Oh, Qrap

I've been obsessed with QR Codes, those 2D tags that encode URLs and other information, for the last 18 months, having penned a couple of Economist pieces, and this item about bookmarkleting QR Codes here at BoingBoing. The inflection point in Seattle, at least, appears to have hit: I spotted six at a burger joint this lunchtime. My friend Ren Caldwell knows my horrible interest in this matter, and she IM'd me a link (via several intermediate sources) to QRapping Paper. $19.95 buys you two 20-by-30-inch sheets of paper with codes that link to 50 different online videos. This includes videos like Harry Truman in Heaven, and one in which a gingerbread man torches his foreclosed gingerbread house. It's a pricey novelty gift, but clever. I'm going to co-opt this idea. This sanctioned holiday period, every one of my gift recipients is going to get an empty but suspiciously heavy box wrapped in plain white paper with a QR Code pasted on top. The code will link to Never Gunna Give You Up. That's right: I'm gunna rickroll Christmas, all y'all! (Ren's officemate Dan asked, "All I want to know is: is it pronounced 'crapping paper'?") And with that, I...am...outta here on my guestblog gig! Thanks for the love, BoingBoing readers.

Glenn Fleishman, @glennf, is the Executive Editor of The Magazine, a fortnightly electronic periodical for people interested in everything. Glenn also hosts The New Disruptors, a podcast about connecting creators and makers to their audiences, and writes as “G.F.” at the Economist's Babbage blog. He is a regular panel member on the geeky media podcast The Incomparable. In October 2012, Glenn won Jeopardy! twice.

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sweet, my grandpa discovered 4chan and now he writes for boingboing. what ever happened?
- braininavat
  
  This is a new benchmark in WTF
- Glenn Fleishman
  
  Grandson, don’t teach me how to suck QReggs.
brianary

â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–„ â–„â–„ â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„
â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–ˆâ–ˆ â–„â–ˆ â–„â–€ â–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ
â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–€â–€â–€ â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–ˆ â–€ â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ
â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–„ â–„â–€â–„â–€â–ˆâ–€â–„ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ
â–„â–„ â–„ â–„â–„â–€â–€â–„ â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€ â–€â–€â–ˆâ–€ â–„â–„â–„ â–„â–„
â–„ â–€â–€â–€â–„ â–„â–ˆâ–€ â–€ â–„â–€â–„â–„â–€â–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–„â–ˆâ–„â–„â–€
â–€â–„â–€â–„â–„â–„â–€â–„ â–„â–€ â–€â–„â–€ â–ˆâ–„â–ˆâ–„â–€â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–„
â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€â–€â–„â–„â–„â–€â–€â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–€â–€ â–ˆâ–€â–€â–€â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆâ–„â–„
â–€â–ˆâ–„ â–„â–„â–ˆâ–„ â–€â–„â–€â–€ â–€â–„â–ˆ â–ˆâ–„ â–€â–ˆ â–ˆ
â–„ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–„â–€ â–€â–„ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–„â–„ â–€â–„â–ˆâ–„ â–„ â–„â–ˆ
â–„ â–ˆâ–€â–€ â–„â–ˆâ–„â–„ â–ˆâ–„ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–€ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–„ â–„â–€â–€
â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ â–€â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–€â–ˆ â–„ â–ˆ â–€â–ˆâ–€
â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€â–„â–„ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–ˆâ–„â–€â–€â–€
â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–€â–€â–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆâ–„ â–ˆ â–€ â–€â–„â–€ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–€â–„
â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ â–ˆâ–„â–ˆâ–€â–„â–„ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–€â–ˆâ–„ â–„â–ˆ â–ˆ

brianary

Non-monospaced fonts here, no hints about HTML support. One more try.


