In article <stfdth$5ff$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.
girolle.co.uk> on Thu, 3 Feb 2022 at 02:16:16 awoke Nicholas from his
slumbers and wrote
>On 02/02/2022 20:37, Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
>> In article <j605tjF3ldiU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
>> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Wed, 2 Feb 2022 at 19:55:27 awoke
>> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>>> On 02/02/2022 18:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>>>> On 02-Feb-22 9:00, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
>>>>> Brian Gaff wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Bar codes on stamps? What is the point of that?
>>>>>
>>>>> It means that people sitting on a mountain of purnc stamps will have
>>>>> to use them all up before this time next year ...
>>>>
>>>> The bar code will tell them if you're trying to use an older stamp.
>>>>
>>>> "We've had your zu for a long time now, so we're going to keep your dosh
>>>> and now you can't use the stamp."
>>>>
>>>From April 1st (!) you will be able to swap old for new at your local
>>> Post Office, if you can find it.
>>>
>> It says that you will not be able to swap them at your Post Office.
>> However it says that "The ‘Swap Out’ scheme will open on 31 March 2022.
>> Forms will be available via a variety of channels, including local
>> Customer Service Points; the Royal Mail website and via our Customer
>> Experience team. Customers will be able to use a Freepost address.
>> Further details will be announced shortly."
>>
>> Elsewhere iy says that the stamps will have a unique barcode. I am left
>> wondering how so unique. Unique to RM stamps, unique to the face value
>> of the stamps or unique to the individual stamp, so that you will be
>> traced if 'they' want to. I can see it coming soon, that you will not be
>> able to buy stamps without a card. Am I paranoic, just because you think
>> they are coming to get, does not mean that they are not coming for you,
>> particularly.
>
>I've still got a book of stamps without any of that guff.
>
Ditto

10 books some perhaps 5 or 6 years old. They were given to me by Royal
Mail (don't ask) with the assurance that they would be valid
indefinitely.
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 08:49:46 +0000, "Nicholas D. Richards"
<nicholas@salmiron.com> wrote:

>In article <stfdth$5ff$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.
>girolle.co.uk> on Thu, 3 Feb 2022 at 02:16:16 awoke Nicholas from his
>slumbers and wrote
>>On 02/02/2022 20:37, Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
>>> In article <j605tjF3ldiU1@mid.individual.net>, John Williamson
>>> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> on Wed, 2 Feb 2022 at 19:55:27 awoke
>>> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>>>> On 02/02/2022 18:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>>>>> On 02-Feb-22 9:00, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
>>>>>> Brian Gaff wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Bar codes on stamps? What is the point of that?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It means that people sitting on a mountain of purnc stamps will have
>>>>>> to use them all up before this time next year ...
>>>>>
>>>>> The bar code will tell them if you're trying to use an older stamp.
>>>>>
>>>>> "We've had your zu for a long time now, so we're going to keep your dosh
>>>>> and now you can't use the stamp."
>>>>>
>>>>From April 1st (!) you will be able to swap old for new at your local
>>>> Post Office, if you can find it.
>>>>
>>> It says that you will not be able to swap them at your Post Office.
>>> However it says that "The ‘Swap Out’ scheme will open on 31 March 2022.
>>> Forms will be available via a variety of channels, including local
>>> Customer Service Points; the Royal Mail website and via our Customer
>>> Experience team. Customers will be able to use a Freepost address.
>>> Further details will be announced shortly."
>>>
>>> Elsewhere iy says that the stamps will have a unique barcode. I am left
>>> wondering how so unique. Unique to RM stamps, unique to the face value
>>> of the stamps or unique to the individual stamp, so that you will be
>>> traced if 'they' want to. I can see it coming soon, that you will not be
>>> able to buy stamps without a card. Am I paranoic, just because you think
>>> they are coming to get, does not mean that they are not coming for you,
>>> particularly.
>>
>>I've still got a book of stamps without any of that guff.
>>
>Ditto
>
>10 books some perhaps 5 or 6 years old. They were given to me by Royal
>Mail (don't ask) with the assurance that they would be valid
>indefinitely.

The problem with "indefinitely" is that it's -well- indefinite.

