QR codes: They’re officially everywhere

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/01/2011 (5355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Have you heard of this cool QR code technology the kids are talking about? It’s not really that new, but it seems to be catching on with the masses these days.

We recently started putting QR codes in the pages of our newspaper to allow people on mobile devices to scan and link to a specific webpage or video on our site.

Wikipedia, the always accurate internet encyclopedia defines a QR code as this:

"…a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data."

You can see how companies and organizations could use this tool to get their message out and bring viewers to their websites.

But I did not realize that you could put a QR code on a cake. That’s just what Nina Notaro at Cake Studio has done. When I ran into her at Tuesday’s Local Fare trade show at the Convention Centre, she claimed to have created the world’s first QR code cake.

See for yourself:

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I suppose if you wanted the guests at your kid’s next birthday party to find out what recipe you used in that great tasting cake, simply place a QR code on it and they can find out instantly. You might have to answer to your kid though when they don’t get their Batman or Dora cake like they asked for.

Fun activity: Try pausing the video on a close-up of the QR code cake and scan it with your QR code reader you’ve downloaded for your smartphone. It worked for me!