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Semacode - Hyperlinks For The Real World
An anonymous reader submits "Semacode is a fascinating concept - it involves encoding a standard network/web URL in visual form (essentially a 2D bar code) that can be displayed in the real world for people to 'read' with semacode-enabled connected devices. The reference platform for now is the Symbian/Series 60 phone platform - specifically, the Nokia 3650 . Semacode also works with the Nokia 6600 and 7650 camera phones."
Hummmm, special 2d barcodes to relate product infomation to consumers? CueCat anyone?
RatioShack did this a few years back with the Cue codes on the pages of their catalog. As I remember a few magazines also printed Cue barcodes on ad pages - so you could just swipe the Cue and voila, be at their website.
Are they going to give me a free Nokia to read the code, like RadioShack gave away the wand?
OK, I didn't RTFA, but wasn't this same concept widely used in Japan awhile ago (and maybe still is)?
why can't the software be smart enough to read the printerd characters of a url directly? duh
lmao. Try removing a letter from slashdot.org at random. Every one of them exists except for slashot.org :)
Work is punishment for failing to procrastinate effectively.
Could this be used (much like the Nintendo e-reader) to encode minigames onto ads or signs? That could be fun.
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[Big Brick Wall]
In 1999 I got a Sony Vaio Picturebook - a paperback book sized sub-notebook that has a VGA camera in the top edge of the screen/lid.
One of the features of the Picturebooks was an app called Cybercode. Cybercode is a barcode generator (not a "2D barcode" - all barcodes are 2D, they have height and width) that generates a code that the PC can see with the Motion Eye camera. The codes have applications, animations or other programs associated with them, and I could run different playlists, for example, just by showing a card to the PC.
The guys at Sony Computer Science Labs built a superb demo of this technology here. I recommend the video at the bottom of the page -- a superb demo of what is possible.
I now have two Picturebooks and still use the newest one regularly. I tried different methods of using Cybercodes, and was able to give presentations at college where I ran the VAIO though a laptop and had Cybercode finder running. As I talked about different topics in the lecture, I showed the back of my note cards to the Motion Eye, and the VAIO ran video clips on command.
Now wash your hands.
for instance, to have barcodes on the packaging of stuff. For example, this code on the outside of prescription medication could link to the producer's web site, or to medical databases so patients and physicians could easily access important information. It would save hugely on paper. I myself would like to have this on my lab equipment so I could have access to user manuals, technical information, experimental protocols and so on. Let's have it!
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
Obfuscating the URL in an image just hides the information for everyone who doesn't have a fancy phone or just doesn't know how to use it. Use plain URLs on products, then use the phone to photography them and then surf to the web.
If the technology works, it could be really useful to add information to your surroundings. Browsing CDs at the store ? Photography one, get reviews from amazon. Looking at a concert flyer ? Photography it, get a map to the place and order tickets. Reading a magazine article about cool technology ? Photography it, get links about the tech to wikipedia.
The technology has the potential to be really cool, but semacode just plain sucks.
Soon, the MPAA will put ones in movies that cause phones to report in to the MPAA.
I know that HP's CoolTown is mainly marketing chum, but at the core was actual research into linking the web to physical items. When you're considering what to do with semacode, you should check out some of the CoolTown IEEE submitted research papers. Oh, and here's a fluffy article on bridging URLs to meatspace.
- Magazine ad containing a song
- Movie poster containing a multimedia presentation (maybe a cool Flash movie or something)
- I can now print Strongbad emails on a T-shirt!!!
- In the manner of the dvdcss code T-shirts, we can have T-shirts containing moderately large programs, such that anyone can obtain the exact code with a simply photograph (otherwise, you'd have to manually read the source code and type it in, with a huge possiblity of error)
Since the code can be as big as necessary, it might be a full page, but with the ubiquity of high-resolution digital cameras, it will be easy for almost anyone to digitize the bar code.Dr Superlove 300ml. I use my powers for awesome
Lets imagine that we have built an AI that is able to autonomously move about in a given area, our lab.
We wantto train the AI how to identify objects, people and items that it "sees" with its digital camera. One way to do this is build a really extensive algorythym which will analyze the visual data, and "think" associations and discern information about the seen object.
Aditionally, we can use cues to provide contextual information about objects thatthe AI will see from a backend source which does notrequire processing locally on the AIs part to identify.
If our lab environment had objects which had 2d barcodes on them - the AI could see an object, see its 2d barcod tag and instantly retrieve info about the visualized subject.
We could still employ the AI code for calculating #D space as it moves about - but it can then be provided with contextual information about the objects it sees. as it learns, it can learn to associate 2d barcodes with object shapes, so that in the future when it encounters them - it only really need to recall the semacpde 2d barcode on the object to pull contextual information again on that same - or similar object. Ideally - it should also be able to write information to the backend DB to update semacodes and relate them... memories if you will.