Barcodes for birds

Just when you think you've seen every barcode use and permutation imagineable along comes barcodes for birds. It all makes perfect sense when you read about it.

Color bands (barcodes) on birds allow for quick identification out in the wild. Still, barcodes for birds...

Ye Olde Barcode Scam Once Again

Oh everybody thinks they can steal using barcodes. Some bozo realizes that UPC barcodes contain a unique number that identifies an item, not the item's price. Soooo, reproduce the barcode found on a cheap widget and slap it on an expensive widget. If the cashier doesn't notice the brand/price difference, you save money. Or should I say you use bar codes to shoplift.

Come on folks. Stealing is stealing. People have been teasing me about it since I began writing barcode software 19 years ago. Yes, I could. No, I haven't. No, I won't. Now go outside and play in the traffic.

I wanna Japanese cell fone that eats barcodes!

Short of moving to Tokyo, I really wanna Japanese cell phone. This insidiously clever barcode-based marketing campaign is brilliant. It reminds me of the cup of noodles monsters of years back.

Watch this video first and then read this article and this one too.

The Best Part Is That It Made the Newspaper

Tennessee mail ends up in a Texas mailbox!






Sure sure. Blame the POSTNET. Blame the OCR. Never mind all the humans that eyeballed it along the way, it's gotta' be the barcode.

"Scanning Miranda" YouTube video

Remember to order your 3 barcode tattoos for a buck from BarcodeFontSoftware.com.

Barcode Tattoos (temporary tattoos but still...)

The barcode tattoo photo gallery over at JetCityOrange is really popular. So that got me to thinking: who else would be interested in a bar code tat?

I'm not inked but every once in awhile I'd like to sport a barcode tattoo. A temporary barcode tattoo will do nicely, thank you very much. And at 3 for a buck, how can you go wrong?

Order yours today!

Barcodes in SE Asia

If you're looking for barcode software in SE Asia try: Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Javanese, and Indonesian. Not bad, ehhh?

Barcode Prank Video

Everyone loves a good prank, especially a barcode prank. Watch this video of a great barcode scanning prank.

Barcode scanning prank
by Fippie

Don't like RFID chips? Beat 'em!

I'm no big fan of RFID chips as regular readers of this blog will attest. But whodda thunk someone would document how to destroy RFID chips? With a hammer no less!

China Doesn't Like Barcodes

Azalea software has been selling barcodes worldwide for years now. That includes China, or at least it used to. We seem to have had one visitor on 23sep07 from Beijing and then our traffic from China seems to have dried up overnight. And we even have pages in Chinese too.

The only explanation we can come up with is that our URL hit someone's desk and our about us page did what it's supposed to: tell the world who and what we are.

Guess the Chinese don't like the Tibetan Technology Center or the Burma Media Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation or any one of a number of groups we support. Speaks volumes about Beijing, now don't it?

Our response? Tor. Remember Comrades: information (and people) want to be free!

Thank you for guiding us towards another worthy project we can support!

Barcode Music!

As a fan of 8-bit music I was delighted to stumble across across a way to make music from barcodes.

A grrl nerd doing art with barcodes. I'm in love!

Texas City Smarter Than Federal Emergency Management Agency

The city of Houston, TX has found a unique solution to the frightening disconnection that familes often suffer during disasters. Rather than relying on hand-written signs, word of mouth or spotty cellphone coverage, families, hospitals, evacuation centers and emergency officals can now utilyze barcode bracelets to help locate and track families separated in the chaos of an emergency.


If only FEMA (a division of the Dept. of Homeland Security, doncha know) had this kind of acumen. During oh, say, Hurricane Katrina.

2D Barcodes & High Fashion

One of these days someone is going to bring barcodes to the masses. Today's NY Times has a piece about QR codes on custom scarfes.

Kaywa, the company involved, is in Europe. Phone capabilities are as much a function of the wireless carrier as the physical phone itself. That means yanks have to wait til the Japanese & Europeans figure it all out.

