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My Dad made me a stamp with my own personal QR code [wiki] on it. A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The “QR” is derived from “Quick Response”, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. QR Codes are common in Japan where they are currently the most popular type of two dimensional code.

The codes can be read using free software that can be loaded on most modern phones using their cameras to read the code. To read QR codes on your camera phone, download via reader.kaywa.com/phones. To read QR codes on your iPhone, go to code.google.com/p/iphone-qrcode/. Via [Kevin Lim]

These are very popular in Japan, but their popularity is picking up worldwide, I recently read they they are being tested by a directory in San Francisco, and when scanned will take your phone browser to a restaurants website, which is mobile optimised.

Semapedia is a project which uses QR Code nodes to connect Wikipedia articles with their relevant place in physical space. Placing physical semapedia tags on real-world objects allows people with mobile phones to use their built-in cameras to decode the Wikipedia-URL from the semacode. The phone can then use its internal browser to display the Wikipedia article of the physical object to the user. See examples of this project on Flickr.

You can generate your own QR code here.

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