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A Barcode Driven Kitchen and Grocery List?

Posted by Cliff on from the digital-assistance-for-common-tasks dept.

Crazy Brian asks: "I have envisioned, for some time now, having a 3Com Audrey with a barcode scanner in my kitchen, where I can scan in items as I put them away, then scan them again as I use them. Barcode information would be stored on my MySQL server, and an inventory would be updated. I could then generate a shopping list, or link it to a database of recipes, to find out what I can have for dinner tonight. The closest thing I have found is the ShopWizard from Symbol, which only runs under Windows. Is there anything out there for Linux? I hope it can use the upcdatabase to find unknown barcodes. Is there any group interest in creating something like this, assuming nothing already exists?" Icepick's Trashbin is a simple application built on this concept, but wouldn't knowing exactly what is in your cabinets and having a ready-made grocery list be a useful feature for any kitchen?

5 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Re:MySQL, huh? by iamsure · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nice troll.

    You can use innodb tables to get referential integrity, and why wouldn't you be able to normalize the data? MySQL has had that ability for ages.

    And you are already a subscriber HERE, where they use MySQL, so clearly you are willing to pay for services driven by mysql. :)

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  2. Already been done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.cedarnet.org/smartware/Hardware/PantryP od/ It even uses a :CueCat!

  3. Re:Already exists by really? · · Score: 1, Informative

    Entirely too much maintenance required for a "wife unit".
    I find that a "maid unit" is much more trouble free; simple maintenance, EASY upgrade.
    Mind you, I have yet to try out a "wife unit" as I can't seem to find a try before you buy version. (No, "girlfriend unit" does not count.)

    --

    "Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead." A. Huxley
  4. Some thoughts. by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nothing beats a cuecat for cheap barcode scanners. PS2 and USB are available, and no stupid driver funkiness.

    Also consider a scanner tasked only to scan receipts. I've been considering something myself, perhaps a small business card scanner would work. As you're putting away the groceries, stick the receipt in there, and a custom script files, OCRs, whatevers it. Maybe also noting the day and time. It could automatically pop up a warning on day 8 that "If the half gallon of milk isn't finished today, it may be time to finish it off or toss it." or somesuch. Or even auto-generate the grocery list as it decides the items are gone, or spoiled.

    And as much as I hate RFID, you gotta admit, for at least this one application, it would be cool.

  5. Re:You've been duped.... by smatthew · · Score: 2, Informative

    some of them deserve it. really.

    I used to raise animals for my 4-H projects. I raised swine, chicken, heifers, steers, lambs... you name it. And i won quite a few prizes at the fair.

    One year I was raising a steer named Bobby. Bobby was a bad bad animal. He was being raised on a nice farm, with tender loving care, and really good food, yet he showed nothing but malice toward everyone. Basically everybody got kicked, head butted (hard enough to send a grown 200lb man over a fence), and hurt. In the show ring he kicked me hard enough that people heard a cracking sound and thought I had broken some bones.

    But when it was all over, man was he tasty. I've never ever had steaks that tasted soo good.

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