Category: 3. Research

All about barcodes

blagazelia

diagram

Left Hand Guard Bars – These bars serve as a starting reference point for the scanning devices.
Number System Character – This digit identifies the type of manufacturer or how the barcode will be used. For example 0, 6, and 7 are generally used in the retail industry, while 3 is assigned to the health and drug manufacturing industries.
Number System Bars – These bars correspond to the Number System Character.
Manufacturer ID Number – Each company must apply for a Universal Product Identification Number with the Uniform Code Council. The UCC assigns each company a unique six digit identification number for use on all of their products. The number is composed of the Number System Character and a five digit manufacturer’s code.
Manufacturer ID Bars – These bars correspond to the Manufacturer’s ID Number.
Tall Center Bar – These bars serve as a middle reference point for the scanning devices.
Item Number – Each company is responsible for assigning a unique five digit number to each of their products.
Item Bars – These bars correspond to the Item Number.
Modulo Check Character – This digit is derived from a mathematical formula based on the unique set of numbers in each barcode that helps ensure the accuracy of the data scan.
Modulo Check Bars – These bars correspond to the Modulo Check Character.
Right Hand Guard Bars – These bars serve as an ending reference point for the scanning devices.

upcaUPC A – Uniform Product Code version A is a widely used style of barcode in retail stores for sales checkout.

upceUPC E – Version E is a compressed UPC A also called Zero Suppressed. Used on small items like cans of soda, cigarettes, and candy.

ean13EAN 13 – European Article Numbering encodes 13 characters and is used throughout the world (except for USA and Canada) to mark physical goods in retail shops.

IisbnSBN – International Standard Book Number includes the price of the book in the barcode. The last 5 digits in this example translate to $44.95 US dollars.

datamatrixData Matrix – Two-dimensional barcode which can store 2,000 ASCII characters. It can encode a lot of information in a small space.

Source (“Barcode Diagram”, Barcode Art)

What languages do you speak?

blagazelia
language
Credit: Google

Soon, students may learn to code instead of taking French classes.

Because some people think that learning to code is less painful than learning a foreign language. I believe it is more useful future wise, considering the high demand of brains that can write useful applications to make our lives much more easier, but it has it’s drawbacks too.

Learning a foreign language is fun, and it is a good way to broaden your horizons. People who speak foreign languages are more valued that those who don’t, because it takes effort and time to learn them. Also courage to practice, and be willing to constantly improve yourself. In order to code, you need more patience, more focus, you need to have good math skills, to think analytically, to be able to solve problems in an efficient way.

There is a problem in our societies realated to school. Everything that is  compulsory is regarded with repulsion. For example math and foreign languages. Why should I study math, I’m never going to use these formulas in my life! I’m sorry to dissapoint you, but yes, you will use them. If not you, then someone else, who is going to build a house or roads or buildings in which you will work. Maybe someone will invent something revolutionary just because he/ she found a formula which gives amazing properties to certain substances, and in combination with some ramps and angles, will create a new device that will help a lot of people. When some people realize how important is to study math, it will be too late. Other people will be way ahead, enjoying learning and discovering new facts about our world, while other will be bored (or content) with their average lives.

School doesn’t teach us valuable thing for our future. It doesn’t open paths. It forces us to become what society needs us to become. We can’t be fully happy or good at what we do if we are forced to choose a path. That’s why foreign languages and coding should co-exist in school. Not so that children could figure out what they are good at, but to give them oportunities in life to do more things. One can be a good programmer and speak more foreign languages, or can know how to do just one. But life is much more than working for someone in order to make people happy.

Or we’ll soon end up like this:

sudo
Credit: xkcd