原创 What have QR codes got to do with a "bad hair day"?

My friend Brian and his son Sam just emailed me. Here's what they said: "Hi Max, we were just talking about QR codes. For some reason, we find them interesting... maybe other techie nerds do as well. Next time you're bored and can't think of anything to blog about, we think you should discuss QR codes in one of your blogs."

Well, no sooner said than done. Our first port of call is the Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code), where we discover that a QR code (where QR stands for "Quick Response") is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that is readable by things like Smartphones and Tablet Computers (so long as you have the appropriate app) and also dedicated QR Readers.

The QR code was specifically designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. This technology is commonly used in Japan (where it was created), the Netherlands, and South Korea, but the rest of the world has been slow to get on board. This might be starting to change, however, because I'm starting to see these codes popping up in the most surprising places.

Let me give you a couple of examples to play with, and then let's ponder how they might be used. First, I got someone to take a silly "bad hair day" picture of myself and I uploaded this to my CliveMaxfield.com website. Next, I went to a free Online QR Code Generator at qrcode.kaywa.com and – just for the fun of it – I used this to generate two QR codes: one for my main website URL and the second for my "bad hair day" JPG image on the site.

QR Code for my main website

QR Code for my "bad hair day" image
(Come on, you know you want to look...)

Now I needed some way to test these, so my next step was to open up my iPad, bounce over to the App Store, and do a search for "QR Reader". In fact there's a bunch of them (some can create QR codes also), but I just downloaded a freebie to play with.

When you launch this app and point the iPad's camera at a QR code, the app automatically detects the code (you don't have to click anything), decodes it, and takes you to the appropriate website. I don't know why, but this really is fun to do (I'm easily entertained).

Although they were initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes are now being used in a much broader context. For example, QR codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or almost any object about which users might need information.

Users with a smartphone or tablet computer equipped with a camera (aren't they all these days?) and a QR reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone's browser. (The act of linking from physical world objects is termed "hard linking" or "object hyperlinking".)

Apart from anything else, I think I'm going to add a QR code to my business cards, because anything that makes it easier for people to find me and visit my website and hire me to consult for them and pay me lots of money has got to be a good thing (grin).