Universal Alphanumeric Postal Code Proposed

Meshach writes "An article in the Globe and Mail is discussing a possible change to the way postal codes are assigned over the world. NAC Geographic Products will be using Microsoft's MapPoint to power their Mobile Location-Based Services Network, which could change all postal codes in the world to a simpler, more universal format."

M$ doing physical mail? WTF?!

[Ignorant Aardvark]

Ohhh no, e-mail's problems have now hit home.

It will now be possible to have your snail mail crash on you. Imagine opening up your mailbox and getting a BSOD. And naturally Microsoft will sell your snail address to the spammers, so you'll get about 50 junk mails per day. And a robotic Spam Assassin is a lot more expensive than its free software counterpart. Who thought this was a good idea anyway - Bill Gates, or maybe some of the other spammers?

I can see it now...

[Marx_Mrvelous]

With Microsoft in control of the system, Finland will mysteriously disappear from all the routing systems...

Yes! The New World Order is here!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

This should help nicely in controlling the masses.

Maybe just a rumour

[Giant Ape Skeleton]

But I heard they were considering using l33t5p34k.

Which means that as a New Jersey resident, my postal code would be:

5h1+h0l3

...In the war of the l33t

[Jonsey]

It's the war of the l33t-5cript kidd13s, and I fear they may be winning.

The only complaints I've seen about alphanumeric codes have been about the difficulty remembering them: I can't say they're much worse than US zip codes.

Santa's Address

[Dick Click]

I suppose that will mean Santa Claus' Postal Code will change from the current form:

H0H 0H0

And thats too bad :(

Universal Coding?

[Jonsey]

I can't wait for Universal Location Codes v6.

With 1.8e4806 possible locations, it will be worth everyone memorizing a simple 2Meg file.

Re:Complex Codes!

[UCRowerG]

The article claims that these will be universal codes for all over the world, but what about for countries that don't use the standard western alphabet?

download and install the western font from microsoft i suppose.

Directions to my address

[Anonymous Coward]

Stop at #9 IRQL_NOT_GREATER_OR_EQUAL Lane. Look for the blue mailbox.

E Prefix

[bigpat]

Let's not forget to use an "E" prefix, so that when we move to Mars or the Moon, then we can start using "M" and... oh... wait a second.

Re:M$ doing physical mail? WTF?!

[Brett Johnson]

Expect Microsoft to add hooks into your Address Book (so you can easily print envelopes with the correct zip code, of course). Then the next Outlook Macro virus with send junk paper mail to everyone in your address book. Once it is also integrated with eStamp, all hell will break loose. Your postal carrier will shoot you when he/she finds 1.3 million outgoing letters in your mailbox.

Re:INFORMATIVE?!?! Come on people.

[TopShelf]

well... maybe some readers have never been to New Jersey, and now they've learned something!

Postal Codes

[medham_the_keen]

Are a tool of surveillance and domination. They make you feel like a number. I'm not a number. I'm a man.

Microsoft running this ?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

1 - Will the zipcode format change every odd years each time M$ feels like doing an upgrade ? with the current "non-universal" postal system, there are people who get mails and postcards delivered sometimes decades after they've been sent. Will posters senders get "can't resolve address" return mails if their postcards isn't delivered in time ?

2 - How much dya bet you'd have to use those longish cryptic zipcodes as registration keys in future Microsoft products ?

Re:Good thing...

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean Beverly Hills B00B5-B00B5?

Uh-oh

[pmz]

...could change all postal codes in the world to a simpler, more universal format.

What's that sound?

It's the sound of millions of database application programmers screaming in agony.

The Normalization Monkey says, "Who's laughing now! Bwahahaha!"

Just wait 'till you get the notice

[JohnnyBigodes]

"This letter can only be opened in Microsoft Windows-enabled homes"

Re:Nice thought

[IO ERROR]

With 10 characters, it can represent a specific area measuring one square metre. . . . For example, NAC Geographic Products' address in Toronto would be 8CNB5 Q8Z4R.

Is it just me, or does that look like part of a Microsoft product key?

Sure, using GPS for location is nicer, but this provides a much more compressed form of basically the same data. Just think, now you can be stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the south Pacific and still get your mail.

Address mapping

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Based on latitude and longitude, the NAC system can represent an area the size of a province using two alphanumeric characters.

