Take Your Cue From CueCat..and Tuesday Thinger

This week's Tuesday Thinger question, from Wendi's Book Corner, revolves around the CueCat, a device suggested on Library Thing to assist you in entering your book more quickly by reading the bar scan that is present on many new books. "The CueCat scanner is a cheap but effective barcode scanner that plugs into your computer's USB port. LibraryThing reads data from unmodified CueCats. They cost $15 each." But, as Wendi points out, there may be many other uses as well. Anything that has a UPC product barcode can be scanned, like wine..groceries...CDs...Dvds...golly gosh!

Questions: Do you have a CueCat? Have you thought of getting one? If you had it, would you explore the other uses such as creating a shopping list? Can you think of any helpful uses for the CueCat other than scanning your books into LT?

I don't have a CueCat, but thinking back to when I entered all my books on Library Thing, I wish that I had taken the time and the wee cash outlay to get one. As much as I love Library Thing, and you know that I do, entering 1000 book, one ISBN number at a time was a pain.

On the up side, it helped me organize my books (like I thought that would last) and cull out a few (like 10!) books to get rid of, it was still a time consuming pain. Piles of books all over the floor, double checking what I had entered and what I had not, Kitty (my imaginary kitty)cowering in imaginary fear of toppling real piles. It was a very stressful time for her.

But, foolish me, I thought that my CueCat days were behind me,
since now I only have to keep up with books that come into the house. Never did I consider that there were other uses. Like CDs...wow, that could be nice. Because I own a fair number of music CDs. Not as many as my books, certainly, but a fair number and my CD are subject to the same duplication fears that first compelled me to sign up with Library Thing. No one...I repeat NO ONE... needs more than one copy of The Chipmunks Greatest Christmas Hits. Although we all need one and if you don't have yours, I recommend you get online right this minute and buy one. Or two, since it makes the perfect holiday gift. But back to my point, just as it is so nice to have a neat list of all my books, it would be nice to have one of my CDs...and I can not face manually entering each one again.

Hmmm...seems there is some issue of having to "declaw" your CueCat. This will involve reading various Wikipedia article and I have my new iTouch to play with at the moment. I have games..a level..a nightlight! So that may have to wait. And then how will Kitty feel about CueCat. I don't want a cat fight on my hands...imaginary Kitty vs. electronic Cat-like device....I can see it now!

Speaking of pets...although don't tell him that's what he is...Let's see what little Bandit is up to this week...not that he sent me that promised post-haircut photo yet. But I still love him...I mean just look at him!