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Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:06 pm
by Guest
Thanks APOD that is by far and away the most useless picture I have ever seen. Is it because you have run out of astronomical pictures or has one of the team got a new phone that does QR codes? I hope this is never done again, much the same as the painting of never visited solar systems, if it is not a real picture/story/image/radio wave then refrain from putting it on the site.
Honestly this is a shocking use of the site, totally aimless and idiotic (not moronic or imbecilic, IDIOTIC!). Thanks for wasting my time reading the post and to all those who had phones to search the QR code and send money getting nothing for it. I don't have a smart phone, like many of your viewers, and would have thought your would have linked to something of interest, not this junk.
SHAME ON YOU!
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:09 pm
by snow black
Mercy on us, what an ado about nothing! Some people just need to peeve. Unhappiness artists, I call them.
I found the post amusing and informative. I'm sure there will be no shortage of the usual sorts of photos in the near future.
Thanks for the daily input, APOD!
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:10 pm
by brutus inquisitor
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Sigh, I need my astro-fix in the morning. Ah, well. Luv yez anywise and I hope for a better tomorrow.
brutus inquisitor
castigo te non quod odio habeam, sed quod amem
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:11 pm
by Guest
I hope they do these images once a month, at a minimum - we can all decode them and the first person to post the correct answer wins something!!!!!!
:stirpot:
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:13 pm
by grumpier_than_thou
get_real_people said it right: What a bunch of whiners!
It's only rarely that non-astronomical shots appear on the APOD page and those, such as the shot of the Hooker Telescope
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap950701.html or the damage to Apollo 13
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap950708.html have all been related to our exploration of our universe. As is today's image, as it's held in comparison to the encoded messages we've sent into space
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070908.html, showing us how they might appear to an alien mind, putting us for just a moment in that alien's hypothetical shoes.
Now if non-astronomy pictures became more frequent than the extreme rarity they've been so far I might be inclined to join in with a stamp-my-foot-and-cry fest such as this one, but not before.
On the subject of contacting extraterrestrial intelligence, here we are spraying signals into the great void, hearing nothing in return. I'm reminded of nothing quite so much as a cricket stridulating away in a grassy field, wondering if he's alone, as a frog, a cat, a wasp, and others creep stealthily closer.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:16 pm
by Disapointed
Really! I work for a company which does this type of bar code generation and I visit APOD to see something from God's creation. I guess tomorrow you have a Postnet or Aztec code up and just so the others don't get jealous do not leave out Data Matrix or even the GS1 DataBar family so we can track this site back to its roots as it seems you guys have taken your leave.
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:17 pm
by PhysicsMan159
Thank You APOD for working so hard to bring up new material. I am amazed by the lack of constructive criticism. You are totally entitled to your opinion, but it is much more helpful when you can express it in a way that will allow your opinion to be heard, and not ruin the fact that someone has been working at a project. APOD is not an easy task. I work at a place where I post weekly, and I struggle to keep that on time and interesting. APOD does this daily, and has been doing it for a very long time. By just simply saying it was terrible, you don't improve APOD, you are (in my opinion) complaining.
Also, I really enjoy APOD having the audacity to go off topic sometimes. It is great. I need a different photo every once in a while. Keep up the good work!
The coolest new thing vs. broad access.
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:22 pm
by Anthony Barreiro
I think the editors should be careful about using images that require technology that many if not most visitors do not possess. I don't have a smart phone, so a qr code is pretty useless to me. The same issue arises with video files -- many visitors will lack the software to view the video, or will be using a slow internet connection that would take many minutes to download a large file. There's always a tension between wanting to play with the latest coolest thing vs. being accessible to the broadest number of visitors, many of whom are still using old, modest equipment.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:34 pm
by Koagul8or
This is one of my favourite and most visited sites of all time. Keep up the good work and ignore all the negative comments!
J
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:37 pm
by SHOCKED54
Shocked I am! Intelligence would have demanded that the QR take me to at least the latest Hubble pic not yet viewed at APOD.... Ask me next time before you embarrass your self again....
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:45 pm
by Claudio
Thank you for the wonderful work on this site. I find it very enjoyable and educational. Keep up the good work.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:47 pm
by pferkul
What a bunch of cry babies! These comments are far worse than the image, which is really not that bad.
People should stop to consider the thousands of beautiful and thought provoking images provided by APOD for FREE!
This image is reminiscent of our attempts at communicating with aliens (as mentioned in the caption), so it certainly is appropriate.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:50 pm
by Guest
Taxpayer wrote:me98765543 wrote:
As for the guy who claims we should be happy because this is free, you are a moron.
Indeed! This site, as are all government sites, is wholly funded by TAX revenue. It is supposed to deliver information related to astronomy, not pseudo-barcode technology. And for the suggestion it's meant for all the "dedicated" fans to print out and plaster everywhere, that's absurd. Even desperately pathetic.
As a US Citizen and Taxpayer, I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!