Dennis Quaid Is Down With Barcodes

Imagine my surprise and delight when I read that Dennis Quaid is a barcode fanboy. He's going to sue Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles unless they implement a barcode system.

Hey Dennis, wanna be on my Board of Directors?

Do barcodes need a Wiki of their own?

To quote those involved: "a site for storing user generated information to be stored against a product, identified by its barcode number."

A show of hands please. All in favor say "aye"...

China & Tibet

Sometimes current events are so stark and immediate that they demand that we all do the right thing. To that end, I sent the following email to both the Chinese embassy and the China's ambassador to the UN:

Wang Guangya
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Chinese Mission to the United Nations,

I would like to lodge a strong complaint about how the People's Republic of China has responded to the recent citizen protests in Tibet and other regions of China.

The violent suppression of these protests, especially those led by Buddhist monks, underlines how misguided Beijing's policy towards Tibet is. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is NOT some evil mastermind behind the current protests. The protests are the direct result of years of discrimination and oppression of the native Tibetan people by the Chinese government.

It is the will of the people to be free and to have control over their lives. This is a univeral wish shared by all people around the world. Yet the official government policy is diametrically opposed to this attainable ideal. Undermining the Tibetan people's struggle for self-determination will result in the undermining of the Chinese government. Remember: the international community has not forgotten Tiananmen Square.

I'm sure you're aware that the whole world will be watching China as the 2008 Olympics approach. Further repression of citizen protests in Tibet and elsewhere will shine an ugly light on an ugly domestic policy. I strongly encourage the Chinese government to stop, pause, and reach out to the Tibetan people and His Holiness the Dalai Lama and open a truly honest and sincere dialog.

All power to the people!


Jerry Whiting, President & CEO
Azalea Software, Inc.
Seattle WA

Barcodes & Christians? What about 666?

Hey. I thought Christians associated barcodes with Satan. You know, UPC barcodes include the Mark of the Beast. The Devil's in bar codes.

Well, here's a church embracing barcodes.

Barcodes in Excel, Word, and Access

Need to make barcodes in Microsoft Office applications? Mail merge with Code 128 barcodes using Excel and Word? Perhaps you're doing UPC barcodes in an Access database.

Wouldn't it be nice to have free sample code like macros, plug-in's, etc. to do all the hard work for you? Heck, who wants to write code from scratch for things like check digits? Not me! I'd rather bolt on a pre-built widget, how about you?

Friday is Leap Day!

Yep, 2008 is a Leap Year. Those of you born on February 29th can get the cake & candles out.

Trivia question of the day: what are those born on Leap Day called? See the above page for the answer to today's question.

Barcodes in Menus?

Most people read about using barcodes in restaurant menus and see some measure of utility in it. It's faster, easier, uses machines instead of people. So goes the logic behind The Deli Touch pen. If that isn't enough, try the video. I can't speak Japanese but it's worth watching just for the end.

Someone says "barcoded menu" and "scanners for all customers" and I hear "prank waiting to happen". How hard can it be to substitute your barcodes for the ones in the menu? Think barcode fonts and Avery laser labels. Take a menu home, scan the barcodes, and figure out what they're doing. Re-do it for them and swap out the menus.

This is from someone who "played with" the CueCat back in the day...

Barcodes & Interior Lighting

Some may think that there's no intersection between barcodes (our favorite topic) and lighting design. Think again. Introducing barcode lights.

An idea whose time has come.

BTW, what do they scan as???

Finally, a reason for cell phones & barcodes

The Voice of the Street from Leif on Vimeo.

Lauren sent me news of this cool street art project that involve cell phones & barcodes. QR codes linked to voicemail tying artist to viewer. It's from The Voice of the Street. Check it out!!!

Can Barcodes Help the Vision-Impaired?

Peter Abrahams hopes so.