   â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„  â–„  â–„â–„ â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„  
   â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–ˆâ–ˆ â–„â–ˆ â–„â–€ â–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ  
   â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–€â–€â–€ â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–ˆ â–€   â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ  
   â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–„ â–„â–€â–„â–€â–ˆâ–€â–„ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ  
   â–„â–„ â–„  â–„â–„â–€â–€â–„ â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€ â–€â–€â–ˆâ–€ â–„â–„â–„ â–„â–„   
    â–„ â–€â–€â–€â–„  â–„â–ˆâ–€ â–€  â–„â–€â–„â–„â–€â–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–„â–ˆâ–„â–„â–€  
    â–€â–„â–€â–„â–„â–„â–€â–„   â–„â–€  â–€â–„â–€ â–ˆâ–„â–ˆâ–„â–€â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–„  
   â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€â–€â–„â–„â–„â–€â–€â–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–€â–€  â–ˆâ–€â–€â–€â–„â–„â–„  â–ˆâ–„â–„  
    â–€â–ˆâ–„ â–„â–„â–ˆâ–„ â–€â–„â–€â–€ â–€â–„â–ˆ  â–ˆâ–„  â–€â–ˆ â–ˆ   
   â–„ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–„â–€ â–€â–„  â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–ˆâ–„â–„ â–€â–„â–ˆâ–„ â–„ â–„â–ˆ  
   â–„ â–ˆâ–€â–€ â–„â–ˆâ–„â–„ â–ˆâ–„ â–ˆâ–€â–„â–€â–€ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–„ â–„â–€â–€  
   â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ â–€â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–„â–€â–ˆ â–„ â–ˆ â–€â–ˆâ–€  
   â–ˆ â–„â–„â–„ â–ˆ   â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–€â–„â–ˆâ–€â–„â–„ â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–ˆâ–„â–€â–€â–€  
   â–ˆ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆ â–€â–€â–ˆâ–ˆ â–ˆâ–„ â–ˆ â–€ â–€â–„â–€ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–„â–€â–„  
   â–ˆâ–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–ˆ â–ˆâ–„â–ˆâ–€â–„â–„  â–ˆâ–ˆâ–€â–€â–ˆâ–„ â–„â–ˆ  â–ˆ

brianary

Well, there you go. It’s a crazy Mad fold-in QR code.
sg

I had to zoom in with Firefox like 3 times before I could get one of those codes to load on my phone. But it totally works.
g0d5m15t4k3

I read it as “Crapping paper”. Ha!
Anonymous

too late. I already made qr code stickers that do that. ohh well. I guess you’ll have to look for them in the wild.
Jack

I have been playing around with QR codes, but canâ€™t get past the novelty aspect yet.

One question: Is there such a thing as a desktop app for the Mac that allows one to scan a QR code with a webcam? I know the whole push is to use this with mobile devices, but what about those of us without smart-phones?
- Anonymous
  
  Found this thread for ya http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=686961
  
  For QR codes on-screen (such as that picture of a present), if you have an external camera just point it back at your screen (a more elegant solution would be an app that can scan the rendered screen directly, without a camera).
  - Jack
    
    Thanks! I actually found those a whole back and it seems odd to me that there are slick apps for mobile devices, but for non-mobile devices it seems like it’s all hacked & patched together. An Adobe AIR app is the best stand-alone option? Oy…
Anonymous

Qr codes are obsessive and awesome. I only wish more people and companies would adopt them in the usa..
Also I would love to see a functional qrcode tattoo!
I’ve been working on Qr code programming at sleejay.com… best viewed in chrome the html5 is fun
Hope someone can use it
Anonymous

The best was the guy dressed in wrapping paper using a Kinect.
Anonymous

Speaking of QR codes and gifts… check out this spiffy QR code tshirt from the loveable Sam Trout: http://samtrout.ecrater.com/p/9237072/qr-code-adelic
theyallhateme

I’m QR code obsessed too. I just finished a perler QR code. I think it’s a little mean for xmas, but I used to QuickRoll the guys at my old job. QR codes were great for sharing NSFW links too.
Anonymous

Um… Harry Truman in heaven? (Googling for it only finds this thread.)
3lbFlax

I’ve seen a couple of QR codes at the end of TV adverts this last week. They stay up for two seconds if you’re lucky, and I estimate that getting the camera ready on my iPhone 3G takes ten times that long. So now I sit there like a hawk, an admittedly quite unusual hawk, iPhone in hand, waiting for the ad break so I can capture these fleeting dataghosts and find out if there’s some additonal information about the product that the advert didn’t – or couldn’t – contain.
Anonymous

I love QRcodes too. Here is my Halloween costume this year.
http://picasaweb.google.com/crickett/Random#5548009064683627746