Rant - Why I hate QR codes.

They are awful, disgusting, annoying, messed up, bleeding to the eyes, insulting to even my favourite things that they get used for without reasoning, and also badly affect my taste in foods and drink, as if I'm tasting them. Don't you people not see or realise just how horrible they are? Of course you don't, not most of you anyway. For me it is the case. I've always seen them to be totally weird and gross for all these years since probably 2010 that they first showed up (I remember seeing the first one in my life on the Nintendo 3DS system's pre-installed  "Mii Maker" application which included such a feature, unlike the Mii Channel on Wii that did not have it at the early time, thankfully).

Honestly, what's so "good" about these new inventions anyway? And why do they have to be like the brethren of bar codes, which I'm personally more comfortable with otherwise because they don't look so "chaotic" (just simple lines) and have been around more longer? Before you folks might answer... Yes I know QR codes are everywhere, yes I know that they are designed to work as shortcuts to the internet using a phone camera, and yes I know that reality itself does not see them to be a problem. BUT, please see my position of truth rather - they do NOT look pretty at all, are just an abuse to things, and even I don't like their name being "QR" as well, as it just looks and sounds silly to me and the fact that it's also basically stolen from the alphabetical order of letters for some odd reason. Who in the whole world thought first of making this "wonderful" new invention over bar codes anyway? Just like who exactly was the person somewhere in the globe who made the internet in the very first place? Well?

Sorry, but this talk about QR codes I decided to share is a problem of mine and not meant to be treated as a joke in any shape or form. It's a real issue in my mental list. And don't try to make me feel worse than I already am since, well, one QR code has just got to me in upset right now. And this topic isn't targeted at other people or a specific person either, just a thing that I don't like, that's all. I get easily angry with seeing QR codes even occasionally or rarely, because that's how my mind views it, unfortunately. And besides I DID try scanning a QR code years ago the first time in my life, just to see how it works. That's it. So I don't need to do it again in all honesty, thank you. I only prefer the "original" method - manually typing a web address to visit a site. I am OK with that, every time. If you would say that's weird or tedious...then it's only your view, not mine. Let me do what I prefer, please.

Then again, no matter how clear information like this turns out... You people still won't get it anyway. (Or will one of you...?) I know I might be behaving strange, though, but this issue I shared still means well. I hate QR codes and that's final. I wished they never existed at all. I only prefer bar codes better.

  • Once most phones had camera and high res screens it became the most convenient way to transmit a small amount of data to / from your phone quickly from / to a local object with out having to worry about device pairing.

  • "Who in the whole world thought first of making this "wonderful" new invention over bar codes anyway? Just like who exactly was the person somewhere in the globe who made the internet in the very first place? Well?"

    I will be answering these questions then shall I. 

    The internet as we know it, the World Wide Web,  WWW, was created by Tim Berners Lee in 1989 on a Next Cube computer.  The  internet  before that  ( intranet  darpanet) was a loose collection of  servers, BBS boards and  Usenet mailing groups. 

    The internet  didn't become the internet, until 1993\94  when  AOL opened the floodgates.

    The  QR codes were created by Japanese  company Denso Wave in 1994 for labeling automobile parts. 

    Denso Wave produces automotive parts, that's all QR codes were originally intended for, The team was  led by Masahiro Hara and the design was influenced by the black and white piece on a Go board. 

    They are  far older then I thought they would be but didn't become  "en vogue" in the mainstream until 2015.

  • There used to be a rather pretty kind of 2d barcode called a blotcode thats gone out of fashion.

    Note the hexagonal arrangement of dots.

    There was also a 2d coloured barcode (well more like 1.5 D) that predates the barcode that was used to label trains in America.

  • Only back for a few mins but I'd be remiss if I didn't caution against that idea, vandalism will likely only lead to trouble both social and legal. OP should take the breastfeeding-woman-in-public approach where if you don't like seeing it simply looking away is easy, legal, and costs nothing to do so.


