I'm not sure if you have caught all the hype around the Ferrari barcode issue? Perhaps not but that’s why we are here; keeping you updated on all things interesting…and barcoded (they are kind of synonymous; the barcodes and the interesting). The Google machine has been inundated with reports claiming that Ferrari’s Formula 1 Livery is a subliminal form of advertising for its title sponsor Marlboro.
 

Did you ever wonder what the barcode branding down the back of the Ferrari was for? Well, according to Doctors and Health officials, it has less to do with being able to commercially scan the Ferrari at the till in your local Pick n Pay than it does with subliminally getting you to buy a pack of Marlboro smokes.

Luca di Montezemolo, president of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro has replied to the allegations by saying that “there are more important matters to think about than a barcode.” Are you being serious Luca my man! I used to be a big Ferrari fan but this one absolutely ludicrous statement will see me supporting the Red Bull team for the rest of the season. More important things! You must be having a laugh!

If nothing else, all this has proved that beyond automating mundane tasks and eliminating human error, the barcode has special subliminal powers too. The Barcodenator - a workplace super hero!

A report at patentlyapple.com details very explicitly Apple’s intent to enter the mobile ticketing market. It had to be expected – The Apple Empire was destined to cross paths with the worlds best automation technology at some point. We actually think that Steve Jobs and his employees were a little slow on the barcode uptake but what they are proposing is still very cool:

 

Apple envisions a way to revolutionize the entire current concert ticket process so as to eliminate paper while enhancing the concert or event experience. Mobile barcode ticketing has major advantages over traditional paper based methods for controlling entry to events. Obviously there is the saving of the trees but people these days are also more likely to forget their concert ticket at home than their mobile phone.

There are many additional benefits too such as concert goers receiving live recordings of the concert they just attended, song lyrics, discount parking, access to exclusive artist interviews and even pre-purchased refreshments. All this through one magical mobile barcode. "What next" I hear  you say!

According to a report by David Jackson, Kettering General Hospital in the UK has started using a “barcoded wristband and heel prick testing label” system to make baby information (not as in ‘small information’ but as in information pertaining to infant humans) available to midwives in an instant.

“It is hoped the new system will improve safety by ensuring hospital staff have more information about the baby, including its name, NHS number, date of birth, sex and mother's name, in a matter of seconds by reading or scanning the bar code on the wristband.”

Dave goes on to say that “previously, a baby's basic personal information would have been handwritten on the infant's wristband, which takes more time and could be less reliable if the handwriting is difficult to read.”

At Kettering and in other hospitals where barcoding has been introduced, the time taken to enter a baby's information into the system has been reduced by up to 400%. FOUR HUNDRED PER CENT - you do the math!

I just went to collect my world cup tickets which I previously reserved and paid for at an FNB. Not that I didn't expect it after seeing the barcode on my proof of purchase card, but the magic that unfolded at the ticketing centre when I ran the barcode under the scanner was nothing shy of incredible! Within the split of a split millisecond, out popped 6 perfectly crisp 2010 FIFA World Cup tickets - no queues, no convoluted systems and especially no power hungry public servant types obstructing me from exiting with my tickets and a fat smile on my face.

The tickets have barcodes all over them - I cant wait to see what will transpire when they are scanned at the stadium! My 5 compadres and I will probably be allowed seameless access to the event, secure in the knowledge that our tickets can't be duplicated or forged - this is what I am thinking will probably happen - awesomeness!