Omnivorous Surfer

Can you read the image at right? If you could scan it, it would bring you here, as it contains the URL for the Omnivorous Surfer blog.

This is a QR (for Quick Response) code, a two-dimensional barcode that can store a larger quantity of data than a traditional barcode and can be decoded at high speed. This image was created using the QR-code generator at KAWYA, which also has a QR reader you can download.

While the initial application of QR codes was tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, the technology now may be seen in such places as magazines, signs, and business cards with contents including addresses, URLs--any information that can be conveyed textually.

I had read about QR codes previously, but was led to look again this morning after reading about snapmyinfo, a site that lets you "share your contact information in a snap." To use it, you simply use your iPhone to take a photo of the QR code containing your information, email it to the address they give you, and you will receive a return email with an attachment containing the contact information in a Vcard format, ready to be added to your contact manager. Perhaps you already have an app on your phone that reads QR codes.

Think you won't see these? Above left is a photo of a QR code displayed in a GAP store with promotional information. You can read about and view a photo of a QR-code Calvin Klein billboard at mashable.com. Below is a whitepaper discussing a community's use of QR codes as an economical way to communicate information to residents and tourists. For more examples, you can do your own search or see the additional links included at the end of this post.
It would be interesting to have students brainstorm uses of the QR codes even before having them research or giving them current uses. I wonder how visionary they are. I would suspec1t they would be much better at it than many of us adults. Of course, it's possible they are already aware of and using them!

If you want to read more, you might check
QR Code on Wikipedia
The use of QR signs in real estate
+"QR code" +app Google timeline search (2010)
+"QR code" +art Google search

You never know what you'll find when you follow a photo to it's origination! I saw the image above in a teacher's blog post about three student bloggers in her Web 2.0 computer applications course. Curious about the photo as I thought I might have some use for it, I traced it to flickr, where I saw its title given as "MOO cards for blogging workshop." The explanation was that these were cards with questions on the reverse to be used in a blogging workshop for journalists. "MOO cards? What's that?" I asked myself, thinking perhaps this was some new educational concept. It was not.

MOO is a printing company that creates postcards, business cards, minicards, and notecards with a twist, well, a couple of twists. First, each pack includes a number of different images (an example is shown at left) instead of identical cards, and second, you can place content on both the front and the back of each card. You can use your own photos or graphics, or you can use images from their designers.

I can see using the business cards or postcards for workshops or classes, as the flicker member mentioned above did. The business cards would be perfect for photographers or craftspersons to promote their businesses. It might be nice to order postcards or notecards using your own photos for your own use or as gifts.

The journey from photo to source and beyond took me to a very interesting business. I wonder where the next image might take me. Where will yours take you?