The QRpedia project I helped found has gone from strength to strength. It's now in more museums, towns, and art galleries than ever before. It's helping open up exhibits to people in hundreds of languages. That said, I've not been able to devote as much time as I would like to - nor have other project members. We'd like to see it blossom and grow but, sadly, our resources are too limited to be …
Continue reading →qr · 1 comment · 250 words · Viewed ~1,335 times
I'm a big fan of QR codes. A few years ago, I did some work for a major UK retailer who wanted to put QR codes on some of their DIY products. Rather than ship expensive instructions with each item, there would be a QR code on the packaging which linked directly to a video explaining how to use whatever it was you'd just purchased. The idea was a success and is now helping them cut costs - even …
Continue reading →bitcoin mobile money payment qr · 4 comments · 350 words · Viewed ~499 times
BitCoin and other crypto-currencies are gaining popularity at the moment - but I remain firmly convinced that they're too hard for the average person to use. I have, however, watched with interest as an ecosystem grows around them. In particular, I like the way The Pirate Bay (and others) have used QR codes to facilitate easy payments and donations. The QR codes contain only three variables -…
Continue reading →government planning qr · 1 comment · 200 words · Viewed ~202 times
Strolling along London's Southbank the other day, I came across one of those new-fangled information posts. Crudely stuck to it was a decidedly old-fashioned piece of paper bearing a planning notice. But! My my! What's that in the lower left corner? A QR code! Unsurprisingly, scanning the code takes you directly to the planning application on the web. Although the site isn't specifically…
Continue reading →qr QR Codes scanning small · 350 words · Viewed ~4,786 times
One of my hobbies is looking for QR codes by leafing through the free papers which blight the city of London. Yes, I lead a tragic existence, but it keeps me off the streets - so let me be, eh? Most of the QR codes that I see now are pretty good. They have clear explanatory text, point to mobile websites, and generally follow the Ten Commandments for QR codes. But, every so often I spot one…
Continue reading →internet of things nfc qr QR Codes rfid salt and pepper usability · 3 comments · 550 words · Viewed ~4,116 times
My first QR code post of 2013! I'm a long term fan of QR codes. I know some people don't like the idea of augmenting reality with specific tags for computer vision - but I do. Some people prefer RFID/NFC. Others still prefer dedicated augmented video apps. As I've written many times before, QR codes have several substantial advantages over alternate technologies. QR is a free and open…
Continue reading →council monitoring qr QR Codes statistics · 400 words · Viewed ~565 times
Wandering around the steets of London, I came across this excellent initiative from Camden Council on how to use QR codes on street furniture. If you see that a light - or anything else - is damaged, you can scan the QR code and report the issue. There's even a phone number and vanilla URL for those who aren't quite up to speed with new technology. There's only one slight issue - the QR code…
Continue reading →qr QR Codes · 11 comments · 150 words · Viewed ~15,880 times
I unashamedly love QR Codes. But every so often, I see one which makes me wonder if there should be some sort of licence for creating them :-) As I was walking around Camden the other day, I spotted this monstrosity. I figured with a code that dense, it probable contained a URL to a rubbish iPhone app, or perhaps a link stuffed full of tracking parameters. Still, what the heck, I scanned…
Continue reading →bit.ly qr trains tickets · 200 words · Viewed ~656 times
Earlier this year, I blogged about seeing these QR codes appearing on some train tickets. The campaign itself wasn't that great - a poor call-to-action and a decidedly mobile-unfriendly site - but I was interested in how many people had scanned them. Thanks to bit.ly's practice of exposing everyone's statistics, we can see exactly how well this campaign did. Wow! Twenty-five thousand…
Continue reading →advertising nfc poster qr · 250 words · Viewed ~221 times
Can you spot anything interesting on this poster? Yes, there in the corner - living in blissful harmony are a QR code and an NFC tag. There's an excellent call-to-action which even works for people without either a QR reader or NFC scanner. The destination is this mobile friendly landing page. Of course, you should still boycott Nestle due to their contributing to the unnecessary death…
Continue reading →14 comments · 450 words · Viewed ~1,670 times
I love QR codes. I'm unashamed about that. I've helped business and charities use them effectively. I think QR codes are doing pretty well thank-you-very-much. Yet, for some reason, those little black and white squares are really divisive. Some people seem to hate them with an irrational and burning passion. Perhaps it's because QR codes are free to generate - so there's not huge profit in…
Continue reading →interview metro newspaper qr QR Codes · 1 comment · 50 words
Last month I gave an interview to the Metro newspaper about QR codes. …
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