APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)

[aristata]

I love the occasional slow day at APOD. Now, onward to Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land... Yippeeeeeeee!

[mtbdudex]

So;
I saw this QR code, took my iPhone4 out, and scanned it hoping to see some Easter Egg, another great/educational NASA APOD, then I came to the APOD page with explain of QE, felt confused.

Read the comments posted here, I’d like to offer my take on this.

Can we take QR’s to the next level?
In other words, we could have a NASA QR contest, where each person participating has their APOD user name embedded into the QR code, and the APOD site keeps track of how many hits is generated over a specified time frame.

People participating in the contest would spread NASA APOD via their forums, their avatars, facebook, etc.

Point would be some “fun” and exposure for NASA APOD, “winner” could get some small NASA swag, possible a t-shirt?

Just thinking outside the box and a different viewpoint than those posted.

I guess nobody wanted to make a contest out of this like I proposed.
Rather than rant - not that I want to anyway, I offer these here are some astronomy related picts taken by me...


"ring around the moon"

Click to view full size image

Dec 14 2010 Geminid meteor shower, 5 streaks shown

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Biggest one of the Dec 14 2010 Geminid meteor cropped

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Here is example of using Noels tools to remove light pollution
w/o

Click to view full size image

with

Click to view full size image

[zerro1]

Nice work, Those are some great shots!

[darthclide]

At first I thought the page had loaded wrong somehow... I am ticked off about this post, but what really gets me is they they don't have "spoiler alert, click here" for the answer? I have this as my homepage because I love all things physics and astronomy. What does this have to do with space?

[Guest]

I like it - cannot understand all the venom - after the hundreds of great images we get for free finally its nice to see a close up of a borg cube !

I totally agree. What is wrong with everybody?! Can't you just accept the non-astronomy-related picture and know that APOD will most likely post another astronomy picture? Why is everybody all of a sudden so mad at this ONE picture, going so far as to remove APOD off their bookmarks and favorites? Haven't there been other APODs that had nothing to do with astronomy at all? Don't they know that there will probably be an astronomy-related picture tomorrow? Geez, it makes me so angry seeing people SO mad at this one picture that may not have anything to do with science! Just get over it! And for that person who said that APOD's next picture will be an advertisement for a cell phone, GET A LIFE!
makes me sooooooooo mad...

[owlice]

Go look at all of the images stored there on the servers. There are people behind every one of those images. People that struggled to "get it right". You put it out there to be measured and judged by the best in Astronomy. They chose a bar code.

http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=22862

They chose a bar code that, if people DO print it and post in it various places, will bring MORE people to see the images that people have labored over. I think that's a good thing!

[AquaS]

Hello,

I was amazed at 12 pages of dissappointed viewers. This post actually made me think about communications with other forms in the galaxy. Maybe they don't have ears (or sound processing), maybe they don't have eyes (or visual processing), etc...

The biggest 'take away' was that the post not only got me thinking about communication with alien forms, but brought me back to reality about human technology. I thought it was a good departure. Would have been better if the 'code' was an excercise to engage your reader base. I liked the post about a contest using this code. The problem with departures; they cannot be too far off or they change the original intent. Be careful not to stretch the APOD charter too far!

[owlice]

AquaS, I'm not disappointed!

[Nowski]

Can I buy a vowel?

[Johnn]

I was a bit disapointed too, but I didn't think that today's APOD was horrifically bad. It is a philosophical after all.

[neptunium]

LAME!!! APOD's new definition: A PILE OF DUNG.

That's just insulting. Next time be more realistic.

[MuadDib]

Who's the genius that thought this was a good idea? ASTRONOMY! Keep thinking ASTRONOMY!

[vargaj]

Love the site, most days. The QR code is kind of un-interesting.

[Bernard]

I like it! Very interesting. Thanks for the change up.

[Guest]

space invaders?

[Tszabeau]

Here's my attempt at deciphering the code: Kiss my Aster.

[Beyond]

mtbdudex, in your picture -ring around the moon- what is that little green orb at about 4-o'clock??

[Ann]

mtbdudex, in your picture -ring around the moon- what is that little green orb at about 4-o'clock??

I was wondering that too, although to me it looks blue-green.

Ann

[machado.stella]

Eye-irritating!
Please show something pleasant.

[SamStar]

I appreciate this information - you all do a great job. Message to all the whiners: find something important to complain about - there's plenty to choose from. Thanks, APOD!

[islander2]

Great way to attract younger viewers with all their latest communication devices. 13 pages! It is no worse than the Arecibo message--and we all loved that.

[Anonymouse]

I am a tad disappointed in this QR Codes business,,, but at the same time, recognize that it does exist,,, I DO think it would have been smart to have a QR Code link to a photo of the Pleiades, or Andromeda, or even Lundmark's Nebula~! But then, I am an unschooled appreciator of The Greater Cosmos, and of Cosmic Beauty,,, What do I know??? Hmmm,,, not much, really~! ~!,,, ,,, ,,,

[johnnyk]

Lighten up Francis - retreat from your "lofty" throne and be thankful for what others have given you.

[Ashley Richards]

This is pretty weak for APOD. It would have been much better to use a QR that resolves to cool astronomy video. Like some Sagan:

Click to view full size image

or the MESSENGER insertion

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[owlice]

Why, when this one resolves to a page that is different every day?