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News, insight and tips from the social web.
The Hoop blog covers the evolving digital landscape, social media, mobile communications, content marketing and also includes 5 top finds and Fish on Friday. Feel free to make comments.
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5 top finds #41 »
Hyperrealistic drawings, sun assisted QR code, Android mirrors, fully automated student bedroom and a handmade suit for....a hand. It's a great end to the week with 5 top finds.
1. Photo realistic drawings
[image from The Sun]
Yes, this image is what the title says, a pencil drawing. These amazingly real pieces of art are by Paul Cadden, who recreats photographs using little more than a pencil.
The Scottish born 47-year-old's work is described as hyperrealism and has earned him a spot on the Artist of the Year 2011 shortlist for his drawing, 'Painted context.'
Currently, Cadden's work is on show at the Point One gallery - which focuses on hyperrealism - in Pimlico, London. For a full range of his work, visit his website here.
2. Sunny QR code
E-Mart, Korea's answer to Wal-Mart, found themselves struggling to sell during the lunch hour. Many of the shops were close to empty and their sales graphs looked like a shopping basket, dipping in the middle of the day.
However, rather than accepting the slump in sales and making cuts, E-Mart decided to embrace mobile by installing a 'shadow QR code' outside stores that is only scannable between 12 and 1PM.
The unique QR code works by using the shadows available when the sun is at a certain point in the sky. At mid-day, the shadows fall perfectly into place to complete the code, making it available to scan. The most amazing thing is that it worked, pushing lunch-time sales up by 25% and giving the company more media exposure. Then again, we aren't that shocked as we know mobile works.
3. Android rearview mirror
[Image from Tech Beats]
The car and the mobile have always had a close relationship, with mobile telephony in cars dating back to 1960. Even now, with the huge popularity of handheld devices, many people integrate the two by having the phone synced to their dashboard.
Of course, this wasn't going to end there and the next step has been made, in a rather James Bond gadgety way. At this year's CES, one company called Rydeen showcased their new rearview mirrors with a built in Android operated touchscreen. Currently, Rydeen state that it is a research tool but a production version could hit the shelves by 2013.
We are not entirely sure if having a touch screen built into your rearview mirror is the safest idea, with texting while driving being such a danger (this video was so close to making 5 top finds) but it is interesting nonetheless. With it, you can unlock the ability to check weather conditions, traffic reports and the Hoop blog without having to pull out your mobile phone.
4. Automated dorm-room with emergency party button
There probably isn't any demographic lazier than the male undergraduate student. Waking times usually vary between 12PM-3PM and making dinner means finding a pizza coupon. However, one student was particularly proactive about being inactive as he built, what he calls, B.R.A.D (Berkeley Ridiculously Automated Dorm).
Controlled by motion sensors, remote controls, iPhone, iPad and speech, the Berkeley student's room is set up so well that throwing a party is as simple as hitting an emergency red button. What must have taken a while to set up, the hours put in are saving precious time throughout the day.
5. A handmade suit
[Image from Wallpaper*]
UK based design, fashion and art magazine Wallpaper* recently commissioned Dutch artists Lernert & Sander - along with London based production company White Lodge - to make a short film showcasing the handmade quality of Brioni's bespoke tailoring.
The short film, which shows the making of a particularly tiny suit, was shown at Brioni HQ for Wallpaper*'s handmade exhibition, celebrating quality hand made products.
It is amazing to see how a bespoke suit is made, let alone a very small one designed for a hand, who models the suit with such grace you'd be forgiven to mistake it for a human model.
Categories: 5 top finds
Tags: Android, Art, Hyperrealism, Mobile, Paul Cadden, QR code, Wallpaper
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5 top finds #25 »
Internet successes, some lovely WebGL, a discussion around human-machine-hum interaction, QR code cows and stop-motion animation. It's 5 top finds...
1. Success stories
If you're still in doubt of just what the internet is capable of doing, the Google blog has a wonderful story of how anything is possible. Even selling tongue brushes via YouTube. Awesome stuff.
2. Harvard does WebGL
Ever wondered what the surface of the brain (as well as the neural tracts) looks like? If so, Harvard have answered your prayers with a bit of nifty WebGL. Definitely worth a look.
If brains aren't quite your cup of tea, why not take HelloRacer's F1 car for a spin?
