inside those places, if the technology show live 3-d images, don’t you think those countries would be irritated?

However, when should the development of mapping mashups tools such as google earth stop? because in time they could also come in handy dont you think? such as for education.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees announced a new partnership with the search engine this week. The goal: To use Google’s globe-mapping software to illustrate the plight of parts of the planet’s population.

Google Earth, a free, virtual-globe program from the search engine company, lets users zoom in on locations around the planet. Users can also use special programs known as layers, which organizations can build to incorporate video, text or other interactive features.

Under an outreach program, Google has been populating its virtual globe with socially minded projects from such organizations as Greenpeace, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and UNICEF. Six such layers have been launched in the past two weeks.

Click on the United Nations‘ “visit a camp” button in Google Earth, for example, and an online depiction of the globe spins and zeroes in on a satellite view of a refugee camp in Chad. There, visitors learn about the refugees who have fled to that country from western Sudan’s Darfur region. Click on a button and users can find out how much money it costs to install, say, a new water source at the camp. Click again and users can donate that amount.

“The great thing about Google Earth is it gives you that ability to be there,” said Tim Irwin, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee organization. “We’re hoping to take something that might be a little abstract for some people and make it very real.”

Rebecca Moore, manager of Google Earth Outreach, said she is hoping the software can be used by organizations on a larger scale. “This sort of immersive experience can lead to greater understanding, greater compassion and a desire to help,” she said.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum launched “World is Witness,” a layer that traces a recent trip to Rwanda to learn about the 1994 genocide there.

Last year, the museum was the first nonprofit organization to launch a Google Earth layer. The museum credited the program for increasing traffic to its “How can I help” page from 2,500 visitors a month to more than 50,000.

“It has been hugely helpful in terms of our outreach efforts,” said John Heffernan, director of the museum’s Genocide Prevention Initiative.”

this article is taken from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/11/AR2008041103566.html

so, as we have seen from the article above, mapping mashup tools such as Google Earth are so revolutionary and useful even the United Nations, are going to use it to track refugees and educate people. This action is just some actions that can be think of at this current time. In the future, as Google earth grow, this tool will be use for other things as well.

If everythings goes well, Google Earth is very useful and in a way it can help so many people and lives. It can also be use to educate public about geography and other things.

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