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>Can I read these with my CueCat?

No, the stamps discussed in the article contain what look like normal images. It is iOS and Android image recognition being used with apps (both named Junaio) to bring up the related content.

I believe the CueCat scans something similar to slanted barcode (still data read in a line - 1D).

The last part of the stamps article mentions a second technology that seems unrelated to the new stamps, except it could be put on other stamps perhaps. It is 2D code with a grid of tiny squares as tag data. That is more complex to read than traditional or CueCat barcode being 2D. It sounds much like the 2D graphic tags I've seen on UPS packages as shown in this MaxiCode Barcode FAQ & Tutorial.

The Cauzin strips I posted about are different yet. They look like a group of parallel tracks each containing serial data. There's an example at the end of this old Apple II article:

Using EDASM To Generate Relocatable Code

As with most RF systems, one needs an antenna of at least 1/4 wavelength - making the whole package larger than the chip size (viz. http://www.idautomation.com/rfid_faq.html).

A single PDF417 barcode is larger than a large postage stamp by itself. You'd need 20 of them to store the ICAO test data set, and it's expected that future data sets will be larger. Further, according to this, trying to encode lots of data is problematic.

Do as the librarians do: divide the books into major subjects and then alphabetize by author. If you need to search by something else, Google is your cross-reference.

Or, just use Google first: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en& q=book+isbn+barcode+scanner

Which yields:

http://idautomation.com/isbn/
http://www.eblong.com/zarf/bookscan/

and

http://isbntools.com/

The last one seems pretty complete.

I believe http://ask.slashdot.org/ should just redirect to http://www.google.com/

Hmm, I have to wonder though if it was a comment on how embedded fonts aren't standardized natively by browsers instead of having to use e.g. Flash. That is, problems showing your font without having to use plugins, or use another font that you intended. There are some methods of pulling this off, but one can of course not expect readers to have these things installed.

It's early, but I might as well announce it.. flotsm.com: Generates 'tokens' akin to MaxiCode based on file content; MP3, PNG, GIF, what have you, colorized/formatted according to file characteristics (file format, bpm, size/resolution, etc) You can match existing 'tokens' for material you like against a database of potentially similar material. The 'token' has a sample of the data stored steganographically, so it's playable, viewable, etc.

PDF417 allows for 1100 bytes. That's not enough.

It's not a trivial problem, after all you'd like the device to be battery-free, but maybe you'd have to abandon that requirement. Wouldn't be so horrible to put one of those watch batteries into it, since if the battery was lost or went dead you could just get a new one at the border. Then you can put a button on the damn thing so it's only transmitting when you press the button. And then you can have your digitally signed photo, which is the whole point of this in the first place.

One would assume it would be pretty hard for your Joe Sixpack to go out and just print these things willy-nilly.

All you need is a barcode printer and some software which are publicly available for a few hundred dollars, like from these guys. Get a UPC number off a pack of chewing gum and put the sticker on a mountain bike. The hard part is finding a checker who won't notice. I can't figure out that one.

Readerware has obtained a limited quantity of CueCat barcode readers. While supplies last you can get a FREE barcode reader when you order a Readerware bundle on CD. USB and PS/2 barcode readers are available, your choice.

And this isn't the cuecat, but:

http://www.idautomation.com/wands/w3usb.html

The W3USB wand connects via a USB port, perfect for laptops and PDA devices. It contains its own built-in decoder so information scanned appears as if it had been typed from the keyboard. ...

A lot of retailers don't use the UPC, and instead use their own item SKUs (item numbers). This requires adding a barcode sticker to all items, which can be a hassle, but it means that you control your own item numbers. This is what we did when I worked for Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn. We used code-128 and Symbol scanners. and had item numbers of up to ten digits.

Also, I've worked with a lot of crappy old point of sale software, and lots of crappy scanners, and I'd be surprised if any crashed on a long barcode. Mostly likely they'll just beep and refuse to scan. (Though I suppose this depends on whether they are keyboard wedge (like the CueCat, simply generating keypresses) or a more direct connection like most older registers use. Keyboard wedge systems would be more susceptible to buffer overruns, but they are definately the low-end solution. I guess I can't say for sure generally, but I know that the barcode scanning code I wrote for Williams-Sonoma definitely will not crash over thirteen digits. :-)

These guys have a free demo for reading / writing PDF417 ...

Here is a pretty good summary of the PDF417 format ...

Here is some more information about the PDF417 standard ...

but HERE seems to be a very thorough summary of all of the 2D barcode formats ...