"For anyone who is blind or cannot see well the kitchen can be a real challenge. The first challenge is to know what is in all the similarly shaped tins and packets in the cupboard or fridge/freezer. A related challenge is to know what is written on each of them such as the cooking instructions and ingredients.

..Any packaged product has a barcode so this seems the obvious place to start. So scanning the barcode should provide a key to all the information about the content."

Combine barcodes textured with simple bumps or ridges in the packaging with a text-to-speech doohickey, it seems an easy, elegant solution.

All that's left is for the supermarket industry to get on board with a centralized interactive grocery database. A robotic voice reading "Two three four seven six five five eight two three four five" doesn't help much in deciphering a can of pet food from one of corned beef hash (though the distinction between these two particular examples is debatable).

Barcodes in Asia. Here we go!

There's a new barcode site focused on PacRim countries.

It's available in Japanese, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Tagalog. Oh, and in English too!

Double barcodes

Look what Santa brought me! Double barcodes: UPC and EAN-13!!

They even came with free incense too. Wow, isn't Santa swell? I'm gonna be good all year and get more neat barcodes next Christmas too.

The End Is Nigh

If you're of an eagerly apocalyptic bent, this story
should give you a little shiver of glee.

The UK Ministry of Justice is investigating the use of satellite and radio-wave technology to monitor criminals. Only this time they're not talking about ankle or wrist bracelets, no that technology is yesterday's news. What they'd like to do, if no one minds too terribly much what-what pip-pip, is surgically implant radio frequency identification (RFID) chips under offenders' skin and track them via GPS.

We have wanted to take advantage of this technology for several years, because it seems a sensible solution to the problems we are facing in this area," a senior minister said .. "We have looked at it and gone back to it and worried about the practicalities and the ethics, but when you look at the challenges facing the criminal justice system, it's time has come."

A multimillion-pound pilot of satellite monitoring of offenders was shelved last year after a report revealed many criminals simply ditched the ankle tag and separate portable tracking unit issued to them. The "prison without bars" project also failed to track offenders when they were in the shadow of tall buildings.

The Independent on Sunday has now established that ministers have been assessing the merits of cutting-edge technology that would make it virtually impossible for individuals to remove their electronic tags.

The tags, injected into the back of the arm with a hypodermic needle, consist of a toughened glass capsule holding a computer chip, a copper antenna and a "capacitor" that transmits data stored on the chip when prompted by an electromagnetic reader.


Bah, I say. Does the Ministry of Justice never watch movies? Wise readers will recall that in 87% of all futuristic sci-fi flicks at least one character bloodily rips the Evil Overlord's implant from his/her molar/sinus cavity/neck, typically using a dull pocket knife.

Not to mention the whole IMPLANTING THE BODIES OF HUMAN BEINGS WITH TRACKING DEVICES issue. The world has gone loco, friends. Prepare for the worst.

RFID. Here we go again...

So Wal-Mart is tired of waiting for us all to catch up with them. "We want RFID and we want it now!" is what I'm hearing.

In fact two things about this article stand out: $2 fines for non-compliance and a 2010 sunrise date for item level tags.

It'll be fun to see how supplies react to this new pay-to-play attitude. Somebody may want to alert Wal-Mart to suppliers' pesky need for profits, even on low-cost items. Imposing an RFID tax may not sit well with candy companies for instance. "Pack of gum with your RFID tag miss?"

Meanwhile, I don't even know how to respond to bullsh*t like this. Sheesh...

Barcodes as art.

I thought I was one of the few (twisted souls) who thought that barcodes had a place in art. Looks like I'mn ot alone. Even our pals at GS1 are behind this modest effort.

Obviously not our pals in Fremont trying to lay claim to a patentable idea themselves. This is further proof the idea is universal. Barcodes are now contemporary visual memes.

More prior art, more prior art,...

Real ID doesn't make me feel secure. How 'bout you?

So the Feds in their myopic post-9/11 daze want to impose a pass law on us, oops, I mean "real ID". As if the stuff in my wallet is fake. No, the guv'ment just wants us to have yellow stars with us at all times, with us in a huge database they control (and hence us).

