Semacode	QR Code

Due to popular demand, we once again have a Semacode generator and QR code generator in store for you! You can access it by simply clicking Create! in the menu bar.

Semacodes and QR codes are two types of 2D barcodes. Aside from appearance, the main differences are in size and storage capacity. Semacodes can be printed smaller and are capable of storing more information than QR codes of the same size. Any type of text can be stored in 2D barcodes, whether it be a URL, SMS message, or simply text like “Oh, hai doggy”.

2D Barcodes are seemingly limited in their usefulness to quite a small number of people. Typically, we see 2D barcodes on products and promotions. So what good is this newly implemented feature for those of us who don’t work with products or promotions?

BlackBerry Messenger

The first, most obvious answer is that many people, specifically BlackBerry users, already use QR Codes to easily transfer BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) pin numbers. Rather than inputting those eight characters, a simple scan will add a new BBM contact.

Business Contact

On a more professional level, 2D barcodes, which have the potential to store massive amounts of information, can be used for business contact information. Rather than receiving the conventional business card and manually spending precious time inputting the data, a quick scan of a 2D barcode can provide more information than a business card would hold.

For your future contacts, the old “Sorry, I must have misplaced your business card!” excuse will be ancient history. Additional advantages include being eco-friendly by decreasing the amount of materials used from thousands of business cards to a just few cards with a printed 2D barcode.

Urban Fun

Who doesn’t love a little fun and adventure? With use of Semacodes, the possibilities are endless! Recreate mundane, lame games into something bigger and better.

Why limit scavenger hunts to your house when you could expand it to include neighbourhoods, several blocks, or the entire downtown core? Just gather a bunch of friends, print out a few Semacodes, create an objective and you’re good to go!

Artwork

Do you love art, 90° angles, and the symmetry of a square? Venture a go at Semacode artwork! Let’s take look at what 2D barcode artwork has been already done:

A QR Code Waffle! made with Chiclets gum and chocolate chips	A Semacode composed of Scrabble pieces

Cupcakes! Delicious.	A Semacode created from a wheatfield, which has been captured by Google Images.

Let us know what you create!

Entertainment

The Nintendo 3DS, like the Nintendo Wii, allows players to create Mii characters, personal avatars, either manually or automatically with Mii Maker. The Mii Maker uses a front-facing camera to capture your picture as a basis for your Mii character. Mii characters can be encoded into QR codes, which can be scanned by the Nintendo 3DS, to allow easy teleportation between devices.

Similarly, LittleBigPlanet 2 allows its players to encode custom-made levels into QR codes. These can be scanned and loaded by other players using PlayStation 3’s “PlayStation Eye”. Levels are shared on the LittleBigPlanet community site.

Sites On the Go!

Abruptly having to leave in the midst of reading an article (or perhaps this blog) can be quite frustrating. But have no fear! Thanks to your trusty mobile, you can take the site on the go! And thanks to our barcode generator, you can now do it in less than ten seconds! Just follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Go to our barcode generator.
2. Copy and paste the URL into the generator
3. Use Semacode to scan and GOGOGO!

Donate to Japan

2D barcodes can be encoded with SMS messages and recipients which prompt scanners to send the message. At this time, this is the most important use of 2D barcodes. The follow codes are encoded SMS messages, which can be scanned to donate to Japan.

In Canada:	In the USA:
$5 to The Canadian Red Cross Society	$10 to American Red Cross

Now it’s your turn. Let us know what YOU do with Semacodes.

It’s no surprise that we’ve been up to something. Being perfectionists, we of course want it to be something awesome that you’ll love. So we decided to take a look into what elements would make an app addicting and fun. What better way than to look at games?

Games offer players an escape from reality. Why slave over the essay due next week when you could be mining for diamond to craft a full suit of armour in a matter of hours? With a suit of diamond, as with a high grade, comes a sense of accomplishment. The reward from mining is obtained quicker with less effort, just as intangible as the grade, and damn, it’s even shinier! Who doesn’t love shiny?

This armour is now diamonds! Second from the left.

