The last 20 years have been tough for print, in large part because print outlets have failed to become early-adapters to new technology. So, here is a new technology with the promise of solving a fundamental problem in newspapers and magazines - measuring response. Publications should welcome and embrace 2-D bar codes. At Mediabids, we have. We believe they will revolutionize how print ads are placed and even paid for.

Here is a good description from the most recent Forbes:

The codes, which are sometimes called QR codes for "quick response," are a sibling technology to the familiar bar codes found on product packaging. 2-D bar codes, however, store data in two dimensions, letting them stash more data than regular bar codes, including information like Web site and e-mail addresses.

Here's how it works: People scan or "snap" the codes with a cellphone camera. The phone's browser then activates and is automatically directed to a designated Web site linked to the code.

Though popular in Japan, where they are viewed as a simple way to pay bills and download videos, 2-D bar codes remain a very niche technology in the U.S.