You'd think a Bar Code Nerd who sells barcode software would be in favor of real ID. Heck, we might sell stuff to Uncle and make some do-ra-me. No, I'd rather keep what little privacy and security I have intact thank you very much. Homeland security (sic) aint'. I fly a lot and I don't feel any safer now than I did before 9/11.

Some advocate dropping a heavy object on the back cover of your passport to disable the RFID chip. Some object to further scrutiny of law abiding citizens by Washington. Me? Don't get me started.

Better Living Through Barcodes, part 741

Assisting "roo shooters", reducing retail grocery waste, the South Dakota DMV, making tours of the Library of Congress more accessible, and bringing the soothing trill of birdsong to your ears.


Is there anywhere that barcodes don't reach?

Lego barcode scanner

What house doesn't have Legos lurking in the corners? Nerds of all ages play with Lego Mindstorms. Andreas Peter made a Lego barcode scanner! How cool is that!

XO? X No! G1G2 didn't work for me.

OK. I give up.

I was really, really excited about G1G1. In fact, I ordered two as in G2G2. Early the first morning; I have 5 zeros (000007519). Not bad for someone on the West Coast. Even had a web page setup in advance: www.jetcityorange.com/One-Laptop-Per-Child [no rewritten]

But it was not to be. Let me state upfront that some of the blame is mine. My PayPal address isn't current. But it hasn't been since Feb and it hasn't made a difference until now. Why? Because everytime I order something, the seller gives me a confirmation screen that spits back what I order, how I paid, and where it's going to be shipped. Your site doesn't so I never had a chance to correct the old address.

Most sites generate an automated email that echos what you bought and where it's being shipped. The good ones include tracking information too. Your site doesn't and again I never had a chance to notice the out of date address.

The first I hear from you is the attached email. Problem is, it was sent after the fact. By the time I used the FedEx tracking number to trace the package it had already been delivered. To the wrong address. Worse yet, it was left on the exposed porch of an empty house during the holiday season.

No signature required. Are you kidding me? Laptop computers tossed up against a door? What, to save 2 dollars on shipping? You've got to be kidding me. Add it to my bill.

So I call you. Courtney was very good. In fact, she called me back when we were cut off. Excellent customer service! I ask to speak to a manger.

I then spoke with Daniella. She heard me out. Yes, my PayPal account lists on old address. But it's the same PayPal account I use as the backend to my company's web site. So if I'm not going to notice any one PayPal email given the volume of sales we do online. (We sell barcode software online. I get a PayPal email every time we make a sale.)

I called FedEx and spoke with someone named Eva. She tried to catch the 2nd computer and re-route it to my office. Nope. It too get left on the doorstep of an empty house during Christmas without a signature. Now both machines are gone.

I try to do the right thing. My company contributes to a number of charitable causes: www.azalea.com/AboutUs In fact, the two XO's I was ordering were a test for The Shames Foundation's project in Uganda for AIDS orphans. Steve Shames is skeptical of the XO's vision and these machines were an attempt to change his mind. Nix that idea. We also send hardware and funds to the Tibetan Technology Center in Dharamsala. They too were possible candidates for the XO. Not now.

The amount of money lost isn't a big deal in the larger scheme of things. I hope the XO project enjoys some measure of success. Setting customers' expectations and then not delivering on them stings. But I guess in a sense, it was *I* who set up the expectation. How foolish of me.

Jerry Whiting, President/CEO
Azalea Software, Inc.

Speaking of Barcode Hacks

Pay attention, folks.

Nothing is 100% foolproof- there'll always be thieves, filchers, pinchers, poachers, sticky-fingers and jerks- but you can do your part to make their lives just a little more difficult.

Build some security into your data, protect your database/s and take a good hard look at your barcode processes, from design to printed output.

Everyone loves a good barcode hack, ehhh?

