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The image above may look like a meaningless block of jumbled up pixels to you, but it's actually a multimedia science fiction novel.
The novel's called Manga Man, and you'd access it by snapping a photo of the black-and-white block with your camera phone and a piece of software. Then, the software will direct your mobile browser to the novel.
Smartphone owners in Asia are more likely familiar with the technology being used, called Quick Response (QR) Codes. The squares are actually 2D barcodes containing URL information; many Asian companies are beginning to print QR codes on advertisements to direct smartphone users to product or company web sites. The tool is especially popular in Japan, where most phones ship with QR Code reading software pre-installed.*
*
Manga Man, made by Alexander Besher, is a pretty interesting example: He wears a t-shirt with the QR Code linking to his book printed on it. Unfortunately, this marketing method has yet to take off in the United States, since not many smartphone owners use QR Code reading software. Until then, Besher is probably better off wearing this shirt and walking around Japan.
Have an iPhone? Why not reader Besher's book? Download the free app NeoReader [iTunes], tap the "Scan" button and snap a photo of the code at the top of the page.
A mobile phone novel read via a T-shirt [NewScientist via BBG]
