sehr nice, schöner view

Mal wieder hab ich vergessen, die interessierte Cachergemeinde über Neuigkeiten zu informieren.

Seit dem 03.11.2009 schon ist Adi’s neuer Mystery “sehr nice, schöner view” online. Da ich mal wieder getrödelt habe, ist der Erstfund natürlich schon weg, aber es lohnt auf jeden Fall auch so!

Zweite Neuigkeit: nach den vielen Beschwerden zu dem recht klein geratenen Final, wollte ich dieses schon seit Wochen überarbeiten. Jetzt hab ich es endlichvollbracht – es gibt eine schön große (gerade noch) Small-Dose, schön versteckt. Das alte Logbuch hat wieder seinen Platz darin gefunden.

Happy Caching
Klecka

eRuv: A Street History in Semacode

Saved this for future research – I like the idea of making mark in our environment – a kind of useful graffiti.

Рассказ “Глубина Восторга” представлен на трёх языках: русском, английском и языке роботов – в QR-коде.

Сама идея, на первый взгляд, может показаться совершенно безумной. Как разделить эмоции и впечатления, к примеру, от литературного произведения с роботом. Сегодня, технологии позволяют преобразовать любой текст в специальный механический язык – QR-код.

Аббревиатура QR производна от англ. quick response, что переводится как «быстрый отклик». QR-код — матричный код (двухмерный штрихкод), разработанный и представленный японской компанией Denso-Wave (Дэнсо) в 1994 году.

При помощи QR-кода можно закодировать любую информацию, например: текст, номер телефона, ссылку на сайт или визитную карточку.

Пройдёт совсем немного лет и роботы смогут разделить с нами весь спектр чувств, получаемый от великой игры слов, под названием Литература.

Рассказ на русском языке:

“Глубина восторга”

Аплодисменты

Пурпурная материя занавеса стремительно падает вниз, открывая зрителям пейзаж ночного сада.
На сцену выезжают два неказистых робота. На них натянуты костюмы эпохи возрождения.

Ромео: О как же я ненавижу тебя!
Джульетта: Мой дорогой Ромео, это всё любовь, а не я.
Ромео: Мне так плохо, так больно… больно… Я страдаю.
Джульетта: Всё это от любви, от любви ко мне.
Ромео: Но ведь, ведь именно ты наслала на меня эту чуму!
Джульетта: Ты прав, любимый. Если, твоё сердце пожелает, я щелкну пальцами и твои страдания прекратятся… прекратятся… Ты остынешь ко мне, забудешь цвет мои глаз. Хочешь?
Ромео: Да! Да! Да!
Джульетта: Хочешь опять стать животным?! Тем жутким животным, которым ты был раньше. Вонючим, заросшим и грубым зверем. С головой набитой мыслями о еде, выпивке и глупостях. Взгляни любимый, как преобразило тебя моё колдовство. Теперь ты сочиняешь стихи, ты стал добрее и забыл о грубых привычках. Ты аккуратен и нежен… О боги, как ты можешь быть нежен…

Робот, в мужской одежде, печально опускает голову и медленно движется на встречу второму, в женском платье.

Ромео: Сможешь ли ты простить меня, любимая?

Обнявшись, неуклюжие роботы пытаются изобразить поцелуй.

Бурные овации

И в этот вечер, как и в сотни других, зал был заполнен до отказа. Сидящие в театре роботы, продолжали аплодировать снова и снова. Эта постановка помогала им лучше понять психологию отношений, такого редкого вида существ как люди.

Рассказ на языке роботов (QR-код):

Рассказ на английском языке:

“Depth of Rapture”

Applauses

The Purple matter of curtain swiftly falls downward, opening to an audience landscape of nightly garden. Two ugly robots drive out on the stage. Suits of renaissance age are strained on them.

Romeo: I hate you so much!
Juliet: My dear Romeo, this is all because of love, but not because of me.
Romeo: I feel so bad, I suffer… suffer very hard…
Juliet: All this from love, from love to me.
Romeo: But, in fact, its you sent this plague down on me!
Juliet: You are right, darling. If, your heart will wish, I will click with my fingers and your sufferings will end. The end… you will cool off to me, you will forget a color my the eyes. Do you want this?
Romeo: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Juliet: You want to become animal again?! That terrible animal, which you were before. Stinking, copsy and rough beast. With a head filled ideas about a meal, drinking-bout and nonsenses. Give a glance darling, how my witchcraft transformed you. Now, you write verses, you became kinder and forgot about rough habits. You are exact and tender… Oh gods, how tender you can be…

A robot, in masculine clothes, sorrowfully drops a head and moves to the second, in womanish clothes.

