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.
About John
John is a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He studies the social impact of media technology law and policy, with a special emphasis on copyright. He also is an instructional technology consultant for DoIT-Academic Technology.
John doesn't update his blog often, and many of the thoughts are probably half-baked. While the web has sort of an eternal memory, the current and future reader is urged not to take all of this too seriously.
Think of this blog as "John thinking out loud."
(For more on this idea and why I blog, please see this category.)
0 Responses to “Short code… who knew?”