4 ms·

> Every time I see a QR code, I think of CueCats and wonder if anyone actually scans them. http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com http://picturesofp

• theandrewbailey 11y ago
  Am I the only one who doesn't see any pictures, people, scanners, or QR codes? Or am I not getting the joke, because maybe no one scans QR codes?
  • milesokeefe 11y ago
    Yes, that is the joke.
    • pen2l 11y ago
      Okay... But to be fair there are valid uses of qr codes. In the last month I've used them for my vr giggles (easy method for registering your specific vr set with some certain vr software) and for going in concerts (qr code saved in iPhone wallet app)
      • ColinDabritz 11y ago
        I had a similar reaction. I like the joke the site is making, it's well done. I had a good laugh the first time I saw it, and I've shared it with friends. Jokes are often huge exaggerations though. QR Codes definitely have valid use cases, and I'm wondering if they aren't also somewhat 'ahead of their time'. They are useful ways to transfer contexts in the physical world. VR, and especially AR (Augmented Reality), is about combining the physical world with the digital one. I'm imagining a future where not very many people "see" QR codes, but rather have AR devices like we have cellphones now, and they simply see the relevant content in place over the QR code or similar. I think of use cases like glancing down the street at a bus stop, seeing live updates of a NCAA bracket on a poster on the wall, those sorts of things. I think a lot of the problem with QR codes is simply the friction of using them. I could see them used much more if you could simply open a website by literally pointing a phone at them (e.g. without any setup, opening apps). When we have persistent AR at all times, the friction could be non-existent, you already see the information in place. There's also the possibility that location and motion tracking are good enough that they can always be virtual, but I feel like the real world reference and 'binding' cues are important. We'll see how things unfold.
        • WorldMaker 11y ago
          «I think a lot of the problem with QR codes is simply the friction of using them. I could see them used much more if you could simply open a website by literally pointing a phone at them (e.g. without any setup, opening apps).» Partly why about the only case where I've found QR codes particularly useful is the Xbox One with Kinect. Voice command "Xbox Use a Code" and then hold it up for the Kinect camera, maybe walk it forward a bit. Not a lot of friction and Xbox One QR codes almost all mention the "Xbox Use a Code" voice command. (Remembering the days of the Xbox 360 where nearly every game had at least one packed in code and you typically just typed them in with the soft keyboard and your gamepad, the Xbox One QR codes are a genuine improvement if you have a Kinect, though at this point in the lifecycle pack in codes seem a little less common and digital only purchases a more common preference for myself.)
      • raisedbyninjas 11y ago
        Opening a QR app is much faster than typing my WPA key.
  • saurik 11y ago
    I see tons of QR codes. No one scans them, but I see them all the time.
    • theandrewbailey 11y ago
      They've been around for many years, so that makes me think that someone is using them. I would be surprised if they weren't tracked like hell.
• timdiggerm 11y ago
  I use QR codes at a local parking garage to pay for my car occupying a specific spot. That is the only useful thing I've seen done with them.
• elf25 11y ago
  At our University, (I presume) Forestry Dept. put QR coded tags on a great many trees. You can walk around campus or the lake and scan codes, learning about the trees. BEST use I've ever seen.
• uremog 11y ago
  I never see QRs in the US, but they're all over the place in Japan. Not sure how much they get used still.