Barcoded toys? Why??

This story makes me think they're sellinga solution to a non-problem. What? You're too busy to read to your kids so you're gonna scan a barcode that initiates an electronic babysitter? This is good parenting? Oy vey!

Barcode tattoos

It started out slowly enough but it's hard to deny that JetCityOrange's barcode tattoo photo collection has blossomed.

Something tells me that there are more bar code tattoos out there waiting to be discovered and submitted. You wouldn't be holding out on me now would you???

Whole Foods needs to change their POS

I love Whole Foods. I went to their mothership store in Austin. Three times in four days while on a business trip. Blew me away so much I called Lisa from the store and told her we're coming back just to shop.

Yesterday I noticed something odd. When two UPC symbols wouldn't scan yesterday, the cashier had to call for a price check. I asked and no it doesn't always work to simply type the 11 or 12 digits in. She said that not everything was "in the system".

Gimme a break. This is a massive, global retailer. If they can't figure out how to scan everything they stock they should call Bentonville.

You know what pisses me off?

I'm in the store. I buy 5 different flavors of fruit leather. They are different colors in different packages. Different SKUs with different GTINs, hence each has a different UPC barcode.

So what does the cashier do? Scan one and hit the 'repeat X5' key. I realize all she's doing is harvesting the price. To hell with real time inventory tracking.

When I mention it she mumbles something to the effect of "well, if that's the way you want me to do it sir."

Her MIS dept. must love her.

Weird barcode at the post office

Someone mailed me something in a photo mailer from the post office. The buck twenty-nine price is a little high but hey, convenience, right?

What caught my eye was the barcode on the back. Seems our pals at the Post Office are too cheap to buy a company prefix from GS1 and use number system 4 which is reserved for in-house use. Product code (SKU) is 94009284 and voila, there's your barcode number.

Even odder is that the 5-digit supplemental isn't the price, otherwise it would be 50129 following Bookland rules.

And perhaps most upsetting of all is that this item is made in Mexico. So much for supporting domestic manufacturers.

Barcode Nerds on My Space

Yep. It finally happened. Your favorite bar code nerds are now on MySpace.

"Why?" you ask. Cuz that's where the party is. And Lord knows we don't want to be left out.

Besides, how can I let my kids be hipper than me?

"It's too late for that now."

Yeah. I know.

Unique or Not?

Excuse me but all this time I was under the mistaken notion that one of the hallmarks of barcodes was their uniqueness. Not only are two different items supposed to have two different barcodes but the corillary is that each item is supposed to have one and only one barcode.

So what's up with the homies at Pyramid Brewing? Didn't they get the memo?

Guess where I'm going to park?

We all get those bulk mailed envelopes bursting with coupons we have no interest in. Oh, if you're anything like me you paw through them every time, pulling a few out, swearing you'll use them. But no, the expiration date comes and goes.

But this one got my attention. Why? Cuz it has a barcode, that's why.

Font thieves busted!

Stories like this hit home. Overal, I'm glad they got caught and I hope it serves as a warning to others. Fonts are intellectual property just like all copyrighted software. Stealing fonts is stealing. Period.

I just wonder how nobody knew they were committing a sin. Sounds like what we call grand larceny where I come from. Paying up retroactively isn't good enough for me. If I find out they were stealing my fucking software I'm calling out the lawyers.

myspace: me too, me too!

As if a family of web sites and this blog isn't enough, I just establish a myspace presence.

Just what I need, another project...

The Mosquito Ringtone

NPR had a story about the mosquito ringtone. Colleen email it to Clyde, Ben, and I. Seems as we age, we lose the ability to hear high frequencies. Someone made a machine that generates such noises as a way to disperse loitering teens. Then the teens realize they can use it as a ringtone to avoid having their teachers hear it in class.

I decide to unleash a mosquito ringtone of my own. Enjoy!

Old barcodes on new bottles

I'm always intrigued by non-standard barcodes, especially UPC bar codes. I find this product-inspired packaging creative. The label is diecut to resemble an apple and the bump in the upper left is the stem. Clever.

Reminds me of a bottle of wine I ran across years ago from a winery named Eye of the Swan. The barcode was part of the illustration: cattails with a swan. The barcode was part of the stalks.

Makes me laugh when I hear about companies trying to patent barcodes-as-illustrations. A Japanese company with an American partner here in Seattle comes to mnd. Can you spell "prior art"?

Barcode scanner as camera

Take a look at this photo. Looks like it was taken with a camera phone, right?

No. It was taken using this barcode scanner and its bundled software.

Not really a big surprise given that barcode scanners are CCD devices.

We told you not to trust RFID...

As we've been saying, RFID ain't safe. And here's someone who's done what we've all had nightmares about.

The cat's outta the bag. You've been warned.

666 is coming! 666 is coming!

We all know that 666 is the Mark of the Beast. Don't we??? If not, read this.

And we all know that UPC barcodes include the Mark of the Beast .

So all fellow barcode nerds are hereby given notice of the upcoming date: 06/06/06 Read all about it right here. Better polish up that barcode tattoo of yours.

Let's all move to Wisconsin!

Prgressive politics have been part of WI's political heritage for generations. This proposed stance on chip implants makes me smile.

Would you believe a barcode robot?

Now herer's a guy with an interesting hobby.

There was a barcode in there somewhere

This story strikes me as funny. On a number of levels. My only regret is not having been there to witness this man-machine interaction.

You just know barcodes played a part in this drama!

Suntan tattoos as barcodes

This story reminds me of using laser printed transparencies to make suntan tattoos.

If only I'd listened to Ray Delnicki and done RSS barcodes oh those many years ago we wouldn't be struggling with PLUs today. Sh*t...

Linux Barcode Fonts. For IBM no less!

We sent out a press release today announcing our new Linux barcode fonts for UPC, Code 128, Code 39, and Interleaved 2 of 5.

Let's just say that the 'official' release was somewhat sanitized. I encourage you to read the real press release instead!