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Mashups or bit literacy basics?
NYT on new mashup tools, like Yahoo Pipes. Excerpt:
Here’s just one example: An employee at a chain of hardware stores creates a mash-up that combines inventory data, storm forecasts and the telephone numbers of branch managers. Then, when snow is on the way, the application sends text messages to the managers’ cellphones, telling them how many shovels to order.
Devising that sort of mash-up, which handles multiple data sources to produce a customized solution, is typically the province of a professional. But the new systems are designed, their creators say, so people with modest technical skills can tailor applications to their needs — while writing little or no code.
Neat gadgets, but the NYT's readers need to learn the basics of bit literacy first. Creating mashups of various bitstreams are pretty high up on my Maslow-inspired hierarchy of digital skills. Lesson: read Bit Literacy first!
