Google Barcode Logo: Barcode 57th Anniversary

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Google barcode logo

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uploaded by Jordan Yerman

Today's Google Doodle is a barcode, commemorating the anniversary of the patent of the barcode (October 7, 1952). My, how the barcode has grown. The barcode is, at its most basic level, a machine-readable representation of data. Supermarkets and warehouses sing the barcode's praises, and marketing companies are even now just coming to grips with its many uses. And, of course, the apotheosis of fame: a Google barcode logo! (Some are positing that the Google barcode reads "666", but I bet it just reads "Google"). In fact, you can make your own barcode. Not sure what you'd use it for, but hey- The future is here.

The Google barcode logo isn't quite celebrating the invention of the barcode- just the date on which it was patented.

And, oh, how the barcode has evolved. You've probably seen those weird speckly-square-looking barcodes on posters, which you're meant to photograph with your mobile phone and send to a special website by which to learn more about a product, but trust me- the technology will streamline before too long, especially once smartphones come free with the wireless contract. Which will happen sooner than perhaps you think. The next level of this technology is RFID, which allows stored data to be read at a distance: moderately useful for inventory, fantastically convenient for data and ID theft.