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Universal Alphanumeric Postal Code Proposed
Meshach writes "An article in the Globe and Mail is discussing a possible change to the way postal codes are assigned over the world. NAC Geographic Products will be using Microsoft's MapPoint to power their Mobile Location-Based Services Network, which could change all postal codes in the world to a simpler, more universal format."
It will now be possible to have your snail mail crash on you. Imagine opening up your mailbox and getting a BSOD. And naturally Microsoft will sell your snail address to the spammers, so you'll get about 50 junk mails per day. And a robotic Spam Assassin is a lot more expensive than its free software counterpart. Who thought this was a good idea anyway - Bill Gates, or maybe some of the other spammers?
Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
With Microsoft in control of the system, Finland will mysteriously disappear from all the routing systems...
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
This should help nicely in controlling the masses.
Which means that as a New Jersey resident, my postal code would be:
5h1+h0l3
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
It's the war of the l33t-5cript kidd13s, and I fear they may be winning.
The only complaints I've seen about alphanumeric codes have been about the difficulty remembering them: I can't say they're much worse than US zip codes.
I assert that my comment is only my opinion, not that of any employer, past, present or future.
I suppose that will mean Santa Claus' Postal Code will change from the current form:
:(
H0H 0H0
And thats too bad
I can't wait for Universal Location Codes v6.
With 1.8e4806 possible locations, it will be worth everyone memorizing a simple 2Meg file.
I assert that my comment is only my opinion, not that of any employer, past, present or future.
download and install the western font from microsoft i suppose.
Stop at #9 IRQL_NOT_GREATER_OR_EQUAL Lane. Look for the blue mailbox.
Let's not forget to use an "E" prefix, so that when we move to Mars or the Moon, then we can start using "M" and... oh... wait a second.
Expect Microsoft to add hooks into your Address Book (so you can easily print envelopes with the correct zip code, of course). Then the next Outlook Macro virus with send junk paper mail to everyone in your address book. Once it is also integrated with eStamp, all hell will break loose. Your postal carrier will shoot you when he/she finds 1.3 million outgoing letters in your mailbox.
well... maybe some readers have never been to New Jersey, and now they've learned something!
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Are a tool of surveillance and domination. They make you feel like a number. I'm not a number. I'm a man.
1 - Will the zipcode format change every odd years each time M$ feels like doing an upgrade ? with the current "non-universal" postal system, there are people who get mails and postcards delivered sometimes decades after they've been sent. Will posters senders get "can't resolve address" return mails if their postcards isn't delivered in time ?
2 - How much dya bet you'd have to use those longish cryptic zipcodes as registration keys in future Microsoft products ?
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
You mean Beverly Hills B00B5-B00B5?
...could change all postal codes in the world to a simpler, more universal format.
What's that sound?
It's the sound of millions of database application programmers screaming in agony.
The Normalization Monkey says, "Who's laughing now! Bwahahaha!"
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
"This letter can only be opened in Microsoft Windows-enabled homes"
Is it just me, or does that look like part of a Microsoft product key?
Sure, using GPS for location is nicer, but this provides a much more compressed form of basically the same data. Just think, now you can be stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the south Pacific and still get your mail.
How am I supposed to fit a pithy, relevant quote into 120 characters?
Based on latitude and longitude, the NAC system can represent an area the size of a province using two alphanumeric characters.
That's a bummer for gypsies. Maybe there should be a service equivalent to dyndns for them, so they can upgrade their own postcodes themselves on the move ?
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Before we get completely bogged down by the ever-increasing number of often conflicting "standards", we need to adopt a "Standard Standard". That is to say, a standard which standardizes the standardization of standards. The first self-referential standard in this meta standard must say, of course, that "Standard Standard" is the standard standard standard. Anyone who implements this standard standard will immediately realize huge profits corresponding to the savings accrued by eliminating the standard duplication of standards which has become the standard.
--Lawrence Lessig for Congress!
Since 70% of the postal codes will be in the middle of the ocean, I can't wait to send out snail mail to random addresses. "Return to sender: no creature with opposable thumbs was available to sign for delivery. Try back in 3 billion years."
The article claims that these will be universal codes for all over the world, but what about for countries that don't use the standard western alphabet?
Isn't that what unicode is for? And what could be more simple than remembering the bit-equivalent of unicode kanji?
The ______ Agenda
For example, NAC Geographic Products' address in Toronto would be 8CNB5 Q8Z4R.
Ecnbs Qesar?
Sorry. I keep trying to decode that address code as 'leet speak. :)
How would you feel becoming obsolete?
Achille Talon
Hop!
This is old news... to check compatibility between Outlook and the USPS, Microsoft started beta testing sending virii through snail mail a short while back.
Error: PANTS NOT FOUND. Press <F1> to continue.
I can't believe no one has thought why this is doomed to fail. Not invented here? Won't be used here. Same for that silly French metric system.
The original article says that the system is based on lattitude and longitude.
So, should you live in L.A. your code might be "xxxxx xxxxx", but AFTER the next earth quake, your code would change to "xyxxx xxxxx".
Not very practical if you ask me ;-)
What if your address is in a high-rise? Is it accurate to a cube meter? :-)
So, it's obviously a genius idea to incorporate the two!
Do I smell an all new, sub-par pseudo monopoly?
Yay!
*A Life Without Compromise*
They'll be liberated... Have you not been paying attention?
Yes, yes... tell me about your childhood.
John Doe
15 Schlotzky Blvd
Mudville, AZ 12345
USA
Earth, Sol, Milky Way
Now THIS is universal. :) This shoud work for a while, until we have to start specifying which of the universes we really mean. Then, I guess, we'd have to add another line:
The-One-With-The-Evil-Spock
If you open yourself to the foo, You and foo become one.
A friend of mine got a new phone number. For the longest time, I wondered why her new phone number struck me as strange. Finally, I decided to stop and figure it out.
XXX-1337
It took a while since the situation had nothing to do with computers, but I finally realized that some part of my mind was trying to read it as "LEET".
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Should redo those measurements in meters :) Not Miles :) The rest of the world is Metric.. less than 7% of the worlds population still uses Miles :) Talk about making a system that doesn't fit the worlds common useage :)
Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
Or alternatively - film the event and send it to jackass so we can all laugh histerically as you get publicly debagged by Miffed Welshmen/Irishmen or Scotts..
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