Friday Fun with Barcodes from your one stop barcode shop!

Transform any barcode to music with your iPhone:Developed by Leo van der Veen, this nifty little app captures the image of any barcode around you with your iPhone’s camera – anything from a book or CD or even the items in your fridge – scans it in, and converts the barcode into a unique melody. There are even options for you to play with the beats per minute and the scale of the ‘song’ produced.

Have a look at the video below to see how easily it works – I think you could have a lot of fun (and likely kill a lot of time) with this one!

The application is available from the App store.Speaking of creating music from barcodes, have a look at what Korean designer Ha Lim Lee and graphic designer Woonjin Kang – otherwise known as The Barcode Band have created:

If music isn’t how you usually opt for self-expression, how about creating a barcode that’s all about you? If you think you might get a kick out of seeing your name in barcode then upccode.net has the perfect little time-waster for you:Head to CodeMyName and enter your name in the relevant field to find out. Here’s how “SA Barcodes” comes out:

If you enjoyed that then how about going all out and creating a barcode that really defines you? Perhaps not the way you might expect however! The site BarcodeArt offers to design a readable barcode that includes all of the following information about you: 

• Gender
• Age
• The country you live in
• Height
• Weight

It is only when you take the barcode into a shop and scan it in that the humour is revealed.  The barcode will issue you with a ‘worth’ based on the data which you entered. This is cleverly calculated using a combination of real calculations, such as your BMI (body mass index) from the height and weight entered, the Gross Domestic Product of the country which you selected; combined with some quirky additions. A female takes the ‘real world’ knock of earning 72 cents less than a man with the same stats. The read-out also contains: “Disclaimer! Human beings are not merely worth somewhere between one cent and 10 dollars.” as a comment on the consumerist nature of modern times.

In a previous blog we discussed some of the creative uses of QR Codes. Here’s an idea for the tech-savvy (and possibly slightly morbid) – A QR code on your tombstone. Designed in Japan, when the QR code is scanned into a phone you will be directed to a memorial website housing text, photos and videos of the deceased person’s life.