COMMANDO NERD PATCHES FOR PHONE SCANNING
Think of it as a short URL you wear. Each 2x4-inch, velcro-backed p8tch has a Mysterious Commando Design on the top, and a QRCode on the bottom:
WHERE DOES THE QRCODE GO?
It goes anywhere you want! Here's how it works:
- Each p8tch has a unique QRCode on it that links to a URL on the Swiss domain "p8t.ch".
- For instance, the p8tch pictured above encodes the URL
http://p8t.ch/lahbg.
(careful, there's no telling where that URL redirects to right now.) - Each p8tch comes with a secret passkey that lets you set the redirect target of the URL as often as you like. So it really is like a TinyURL, except one that you can control.
SO WHAT IS THIS GOOD FOR?
Why, alpha-nerd bonding, of course! You sew the "loop" side of the velcro to your jacket, or to your backpack, or to your motorcycle tank bag, or glue it to your Pelican case. Then slap the p8tch on there and have any (or all!) of these interactions:— LIKE THIS —
THEM: "Excuse me! Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter."YOU: "Wonderful! Simply scan the p8tch on my shoulder."
THEM: [scans the p8tch] "Thank you, I have just subscribed to your RSS feed in Google Reader."
— OR —
THEM: "Hey, what happened to your leg?"YOU: "Oh, I broke it in a highly harebrained, yet thoroughly entertaining way. Here, scan my p8tch and you can watch the YouTube video!"
THEM: [scans the p8tch, watches YouTube video] "OH DEAR GOD YOU IDIOT wow ha ha, let me buy you a beer."
YOU: [enjoys beer]
See? Frankly, you can't afford to be WITHOUT a QRCode Commando Nerd p8tch!
CAN I TRY IT RIGHT NOW?
Yes you can! A word of caution: I'm about to give out the passkey that goes with the sample p8tch, so there's no telling if some joker has linked it to goatse. Proceed with careful eyeballs!Try scanning a p8tch
First, you'll need a QRcode reader. I recommend QuickMark (iTunes link), which is well worth the $1.99. You can see a comparison of iPhone QRCode-scanning applications, along with instructions and tips, over on the Scan page. Once you've chosen an app, install it, and you'll be ready to go.You can practice on the barcode below. Please let me know your experience!
If you have a latest-generation smartphone that's not an iPhone, head over to Semapedia to grab a reader. The reader pre-installed on the Nokia N95 is particularly fast.
The image at left is the same QRcode that appears on the p8tch at the top of the page. Hold your scanner steady, and fill as much of the screen as possible. Snap the picture.
In a few seconds (iPhone), or a few moments (Nokia n95), the scanner will emit a "beep!" and show you the URL
"http://p8t.ch/lahbg". Most QRCode readers will then give you the option to visit that URL (or will take you there directly.) An iPhone will additionally pass off Google Maps, YouTube, and other special-purpose URLs to the appropriate application.
Try setting a p8tch
You can set the URL target that the p8tch redirects to like this:- Visit p8t.ch/setup
- Enter the p8tch's URL: lahbg, and the secret passkey: miguel89maryanna.
Click "Set up this p8tch". - Enter the URL you'd like the p8tch to redirect to. Some ideas:
- ...and you're done!
WHAT DESIGNS ARE THERE?
I asked my friend, Danish designer Kenn Munk, to come up with some symbols that would be flexible, evocative of warning placards, and nerdy as hell. Here they are: (I've included three of each design so you can see that each p8tch's QRcode is unique):
HOW CAN I BUY ONE?
Each p8tch sells for $24.95. You can buy 'em in my store at the Boing Boing Bazaar.
Here's what you get:
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— John Young
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