Scan this!

Interesting Wired article about companies releasing software that turns your camera-equipped cell phone into a bar-code scanner. It’s a pretty darn cool concept to be able to swipe an item and have your phone look for deals and coupons online.

The article also makes a gratuitous reference to the CueCat, a name you would have thought would be banned from the pages of Wired until the sun goes super nova. I’ll never forget receiving my copy of said device, looking at it, and going, “Em, so I have to install some cheesy software, connect this thing in some totally non-standard way, and give up the last few shreds of my privacy. What’s in it for me? Ah, I can swipe ads in Wired so I don’t have to type in a URL.” How coked up was the venture capitalist who decided to throw money into that concept?