What better way to end the year than a discussion of barcode hacks!

Now go read this too.

Finally, a use for camera barcodes

We've been hearing about the "benefits" of 2D barcodes on cell phones for years now. Tickets, schmickets. That don't do it for me.

But tying a physical object to its Wikipedia entry? That at least holds out some semblence of usefulness. And who brings this cell phone magic to the masses? Semapedia, who else.

Barcodes On The Brain

"The Szhk Biennale of Architecture for 2007 features a commissioned collaboration between members of idu architecture and [daz[. They will be producing a temporary book store and cafe; aptly titled ISBN and Barcode respectively."

I keep trying to convince my family to get a second dog so we can name him RFIDo. Or maybe Modulo. Codabar?

Nothing like a barcode tattoo for the holidays.

We're proud to announce that JetCityOrange's barcode tattoo gallery has reached 60 photos by year end 2007.

Thanks go out to the dozens of people who graciously alllowed JCO to post photographs of their barcode tattoos.

Happy Holidays from us to you!

(and no, it's not Photoshop)

Finally! A good use for RFID

Someone asked me about RFID last night at dinner. I gave my standard response: "Who cares?" reflecting the lack of business opportunity it affords.

Well. Now I've found a reasonable use for RFID: a door opener. Not just any door opener but one that can be controlled via one's cell phone or browser!

Better Living Through Barcodes, part 642

Here at Super Top-Secret Barcode HQ we really do love barcodes. And to a (wo)man, we love to read. So the barcode bat-cave was all a-flutter when we stumbled across Zack Grossbart's fascinating How-To on organizing a home library. Good stuff.

Barcodes in the O.R. A good thing (I think...)

This article talks about surgeons losing sponges during operations. The solution? barcoding the sponges. Scan 'em in, scan 'em out.

Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I should schedule my next operation there. Just don't tell me how many sponges are left inside hapless patients on an average day. I don't wanna know.

A Barcode Web Site for the EU

Those in the European Union now have their own barcode website. In all 23 offical EU languages.

Enjoy!

Azalea Software & Crystal Reports 2008 press release

We've all been holding our breath for months now but it's come to pass. Azalea Software's barcode software is bundled with Business Objects' Crystal Reports 2008. We just did a press release announcing this.

Print Code 39 barcodes right out of the box. Print UPC, Code 128, Interleaved 2 of 5, and POSTNET barcodes by purchasing upgrades from Azalea Software.

Azalea Software Announces New Barcode Websites

One of the joys of selling barcode software is having a growing network of barcode websites. To that end, Azalea Software is happy to announce the latest batch bar code web sites:
UPCTools, C128Tools, C39Tools, I2of5Tools, and POSTools.
And yes, there even more barcode-related sites coming!

Barcode-Free Turkey Day Blogging

From The Wooden Robot, a very handy How-To:



Happy Thanksgiving!

Barcode Madness!

LEGOs™ + lasers? A barcode scanner, natch.










Barcode weirdo extraordinaire Scott Blake has some fun stuff up at YouTube:





A lovely barcode rainbow from Rosistem- First barcoding website from Romania!












And we're pleased as punch to hear that our surreal friends the Barcode Kitties have landed a Happy Meal™-type deal with Peruvian burger chain Bembos.

Barcode Printing in Crystal Reports 2008

Crystal Reports 2008 now features barcode support within this popular database reporting tool. What they didn't say when they announced Crystal Reports 2008 recently was that they've incorporated Azalea Software's barcode fonts into the product.

While Azalea has offered a plug-in that works with Crystal Reports for many years, their barcode fonts are now tightly woven into the fabric of Crystal.

[The sounds of cheering Crystal developers can be heard in the background.]

Some Days We Regret Outgrowing Recreational Drugs

We present you Seikodo Corp's Barcode Kitties. Your guess is as good as ours.


And no, their whiskers don't scan, which hurts us down deep in our souls.

Azalea Origami

Or would that be origami azalea. Either way, here's our company's namesake done in folded paper.

