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Those of you that have worked with barcodes know that the biggest hinderance is having the barcode reader when you need it.
This is an obvious system-wide design flaw.
What is needed is a phonetic bar code language so that one could call out the barcode to the guy hogging the electronic device.
How hard could it be to learn a language with only two letters (assumption code 39, UPC would require four).
Code 39 info
http://www.adams1.c...ussadam/39code.html [half, Oct 04 2004]
UPC "human readable" spec
http://www.uc-counc...01302/d36-3.htm#3-1 [half, Oct 04 2004]
Why was Diet Coke replaced with Coke Light?
http://www.inq7.net...sep/05/lif_32-1.htm [thumbwax, Oct 04 2004]
[link]
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Hmm, could you elaborate a bit on the "2 letters" statement? |
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Ignoring lots of technical details, its a semi-comical reference to most barcodes use of only two symbols; grocery UPC code use four. But since we'd go blind trying to read the barcodes anyway, I didn't suggest that a more feasible language wouldn't be based upon a one-to-one symbol to sound mapping. |
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Easily solved with a WAP phone linked to a UPC server, but why bother? |
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RESPONSE: COKE LIGHT 330ml SIX PACK |
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Hmmm, that's not right, I'm holding a pickled herring. Oh yes, it's 004989711897. |
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RESPONSE: PICKLED HERRING |
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Actually, I think you'd have to say for code 39 that there are 4 characters: wide bar, narrow bar, wide space, narrow space. Shorter and longer periods of silence could represent the spaces? |
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Of course all of this totally ignores the fact that barcodes are frequently accompanied by a "human readable" form of the information. |
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That's either an answer in the form of a question or a question in the form of a question, but it's definitely not an answer in the form of an answer or a question in the form of an answer or a... |
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