Nick

On 03/02/2022 08:49, Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
> In article <stfdth$5ff$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.

>>
>> I've still got a book of stamps without any of that guff.
>>
> Ditto
>
> 10 books some perhaps 5 or 6 years old. They were given to me by Royal
> Mail (don't ask) with the assurance that they would be valid
> indefinitely.

I has sheets of ...
71 large 1st class (one and a bit sheets of x50)
136 2nd class (one and a bit sheets of x100)
222 1st class (two and a bit sheets of x100)

Left over from when I was a club secretary[1].
Total value should now be ~ £370.00

and once again it is true that
Investments may go down as well as up.

Is it still possible to cash them in at the PO?

--
Nev
It causes me a great deal of regret and remorse
that so many people are unable to understand what I write.

[1] They are mine not the club's.

On Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 5:05:59 AM UTC-6, nev young wrote:
> On 03/02/2022 08:49, Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
> > In article <stfdth$5ff$1...@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.
> >>
> >> I've still got a book of stamps without any of that guff.
> >>
> > Ditto
> >
> > 10 books some perhaps 5 or 6 years old. They were given to me by Royal
> > Mail (don't ask) with the assurance that they would be valid
> > indefinitely.
> I has sheets of ...
> 71 large 1st class (one and a bit sheets of x50)
> 136 2nd class (one and a bit sheets of x100)
> 222 1st class (two and a bit sheets of x100)
>
> Left over from when I was a club secretary[1].
> Total value should now be ~ £370.00
>
> and once again it is true that
> Investments may go down as well as up.
>
> Is it still possible to cash them in at the PO?
> --
> Nev
> It causes me a great deal of regret and remorse
> that so many people are unable to understand what I write.
> [1] They are mine not the club's.

I received an 1888 American cent piece in ordinary change about a month ago people have told me that's impossible it would've been retained by somebody long ago but those are the bitter facts.

On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
> the current 12.

They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.

--
Sam Plusnet

On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>> the current 12.
>
>They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?
--
Dave W

On Wed, 2 Feb 2022 22:35:23 +0000, John Williamson
<johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:

>On 02/02/2022 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>> On Wed, 2 Feb 2022 08:15:01 -0000, "Brian Gaff \(Sofa\)"
>> <briang1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Or Shawn the Sheep?
>>> I see they are doing a stamp for him.
>>> Bar codes on stamps? What is the point of that?
>>> Brian
>>
>> I've investigated. The code is called a Data Matrix. I submitted the
>> ones on the BT webpage (all identical demos) to this decoder site
>> https://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx
>> and they were all a string of zeros.
>>
>> I found pictures of actual stamps here:
>> https://blog.norphil.co.uk/2021/03/barcode-added-to-2nd-class-business.html
>> and submitted a 2nd Class one to the decoder site, and got the
>> following:
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Raw text
>>
>> JGB S11231017031159975990006623112001 0CC21532C9BBE27301
>>
>> Raw bytes
>>
>> e6 92 f0 17 c6 20 38 1f e6 45 68 20 12 53 54 3a
>> 56 19 a5 40 17 2c 8e 26 25 1f bc 13 3c 13 3c 13
>> 3c 13 3c 13 71 64 f6 39 5f 66 18 60 97 45 dd fe
>> 32
>>
>> Barcode format DATA_MATRIX
>> Parsed Result Type TEXT
>> Parsed Result
>>
>> JGB S11231017031159975990006623112001 0CC21532C9BBE27301
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> The last digits seem to indicate the price in pence (66p) and the date
>> of printing (23/11/2001). BT say they do a downloadable phone app for
>> decoding, so it might render more interesting things.
>>
>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>> the current 12.
>>
>Guessing the JGB part is the serial number, and the hex code is the
>reference for the video? more than 10^^21 stamps should keep them going
>for a while.... They only claim to deliver 1.6 X 10^^10 items per year.

https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/ contains
more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.
Dig down into the website for even more about even more.

Nick

Nick Odell wrote:

> https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/ contains
> more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.

I goove I once deciphered Rusty's apres-fish "by hand" from the RM barcode on a
TV licence letter he showed us, just to show he should have redacted more of the
address ...