And you thought we didn't have enough stuff to fill a blog named "Bar Code Nerds". Shame on you for not having faith in us!

NJ Company Offers "Cost-Saving" Alternative to RFID

Secure Symbology wants to keep your food, your pharmaceuticals , nay your very Homeland Security™ safe! Using barcodes, natch, and "proprietary machines" which run only a quarter million dollars. Each.



"Secure Symbology's proprietary machines -- at a cost of $250,000 each -- imprint individual serial numbers on each package and shipping carton, allowing the manufacturer to follow the product on its journey along the distribution and sales trail."

Call me crazy but that sounds like any old barcode process. You know: buy reasonably-priced barcode software, dump your data in, get barcodes back, print with the hardware you've got.

'Course, if you want to spend 250K, more power to ya, hotshot.

UK Standards Body Does Musicians a Solid

GS1 UK, in conjunction with AIM and the BPI, will now distribute single GTINs to UK musicians and labels.



This is great news for indie bands and DIY music labels who previously couldn't afford the zillion dollar price tag on a full GS1 membership. For £25 (fiddy American dollars) a year, the little guys can now produce and sell their songs in the same channels as the big guys.

The question now is if/when it will become a global standard. We love GS1 US (Seriously. We love them) and trust that they'll do the right thing.

Putting the fun(k) in function

MagCulture takes a peek at Wallpaper mag's barcode whimsy, and Esquire UK's fun barcode designs.





Jetcityorange has a whole gallery devoted to DIY barcode art.



Yes it's true, barcodes (and barcode nerds) are hipper than you ever imagined.

The Idea That Never Dies

There will be a practical use for barcodes and cellphones. There will there will there will!

Charming Dutch Treehuggers Mangle English, Utilize Barcode

You may not be aware of this, but our daily shoppings contribute to the worldwide disappearance of our ancient forests. If you don't want this, let your government know by sending the text message 'FORESTFREE" to 4411.

From Greenpeace Netherlands

Barcode Clubs

Whether you're in Munich or Melbourne, Dublin, Sacramento or Richmond, VA, there's a place for you to shake your moneymaker like a true barcode nerd.

Also Greenville, NC, Edinburg, Texas, Bulgaria, Wales and London. Chances are you're within 50 miles of a barcode nightclub, cafe, bar, restaurant or lounge at this very moment. What are you waiting for?

Happy Friday!

666 in barcodes. NOT!

OK. It used to be funny. Now it just underlines how ignorant you are. Every time I see some knave repeating the "666 the Mark of the Beast is in UPC barcodes" urban myth I just want to gag.


Now repeat after me: 666 isn't part of UPC barcodes. Never was, never will be. There is no plot by Satan, the Devil, the Pope, or your ex- to use barcodes to a.) steal your soul, b.) further The Dark One's agenda or c.) activate the metal plate in your head. And no, UPC barcodes have nothing to do with the metal probe the aliens stuck up your ass that night.

So stop misquoting Revelation 13:16-18 you nitwits. I know where you live.

RFID hacking

Some of us here at Bar Code Nerds aren't exactly big fans of RFID. Self-interest and all, you know.

That said, one school of thought believes if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. To that end I pass this link on. DIY kids!

Support the Burmese Protesters!

Azalea Software is proud to support the protesters in Burma (Myanmar). You should too.

The monks are the moral voice of the citizens. The military leaders are repressive and need to step down. The violence must end. Lend your support!

100% Barcode-Free Blogging

Yet another reason you wish you lived in Seattle




and so freakishly cute you can't stand it.

The Holidays Are Coming

Don't forget the barcode nerdlets this year.

Waiting Impatiently for HCCB

I was promised an amazing technicolor dreamcoat, man.



I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that something from our Redmond neighbor would be slow to roll.

Will RFID Replace Beloved Old PDF417?

Has PDF417 been supplanted by RFID?


