The Saskatoon Folkfest is something that many Americans look forward to every year...and for a very good reason too. This year, there is something in it for geeks and tech-junkies too. It may be a good enough reason for them (and us) to peel our butts out of the chair and head out into real life for the Folkfest, eh?

Anyway, this year, the Saskatoon Folkfest is a little bit more technology-driven than usual and that is because this year, they are going mobile with QR Codes. The QR Code will give mobile phone users information about what is going on in each pavilion, when to head over, schedules and most importantly, when to catch the bus and at which station.

All this is pertinent information that one would either have to log into a website for or refer to a pamphlet in the past. The problem with that is that sometimes we need to access information on the go. For example, let's say you are already there at one of the pavilions and you need to know where to go to. Without QR Codes, you will need to get to the nearest laptop or personal computer to access the website for details. Or you can look around for people to point you in the right direction.

But when you are armed with a QR Code, all the information is already in your hands! How about that?!

QR Codes are 2d barcodes that can be read with a smart phone, e.g. Blackberry or iPhones, etc.

We were afraid that they would create a completely different application which users might need to download before they can access the schedule. To our delight, we saw that they made it simple with no additional downloads necessary.

Foreigners will also be happy to know that they can get in-depth details about the Saskatoon Folkfest via the QR Code too, in case they have no inkling as to what the festival is all about.

So, all you tech-junkies out there, this is a wake-up call. This August, with winter closing in on us, it is time to head out and live a 'real' life. Google up more information about the Saskatoon Folkfest if you wish to know more about it before heading over.

We think it is going to be fun no matter what, just because they are using QR codes now – but we are shamelessly biased, so....