In article <j10pvglfs9dqronv6e96317h1olfi0tj6c@4ax.com>, Dave W
<davewi11@yahoo.co.uk> on Fri, 4 Feb 2022 at 01:26:29 awoke Nicholas
from his slumbers and wrote
>On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>
>>On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>> the current 12.
>>
>>They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
>
>Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?

When isn't it about to go up again, along with j*ax*ef salaries.
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

On Fri, 04 Feb 2022 04:09:53 +0000, Nick Odell
<nick@themusicworkshop.plus.com> wrote:
>On Wed, 2 Feb 2022 22:35:23 +0000, John Williamson
><johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>>On 02/02/2022 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>> On Wed, 2 Feb 2022 08:15:01 -0000, "Brian Gaff \(Sofa\)"
>>> <briang1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Or Shawn the Sheep?
>>>> I see they are doing a stamp for him.
>>>> Bar codes on stamps? What is the point of that?
>>>> Brian
>>>
>>> I've investigated. The code is called a Data Matrix. I submitted the
>>> ones on the BT webpage (all identical demos) to this decoder site
>>> https://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx
>>> and they were all a string of zeros.
>>>
>>> I found pictures of actual stamps here:
>>> https://blog.norphil.co.uk/2021/03/barcode-added-to-2nd-class-business.html
>>> and submitted a 2nd Class one to the decoder site, and got the
>>> following:
>>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Raw text
>>>
>>> JGB S11231017031159975990006623112001 0CC21532C9BBE27301
>>>
>>> Raw bytes
>>>
>>> e6 92 f0 17 c6 20 38 1f e6 45 68 20 12 53 54 3a
>>> 56 19 a5 40 17 2c 8e 26 25 1f bc 13 3c 13 3c 13
>>> 3c 13 3c 13 71 64 f6 39 5f 66 18 60 97 45 dd fe
>>> 32
>>>
>>> Barcode format DATA_MATRIX
>>> Parsed Result Type TEXT
>>> Parsed Result
>>>
>>> JGB S11231017031159975990006623112001 0CC21532C9BBE27301
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The last digits seem to indicate the price in pence (66p) and the date
>>> of printing (23/11/2001). BT say they do a downloadable phone app for
>>> decoding, so it might render more interesting things.
>>>
>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>> the current 12.
>>>
>>Guessing the JGB part is the serial number, and the hex code is the
>>reference for the video? more than 10^^21 stamps should keep them going
>>for a while.... They only claim to deliver 1.6 X 10^^10 items per year.
>
>https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/ contains
>more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.
>Dig down into the website for even more about even more.
>
>Nick
That link refers to codes on letters, but after the JCB country ID the
first character on the stamp is S, possibly indicating 'Stamp'.
112 could be the meanings in the Type 29 column, but the meaning of
the 16 digits 3101703115997599 is unknown.
If you paid for your stamps electronically, the number could be
associated with your device, making you liable to pay if a forgery was
detected at the receiving end(s), so it would seem wise to buy stamps
anonymously using cash.
--
Dave W

On 04-Feb-22 10:12, Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
> In article <j10pvglfs9dqronv6e96317h1olfi0tj6c@4ax.com>, Dave W
> <davewi11@yahoo.co.uk> on Fri, 4 Feb 2022 at 01:26:29 awoke Nicholas
> from his slumbers and wrote
>> On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>>> the current 12.
>>>
>>> They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
>>
>> Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?
>
> When isn't it about to go up again, along with j*ax*ef salaries.

I predict that, not only will stamp prices rise at an accelerated rate,
but a second class stamp might expire before your letter gets delivered.

--
Sam Plusnet

In message <%OeLJ.166361$_5r7.442@fx09.ams1>, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com>
writes
>I predict that, not only will stamp prices rise at an accelerated rate,
>but a second class stamp might expire before your letter gets delivered.
>

Given some of the recent delays, the addressee might have expired before
the letter gets delivered.

