The Quick Response Code -- more commonly known as the QR Code -- is to put it simply, the Superman of bar codes.
With just a quick scan of your smart phone, you can use it to connect to all kinds of digital content, like websites, videos or even e-books. Invented years ago to keep track of car parts during the manufacturing process, the QR Code’s super strength has had a recent resurgence outside the auto industry as a tool for advertisers.
But some companies and organizations looking to attract attention have started using QR codes in some odd ways. The elaborately arranged matrix of squares have been making more and more appearances -- sometimes in the most uncanny places. Planned Parenthood even distributed tens of thousands of condoms with the codes last month that takes users to a geo-location site where they can "check in" to wherever they're using the condom, according to CBS News.
“Everywhere you turn, you see these codes -- on billboards, on the subway -- they’re impossible to ignore,” said Brad Frost, a mobile experience designer who launched a tumblr last week featuring some of the most ridiculous QR codes. “But when you’re underground, there's no way to actually scan these things -- so, it became kind of humorous.”
What's more, consumers fumble around for their mobile phones, find the app and wait for the content -- two whole minutes of their time -- to be greeted by an ad or a company's homepage site, commented Frost.
Here are some outrageous QR Code photos from WTF QR Codes.
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