Barcodes: The Number of the Beast

writes "The concept of UPC barcodes on packages at the grocery store is a little pedestrian these days. Much creativity has gone into the use of barcodes for many more applications than originally conceived (don't worry -- no Cuecat diatribe here!). For example, Scott Blake uses barcodes to create large, mosaic works of art. Andy Deck has reinvented classic literature with Bardcode which will stream the entire works of Shakespeare to you as barcodes. If you do nothing else, check out Art Lebedev, a group of Russian artists that manipulates photos to reveal hidden bar codes (The nod to Abbey Road in New Beatles By Robert Dyomkin is especially appealing to an ex-scouser like me). "

Boomzilla continues: Barcodes were first developed in the railroad business to keep track of which cars went with which engine. The barcodes were imprinted on the side of the railway cars. The barcodes on each car could then be read together to compile information on that particular grouping; what station they came from, where they were headed, etc. thus automating the process of marshalling. When the business world realized how well this system worked, these railway barcodes evolved into the UPC system with which we are all familiar. To really be able to take in the wonder that are bar codes, check out the excellent FAQ created by Russ Adams and an article from the BBC.

Coming full circle, the clever folks at Bekonscot Model Railway in the UK have utilized barcodes at every turn of their expansive system. For example, an MP3 player is driven off barcodes attached to trains. The trains are announced before they arrive and when they are leaving, stating their destination, route and at what stations they will call.

Want a barcode of your name?

Comments

Sweet Christ!

[FortKnox]

How did I ever go on in life without know this stuff?

I'm trying to replace my useless trivia knowledge with something more worthy of knowing. This isn't helping...

So, seriously, what's up with the barcode expose? Is it that slow of a news day?

666

[gpinzone]

The 666 bugaboo has been attributed to so many different things, it's impossible for anyone to take it seriously. The pope, Ronal Regan, barcodes, socal security numbers, driver's licenses, you name it.

bizare != art

[SuperBanana]

Andy Deck has reinvented classic literature with Bardcode which will stream the entire works of Shakespeare to you as barcodes.

You know, I'm completely fed up with shit getting dressed up as art. Paint thrown at a canvas- it's just paint, thrown at a canvas. A bathroom sink, dragged out of a dump, is just a effin' sink, dragged out of a dump. I've seen both gussied up as "art", and it's not- it's a no-good, washed out artist, who couldn't think up something creative, got desperate to put the meal on the table...so they went "random", and dressed it up as creative; someone was stupid enough to fall for it(or they're hero-worshipping), and everyone else outright pretends, or convinces themselves to see something in it, all because they don't want to feel stupid. Random is not creative. Random is not unique, in the sense of unique = valuable; it's just unique.

Streaming the entire works of Shakespear as barcodes is just streaming the text of a book as a barcode. It has no creativity; it adds nothing to the original work; it serves no purpose; it cannot be appreciated or celebrated, and there would be no difference between using Shakespear or the latest copy of TPenthouse, as far as any observer could tell.

Re:bizare != art

[Nept]

It has no creativity; it adds nothing to the original work; it serves no purpose; it cannot be appreciated or celebrated

That's pretty much post-modernism by definition, isn't it?

Re:So wouldn't it be interesting if...

[Call Me Black Cloud]

No it wouldn't.

Re:Barcodes have 666 encoded on them?

[FooCuff]

Yes, but can you explain why books I buy at Borders bookstores have UPCs on stickers that they put over the UPCs that come preprinted on the book? Are they hip to this whole number of the beast thing and looking out for my immortal soul or what? :)

Re:fscking with barcodes? go to jail for theft/fra

[EddWo]

Why was the price included as part of the barcode? I thought that the idea of a barcode was to contain a unique identifier that could be matched up with an item in the Stores database to get the price and inventory information. As I understand it the recode issue involved people printing their own fake barcodes with a reduced price and then using them to buy stuff in stores. I don't understand how this could have worked when the item price should not be a part of the barcode itself. Unless they were swapping the code on one item with one from a similar but cheaper product. But you hardly need to use a website to do that!