Pish and tosh, says I. In no small part because it resembles the coolest arcade game ever.

Barcode rings, barcode jewelry

If I did wear jewelry, I might be tempted to wear a barcode ring.

As it is, all I can deal with is a dogtag with a Buddhist mantra on it.

Barcodes & dead people

Or at least "barcodes and one dead guy". Who isn't dead after all. But barcodes are involved.

Heck, read the story for yourself.

Entire UK Population to be Branded

"For the state and your security you will be branded on the forehead with a barcode. There is nothing to worry about and it is totally painless."

Barcode CD rack

Oh Santa... I've been a pretty good boy so far this year. Haven't gotten caught doing anything terribly bad. So here's something you might instruct the elves to build for me this year: a barcode CD rack.

I'm pretty sure I'll be the only kid in my neighborhood with one.

RFID implants in one's worker bees

As an employer part of me thinks that California's ban on mandatory RFID implants in workers limits my ability to monitor and manage my staff members.

Then I remember, "Oh yeah. I believe in personal freedom and the right to privacy." Compounded by the fact that Azalea Software supports the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

What a toss up. Draconian management techniques with a hint of sci-fi evil or preserving personal liberties and fighting techno-totalitarianism. Heads or tails, call it in the air.

Bark Codes

Aunt Paula swung by the office this week and mad artist that she is, she couldn't help but leave her mark on our white board.



And we're glad she did.

Human Beings Barcoded: World Doesn't End

This one I can get behind.

Of course now our Faceless Evil Overlords can track our every move but it's worth it if it means getting the correct meds, doncha' think?

Barcode Art Contest Winners

Because I run an online gallery of barcode-inspired artwork I see a lot of barcodes incorporated into larger pieces. It's my belief that barcodes have become a visual meme and are infused with connotations and implied meanings (www.jetcityorange.com/barcodes/BarcodesJargonSlang.pdf).

I was unprepared for and pleasantly surprised by the entrants in photoshopcontest.com barcode competition. Fine art, thoughtful work within the theme, and pieces that made me sit up and take notice.

All entrants will receive Azalea Software's 4th annual calendar when printed. All feature photographs centered around a particular theme. This year's is a surprise but not flowers or stencil graffiti as in the past.

First prize goes to IDentification by dabdi56. Layers of meaning in a well put together piece. Sophisticated and emotional.

Second prize is to Sliver's Stop Violence! I'm a big fan of Adbusters and while I've been in the barcode business for 18 years, that doesn't mean I've comprised my politics or beliefs.

Third prize is to Phase [GIF] EDITED by Granulated. I've always wanted to see barcodes animated and loved seeing multiple entries do so. The grace and finesse in this effort is refreshing and complete.

A special shout out goes to two other entries: Fore! and T'E(r)R0R' in CAP1TAL15M. The former made me look twice and put a smile on my face. The latter is almost too good to be true.

Azalea Software t-shirts and goodie bags go out to the three winners. Again, all entrants will receive 2008 calendars when printed. Thanks to all who participated. The work is wonderful!

Jerry Whiting
Azalea Software, Inc.

They're heeeere...

No, the Whole Foods cash register couldn't scan it. Yet.

RFID Still Crap, Says Dublin Firm

So maybe they're a little more diplomatic than that but Heavey RF knows what time it is.

RFID is still just a whizbang technology that may mutate into a practical product some day. Perhaps. Possibly. At some point. Maybe. (I'm in for $50 on March 12, 2016, if anyone's starting a pool).

Until every kitchen-table home business can afford to produce them, and every corner bodega can afford to read them, it's just another shiny whatsit.

Barcoding critters

Taxonomists are considering barcodes as a tool in the struggle to create names for newly discovered plants and animals. Can a number encompass a being's beingness? Is 123,452,677 qualitatively worse than Brad, Thad, Tiffany or Chuck?