1. Do you know what pseudo means? Do you know what a barcode is? Do you realize that a 'pseudo barcode,' by it's very definition, would not work? A QR code is not a psuedo anything. It is a QR code. It contains a lot more information than a barcode, which you would know if you had read the information that came with the picture.
2. Do you realize that by the time you figure out your share of how much you paid for this service through taxes, it is going to be so small a fraction of a cent that it might as well be free? Think about it:
- NASA's yearly budget = about $20 billion. (from http://www.nasa.gov)
Divide that by the number of people in the US (over 18 and thus probably paying taxes): 234,546,071 (from census 2010)
And we find that on average we pay : $85.27 per person in the US toward the total NASA budget per year. This doesn't include funds from other sources, like donations and such.
Now let's break down the cost of running a website:
- Take one of the most expensive web hosting companies and just round up (GoDaddy) to $10 a month for $120 a year.
Take an estimate of the hourly rate of paying the people who make APOD happen: we'll be generous and say $60,000 salary a year x 3 employees, working 1 hour a day each to make APOD: 60,000/365 = 164.38/24 = $6.85 an hour (remember this is salaried time, and APOD shows up on weekends) * 3 employees = $20.54 a day * 365 days = about $7500 a year.
So our total cost estimate should be $7620 a year for web hosting and to pay employees to manage the site (note that the web hosting is probably a lot less, since APOD is only a small part of NASA's webspace).
Now for the clincher: what percent of $20 BILLION is $7620? Let's see: 7620 divided by 20,000,000,000 = 3.81x10
-7
Apply that percentage to the $85.27 each person contributes in taxes each year to NASA = .00325 cents.
So you pay .00325 cents each YEAR for APOD. If you pick up a found penny you receive over 300 times that amount of money.
Still want to call the person who said APOD was free a moron?
3. Some people have already touched on this: If you have a smart phone, and you use the QR code reader to read this QR, you link back to APOD. Well, not very impressive today, but tomorrow, when you log onto your smart phone, you will have a link to TOMORROW's APOD. Also, printing this QR out and posting it places is a great way for those who love astronomy to promote and share APOD with others. What have YOU done to promote Astronomy? Have you ever tried raising funds for a planetarium or getting a town to cut down on light pollution? I have done both. I will be printing this picture out and plastering it around. I love astronomy and want to share that love with everyone.
If you choose to call that absurd and pathetic rather than dedicated, well, it is a free country. I would rather be absurd and pathetically dedicated than someone who demands entitlement and whines when it doesn't appear.
For those that insist the QR should have taken us to an astronomy picture: Why? How many people do you think only just realized they could look up APOD on their smart phone? It wasn't something I had really thought about doing before. Now I know that if I have to be away from my computer for a few days, I can still enjoy APOD. I think that's worth having to wait until tomorrow for more eye-candy.
4. If you don't have a smart phone, so what? Can you not learn about digital graphic coding? Would you be upset if APOD posted a picture of the actual plate with the actual code that was sent out with Voyager? Do you get upset when APOD posts weather pictures, such as lenticular clouds? Lenticular clouds aren't technically astronomy--they're meteorology (which itself can be a subset of astronomy when applied to
other planets). Do you whine as much when those show up as you do when a digital graphic coding method shows up?
5. I tune in to APOD to learn about astronomy, and often times APOD is only a launching point for a few hours of surfing astronomical and scientific topics. Astronomy is a collection of different scientific disciplines, including planetary geology, astrophysics, cosmology, particle and quantum physics, general and special relativity--the list goes on. I like to learn about science. APOD points the way. If I just wanted astronomical eye-candy, I'd go to google, select images, and type in 'astronomy.'
6. Yes, it's a free country. Yes, the forum is a place for you to air your views. And sure, if you're not happy with a service--even if you only pay a tiny fraction of a cent for it--go ahead and complain. But you shouldn't act surprised when others complain about your complaining.
7. I am also allowed to air my views here, and so I have. I tried to do it without resorting to calling anyone names. Calling names doesn't hurt the person you're calling names as much as you think; it actually kills
your argument, because when intelligent people see someone resorting to name calling, they assume the name-caller has run out of valid points and is now just lashing out in anger because they feel invalidated.
Wait, I feel another opinion coming on:
I love APOD and hope it is continued well into the future! Good Job!
_________________________________________________________________________________
NASA's budget for 2011:
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/420990main_FY_2 ... b_2010.pdf
2010 Census:
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/brie ... 0br-03.pdf
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:57 pm
by Guest
Pete12123 wrote:FmK wrote:Things are amazing, and people are unhappy. I thought that was a great post APOD. I love my astronomy pictures, but information is great too. For all of the complaining people, you are a bunch of spoiled brats. Maybe you shouldn't depend on someone else for your fun.. or at least quit complaining about stuff that isn't that big of a deal.
This site is called Astronomy Picture Of the Day, not random information picture of the day.
It's ridiculous nonsense that people shouldn't complain. Nothing ever gets changed if people just shut up. Just because you don't mind, you think you should decide that everybody else should shut up about it.
Maybe you should stop whining about the comments?
