CRACKING
When Dallas-based startup Digital:Convergence mailed free :CueCat scanners to millions of magazine subscribers this fall (ahem), the company didn't count on the device becoming a proving ground for hordes of programmers. The :CueCat - a PCperipheral designed to scan barcodes placed in print ads and articles, then direct a Web browser to related sites - has been converted from a clunky marketing tool into a UPC-reading Swiss army knife by crafty crackers who have shared their secrets over the Net. Here's a sampling of how the :CueCat has been repurposed.
FooCat BarCode
www.flyingbuttmonkeys.com
Graphical interface for Linux that lets you use the :CueCat to scan CDs, books, and groceries. Swipe the :CueCat over a barcode, and FooCat will look up the tag's 12-digit UPC on Web sites such as Amazon and eGrocer. The program then assigns author data and product photos from these sites to a personal inventory database.
Readerware
www.readerware.com
Java-based program that looks up ISBN numbers at libraries worldwide, then downloads information such as book category and edition into a database. It even makes uploading selected book listings to eBay a snap.
Dissecting the :CueCat
www.air-soldier.com/~cuecat
Step-by-step photos show how to "declaw" the Cat by disabling the component that transmits a unique serial number with each scan.
:CueCat Drivers Mirror Site
www.666pack.org/cuecat
Lists the latest Cat hacks.
MUST READ
Armageddon, the Sequel
The Cosmic Connection
Fight the Future!
Power Munch
Cat Hack Fever
The Online Gene Pool
Interface2face
People
Jargon Watch
Big Mac Attack
The First PC
Memory Hog
Insecurities Exchange
Quantum's Leap
Raw Data
