QR Codes

Similar to bar codes, QR Codes are another form of storing information in graphic form. Also like barcodes, QR codes are scanned by a mechanism, then de-coded to deliver various forms of information: numbers/letters/other characters, as well as binary code (up to 3k!]. This includes things such as phone numbers, or URLs, or gibberish.

What makes QR Codes especially more fun is that you can use mobil devices (i.e. your iPhone or Blackberry) to photograph a QR pattern, decode it, and read it. This is used in advertising to allow viewers to scan ads and see the company's webpage. This can also be used by individuals to spread messages to other nerds people with phones, such as MySpace URL's, e-mail addresses, and othersuch information.

The best part about the QR pattern is that it's binary: black/white, which is easily and cheaply translated into a number of media: screenprinting, textile applications, offset printing, and lower-res electronic displays. I can't wait for the day when you can fit an entire application into one of these things!

Wikipedia article
QR Code "applied to normal life" [video]
GIZMODO - QR Code embroidered patches
QR Code Shirt
QR sticker pointed to user's Flickr stream
QR Code Rick Roll
big obnoxious QR billboard
Space Invader's QR code art | video
QR code feedback system for street artists
QR code generator free web app, generates an image file for you that you can easily scale up in Illustrator.