3. Will Siri change the human language?
The iPhone 4S has only been in the public domain for a few short months, but it will always be remembered for Siri; Apple's virtual assistant. But Siri is a choosy beggar and only accepts directions spoken in a certain way.
Tech journalist and venture capitalist (and Apple fanboy extraordinaire) MG Siegler recently posted a discussion piece suggesting, in some circles, Siri may alter human-human interaction because of the way it demands a rigid human-machine relationship. We'll wait and see what happens – but it's an interesting concept nonetheless.
4. QR cows
Nope, we weren't joking. An innovative farmer (and his technologically-minded friend) has painted QR codes on his cows to market his farm's produce. A truly ingenious solution to a difficult problem! 2d code has the details and you can watch the video on YouTube.
5. "Marshell"
We love video, especially if it's a good stop motion animation. Marcel the Shell (with Shoes On) ticks all the right boxes. A heartwarming story for a Monday morning.
Categories: 5 top finds
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Cracking the QR code »
Are Quick Response codes the next big thing or are they a waste of time?
QR codes are a type of 2D barcode that can be read by smartphones or dedicated scanners. They are the evolution of the regular barcode, as they are able to store more information and character types than barcodes and can be printed on a smaller area. Originally developed in Japan by a subsidiary of Toyota in 1994, QR codes have yet to really take hold outside of Asia.
Until the rapid introduction of the smartphone into mainstream culture, the QR code remained relatively unknown. But as the number of people owning phones able to read QR codes increases (30% of British and 31% of American mobile phone owners now have a smartphone), more companies are starting to advertise using the matrix barcodes – a process known as mobile tagging.
[Image from Mashable]
In July of last year, clothing company Calvin Klein pulled the 'normal' advertising from two of its New York billboards and one in LA. What then appeared was a giant QR code directing to CK's promotional video for a new product (a video deemed too saucy to be shown on the billboards – hence the Get It Uncensored tagline).
Calvin Klein aren't the only company using mobile tagging to stoke brand interest. Home plus, Samsung and Tesco's South Korean subsidiary, recently produced a campaign centred around a virtual supermarket utilising QR codes in Seoul – with the simple aim of expanding their online and offline market share.
[Click here to watch the video]
Home plus put up billboards in subway stations with their range of products, accompanied by QR codes. The displays were designed to look exactly like those in actual stores, from display layout to the merchandise. Customers were able to use their smart phones to scan QR codes, putting products in their online shopping carts.
The innovative use of QR codes doesn't stop there; the city of Amsterdam are starting to use QR codes on a new signage system this summer and an American artist has even started producing QR code art. The Salvation Army is even putting QR codes on t-shirts!
However, there are problems with the emerging trend of QR code use.
Because there's no one universal standard for 2D barcodes (see 'Typical 2D Code'), a standard code reader has yet to be developed. This could be one of the reasons why smartphone manufacturers have yet to pre-install code readers on handsets – slowing the QR code's move to mainstream.
Consumers also have to know what a QR code is (and there are multiple versions), before they know to download the right reader app, photograph the code and wait for the app to decode the QR (wonderfully illustrated in a tweet from Matt King below).
So smartphones have to have the right app and consumers have to know what the technology is. But other companies are also wary of the 2D barcode novelty.
Back in March, Google quietly removed the support for QR codes in its location-based Places product (although their recent purchase of customer loyalty application Punchd may signal a change of heart). And if you're using QR codes on advertising underground, consumers won't be able to access your data – a problem American airline JetBlue faced with their recent ad on the New York subway. And, let's face it, QR codes aren't very pretty.
So, are QR codes worth your time and resources? Whilst they're championing the use of mobile (which we think is a fantastic idea), there is the issue of having to develop mobile-optimised content. And until there's an industry- or location-based standard 2D barcode, the QR code readers will have to be installed by mobile users, rather having the reader app pre-installed. Which relies on mobile users knowing what QR codes are.
Until businesses invest in the technology, it will take time to be fully adopted by the mainstream. But businesses won't invest until QR codes are adopted by consumers.
It's a chicken-and-egg conundrum that's still to be cracked.
If you have any thoughts on QR codes, or anything else you've seen on the Hoop blog, let us know via email, Twitter or in the comments below.
Categories: Insight
