Business Week (of all places) tipped me off about another way cellular phone carriers are exerting their control over the network. I have only a cursory knowledge of “short codes,” which are quick ways to dial for a service (like dialing 1234 to subscribe to weekly ringtones). What’s funny is that even the US Administrator of short codes admits up front that they’ve been “long popular in Europe.” That we’re behind in this technology (one might argue because it’s being too tightly controlled) is mind-numbing… especially considering that 2D Barcodes have barely made an appearance in U.S. communications, outside of snail mail.