Funny how the 'random' information relates to astronomy, even if you don't want to admit it. Why would you want to change APOD? They've been bringing us amazing pictures for years--not all of which are exactly astronomy pictures. Go back in the archive and look, you'll find plenty that are only peripherally related to astronomy. Weather pictures from Earth, for example.
Oh, and it's okay to whine and complain about APOD, but that freedom vaporizes when someone else complains about the complaints? Nonsense. I want the complaining to stop, and according to your logic above, I must therefore complain about it.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:01 pm
by tom2688
the information did help me understand what they are used for, now if i could only figure out what this one means!!!
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:02 pm
by Guest
SHOCKED54 wrote:Shocked I am! Intelligence would have demanded that the QR take me to at least the latest Hubble pic not yet viewed at APOD.... Ask me next time before you embarrass your self again....
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Upon examination of your complaint, NASA has decided to make you administrator of Astronomy Picture of the Day. However, the first time you do something that someone complains about, you will be stripped of your title, paraded through the streets and then put in stocks where children will throw rotten tomatoes at you.
Doesn't it embarrass yourself that you haven't grasped the concept that solely by linking to APOD, the QR posted today IS in fact related to astronomy? What will happen when you click on the same QR tomorrow?
Think about that, director, and get back to us.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:04 pm
by tom2688
ok, found out what it means. thanks.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:05 pm
by trg
I don't find the posting to be removed from astronomy. Image information processing, transmission, translation, interpretation are all pretty much standard astronomy these days unless you think the hubble sends actual physical photos back to the planet.
Stop and think of the possibilities. Maybe the authors wanted to stimulate a different line of thought. Maybe they see application of these codes to disseminating more information about astronomy. Maybe QR codes will be placed randomly all over the place enticing the general public to scan and see something they had not seen before, such as, oh I don't know, an astronomy pic perhaps? Never assume a technology has no application to your domain.
It's worthy of discussion both positive and negative, just hard to see it worthy of the negative passion. Seems petty in my opinion.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:15 pm
by Padruig
this was a fun little diversion ...
(more fun that diagnosing a troublesome numerical routine !)
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:17 pm
by Guest
It's Oct 4. At very least you could have posted a link to something about Sputnik!
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:25 pm
by bystander
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:31 pm
by woodrowed
Well there goes his problem
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:36 pm
by Grilledslug
This is one of the best APODs I have seen in a long time. If you want a pretty picture of outer space you can find it anywhere - APOD always gives you something to think about. The QR is becoming vernacular, and people are posting that they don't even want a landline! Your beloved APOD probably comes over a landline...lol
My next business card will contain a QR, which will not only set me apart, but also to keep the slowcoaches at bay!
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:43 pm
by Star*Hopper
owlice wrote:As a regular at Asterisk, I find the complaints somewhat puzzling because so many of those posting them have never posted here before to say, "What a GREAT image!" when APOD has pleased them. If you LIKE something, doesn't that deserve at least as much effort, as much comment, as some of you are providing now to say you DON'T like something?
Well, hopefully you know that doesn't apply to me, as I've openly lauded many APODs. Else it wouldn't be my opening view every morning I crank up the 'puter, nor speak for the literally dozens I've shared with my entire personal mailing list.
But I also realize the sheer numbers of those who don't like today's
have to count for something. Question is, will the management learn from it? Doubtful.
And disagree or not, those OH so open-minded souls who feel they must resort to outright NAME CALLING to get their point across? Yeah....the sheer science of
that will carry LOTS of weight in winning any debate.
Re: APOD: QR Codes: Not for Human Eyes (2011 Oct 04)
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:51 pm
by zerro1
Thought I would check back and see what others had to say after my intitial post.
All you people who support the decision to post a bar code... I like you to sit back and listen for a minute..
There is a whole slew of Amature Astro Photographers out there that submit images for consideration to the prestigous honor of being chosen for Astronomy Picture Of The Day. Amature does not mean bad or low quality or lesser than, it simply means we don't collect a pay check for what we do. I'm OK when images I've submitted aren't chosen because someone else has a better submission. In reality, I've probably submitted nothing that is worthy when compared to others fine works.
It might be free for you to link this as your home page and view the winners of the daily selection...But it's not free for me or anyone else that creates these images. There's substantial cost to get started, there is a incredible amount of time that is required to learn the craft, and hone the skills. Many of the images you see submitted by "Us Lowly Amatures" take any where from several hours of data collection to sometimes years to compile enough exposure on a given target. I personally know of one 18 panel narrow band mosaic that was submitted. It took six months for the imager gather all of the data to create that fantastic image and IS certainly worthy.
I'm not saying that every Amature Astronomer gets involved in it so they can be chosen. Not at all. We do it because we love the cosmos, the galaxies, nebulae, starfields, and the challenges we face in taking part in these activities.
So many have poured their hearts into imaging these jewels in our night sky, processed the integrated stacks of multiple imaging sessions, looked at the results and thought...Hmm Maybe this one is good enough to be selected, Maybe?
and there before us is the selection out of all of the possibilities... a bar code!