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

In article <yCF4uTKHzX$hFwQW@ku.gro.lloiff>, Adrian
<bulleid@ku.gro.lioff> on Fri, 4 Feb 2022 at 19:21:43 awoke Nicholas
from his slumbers and wrote
>In message <%OeLJ.166361$_5r7.442@fx09.ams1>, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com>
>writes
>>I predict that, not only will stamp prices rise at an accelerated rate,
>>but a second class stamp might expire before your letter gets delivered.
>>
>
>Given some of the recent delays, the addressee might have expired before
>the letter gets delivered.
>
I have had important letters (house insurance renewal!) coming from the
same address arrive out of sequence. The second letter posted one week
after the first, arrived two weeks before the first. Next week I will
cheque that my cheque has cleared.
--
0sterc@tcher -

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

On 2022-02-04, Dave W <davewi11@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>
>>On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>> the current 12.
>>
>>They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
>
> Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?

I have a German stamp from around 1920, face value, a mark, overprinted
1 milliard. people used to to the post office to buy stamps, the price
would rocket before you needed to post again.

My stamp is probably a fake, printed by someone far later. Stamp forging
was popular in the states for a while.

--
greymausg@mail.com
That's not a mousehole!

On 2022-02-04, Adrian <bulleid@ku.gro.lioff> wrote:
> In message <%OeLJ.166361$_5r7.442@fx09.ams1>, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com>
> writes
>>I predict that, not only will stamp prices rise at an accelerated rate,
>>but a second class stamp might expire before your letter gets delivered.
>>
>
> Given some of the recent delays, the addressee might have expired before
> the letter gets delivered.
>
> Adrian

Christmas cards were arriving locally up to a week or so ago. One person
in the post office coughs, all go home for a fortnight.

--
greymausg@mail.com
That's not a mousehole!

On 04/02/2022 10:01, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
> Nick Odell wrote:
>
>> https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/   contains
>> more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.
>
> I goove I once deciphered Rusty's apres-fish "by hand" from the RM
> barcode on a TV licence letter he showed us, just to show he should have
> redacted more of the address ...

A? My what?

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> wrote:

> On 04/02/2022 10:01, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
> > Nick Odell wrote:
> >
> >> https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/ contains
> >> more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.
> >
> > I goove I once deciphered Rusty's apres-fish "by hand" from the RM
> > barcode on a TV licence letter he showed us, just to show he should have
> > redacted more of the address ...
>
> A? My what?

Similar to fish-boat, methinks.

--
^Ï^ <https://youtu.be/_kqytf31a8E>

My pet rock Gordon just is.

On Sat, 5 Feb 2022 01:00:17 +0000
snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) wrote:

> RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > On 04/02/2022 10:01, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
> > > Nick Odell wrote:
> > >
> > >> https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/
> > >> contains more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal
> > >> Mail barcode.
> > >
> > > I goove I once deciphered Rusty's apres-fish "by hand" from the RM
> > > barcode on a TV licence letter he showed us, just to show he should
> > > have redacted more of the address ...
> >
> > A? My what?
>
> Similar to fish-boat, methinks.

Different fish thobut.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith
Odds and Ends at http://www.sohara.org/

On 05/02/2022 01:00, Sn!pe wrote:
> RustyHinge <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On 04/02/2022 10:01, Tease'n'Seize wrote:
>>> Nick Odell wrote:
>>>
>>>> https://www.barcodefaq.com/usps-postal/royal-mail-mailmark/ contains
>>>> more than I could possibly want to know about the Royal Mail barcode.
>>>
>>> I goove I once deciphered Rusty's apres-fish "by hand" from the RM
>>> barcode on a TV licence letter he showed us, just to show he should have
>>> redacted more of the address ...
>>
>> A? My what?
>
> Similar to fish-boat, methinks.

Blind Bambi wot the post was about. I never showed no-one nuffink.
Haven't had a litter from Idiots' Lantern Inc for godnose how long.

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

maus said:
> On 2022-02-04, Dave W <davewi11@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>> On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>>> the current 12.
>>>
>>>They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
>>
>> Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?
>
> I have a German stamp from around 1920, face value, a mark, overprinted
> 1 milliard. people used to to the post office to buy stamps, the price
> would rocket before you needed to post again.

