Mashups - part 2

I've had lots of fun creating a map of my recent trip to Egypt and Jordan in GoogleMaps. I've also explored adding photos that I took to the map I created.

Mashups

I've always loved the idea of mashups but have never quite been sure how useful they could be.

I had a look at "Then and Now: Historic New York images from New York Public Library using Flickr and Google Street view" and loved being able to compare what places used to look like as opposed to what they look like now.

I also like "Real Estate - SuburbView". I think its a very handy way for people who are looking for house/apartment to get an idea of what's available in the area they are looking at, and by getting the street view they can get a real-to-life idea.

The only problem I had with the above to sites were that I couldn't view them through Internet Explorer. I had to use Firefox, which isn't available on my computer although I can use it out in the public area. I can see how mashups could be an exciting addition if used right and with the right collection. For example, photos from the John Oxley Library could be used in a very similar way to the "Then and Now" done by New York Public Library.

Flickr revisited

I had a go at loading an image onto Flickr. It wasn't a picture of the library but you can't have everything. I found the process very easy, suprisingly so actually. When I 've loaded other photos its generally been to Picasa Web Albums or Snapfish, and these at times can be very time consuming, although the uploading process is usually fairly easy.

The photo is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/17703478@N06/

Online photo sharing

Its interesting to see online photo sharing also pushed as good way to back up digital photos.

Had a look at some of the photos of the State Library on Flickr. Was fascinated to see how the library can look when photos are taken from unusual angles. Its interesting to see what people take photos of and then what they upload.

Took a look at Flickr images through 'Picture Australia'. Tried the search 'Brisbane'. I was amazed at the variety of pictures available, from panoramic views to old photos to artistic shots of over-flowing gutters on a rainy night. Very impressive.

Been having a look at the Smithsonian Institution's "Commons" photos. I was interested to see that they have recently uploaded a number of portraits and are asking for help from the Flickr community in gaining more information on these people.

This photo is called Lighting enTrails / Tunnel Trails / Tunnel Vision. It is a photo of one of the tunnels that run under Brisbane. I always been fascinated by this although I have never seen them myself. I loved the lighting effect.