Romeo: Will you be able to forgive me, sweet one?

Hugging, clumsy robots try to represent a kiss.

Stormy ovations

And this evening, as well as in hundreds other, a hall was filled completely. Robots, sitting in a theater, continued to applaud over and over. This play helped them to better understand the relations psychology of such rare type of creatures as people.

Идея, текст и переводы – редактор “Суфлёра” Евгений Князев

P.S.

В Японии, в университете Осаки состоялась премьера первой пьесы театра, в котором некоторые роли отданы роботам. Автор пьесы, Ориза Хирата (Oriza Hirata), говорит, что его работа посвящена связи человечества и технологии.
В пьесе “Я, работник” (Hataraku Watashi), действие которой разворачивается в недалеком будущем, рассказывается о молодой семье, которой принадлежат два робота. Один из этих роботов потерял интерес к работе. Он жалуется, что ему выпадают самые скучные и незначительные задания и обсуждает с хозяевами свою роль в их жизни.

Метровый робот Wakamaru создан корпорацией Mitsubishi. Сотрудники университета потратили на программирование двух таких роботов свыше двух месяцев, научив их передвигаться по сцене и произносить слова роли.
Пока спектакль длится всего 20 минут. Работники театра надеются к 2010 году превратить его в полноценную постановку.

It has been widely reported that QR codes are common place in Japan. In my short time in the country so far I can confirm this to be true. In fact I got one put in my passport as soon as arrived. Since then I’ve seen them all over the place, from hotel information posters to chopstick packaging.

We might think that we are pretty obsessed with our mobiles in the UK, but Japan really takes things to another level. Over here the mobile Internet is nothing new or clever it’s just something they use like phone or the Internet. Consequently people do use QR codes over here, all they do is make something they already do that little bit easier and quicker.

Walking round Osaka city you find a phone in the hand of everyone, young and old, whether they’re with friends or riding their bike. One thing of note is that very few of these phones are what we would necessarily call smartphones in the UK, I’ve seen a few Blackberries and although I’ve seen a fair deal of promotion for the iPhone I’ve not seen many being used. Nearly everyone seems to have a flip phone, none of which are particularly small, but come with a camera and a decent size screen. It appears that Japan’s mobile Internet infrastructure works so well that there is limited desire for change. Their mobile websites work just fine so they don’t need apps, they don’t need 3G because they’ve already got it, and who wants to buy a phone that doesn’t even come with a QR code reader as standard.

The iPhone has a lot to do to convince the Japanese to abandon their flip phones, and the UK still needs a bit more time before we are using are mobiles to obtain services and information at quite the same level as they do over here in Japan.

This is basically proof-of-concept that this is already possible in flash, today. What you do is take saqoosha’s FLARToolKit, add keno’s QR code reader, and load results into 3d engine (in this case, kiroukou’s sandy).

It doesn’t require webcam, just click to upload your test image. It also makes use of saqoosha’s PixelBender homography transform filter, since keno’s reader apparently doesn’t do that on its own (and generally is very sensitive to input bitmap, I must add). Default image comes from here.

Het hangt er al even, maar wat is het vet jongens. Golfstromen (een bedrijfje dat iets met urban concepts doet) heeft samen met Woonstichting de Key een aantal QR-codes opgehangen op de Eerste Hugo de Grootstraat in Amsterdam. QR-codes? Ja QR-codes. Voor de niet-nerds onder ons: het lijkt alsof er niks staat maar OHNEE, ja wacht laat ik er met mijn telefoon een foto van maken. Er blijkt toch iets te staan!

Zo hangen er teksten van de amazing Jacq. Veldman: de onbetwiste winnaar columns schrijven over he-le-fak-king-maal niks zonder debiel over te komen, de hoogblonde sekscolumnist Tim den Besten hangt er naast Simon Vinkenoog (“may he rip“, aldus Jacq.) en nog wat mensen die ik niet ken.

Wat er staat? Ik heb echt geen ene clou. Daarom mijn oproep aan jullie toevallige voorbijfietsers: maak alsjeblieft een foto met je mobiel en twitter/facebook/blog/mail/print/rooksein hem naar me!! Eeuwige roem op deze blog zal je ten deel vallen.

