The Da Vinci Barcode: A Parody

reviewed by Robert Pritchett

The Da Vinci Barcode: A Parody by Dr. Judith Shoaf is a rather delightful 1^st novel that bring bar codes to life and without spoiling the story, discusses at length such esoteric items such as binaries.

Were you confused but entertained by a certain recent best seller? Want to be confused but entertained some more? Welcome to the world of the Da Vinci Barcode! An alternate universe in which cash registers ring up Pi million, the Louvre Pyramide is upside down, and Catholic priests have been kneeling before the bones of Mary Magdalen for over a thousand years!

Robert Longone, Professor of Symbology at Harvard Business School, is drawn into a mystical web with international implications, when he receives an invisible two-dimensional bull's-eye barcode from the recently deceased former Director of the Louvre Shopping Mall. His task is complicated by the fact that the former Director had not one, but two gorgeous granddaughters, Marie and Madeleine Navet, who join him in deciphering the coded messages.

Robert calls upon the expertise of his friend the revered medical symbologist Linden Teabag. At long last, in the very land of the Goddess, he confronts the one-eyed hunchback Fibonacci and everybody learns way too much about themselves and about Mary Magdalen. 



Everything in this book was meticulously researched. However, any time I found that the actual facts didn't fit my story, I ignored them." Judith P. Shoaf

Here, we get to look at the Free Masons from a French-perspective with new American eyes as Professor Longone gets to work with the ÒbinariesÓ, Marie and Mado, twin sisters in many ways representing polar opposites of morality, but equals in intelligence and knowledge of Christianity in France down through the ages. For the most part, thing are Òblack and whiteÓ. Together, they unravel mysteries, and solve issues dealing with hidden messages and we learn some of the art surrounding barcoding. And we learn a little French along the way. The fun part is how they were able to get a barcode software app named ÒApple PiÓ working on non-Mac systems. Not much detail , but we play along for sake of the story. An perhaps that is why Dr Judith Shoaf wrote that if Òthe actual facts didn't fit my story, I ignored themÓ.

Why is this book a ÒparodyÓ, because it is a variation on a theme and a parody is satire - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody, however, I think the storyline stands on its own.

Now as with most first printings, there are a few misprints and extra extra words words here and there, but not many. What I didnÕt care much for were the one or two places where certain ÒFrenchÓ words were used and not the ones normally spoken in the French language. Otherwise I would have given the book a better rating and is why I wrote that it is R-Rated.

IÕm looking forward to any other books that might be in the mind of Dr. Judith Shoaf. Perhaps she could do a parody on RFID technology and Macs?

Recent technology for the Mac deals more with things like Delicious Library http://www.delicious-monster.com/.

Digging Deeper: Barcoding

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode

http://www.intellisw.com/barcodeproducer/

http://www.waspbarcode.com/

http://www.mac-barcode.com/faqs/answ1.htm

http://www.peninsula-group.com/

http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/mac.html

http://www.barcodeformac.com/