TRANSLATING TECH All About QR Codes
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G R O W I N G B O L D E R / D E C E M B E R D I G I TA L D I G E S T 2 1
So, what are those weird little boxes? They’re known as QR (Quick Response) Codes and they’re getting much more popular. By now, anyone with a smartphone has noticed the proliferation of QR codes. They may look like messages from aliens who want to take over the planet, but they’re actually a machine-readable code used for storing website URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone. They’re similar to bar codes used for grocery scanning, except QR codes can carry a lot more information in their seemingly random patterns and so are a lot more useful — especially when it comes to selling you, the consumer, more stuff. They’re certainly more artistic than bar codes. The initial design — by the Japanese — was influenced by the black and white pieces on a Go board.