Let’s take a step back from the shiny objects and take a look at what we’ve really been doing: clicking a button to create something that ultimately means, well, not much. Sure, we’re super proud to play a character now encased in diamonds, but was that really worth the all-nighter you didn’t have to pull writing an essay? Procrastination seems to have some burning love for us. So, what is it that keeps up playing for hours on end?

The concept behind getting players hooked to games is known as conditioning. There are two famous names attached to conditioning, B. F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov. The Skinner box involves a rodent in a box and demonstrates operant conditioning which uses positive and negative reinforcements and punishments to alter behavior. You’ve probably heard of Pavlov’s dog, which refers to an experiment using stimuli to alter responses.

Now, I could ramble on for the next 250 words to give an in-depth view of how these work, but frankly, you’re probably not interested in reading it and I’m not interested in working to bore you. Instead, I’ll let a more cunning man demonstrate the concept to you in a more entertaining way. You’ve probably heard of him. His name is Sheldon Lee Cooper B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D.

Operant Conditioning – The Big Bang Theory from Robin van Emden on Vimeo.

So actually, turns out conditioning works. Very well.

It’s a combination of several patterns of dropping rewards that keeps the player engaged: in fixed and variable ratios and at fixed and variable intervals. The rewards come quickly at first, showing the new player exactly why the game is so fun, but as the game continues, the rewards come after longer intervals and require much more work.

In many cases, games run in real time. This means that working to obtain a reward doesn’t just require effort. It requires the player put in effort at specific times. Failure to do so results in the loss of potential gain.

A widespread case of hooking players by use of real time is Farmville, which has its players constantly keeping track of times during which the player must play again. For example, strawberries, the most beneficial crop in terms of investment, are at the peak of their ripeness after four hours of growth. At any time beyond the four hour point – a variable interval – the strawberries, which the player has already invested time into planting, will begin to wither if neglected. The player once again puts real life on hold while he reaps the rewards of his work: fresh, ripe strawberries. Yum.

Chances are, you, if not, someone you know, has this gaming addiction. We don’t mean to tell you that it’s terrible and will lead you into a spiraling path of doom (not in most cases, at least), but it’s fun to understand the underlying psychology of how games lure us. So enjoy the strawberries and diamonds!

Have you ever dreamt of being royalty? Of owning your own kingdom, having everything you’ve ever wanted and everyone else to do it for you? We’re sorry to say that that almost likely won’t happen (we were shattered too). We are, however, ecstatic to say that you can come rather close with foursquare!

Foursquare is a social web and mobile application which invites its users to explore the world around them. Users “check in” to locations and are awarded points and badges for doing so. There are a variety of badges that can be earned depending on the location, time and date at which the user checked in and even more badges being added to continue engaging users. One of the more famous badges, NASA Explorer, was earned by astronaut Doug Wheelock when he checked into the International Space Station.

The majority of users won’t be checking into out of the world locations like the ISS, but for those users foursquare serves many purposes. It successfully unites friends and people of common interests, an important aspect of social applications, and brings them to adventure. In doing so, it unveils hidden treasures to which some would otherwise never venture by recommending nearby locations. If this weren’t enough to get you off your couch or computer, some businesses offer specials specifically for foursquare users.

So maybe you won’t own your own kingdom one day, but have the most check-ins to a location with foursquare and you can become mayor of that location any day now!

And the beginning of something beautiful.

It seems we’ve been gone for quite some time. But fear not! This hiatus has not been wasted on Cut the Rope or Plants vs. Zombies (although both are great ways to burn extra time).

But enough about us. What has the world been up to? What’s new? What’s around?

Apple is still at it, of course. Filling a virtual store with applications to connect you and please you – wherever you may be. Entertainment, education, and your hundreds of Facebook friends are with you at all times. With a few taps here and there and a slide or two, you are now logged in, checked in, and checking out various places in the world.

Shopping has never been so easy with apps like ShopSavvy and pic2shop. Such apps allow you to check out several sources for that one item so you can find the best deals. All that’s needed is a barcode to save you some moolah.

There is power in the touch of your fingertips.

Now it would only be nice if scanning for a bottle of water didn’t give a result of Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Yugi the Destiny.