You will have noticed them by now. They are popping up in some fairly strange places. They are simply known as QR codes, and you may very well be astonished by the things for which they are increasingly being intended. A QR code, or Quick Response code, is a 2D barcode that can accumulate in excess of 4, 000 alphanumeric characters in a very confined area.
Whenever you notice a QR code, all you need to do is grab your smartphone, prompt your QR code reader and go! Simply by aiming your digital camera or phone at the reader, you are redirected to whatever is coded in the particular tiny square.
QR codes are not new. Businesses might have product info or messages to motivate customers to check out a certain store or website. Some businesses provide a coupons or sale info to customers using the QR code, info not available elsewhere.
So what about Mr. Spock? Long considered a computer expert from hours spent staring at his screen, Mr. Spock admits his preference for them over humans. Able to rapidly assimilate and synthesize new information that even computers may not, Spock’s thoughts of QR Codes should be considered.
‘Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted.’
You may ask if you are really seeing a QR code on a headstone or if you are in need of a new monocle. Chances are it is not your spectacles. The home country of the QR Code, Japan, is now leading the way with headstone developers manufacturing gravestones with QR code technology. This idea is known as Kuyou no Mado which essentially reads as ‘Memorial Service Window’.
One would think that this glimpse into a person’s life would ease pain if the QR code showed a life well lived. Mr. Spock would be agreeable with this development. Check out this recent Mobile Commerce News article and see how this trend is moving into other countries.
‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’
There are those who stand by their belief that QR codes should not even been in the same sentence as ‘bathroom’ let alone in one. There are some however, with less dirty minds, who believe that QR codes are perfect bathroom buddies. At the Sky Harbour International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona QR codes are displayed in restrooms as a way of keeping things clean.
Should you find a restroom in need of cleaning, you can scan the QR code and a message goes to a facility staff who can then dispatch a cleaning crew. Mr. Spock could interpret this as the sanitary needs of many bathroom patrons are paramount.
‘In critical moments, men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see’
Artist Jeff Crawford jumped at the opportunity to exhibit part of his art collection as a part of a Fredericton, NB exhibit. Initially he submitted a controversial piece that consisted of a partially nude female form.
Instead of replacing his work as requested, Mr. Crawford circumvented the organizer’s uneasiness by generating a QR Code in its place. Guests can scan the code to view the piece should they wish to see it. It can be safely assumed that Mr. Spock would approve of this innovative approach although it would seem almost certain his befuddlement at the uproar over man’s trouble with nudity.
‘Change is the essential process of all existence’
Business is in the business of change. Modification is how corporations keep the interest of their patrons. QR codes are a vital part of gaining people’s attention and interest peaked. Remember the days when you would rent a VCR with the movie rental? Now we have the ever evolving internet and providers working around the clock to give their customers something new.
AT&T, one of the largest companies in the world, demonstrates this drive to evolve. The AT&T family in no way stops with just your phone. Anick Jesdanun’s article about the communication giant discusses how the company is not just your local, AT&T U-verse in Memphis type of service, but strives to be integral in all aspects of people’s lives.
Although Mr. Spock would never say it is safe to assume anything, when considering thoughts previously offered by this respected Vulcan intellect, it seems he would be good with the whole QR Code thing, for now.
