A few years ago, the
Cue:Cat tried to link print with the web by enabling barcodes in newspapers that you could scan with a hand-held device. That turned out to be a bad idea. But the notion of printable barcodes that contain web URLs is resurfacing, and this time it could be really useful: links between physical objects, or places, with web-based resources. Don't have a computer and barcode scanner handy? The
Semacode project website outlines how it could be done with photo phones, whose utility as web access devices is sometimes hampered by the difficulty of entering URLs.
Point your Nokia 3650 or Sony Ericsson T610 at a bus stop sign (with this type of code on it) and get instant data on the next bus. Look up restaurants nearby. Or get any other information that's location-sensitive. It all seems futuristic, but all of the necessary technology exists today, including the barcode standards. A similar "disruptive technologies" effort from
NeoMedia Technologies aims to connect photo phones with Amazon.com for point-and-click comparison shopping, or ordering of books that you might find in a library or local bookstore.
