QR Code
When someone with a cameraphone in Japan takes a picture of this shirt, my website appears on the phone's screen. This graphic is a mobile bookmark with my web address encoded as a two dimensional barcode.
Called a QR Code, this encoding is a common sight in Japanese metropolitan areas. The codes are used in catalogues for purchasing via mobile phones, placed on billboards in the street, and even find their way onto meat packages so shoppers can see where the food came from and how fresh it is.
While ubiquitous in Japan, QR code technology is only beginning to enter the US. See if your phone is supported and download a reader here. Regardless of functionality, it also provides a compelling conversation piece when someone asks “what is that on your shirt?”
That's right. We live in the future.