Colin Ellard - A QR How To

Welcome. If you’ve come to this page, it is because you are curious about the code that appears on the back jacket of my book Where Am I?: How We Can Find Our Way to the Moon But Get Lost at the Mall.

A QR code is a two dimensional barcode. The codes that you see in the banner above, much like the one on the back of the book, are all functioning QR codes. They are normally read using an ordinary cell phone, provided that it has a camera. Some phones (like the Android) have built-in QR code readers. Others need to have a piece of free software installed. If you go to this site or this one you should be able to find a QR code reader for your phone (though I can’t guarantee that your phone will be supported, especially if it is an older model). If you have an iPhone then you’re lucky. You can go to the apps store and download a free app called Barcode. You know what to do—you’re an early adopter….

Once the reader is on your phone, the rest is even easier. Just start the software, point your phone camera at a code, and it will know what to do. You’ll find yourself connected to a website, an SMS number, or maybe just a piece of text. Just in case it’s still not clear, here’s a YouTube video (link to come) with yours truly bumbling his way through the process.

One day, we may simply be able to point camera phones at things (or people!) that interest us to access information about what we’re seeing. Imagine hopping off a bus, seeing an interesting building, pointing your phone, and getting the story. In the meantime, QR codes can accomplish much the same thing. If we label an object with a code, we can provide ready access to information (though I wouldn’t recommend a QR code tattoo on your forehead – a t-shirt perhaps though). QR codes are widely used in Asia to provide product information.

One of the things that fascinates me, and one of the themes of my book, is the role played by technology in shifting our relationship with place and space. Everything from GPS to social media like Twitter and Facebook changes our connections to the planet and to each other. But to get this completely, you’ll have to install a QR reader and play along with me. It wouldn’t hurt to check in on my blog from time to time either.