The BBC are playing with QR:

The destination couldn’t be duller or more short sighted, but it’s interesting that they tweaked the code to include their logo.

Here’s what the Japanese have been doing for years:

And this popped up today:

I did find a temporary QR tattoo in Taiwan:

If you’re only using them for advertising you probably don’t want a permanent one. But we need to think beyond this:

Most images via and

Been playing with colour myself this evening

But now more interested in what can be done with the 30% of the code that the reader isn’t interested in…

Also thinking about 3D models of 2D codes and Paul Auster a lot…

I’ve also been asked by two companies to explain a bit more about QR and help work out where exactly they should implement them.

Extra linkage:

A Chinese Social Networking site built up around QR, QR now attached to footy kits, QR embedded into news stories in the UK while Japan has a magazine made up of nothing but QR codes…

2d Code: QR code and two dimensional bar codes, news, views and analysis

Something to keep an eye on / get involved with if you’re thinking of playing with squiggly squares anytime soon.

Meanwhile my LG Viewty refuses to play ball. I may have to revert back to the N95…

… was pretty damn good.

We had a huge turnout for the Tuttle Club. I got there around 10.30 and it was already standing room only. I spent the morning catching up with friends (which is a nice side effect of the Social Media Café) but failed miserably at meeting anyone new until our QR experts arrived for the Geek Lunch. By this time we were a small, but formidable little party.

Myself, Gia, Laura, Lee, Nik, Francine, Mecca, Suw, James, Martin, Andy, James, David and Kimm (we were also hoping to meet Anthony but he had to go back to Australia at short notice which was a shame). It was a nice range of expertise and interested geeks. The feedback so far has been great.

I think the most important thing that I took away from the discussion is that while Japan may be years ahead of us in their use of QR they haven’t really done anything inovative with the technology yet. It so quickly became accepted as part of day to day life that it kind of faded into the background. The same way that here we take a regular barcode for granted.

While others were more interested in the practical aspects of QR I’m hugely interested in making some very impractical projects so you’ll probably start seeing a lot more QR stuff around me.

Maybe even on me.

The most interesting thing that came up in conversation was when Mecca announced that Moo had opened up its API. This is a HUGE deal and I can’t wait to see what people come up with. Seeing as Moo have already been experimenting with matrix codes in their sticker books it was a logical step for them to open that procedure up to the users and they’ve done just that Richard Pope has done just that with the Barcode-Sticker-O-Matic.

I’m confident that this will be a big leap forward in generating interest in the codes. Once these little squiggly squares start turning up regularly at geek meets on moleskines and laptops things will get very interesting very quickly…

Then once the I-nigma reader gets embedded into your handset: BOOM.

Watch this space. And that one. And the one over there…

Please excuse the meat*.

I’m co-hosting a dialogue about QR codes at the Coach & Horses tomorrow afternoon. You can read a bit more about it here – Yeah, I’m now also blogging for The Tuttle Club.

I just got outed as an “Esteemed international social media playboy” too.

Elsewhere (ie Twitter) I also found out that a simple repetition of the word fuck on Twitter can lead to a STAB TRUCK echo. Something to mine there.

Oh and the cat had a better day than I did. Thank fuck I’m in the pub tomorrow.

* Cheers to James for sending on the Japanese QR pics from his mate Joe in Japan. If you’re into your mobile trickery then have a word with James at the next Tuttle meet or better yet go along to his Mobile Geeks of London event.