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November 4, 2005
fun with bar codes
I recently acquired a USB bar code scanner. It's very cool. I got it for cataloguing my comic books with a program I've ordered called ComicBase. While I'm waiting for that program to arrive, I've been scanning the books on my shelf using LibraryThing.
I got the scanner very cheap ($60) on ebay. The model number is CCD-80SX -- I think it's made by Ammer but it is unlabeled. Very brand X -- but way cheaper than the Manhattan model that the ComicBase people recommend and sell. It took some email exchanges with the seller to find the configuration manual so that I could configure it to scan comic book bar codes (which are standard EAN/UPC code with a 5-digit extension code).
Hoping that ComicBase arrives tomorrow so that I can do some time trials on scanning this weekend. I want to catalogue as much of my Texas-based collection (some in Austin, some in Brownwood) over the holidays while I'm down there.
Eventually, I may start to sell some of my books online, either through my own little online store or through Atomic Avenue, which is the online marketplace that the makers of ComicBase plan to launch soon.
Ah. Geek fun.
Posted by ljh at 12:10 AM