Code is a big part of our lives whether we realize it or not. There’s our genetic code (DNA). There’s the WordPress code that’s helping display this site/post you’re currently reading. There’s the code used to write the software for your browser… the code that your computer’s operating system is made of. We have pin codes for debit cards, access codes, we often speak in code. We live in zip codes. Our contact phone numbers are organized by area code. Last night, for the first time, I watched The Da Vinci Code. And in the Matrix, Neo was the code… You get the idea… a lot of code in our lives! Code everywhere.
Here in the U.S.A. we’re mostly familiar with bar codes. From the back of our driver’s license to the self-checkout at Walmart or Home Depot, bar codes are a part of our daily lives. If you haven’t noticed, there are other, newer kinds of bar codes out there. Maybe you’ve seen these odd looking images on packages, mail or some other place.
QR codes are matrix codes or a two-dimensional bar code were developed in Japan by Denso-Wave back in 1994. These codes are huge in Japan right now as a fun, easy way to display a lot of information in a small image. Using mobile phone cameras, people can snap pictures of the QR codes and then decode them. This has become a great tool for anything shopping, getting to know people or simply learning more about a person, place or thing. You can even have QR codes containing your information made into clothing and other items like scarves and such.
I have an iPhone app named Barcodes by Christian Brunschen that can snap pics and decode several different kinds of bar codes.
Besides QR codes there are other image/bar codes such as Shot Code, Aztec Code, the BeeTagg, and much more.
The above image is a QR code containing my contact information.
To learn more about QR codes or generate a few QR codes of your own, check out these handy sites, or just Google QR codes. Have fun!
Wikipedia | Kaywa QR Code Generator | delivr | BeeTagg
