They are all over Japan and starting to show up more frequently here as a way of fostering customer interaction. Take a photo of the QR code with your cell phone, and it sends you straight to a website with more information.
So here I am, jumping on the bandwagon. Kaywa.com offers a free QR code generator, which I used to create the following image:

So… who will be the first to follow the above code and claim the victor’s crown?
Sorry. I guess I am out of the running. No cell phone.
They are becoming pretty common here, too. I have seen them in the paper and in stores.
Then I guess I was first, but only because I used you “follow the above code” link. I have the wrong kind of phone, too.
Sigh. More and more life’s applications are requiring smart phones. But I really hate the idea of giving up my $100/year cell phone for one that costs that much in a month. 🙁
Besides, did you seen the risks enumerated in the Wikipedia article?
Most phones need a separate little program (a.k.a. app) that reads and decodes the image, anyway. My phone has the required hardware (camera), but I have yet to install any app on it.
Here’s another link to generate barcodes and QR codes for free.