Two U.S. students –Silver and Woodland- invented the barcode in 1948. Their first barcode was called bull’s eye because it was a series of black and white concentric circles. They were granted a patent in 1952. The barcode system made it to the commercial arena in the 1960s and by the 1980s it had become widespread worldwide (the barcodes of variable black and white bars as we know them today did not appear until the 1990s). Forty years from invention to ubiquitousness. In 1999, a particularly innovative version of the barcode returned to the system’s initial circularity: ShotCode is a circular sequence of black and white blocks that represent an Internet address. They are designed to be read by mobile phone cameras. ShotCodes differ from matrix barcodes in that they do not store data; instead, they store a number. This number is linked to a server that holds information regarding an Internet website which the reading device can connect to in order to download said data. Users download ShotCode software on their camera phones and then use their mobile phone cameras to scan the circular symbols; the software recognizes the server and identifies the right Internet address. The compelling logo-like graphic of ShotCodes takes the barcode system to the realm of personal mobility and flexible networks. It also takes it to a more whimsical realm beyond the strict inventory-like uses associated with the red-beam scanners one can find in supermarkets and distribution centers.
