QR Codes? Well, scan me now!

A man stopped while walking along the sidewalk. He took out his smart phone and pointed it at a weird looking jumble of black and white blocks on a sticker he saw on a lamp post. He waited a second, looking at the screen on his phone, and smiled. I guess he noticed me staring at him because he turned, held up his phone and said to me, “I just won a free pizza!”

A woman parked her car at the curb. There was no parking meter there, but she knew that there was a fee for parking. She noticed a small sign with a similar looking jumbled block of black and white. Out came her Smartphone and she pointed it at the sign. Again, noticing me staring at her, she held up her phone and said, “Here is a map to show where the Pay Station machine is.”

Before you start accusing me of being a Smartphone stalker, these two stories are examples of QR Codes. They are popping up all over the place, on posters, advertisements and yes, even on telephone poles. They can be set up to do all sorts of cool things.

Originally designed to track parts in automobile factories, the QR(Quick Response) code is a two dimensional matrix of dark blocks on a light background, in a square shape. A QR scanner can decode these symbols into any of a number of responses. If you have a Smartphone you can install any of a number of free apps to scan QR codes. Scanning a QR Code can prompt your phone to display a message, open a website, receive a VCard (like a digital business card) or even generate an email or text message.

Companies are using QR Codes to enhance their advertising and promotional materials. Some ads will have QR Codes with special offers or even link directly to the web site to order the product they are promoting. QR Codes can also be just for fun, because you can generate and print them yourself. There are many websites and programs, also mostly free, which let you create your own custom QR Codes for almost any use you could imagine.

Just imagine a QR Code Scavenger Hunt! You could start by scanning one code which would tell you somewhere you have to go. When you get to the location, there might be some fun activity you have to do, or a trivia question to answer. Once you complete your task, you get a new code to scan, which leads you to your next location and task. Eventually you return to the original location to claim triumph, having used 21^st Century technology to have great, outdoor fun and maybe even get some exercise too.

Hey wait a second. You don’t have to imagine. The Computer Cafe is hosting the area’s first QR Scavenger hunt on September 17^th at Arlington’s Town Day. If you see a guy with a big QR code on the back of his shirt, that will be me. So really, scan me.