Valentine’s 2017 is here and if you are lacking some inspiration then fear no more. The Apple of your eye is right in front of you – well if you have an iPhone that is.
This Valentine’s say you can catch your lovers eye and impress them with a techy QR code treasure hunt.
These simple 2D bar-codes that we now see everywhere can store huge amounts of data – from texts to web links, email addresses, even geographic coordinates. All your sweetheart needs is an app that reads QR codes.
So, to begin, search for a QR code generator online to create your clues. QR codes can be read in any orientation and the built-in error correction means different colors and styles scan just fine.
In fact, they can be rendered in almost any material, from collage to cake. There’s even a firm that prints QR codes on chocolate – for a twist on a Valentine’s day classic, order a box of edible clues. It’s even possible to cross-stitch a QR code – and turn a clue into a keepsake.
For the hunt, slip the first code inside a card with a ‘scan me’ note. Have it lead to some text explaining the game and where to find the second clue. The next could be GPS coordinates of your special place. There, plant a code that opens a home-made picture clue or, even just a shot of the menu at their favorite restaurant.
Or perhaps the hunt was a ruse to keep your other half out of the house while you cook a fancy dinner and scatter some rose petals. The final code could even be a gift – encode a link to e-tickets, or an audio clip of the show you’ve booked.
The idea works well for long-distance love – mail the clues in numbered envelopes, and have them open video clips of the hints since you can’t be there in person.
Of course, if you’re leaving QR codes in public, anyone with a smartphone can decipher them. To avoid a stranger turning up to dinner, keep your treasure trail hidden by cutting the codes in two and keeping the second half of the current clue with the first half of the next.
And if you do hang a cross-stitched QR code love letter to your paramour on the wall where guests might scan it, just don’t make it too lewd.
More information: New Scientist