Now even cabs have barcodes

Riding a cab in New York is exciting enough. Riding a cab from the East Side to Union Square during the day during the week is an added thrill. Getting one of the new cabs with a video screen showing TV, ads, and a a moving map is pretty cool too. But nothing, and I mean nothing beats getting in a cab and finding a barcode staring at you. Know what I mean?

Nothing to do with barcodes

This probably has nothing to do with barcodes but here in Seattle one of the 7-Elevens has been transformed into a Kwik E Mart. This is a promotion for the upcoming Simpsons movie.

They're selling Simpsons tie-in merchandise so I guess there's a good chance that these items will have their own barcode. I wonder what company prefix they'll use?

Wait. There's more bad news!

Yesterday I recounted the story of a fugly barcode on a poor child's birthday present. Today I present another insult at said birthday soiree: an EAN in the USA. Yes, a foreign barcode on these here 'merican shores. I certainly hope WalMart isn't behind this. Gray market bastards...

Am I the only one who notices these things?

Little Audrey turned 4, had a party, and found this horrible barcode on one of her presents. The shame, and in front of all her little friends no less. What parent would knowingly foist this off on an unsuspecting pre-schooler? Why??

Believe it or not, Azalea Software is sponsoring golf. Yes, "golf".

Azalea Software Sponsors Hope Heart Classic Golf Tournament
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03jul07

SEATTLE - Azalea Software is sponsoring a hole at this year’s 10th Annual Hope Heart Classic, July 30, 2007. While this is consistent with Azalea’s ongoing commitment to tithing and giving back to the community it’s noteworthy in that no one at Azalea has any interest in golf whatsoever.


The Hope Heart Classic has raised over $1 million over the years and has provided support for the Hope Heart Institute’s research and education programs. Founded in 1959 by Dr. Lester R. Sauvage, Hope Heart’s mission is preventing and treating heart and blood vessel disease, and improving the physical, emotional, and spiritual quality of life for millions.

In addition to sponsoring one of the holes at this year’s tournament, Azalea is providing golf tees to all participants.

Azalea Software publishes barcode software and is located in West Seattle. Azalea is dedicated to supporting efforts like Doctors Without Borders, the Tibetan Technology Center, the Eliza Bryant Village, Stephen Shames Foundation, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among other causes.

For further information please visit this web page.

UPCTools gets the nod

We know our Mom's are proud of us and what we do. It's always nice when someone else notices and speaks out too.

UPCTools, our UPC barcode software, just got good marks from Top 10 Reviews.

Wait til I tell Mom!

Busted by the barcode

Hey, we've all thought of this scam before. It was the first joke my friends made when I started writing barcode software years ago. "Yeah, I'm gonna go shopping with you. You can make new barcodes and get everything for free!"

Let's set aside the moral, ethical, and spiritual issues for a moment. I can make more money selling barcode software than I can steal using barcodes to rip stores off. Big Fat Duh.

Another questionable barcode "innovation"

Like we need this barcode gadget in our kitchens. Read the freakin' label and then push the freakin' buttons. Sheesh...

barcodes & cell phones

I've been more than a little skeptical about cell phones being used to scan barcodes. I just don't see the usefullness of it beyond the gee-whiz geek factor. Besides, if it was such a great idea the market would have matured to the point where there'd be one or two dominent players by now.

Well, I'm rethinking it all. For one, I don't think that there's any one implementation. In fact, it may evolve into something as varied as the different ways people use the camera in their cell phone. And most of those uses are different than what folks do with their stand-alone cameras. So assumption #1 is that cell phones as barcode scanners won't be one-for-one equivalents to barcode scanners as barcode scanners.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I think that cell phones as barcode scanners will be different in Japan than in Europe. And the US will be different than either. No duh; this mimics the cutural differences between cell phone useage in each country.

Lastly, I'm starting to hear uses that even I might embrace. Like scanning a barcode at a subway stop or landmark and getting a map pushed to me. Not an ad but a tidbit of localized information.

Like I said, I'm rethinking the whole thing. Film at 11...