The Pet Shop Boys embed QR codes in latest Orwellian video

Like synth pop and personal freedom? Good, 'cause the Pet Shop Boys have a new video which combines the two with the obvious appeal of personal gadgetry. Their new video for "Integral," a critique of the Big Brother surveillance state which rides the slogan "if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear," embeds QR codes linking viewers directly to on-line content about issues of civil liberties. Perfect for the dozen or so civil libertarians with QR-enabled cellphones living outside of Japan. The PSBs have made all 2,408 stop-frame QRs available for download so that you can embed them in your own YouTube dystopian rant against the erosion of Britney's freedoms.

[Thanks, ZSW]

Read -- Integral video
Read -- About QR codes

[Alpha Terminus @ Oct 8th 2007 6:13AM]

It's a sin not to like this video. What have we done to deserve this Orwellian state. How 'bout them West End girls in this video. At least you can't accuse this video of being boring.
/sorry

[wpalomine @ Oct 8th 2007 8:56AM]

It must be obvious to escape Big Brother.. Go West in suburbia. But after all that, ask yourself "Was it Worth it?" After all happiness is an opinion.

[juddadredd @ Oct 8th 2007 6:18AM]

DAVE your a complete TWAT just post relevant content, the PSBs have always had great videos that have had strong messages behind them.

Visit PrisonPlanet.com if you want to know more about Big Brother, mainstrean Media misleading you and a whole buunch of other stuff.

[juddadredd @ Oct 8th 2007 6:19AM]

LMAO Daves 'First Posts been taken down'

[Peter Harris @ Oct 8th 2007 6:21AM]

Kaywa Reader is a QR-Code reader app. Works quite well.

http://reader.kaywa.com/

[Jaime Valentin @ Oct 8th 2007 6:32AM]

People need to know the truth. Go see Zeitgeist. It'll wake you up! http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com The movie is three parts and I just don't believe in the first part. But part 2 and 3 should be seen by EVERY AMERICAN! And when you see it, spread the word. And yes, like JUDDADREDD said, you can find out more on prisonplanet.com And personally love http://www.wearechange.org. You'll find about 15 or so videos on things that the uninformed masses don't even have a clue about. Ron Paul 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lee Richards @ Oct 8th 2007 6:32AM]

I tried this out using the downloadable Kaywa reader for my SE K800i. Works fine. Suitable for loads of other phones also. http://reader.kaywa.com/

[Jack @ Oct 8th 2007 7:25AM]

agreed, Kaywa Reader works on loadsa phones, works on my k550i which isn't even officially supported!

[raymie @ Oct 8th 2007 6:46AM]

woah, i thought they died

[Xander @ Oct 8th 2007 6:50AM]

As all new Nokia N series phones starting with the N95 will be sold with a QR reader preinstalled, there are bound to be much more people with the ability to read it outside Japan than a dozen, certainly with the tremendous success of the N95 in Europe.
However, the number of people actually aware that their phone has this capability probably is quite low.

[james @ Oct 8th 2007 8:15AM]

Amazingly, you've pooh-poohed concerns about human rights, ignoring the obvious correlates, endless war, spying, imprisonment, etc., which are occurring concurrently.

I assume you have some literacy and have read Orwell's 1984, or even Animal Farm, but somehow you can't see the big picture? Maybe you see it literally, therefore ignore the realistic, negative effects of authoritarianism.

Regardless, I would prefer you kept your editorializing to blogs and kept this site about technology.

[Thomas Ricker @ Oct 8th 2007 9:08AM]

@James,

Gee, and I also wiped out the world's population of baby seals while hoisting global temperatures to record levels.

Lift your emotions from around your eyes and you'll actually see that what I wrote is completely neutral. Though, having lived in both the UK and the US, my personal beliefs are anything but.

Thomas

[james @ Oct 8th 2007 9:06PM]

I reread you comment, and several times carefully before I posted, and it still seems like you tossed 'Big Brother' concerns. Although I might have misinterpreted, you then did not express yourself well. Communication is a two way street.

Your language in response to my post is hyperbolic. I wrote you pooh-poohed authoritarianism, and you've retorted that I accused you of some horrific, as well as impossible, deeds. Strawman argument anyone?

As for the comments about my perceptions, "lift your eyes...," I read broadly on a daily basis, am particularly intelligent, and have a high degree of empathy. I rarely misunderstand anything.

[Jamar @ Oct 8th 2007 8:56AM]

A reminder that certain Sharp phones have QR code scanners built in- like the 903, 902, 802, and the SX633 (namely, all the ones that have hit the Japanese market before Europe/HK/TW). Most Toshibas have it too (again, only the models that exist in a Japanese version as well as Euro/HK/TW).

[MEAT! @ Oct 8th 2007 9:29AM]

Everyone says that the QR codes are links to civil liberties websites, and yet I haven't been able to find a list of the links contained in the video; everyone is just repeating what the band says about it on its website.

[Xander @ Oct 8th 2007 9:41AM]

I checked (from the PDF file contained on the PSB website) and I can confirm (for at least two links, did not check all, better things to do) that they indeed DO link there, apart from the last one, which links to the credits of the video.

[Pat @ Oct 8th 2007 10:25AM]

Anyone else think of "Snow Crash" when they first saw this?

[Zut @ Oct 8th 2007 11:50AM]

Tried this on an N95 - I doesn't bloody work at all.

Maybe this kind of nonsense is popular in Japan (what isn't?), but I'll be damned if I'm going to stand around like an idiot holding my phone to screen for 10 minutes while it tries to read one of these things!

[Jerry Whiting @ Oct 8th 2007 12:15PM]

This is further proof that cell phones as barcode scanners are a solution in search of a problem. Just gimme the damn URL!

[malungo @ Oct 9th 2007 9:50PM]

The QR Codes works. Here is a list of some embed links:

http://www.colmeia.tv/blog/2007/10/08/pet-shop-boys-integral-e-qrcode/