I just bought a proper $250 Zebra scanner for some personal inventory projects / projects that utilize pdf417 and data matrix 2d bar codes and I have to say...

I just bought a proper $250 Zebra scanner for some personal inventory projects / projects that utilize pdf417 and data matrix 2d bar codes and I have to say... this is the absolutely coolest piece of "plug and play" tech I've bought in years! Granted, these scanners largely use machine vision tech but lasers are still used as a form of "dumb" auto focus aid. On another tangent, I still CANNOT believe that one company at least within the US controls 100% of the issuance of UPC codes. They sell them for up to *$30 A PIECE*! We need a "LetsEncrypt" for UPC codes - granted they serve an important role in load balancing across online stores, preventing counterfeit goods and in Amazon's case... penalizing sellers when they find the same UPC being sold on another online platform at a lower price ;) Lasers will always be cool