    Any way I'm off again, places to go, things to do, people to see, and all that.

  • I thought most phones would show you nowadays? On mine when you scan a QR code it brings up the URL and you have to tap it to actually go to the site. 

    I feel like anyone being scammed in that way would just as likely fall for the more common phishing scams. 

  • I don't like QR codes either. I prefer knowing in advance what website I am going to be directed to.

    I saw a news report where a sticker containing a fake QR code had been placed over a genuine one in a public place. People were unknowingly redirected to a dodgy website, pretending to be the real one, and were scammed out of money.

  • Grateful to have avoided the injections, in spite of histrionics from a few close to me.

  • When they were using QR codes to check vaccination status, some people carried a black marker pen so as to add a few dots... 

  • You do indeed struggle AF, but Peter has provided a good lot of info which others may well appreciate - I know I've learned something today!

  • No no no...that's nothing interesting to me as you might think. Look at what my mum here mentioned - my mind is indeed unable to cope with a lot of "normal" things in life. But for many average people...sure, go along with it. Easy as that. XD :/

  • Actually there have been a number of attempts to produce two-dimensional barcodes that are more aesthetically pleasing. Like the Chrono visual cryptogram https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/PhotoTAN_mit_Orientierungsmarkierungen.svg

    fundamentally because it’s a 3-D barcode and not a 2-D barcode you can’t just have lines there has to be variation in information from top to bottom as well as left to right. You need to use both dimensions in order to fit as much information as possible. But it doesn’t have to be black and white squares it just happens that’s one of the easiest forms to implement.

    Black and white means you don’t need a colour camera which is more expensive. If you want to use every inch of paper to display data you really got the choice of squares, triangles or hexagons, regular polygon that tessellate the plane.

    some companies do render QR codes artistically. Giving the black sections slightly rounded corners. Most decently Hi-Rez QR readers can cope with this. But it does slightly increase the needed resolution to scan the code.

    Microsoft had a code of coloured triangles, there’s a code that looks like a grid of dots. 

  • I bought Bus and Rail tickets, to the South of Ireland, before; requiring QR Codes. However, I still use printouts; rather than the App. One printed out QR code, however, proved troublesome.

  • Well what can I say now, or answer? Indeed my mum is here, so are you...people surprised this time?! XD I don't know. =/

    No need to say anything - just go out and find a QR code on a bus shelter or poster and colur in a few of the white blocks to make it unusable - take the fight back to them!

    If you can't beat them, make them useless Slight smile

    Oh, and use a non-permanent marker in case you get caught...

  • ...Well what can I say now, or answer? Indeed my mum is here, so are you...people surprised this time?! XD I don't know. =/

  • Nice message Iain. As his mum, I can say we have tried many coping strategies, but they never seem enough or total or permanent enough. We just have to try and make sure they aren't around to be seen, which as you can imagine is very difficult - same with American spelt words, bowties, babies and children. As he has stated before, these are things which give him 'bloodboils' and 'jolts'. There are many other everyday things and words which are too numerous to mention, but I would like to thank you very much for your helpful, mild,understanding and non combative character!

  • Sorry, but this talk about QR codes I decided to share is a problem of mine and not meant to be treated as a joke in any shape or form.

    If it is an issue for you then I'm sorry it is causing you distress. It is certainly an unusual issue.

    Unfortunately this won't change anything. The rest of the world is going to carry on using them regardless so I can only suggest getting some help in accepting that they are a part of the online world and you may need to develop a coping strategy for them.

    If I recall in previous posts you also mentioned a dislike of change in the English language so with you also mentioning this dislike of the change of URLs into QR codes, do you think there is a resistance to change in general for you?

    This is quite a common autistic trait (I have it to a degree) and it does not reflect badly on you.

    So I guess there 2 questions arising from this:

    1 - do you think that resistance to change is what is behind this.

    2 - are you interested in finding ways to help make the change less painful for you.

    That's it - no judgement, only seeing if we can find a way to reduce the pain for you.