The Queensland Labour government, under Anna Bligh has put forward quite a few changes to public transport in SE Qld.

• Phasing out of paper tickets from Jan 2010.
• Lowering the government subsidy from 75% to 70% within 5 years, resulting in a 100%+ increase in single GoCard fares by Jan 2014
• Considering doubling the “on the spot” fine for fare evasion from $200 to $400
• Commuters being no longer able to purchase a weekly, monthly, 3,6,or 12 monthly ticket.

As a token gesture the Transport Minister, Rachel Nolan has thrown some crumbs at commuters by offering them “off-peak” GoCard fares. Yet there doesn’t seem to be any thought given to those commuters that purchase weekly or monthly tickets and make more than 2 trips per day.

Whilst I fully agree with the government heading towards a paperless system, I am a little concerned that there isn’t really any public education campaigns on the correct way to use the GoCard.

This is coming from a government that is happy to plaster The Premier’s face all over the place, telling us how good a job that she is doing, and how the governments blah, blah blah is doing this that and the other thing for us.

With the huge windfall that the government is going to be getting from public transport, are they going to do anything to bring the actual public transport network into the 21st Century?

In SE Qld, we effectively have a rail network that shuts down after 11:00pm at night during the week, and midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.

Then there is the safety of commuters whilst on the network, and waiting at stations. The EGM of QR Passenger, Paul Scurrah is more than happy to trumpet how safe the network is and that he “regularly” travels on the network. Yet what he won’t admit to that QPS Rail Squad travel one or two trains ahead of him “clearing the line”. Which gives Paul Scurrah, and those that he would be showing off to, a nice clean and sanitised version of what rail travel is really like.

If people are breaking the law at Central Station and at the entrance Rail Centre 1, which happens to be where Paul Scurrah’s office is, then what other things are really going on out on the rail network. In the space of approx 1 hour on almost any given day, I can pretty much guarantee you that there will be someone sitting right beside one of the huge “No Smoking” signs that are plastered all around Central Station, having a cigarette.

What I would like to know is what will it take for the travelling public to stand up and say that enough is enough?

We are continually treated to snow jobs and double speak from politicians and those within management of Qld Rail. It is an organisation that is mis managed and extremely top heavy. I would seriously doubt the validity of any sort of information that is released “officially” from that company.

A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The “QR” is derived from “Quick Response”, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

QR Codes are common in Japan, where they are currently the most popular type of two dimensional codes. Moreover, most current Japanese & Nokia mobile phones phones can read this code with their camera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code

http://zxing.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=150×150&chl=gabbpciao

http://www.mycsharp.de/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=73971
datamatrix
itextsharp

http://itextsharp.sourceforge.net/tutorial/index.html

Have you seen these sort of images?

adrenalina QR code

Maybe you have or maybe you haven’t…

But, marketers are hoping that Quick Response or QR codes will be the way to code the future.

A QR code is unique in that it can have a variety of information embedded in it such as a website or blog url, message, phone number or even a promotional coupon.

Pretty cool right? It’s a fusion of technology and advertising bridging consumers with various products and services.

But how does it work?

Simple, by using a QR code reader – software which you have to download onto your mobile phone – you can then scan a QR picture with your camera phone and your mobile device will automatically redirect you to the information stored in the code.

In the near future you’re going to see more QR codes on street advertisement, billboards, games and even on apparel such as t-shirts, hats and scarfs.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that these codes and their use in marketing are really nothing new to the Asian market. QR codes are already a part of everyday society in Japan. As always the U.S. is lagging on not just technology but on many applications that could potentially drive people to other products and offerings.

If you would like to get your own QR code you can go to Kaywa – that’s where we got ours – featured above.

Want to see more info on how these codes work? Click on the video below and don’t forget to let us know what you think.

Wiki on Proximity Marketing:
Proximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so. Distribution may be via a traditional localized broadcast, or more commonly is specifically targeted to devices known to be in a particular area.”

Hypertag and other modes of Bluetooth marketing also fall into the category of proximity marketing.

Bluetooth marketing is a method where a transmitter connects to your phone in order to deliver content, offers, exclusive opportunities etc…  It adds a degree of intimacy or exclusivity for the potential customer, that or annoyance.