I had one of those, overprinted with lots of zeroes, reminded me of the
John Bull Printing Set that I also had around the same time. But mine
was later than that. Picture of a bloke with a toothbrush moustache.

I think I had it because my grandfather had kept it from when it was
new, but I'm not sure (I also had a tuppenny blue, and he wasn't /that/
old).

> My stamp is probably a fake, printed by someone far later. Stamp forging
> was popular in the states for a while.

--
Richard Robinson
"The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem

My email address is at http://qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html

On 2022-02-05, Richard Robinson <richardR@privacy.net> wrote:
> maus said:
>> On 2022-02-04, Dave W <davewi11@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>> On Thu, 3 Feb 2022 19:27:20 +0000, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 02-Feb-22 21:19, Dave W wrote:
>>>>> I'm annoyed that the stamps are bigger and only 8 in a book instead of
>>>>> the current 12.
>>>>
>>>>They don't think anyone would be able to afford 12 stamps.
>>>
>>> Are you implying that the price is about to go up again?
>>
>> I have a German stamp from around 1920, face value, a mark, overprinted
>> 1 milliard. people used to to the post office to buy stamps, the price
>> would rocket before you needed to post again.
>
> I had one of those, overprinted with lots of zeroes, reminded me of the
> John Bull Printing Set that I also had around the same time. But mine
> was later than that. Picture of a bloke with a toothbrush moustache.

Wonder whatever happened to him?

I also a german stamp, overprinted with "Ukraine".

There were a lot of Estonian stamps, printed between 1920-1939, on old
german maps.

There were great stories from the 50s, of men stumbling into stamp
dealers with stamp albums, looking to sell them, and the dealer would
say, "How long have you been in jail, Sir?."

Back in the 1950s, people thought rare stamps because they thought they
would always be salable.

>
> I think I had it because my grandfather had kept it from when it was
> new, but I'm not sure (I also had a tuppenny blue, and he wasn't /that/
> old).
>
>> My stamp is probably a fake, printed by someone far later. Stamp forging
>> was popular in the states for a while.
>
>
>

--
greymausg@mail.com
That's not a mousehole!

On 02/02/2022 08:20, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
> However you have to always remember that until he got caught for dodgy
> dealing with secrets a guy called Dick Head designed racing cars.
>
> And why is the top Met police lady got the last name of Dick, surely that
> must have been a joke for years.

Indeed. Cressida Dickhead of the Met. Sorry, Cressida Dick, head of the Met.

On 5 Feb 2022 16:24:28 GMT
maus <maus@dmaus.org> wrote:

> On 2022-02-05, Richard Robinson <richardR@privacy.net> wrote:

> > was later than that. Picture of a bloke with a toothbrush moustache.
>
> Wonder whatever happened to him?

He made some pretty good silent films - oh you mean the other bloke
with a toothbrush moustache YAFE.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith
Odds and Ends at http://www.sohara.org/

RustyHinge wrote:

> Sn!pe wrote:
>
>> Similar to fish-boat, methinks.

I think we give Austin credit for apres=post fish=cod

> Blind Bambi wot the post was about. I never showed no-one nuffink. Haven't had a
> litter from Idiots' Lantern Inc for godnose how long.

I'm talking 340 fortnights ago

<http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tv/tvlicensing03a.jpg>

On 02/02/2022 11:21, Nick Odell wrote:
> On Wed, 2 Feb 2022 08:31:11 +0000, John Williamson
> <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>> Why put bar codes on stamps? It makes them harder to forge, and because
>> they can.
>>
>> Also, they are not bar codes, they are QR codes which hold a lot more
>> information than bar codes, and potentially allow every item to be
>> automatically tracked throughout the system. The link to a video is a
>> distraction from the main purpose of tracking letters. If you pay using
>> a card, potentially, every stamp you buy could be linked to that card.
>
> At risk of decending into pedantry, Royal Mail and all the news
> reports I've seen describe it as a bar code. Wikipedia seems to think
> that a QR code is itself a specialised form of bar code so I guess
> Royal Mail could be right. That doesn't mean the new matrix couldn't
> do all the things you suggest.

We refer to them in our goods-in computer system as 2D barcodes.