Barcodes: The Number of the Beast 287
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?
Sweet Christ! (Score:2, Insightful)
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 (Score:3, Insightful)
bizare != art (Score:2, Insightful)
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:So wouldn't it be interesting if... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Barcodes have 666 encoded on them? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:bizare != art (Score:3, Insightful)
That's pretty much post-modernism by definition, isn't it?
Re:fscking with barcodes? go to jail for theft/fra (Score:2, Insightful)