Project Idea: UPC-based database

I've been toying around with a few ideas lately regarding UPC bar codes. It seems like I can never find stuff in the pantry when I'm looking for it, for example. I also have noticed a tendency to buy the same thing at the grocery store when we already have it.

I discovered today that there is a guy running a UPC database with a web front end at http://www.upcdatabase.com. He's also offering an XML-RPC based API that can be used to automate lookups.

I plinked around with this for a bit. I came up with three items in my workroom here that had UPC codes on them, and sure enough, they were represented in the database accurately. It looks like you can get a Chinese-manufactured USB bar code scanner on eBay for about $15 shipped. Hmmm, I think to myself: here's another way to gather data! :-)

Some ideas:

• UPC-based food inventory and automated grocery order compilation system
• UPC-based home inventory system for use in case of an insurance claim
• UPC-based inventory of books/CDs/DVD collection

I'm sure there are other possible applications that I'm just not thinking of. Of course, there are limitations with the idea: not everything in your house still has its UPC code, and the data is only going to be as good as the effort you put into gathering it. It's not something Angela would want to be bothered with, that's for sure! So I'm going to let this idea gestate for a bit and see if the killer app pops out of my head sometime. Meanwhile, it's here for posterity's sake.