Background

I was a co-founder and director of information architecture of Entessa from 2005 to 2010.

Entessa was the leading provider of logistics management software for the oil and gas supply chain (terminals, pipelines, and marine terminals) called Synthesis.

Our customers included Chevron, Sunoco Logistics, Tesoro Petroleum, Valero Energy, Hess and Hovensa.

Entessa was acquired by Energy Solutions International in June, 2010.

Introduction

I presented “Mash It Up: Integrate with Synthesis SDK” at the 2009 Entessa User Conference in Galveston, Texas to showcase how the concept of mashups—borrowing from pop music—can be applied to enterprise software development. I illustrated how combining data from various sources like bills of lading, locations, and truck carriers can be achieved using web services and APIs from the Synthesis SDK, along with tools such as Adobe Flex and the Google Maps API.

I kicked off the talk by drawing a parallel between musical mashups and software integration, invoking ideas like “Take a sad song and make it better” to set an engaging tone. I wove in additional musical references, like “Hey, Ho. Let’s Go!” to energize the audience, reinforcing the idea that just as a remix can create a fresh, dynamic sound, integrating disparate data streams can lead to innovative, rich internet applications.

In my demonstration, I provided a step-by-step walkthrough on integrating the Synthesis SDK with Adobe Flex. I showed how to create service instances, construct and send requests, handle callbacks, and process responses using our API—detailing the use of both internal Synthesis IDs and external identifiers to efficiently retrieve and display data.

Beyond the technical demo, I explored broader applications such as dashboards and interactive data visualizations that can transform raw data into actionable business intelligence. I also discussed potential future enhancements for the Synthesis SDK and highlighted additional web services and visualization tools that can further empower developers.

Overall, I used a mix of technical instruction and creative, music-inspired storytelling to demonstrate how remixing, whether in music or in software, can lead to innovative ways of integrating and reimagining data.

List of Musical References

Quote	Artist	Song
”Take a sad song, and make it better”	The Beatles (P. McCartney)	“Hey Jude"
"Show me all the things that you can do”	Lou Bega	”1+1=2"
"Hey, Ho. Let’s Go!”	The Ramones (J. Ramone)	“Blitzkrieg Bop"
"The Concept”	Teenage Fanclub	”The Concept"
"Ok. Here’s the situation”	DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince	”Parents Just Don’t Understand"
"and the world’s your oyster”	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	”The World Is My Oyster"
"The Answer My Friends Is…”	Bob Dylan	”Blowin’ in the Wind"
"Think, let your mind go, let yourself be free”	Aretha Franklin	”Think"
"Risin’ up to the challenge of our rival”	Survivor	”Eye of the Tiger"
"Wouldn’t It Be Nice If We Were…”	The Beach Boys (B. Wilson)	“Wouldn’t It Be Nice"
"There’s a lot of opportunities. If there aren’t, you can make them”	Pet Shop Boys	”Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)"
"It’s a rich man’s world”	ABBA	”Money, Money, Money"
"Get on board we can’t be late. Our destination cannot wait”	New Order	”Waiting for the Sirens’ Call"
"We belong, we belong, we belong together”	Pat Benatar	”We Belong"
"Where do we go from here?”	U2	”With a Shout (Jerusalem)"
"I can see paradise by the dashboard light”	Meat Loaf	”Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
"Well, I’m Beginning to See the Light”	Lou Reed	”Beginning to See the Light”

---

Slides