That's a bummer for gypsies. Maybe there should be a service equivalent to dyndns for them, so they can upgrade their own postcodes themselves on the move ?

Re:I can see it now...

[GammaTau]

With Microsoft in control of the system, Finland will mysteriously disappear from all the routing systems...

Hmm, as a person living in Finland, if that implies Microsoft wouldn't find their way to Finland any longer, it actually sounds like an excellent idea...

Re:Santa's Address

[IO ERROR]

Santa's new address will be H0H0H 0H0H0. I think we can manage the conversion.

We need a meta-standard

[wfrp01]

Before we get completely bogged down by the ever-increasing number of often conflicting "standards", we need to adopt a "Standard Standard". That is to say, a standard which standardizes the standardization of standards. The first self-referential standard in this meta standard must say, of course, that "Standard Standard" is the standard standard standard. Anyone who implements this standard standard will immediately realize huge profits corresponding to the savings accrued by eliminating the standard duplication of standards which has become the standard.

Ocean delivery

[bogasity]

Since 70% of the postal codes will be in the middle of the ocean, I can't wait to send out snail mail to random addresses. "Return to sender: no creature with opposable thumbs was available to sign for delivery. Try back in 3 billion years."

Re:Complex Codes!

[cgenman]

The article claims that these will be universal codes for all over the world, but what about for countries that don't use the standard western alphabet?

Isn't that what unicode is for? And what could be more simple than remembering the bit-equivalent of unicode kanji?

Re:Complex Codes!

[IvyMike]

For example, NAC Geographic Products' address in Toronto would be 8CNB5 Q8Z4R.

Ecnbs Qesar?

Sorry. I keep trying to decode that address code as 'leet speak. :)

A very sad news...

[AchilleTalon]

for this guy showing at this Guiness Award TV show how he has successfully memorized almost every zip code in US with the location it actually pointed to... ;-(

How would you feel becoming obsolete?

Old news

[KILNA]

This is old news... to check compatibility between Outlook and the USPS, Microsoft started beta testing sending virii through snail mail a short while back.

United States? Never...

[weave]

I can't believe no one has thought why this is doomed to fail. Not invented here? Won't be used here. Same for that silly French metric system.

This will never work in California

[IDigUNIX]

The original article says that the system is based on lattitude and longitude.

So, should you live in L.A. your code might be "xxxxx xxxxx", but AFTER the next earth quake, your code would change to "xyxxx xxxxx".

Not very practical if you ask me ;-)

Re:They've had this in the military for ages....

[Brad Oliver]

What if your address is in a high-rise? Is it accurate to a cube meter? :-)

Lucky Us!

[DangerousBeauty]

I mean, we all know how well the postal service and Microsoft Products work seperately...
So, it's obviously a genius idea to incorporate the two!
Do I smell an all new, sub-par pseudo monopoly?

Yay!

Re:Complex Codes!

[Oscar_Wilde]

but what about for countries that don't use the standard western alphabet?

They'll be liberated... Have you not been paying attention?

Re:M$ doing physical mail? WTF?!

[Anonymous Coward]

KDE shouldn't be able to take down your entire system. Sounds like you've got other problems.

Yes, yes... tell me about your childhood.

Bah. That's not universal.

[Mr_Icon]

John Doe
15 Schlotzky Blvd
Mudville, AZ 12345
USA
Earth, Sol, Milky Way

Now THIS is universal. :) This shoud work for a while, until we have to start specifying which of the universes we really mean. Then, I guess, we'd have to add another line:
The-One-With-The-Evil-Spock

Re:Complex Codes!

[cookd]

A friend of mine got a new phone number. For the longest time, I wondered why her new phone number struck me as strange. Finally, I decided to stop and figure it out.

XXX-1337

It took a while since the situation had nothing to do with computers, but I finally realized that some part of my mind was trying to read it as "LEET".

Re:GPS

[BuckaBooBob]

Should redo those measurements in meters :) Not Miles :) The rest of the world is Metric.. less than 7% of the worlds population still uses Miles :) Talk about making a system that doesn't fit the worlds common useage :)

Re:Arrgghhh England not the same as U.K. !!

[SpaceJunkie]

Or alternatively - film the event and send it to jackass so we can all laugh histerically as you get publicly debagged by Miffed Welshmen/Irishmen or Scotts..