Barcodes linking to online content II In late 2000, the US company Digital:Convergence released a bar code scanner profiled like a cat and appropriately called the Cue:Cat. Their dream was to link the physical world to the digital world by enabling us to scan bar codes on newspapers articles or any objects and be automatically taken to a corresponding website.
Radio Shack was giving those scanners for free with their catalogues and people could scan little barcodes printed next to the items and be taken to that item's page on RS's website. With a separate cable plugged into their TV, they were able to go to websites related to the showing programs or commercials. Those barcodes also appeared in Forbes, Wired, Adweek and a few more magazines and newspapers which were giving the scanners away free to their subscribers.
In a matter of weeks the fad backlashed when users reverse-engineered the programs used by the scanner and discovered that each scanner had a unique ID. Many then claimed that they were being spied on, their scanning habits tracked, recorded and transmitted back to the company. Outrage was quickly followed by a common effort to modify (hack) the device and free it from its spying software. Other efforts tried to widen its range of uses and created softwares to catalogue CD collections, passcards protected access to computers, order food supplies automatically etc. Hundreds of websites were created with explanations on how to modify the device and use it for some far more exciting tasks. Digital:Convergence responded to the revolt with C&D letters claiming their Intellectual Property was being violated.

Today D:C's website is dormant and it would be hard to know how many of the devices are still being used, but a search on Sourceforge reveals a few softwares still make use of the scanner and allow teachers to have a classroom library checkout system, play certain CDs from an MP3 collection, look up book informations etc...






The Cross Convergence was a combination ink pen and portable scanner working with the Cue:Cat barcodes.

If you own some issues of Wired mag, or RS's catalogue or are able to send us pics of the barcodes, please do so using the Contact US link at the top left corner of this site.