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Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

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Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#64
post #3

Unfortunately, and unlike a QR code, the data is not encoded in the drawing itself, which means an Internet connection is always needed. For URL sharing the Internet connection requirement is not so much of a problem (you'd always need that connection for browsing to the URL, unless it's a local or data URL), for everything else it may be. Also, once the Meshtag service goes down or closes for good, all tags become i…

That is a huge problem. A better solution would have been an app which takes a url and shows a sketch of triangles or squares which the user can then write out. Such an app could work offline as well.

Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#65
post #3

Unfortunately, and unlike a QR code, the data is not encoded in the drawing itself, which means an Internet connection is always needed. For URL sharing the Internet connection requirement is not so much of a problem (you'd always need that connection for browsing to the URL, unless it's a local or data URL), for everything else it may be. Also, once the Meshtag service goes down or closes for good, all tags become i…

That is a huge problem. A better solution would have been an app which takes a url and shows a sketch of triangles or squares which the user can then write out. Such an app could work offline as well.

How many shapes would you need to draw to encode even basic data like an 64 bit string of text?

Serious question...would it be something that a person could sketch out quickly by hand? Or end up being a massive diagram?

I've been reading the book "Code" where they start getting into the combinatorics side of things, but still relatively new to it.

Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#66
I mean this honestly. Do people actually even use QR codes?

Filling up your phone with a bunch of hi-res pictures of bar codes, not to mention having to load: 1. QR code app 2. camera app 3. browser app

These things are 100% in the gimmick column in my life.

Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#67
post #66

I mean this honestly. Do people actually even use QR codes? Filling up your phone with a bunch of hi-res pictures of bar codes, not to mention having to load: 1. QR code app 2. camera app 3. browser app These things are 100% in the gimmick column in my life.

http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com

Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#68
post #66

I mean this honestly. Do people actually even use QR codes? Filling up your phone with a bunch of hi-res pictures of bar codes, not to mention having to load: 1. QR code app 2. camera app 3. browser app These things are 100% in the gimmick column in my life.

http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/

Re: Show HN: A Hand-Drawn QR Code Alternative

#70
Damn, whole lot of hate in these comments. Chill out guys, nobody's trying to kill QR codes here.

samfpetersen, you made a cool thing. Expiration of small tags is an interesting way to solve the landgrab problem. I think these would be fun to use and I hope I see some around.

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