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

[grumpier than thou]

Gold Medal to tjerome, BMAONE23, Duke for their comments - sad that so few, myself included, are so unable to see the obvious. Nice, APOD, and thanks.

[AnalytiCanadian]

Come on people - branch out a little bit! I love a good nebula as much as the next astronomy lover, but it's good for APOD to have a variety of pictures and topics. I'm not familiar with these types of arrays, and it certainly won't hurt me to read a bit about them. I'm sure tomorrow we'll be back to an awesome picture of something incredible in the universe!

[Chris Peterson]

Everybody is going to find stuff they like or don't like. Days you are happy with APOD, days you aren't. I don't watch any videos on APOD. On video days, I just move on, figuring there will be something more to my taste. I don't let it ruin my day.

APOD is a smörgåsbord: take what you like, leave the rest. But don't bitch at the chef!

[ems57fcva]

The trouble with this APOD is in the title: "Not for human eyes"! However, this web page exists for human eyes! So little wonder that is has frustrated and annoyed so many people.

To make matters worse, the solution to the puzzle is the QR code itself! IMO, making this is an "impractical joke".

On one level, it is cute. However, it is one thing for the Mars Rovers to engage in "belly watching" (or being focused on itself). It is another thing for this page to engage in it.

I for one must agree with the others who are reminding you that this is the ASTRONOMY picture of the day. You seem to get away from that focus at times. Do recall that the first reason that many of us make APOD our home page is because of the beautiful and intriguing pictures that you put up, along with the often scientifically enlightening commentary. Even the occasional meteorological picture tends to work out OK, if only because you are dealing with a planetary atmosphere (albeit the only one that we can study in excruciating detail). However, you have crossed the line into purely abstract technology here.

This is a good page and I do admit that you are entitled to have some fun with it. So while it is OK for you all to stray at times from pure astronomy, my polite advice is to not stray too far (again).

[Guest]

Print out the QR code and put it somewhere where it might lead the public to our favorite Astro picture site. I think this is the meaning of today's APOD.

I think that's exactly the reason.

Thanks, APOD, for helping us help you promote astronomy!

[neufer]

Everybody is going to find stuff they like or don't like. Days you are happy with APOD, days you aren't. I don't watch any videos on APOD. On video days, I just move on, figuring there will be something more to my taste. I don't let it ruin my day.

Might I ask why?

[Delirium]

Oh boo hoo hoo. It's not a pretty picture, it's not another wallpaper to add. I have to do something with this!

Make of motivations what you will, be careful they might be your own.

Thanks APOD for once again expanding the universe and adding to the human conciousness.

P.S. You better make up for this tomorrow!!

[Steve D]

I see the connection with communicating with extraterrestrials. Still, I agree with those who found it disappointing.

[neufer]

I see the connection with communicating with extraterrestrials.
Still, I agree with those who found it disappointing.

You do realize that half of those who found the APOD disappointing are, in fact, extraterrestrials.

[JJGravity]

To all of those who want their tax money back for todays APOD - it probably cost you .00005 cents. You spent more time and energy whining about it than it's worth to you monetarily. I think your whining should be taxed, even though that probably wouldn't shut you up.
Thanks to the APOD team for many years of daily refuge. I'm glad a miniscule portion of my tax money pays for this amazing site!

[Well.I.Never.]

What the?
Who let that one through?
Not nice. Not nice at all.

[geckzilla]

Heh, I wonder what miniscule percentage of NASA's budget actually is allotted to hosting APOD? I already know RJN and Jerry aren't paid for their work on APOD so that's really the only cost. A lot of people don't seem to realize that NASA's budget doesn't even amount to 1% of the whole federal budget. In fact, a graph of that figure might make a good APOD. Take that on your desktop!

[Chris Peterson]

Everybody is going to find stuff they like or don't like. Days you are happy with APOD, days you aren't. I don't watch any videos on APOD. On video days, I just move on, figuring there will be something more to my taste. I don't let it ruin my day.

Might I ask why?

A few reasons. I don't like Internet video in general. My Internet connectivity isn't usually adequate to produce good performance. I view APODs on different systems, and find the ability to view embedded video variable. Most of the APOD videos I simply dislike- boring content, poor resolution, uninteresting or bad music. Philosophically, I don't think APODs should be videos- those are all going to be dead links soon, whereas a static picture is pretty much forever. You don't have to go very far back in the archives to find video APODs that don't work anymore.

Not really the point, of course. I don't like videos, so I don't usually watch them. No big deal, nothing to get overly concerned about. Some of these nutters, you'd think their entire life revolved around APOD, and if there's a day they don't like, they go off the rails. I don't get that.

[a.king]

To all the commentators who wrote some hateful words above: This is a big shame for all of you. regardless of being a very interesting post for APOD (that I really enjoyed), APOD is a free service of NASA. The directors of this website + NASA do not owe any individuals who wrote such resentful comments. If you like to be allured by some false-color deep-space images all 365 days a year, then you don't need to wait one day to get it! just search the web, and you'll get thousands in a second. I doubt if any of the above commentators is a scientist or professional astronomer.

[beriah101]

Very Interesting!!!! I love this site..

[Beyond]

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

When i first laid eyes on it, it looked light green and caught my attention. When i magnified it, it looked a little blueish also. But, being lazy, i thought i could just use the short version and save some electrons. But the way this thread is going, i could make this a very long explanation and my particle useage would go completely unnoticed.
Perhaps some of the disappointed folks in this thread might want to wander on over to the 'Open Space' forum and visit the 'I Didn't Know That' thread and read about the 'Crazy Ant' problem down south. If some of them are from down south, they just may see a little sunami of them coming over the hill in their direction one day soon. That would really get their minds off of APOD in a hurry.
Well, i guess I've used up enough extra particules for now, so I'll just exit stage

[geckzilla]

Lens flare, Beyond.

[Guest]

zerro, you REALLY need to go back and read your post about how much it costs you to create the images. The entire point of your post was that because YOU spend money on YOUR hobby, APOD should NOT have had a QR Code as today's image -- an image by an amateur astrophotographer should have been selected instead.

Then why was the QR code the APOD?

[thenalak]

It is absurd that some many people overreacted in such a way. Honestly, calm down realize this service comes up with a picture plus an explanation every day. Tomorrow is a new day. Sun vs. comet tomorrow?! Sweet!

[neptunium]

The new image is going to come in exactly one minute upon entering this post, so I had better head back to the APOD website. Chao!

[Beyond]

Lens flare, Beyond.

Thanks geckzilla. I was hoping for something more exotic, but that's the way it goes. I don't get to use this smilie, so i thought I'd throw it in here.

[EagleSoftware]

You people have way too much time on your hands if this upsets you that much. I see no problem with the posting. Get over it!!!

[ErikB]

Geez people, take an aspirin or something. So, its not a pretty picture from HST. I would get the idea you were afraid to learn or see something different. Oh, but wait.... that's what APOD is all about.

[stinman]

This was the first QR barcode I scanned with my new phone. What a disappointment. I was hoping for a cool hidden picture of a hidden plant or something.


Oh well. They really missed the boat with this one.

[stinman]

This was the first QR barcode I scanned with my new phone. What a disappointment. I was hoping for a cool hidden picture of a hidden plant or something.


Oh well. They really missed the boat with this one.

That would be a picture of a hidden planet not a plant.