On October 7, 1952, the first patent [PDF] for a barcode was issued. Today, Google is celebrating the anniversary with a special logo. Why not generate your own or find out how they work. In addition to generally making things easier, barcodes also have to power to mesmerize world leaders.
posted by Deathalicious on Oct 6, 2009 - 49 comments

"As of November 2000, I will no longer respond to questions concerning this subject." So says frustrated inventor of the UPC barcode George J. Laurer. You know, the question about barcodes, 666 and the Mark of the Beast. "It is simply a coincidence like the fact that my first, middle, and last name all have 6 letters. " Sure thing, George, we really believe you...
posted by lagado on Dec 8, 2000 - 8 comments

Have you ever wondered about what bar codes really mean? Or how to generate them? Barcode 1 is a neat resource. Even cooler is the Barcode Server, which will generate codes for you. Finally, you can look up bar codes for your favorite products at the UPC Database.
posted by tdecius on Sep 18, 1999 - 0 comments