Other forms of Proximity marketing include the use of QR tags to deliver Content to a potential customer.  Some company’s have come up with proprietary forms of QRs and still others use a version of image recognition technology to decode a complex image via texting.

http://www.m-trends.org/2006/10/proximity-marketing.html

The overall purpose of proximity marketing is to connect the real world experience to the virtual worlds content in a tangible way.

http://www.bluetomorrow.com/content/section/392/513/

Its not a new concept that major brands have been launching their own branded iPhone apps as marketing tools and new ways for customers to interact. Beth Snyder Bulik at the Silicon Valley Insider has a great post showing some of my favorite winners and losers here.

Today Starbucks announced the release of its second iPhone app, the “Starbucks Mobile Card” app – and I’m here to shout it from the rooftops - this is one of the best uses of mobile technology in the US marketplace today.

Lets take a quick look at some of the features available on the Starbucks Mobile Card app:

1. Check your Starbucks Card balance. While this one is a no-brainer, anyone who has a gift card knows how frustrating it is to use it a few times and suddenly have no idea how much money is left on it. Most gift cards generally have a toll-free number on the back, however its a time consuming process that requires you to type in card number via touch-tone every time you need to check. With the Starbucks Mobile Card app, simply do it once, and the information is constantly at your fingertips.

Fill-Er-Up!

2. Reload Your Starbucks Card: No need to be in a Starbucks store anymore to get this done – simply use any major credit card and your account is fulled back up with coffee buying purchasing power. As a brilliant marketing ploy to get consumers to start using this – Starbucks is offering a $5 bonus credit to anyone who adds more then $25 through the app the first time.

3. (And here’s where it gets interesting): Pay with your iPhone. Yeah – that’s right – at 16 test store locations, you can now use your iPhone to create a 2D barcode (looks like they are using the QR code format) that is scan-able at the store register. It makes sense that this is a limited trial – each store had to be equipped with a special scanner that is able to read the unique code off of the phone. If this is a success – its not hard to see every major brand in the country that uses gift cards coming around to implement applications like this in the near future.

Changing the way you get your fix

As a general question to Apple and the iPhone development teams.. I still wonder why the integration of RFID for contactless payment systems has not been integrated into the iPhone as of yet. It would allow consumers to store their credit card information into their phones (securely) and with a wave of your phone over a special scanner, make a payment without ever getting the plastic out of your wallet.

Current the 16 stores testing the mobile payment trial are these:

• 20520 Stevens Creek Blvd: 20520A Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014
• 5180 Stevens Creek Blvd: 5180 A Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose, CA 95129
• Mountain View: 1037-C El Monte Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040
• Shoreline & Pear: 1380 Pear Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043
• Castro @ High School: 750 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041
• Miramonte & Cuesta: 809A Cuesta Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94040
• Charleston & Independence: 2410 Charleston Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043
• 1687 Hollenbeck Ave.: 1685-87 Hollenbeck Road, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
• Key Tower: 700 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
• Columbia Center: 701 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
• 1st Interstate / Wells Fargo: 999 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
• 40th Floor Columbia Tower: 701 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
• 7th & Stewart: 1700 Seventh Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
• 7th & Pike: 1524 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
• University Village II: 2650 NE 49th St, Seattle, WA 98105
• Madison Park: 4000 East Madison Ave, Seattle, WA 98112

Currently there has been no word on if Apple takes any percentage of the sale, though I find it hard to believe that Starbucks would agree to that. Then again – it is Apple we are talking about here. Traditionally in-app-purchase has been limited to paid applications (the Starbucks app is free), but utilize the iTunes billing mechanism that this app seems to circumvent.

A revista Quatro Rodas publicou hoje (22) em seu site oficial a capa da edição de outubro, que chega às bancas no próximo final de semana. O destaque da empresa é o Agile, o mais importante lançamento da Chevrolet do Brasil dos últimos anos. Além dele, a publicação traz outras novidades.

A QR destaca o lançamento do Agile e revela: o modelo terá duas versões de acabamento (LT e LTZ) e apenas uma opção de motorização, o 1.4 Econo.Flex de 99/105 cv. Ele chega para enfrentar Renault Sandero e VW Fox, que receberá mudanças em poucas semanas.

Como destaques da edição de outubro, a revista traz o teste da nova geração do Hyundai Tucson (ix35) e do Spark, prometido para 2012 como sucessor do Celta. A empresa ainda traz o Mercedes-Benz SLS e o McLaren MP4-12C. Para completar a linha de testes, um raio-x do Fiat 500.

Nos comparativos, há uma disputa entre Chery Tiggo, Ford EcoSport e Kia Soul, três veículos com porte de utilitário e propostas um tanto diferentes. Além deles, sete sedãs automáticos de menos de R$ 60 mil travam uma disputa gigante. Não foram detalhados os modelos, mas chutamos “belezinhas” como Chevrolet Vectra, Fiat Linea, Renault Mégane, Peugeot 307 Sedan e VW Bora e outros dois concorrentes.

Há ainda uma novidade estranha: o chinês Effa M100 sai da tradicional seção Longa Duração por estar “sem condições de jogo”.

Em breve, novidades da edição de outubro da AutoEsporte, principal concorrente da Quatro Rodas.

GALERIA

Inward investment body Into Somerset has commissioned an eye-catching railway advertising campaign aimed at stressed London businesspeople.

The thought-provoking adverts at mainline and branchline stations in and around London encourage fed-up entrepreneurs to give up the rat race and relocate to Somerset ‘where work life is better by a country mile’.

The posters, which are running for at least two weeks from 21 September, incorporate iconic images of Glastonbury Tor and the Somerset Levels – plus the latest barcode technology, allowing mobile phone users to instantly access the Into Somerset website and find out more details.

Into Somerset interim CEO Rupert Cox says, “Now that holidays are over, many businesspeople think seriously about relocating from the city to avoid stress, long commutes and pollution.

“Somerset, with its beautiful countryside and coast, not only offers an unbeatable lifestyle, but excellent business growth opportunities, as it has the highest start-up rates outside London.

“The posters pose challenging questions like, ‘Whatever happened to your great escape?’ and encourage entrepreneurs to look afresh at the benefits of moving to Somerset.”

The advertising campaign is running at mainline stations including Waterloo, Victoria mainline stations in London, Clapham Junction, Guildford and Reading plus a dozen other popular commuter stations in and around the capital.

They each contain a special QR code (Quick Response) that allows many mobile phone users to take a digital image of the QR code, which forwards them on to the Into Somerset website via decoding software.

Into Somerset promotes Somerset as a thriving business location where ‘you and your business can grow’ and is funded by the local authorities.

I learned last night that when the NP in the ER says get the QR they are not referring to a bike or wetsuit.  Instead they are about to dump a coagulant on your bleeding self.  And it stings. A lot. Then they also apply direct pressure.  That hurts. A lot more. Note to self: when slicing anything and using a very sharp knife, move the distal end of your thumb before you remove the distal end of your thumb. After 40 minutes of bleeding down my elevated arm, watching blood run down through my fingers and drip at a fairly steady rate into the sink, going through numerous paper towels and gauze bandages, it was time to let the pros have a shot at stopping the bleeding. Really one can only have so much fun holding your hand up while applying direct pressure. I kind of knew it was a er type of cut, but I was hungry and wanted dinner. Fresh basil in your pasta sauce. How could you go wrong with that?  Add some fresh meat and it’s even better. Mmmmm.

The ER is great for people watching.  I saw a kid come in with his knee cap on top of the lower end of his thigh.  A lady was wheeled in wearing a very nice, little black dress. Unfortunately the full eye shades covering her eyes and the bright pink blanket she was holding over her head seemed to clash with the rest of her evening wear.

On other exciting news, my company was bought last night by a Japanese pharma company with no N. American presence.  Even better, I have a couple of emails from people in the industry asking if I was interested in moving over to where they work. Who knows how this will all pan out.  I bought a few hundred shares around $9.  The deal price is $23. The close today was $22.80. Not bad, that should about make up for when I bought at a much higher price years ago. It seems that my worthless options, well, are still worthless at my strike price, sigh.

Best of all, I have a freaking migraine. From not sleeping much the last few nights.  This is forcing me to not ride Mt. Lemmon tonight.  There is a group, tossing lights on their bikes and heading up for 20 miles or so.  Probably not the best idea to have someone in your group descending who is experiencing some bright splotches in their field of vision, at night, with only mini newts for headlights.  Plus it’s thundering, lightening and raining over there.  I’m not really keen on riding in the lightening. Actually it’s the being struck by lightening part I’m not really too keen on.