The QR barcode has been enormously helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its creator, Masahiro Hara, is thrilled. Since QR barcodes can handle about 200 times more information than the average barcode, it has been used with contact-chasing apps, contact-free payments, and check-ins at various places, according to The Guardian. Years ago, Hara would feel a sense of joy whenever he would see a piece of garbage on the street that had a QR code on it. Now, he's a bit taken aback at the QR code's usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] "I’m really pleased that it’s being been used to help improve people’s safety," Hara said to The Guardian. "Back in 1994 we were focused on its use in the economy...we never thought it would be used for something like this.” Now that Hara recognizes a far greater purpose for QR codes, he and his team are hard at work to develop the technology further. "I’ve been thinking about how to increase the amount of information that can be stored so that the code can handle images,” Hara said. "For example, it could be possible for people to carry around their x-rays and cardiograms in QR code form." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-sci-fi-movies-on-netflix&captions=true"] Hara purposefully released the patents for QR codes to the world so others can take the technology into the future. All Hara asks is for some spotlight on his company, Denso Wave, which is the birthplace of the QR code. “It would be nice if more people knew about our company,” Hara said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/19/theres-a-5050-chance-were-living-in-a-simulation"] Meanwhile, some scientists believe that humans might actually be living in a simulation. For some lighter science fun, check out an updated list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix or IGN's top 25 sci-fi movies of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

The QR barcode has been enormously helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its creator, Masahiro Hara, is thrilled. Since QR barcodes can handle about 200 times more information than the average barcode, it has been used with contact-chasing apps, contact-free payments, and check-ins at various places, according to The Guardian. Years ago, Hara would feel a sense of joy whenever he would see a piece of garbage on the street that had a QR code on it. Now, he's a bit taken aback at the QR code's usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] "I’m really pleased that it’s being been used to help improve people’s safety," Hara said to The Guardian. "Back in 1994 we were focused on its use in the economy...we never thought it would be used for something like this.” Now that Hara recognizes a far greater purpose for QR codes, he and his team are hard at work to develop the technology further. "I’ve been thinking about how to increase the amount of information that can be stored so that the code can handle images,” Hara said. "For example, it could be possible for people to carry around their x-rays and cardiograms in QR code form." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-sci-fi-movies-on-netflix&captions=true"] Hara purposefully released the patents for QR codes to the world so others can take the technology into the future. All Hara asks is for some spotlight on his company, Denso Wave, which is the birthplace of the QR code. “It would be nice if more people knew about our company,” Hara said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/19/theres-a-5050-chance-were-living-in-a-simulation"] Meanwhile, some scientists believe that humans might actually be living in a simulation. For some lighter science fun, check out an updated list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix or IGN's top 25 sci-fi movies of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

New York-based Rosen Law Firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Cyberpunk 2077's publisher CD Projekt S.A. due to its alleged violation of federal securities laws. Announced in a press release, Rosen Law Firm is filing the class-action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of CD Projekt S.A. between January 16, 2020 and December 17, 2020, and is seeking to "recover damages for CD Projekt investors under the federal securities laws." The lawsuit claims that CD Projekt has "made false and/or misleading statements" and/or failed to disclose that "Cyberpunk 2077 was virtually unplayable on the current-generation Xbox or PlayStation systems due to an enormous number of bugs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/18/sony-pulls-cyberpunk-2077-from-ps-store-will-offer-refunds"] In response to the many issues and messy messaging surround the game's launch, Sony removed Cyberpunk 2077 from the PS Store and Sony, Microsoft, and CD Projekt would "be forced to offer full refunds for the game." The lawsuit claims that, as a result of the above, "CD Projekt would suffer reputational and pecuniary harm" and that its "statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages." This news follows a previous report that lawyers and investors in Warsaw, Poland - where CD Projekt S.A. is located - were "circling the situation" and were deciding whether or not they should take action. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/24/20-good-things-about-2020-and-10-things-that-sucked"] Despite all these issues and CD Projekt's stock price dropping around 29% at launch, it didn't stop Cyberpunk 2077 from selling over 13 million copies and recouping its entire development and marketing costs with pre-orders alone. If you are able to get past some of the issues and are enjoying the game, be sure to check out our Cyberpunk 2077 walkthrough, cheats and secrets, and tips on hacking. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

New York-based Rosen Law Firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Cyberpunk 2077's publisher CD Projekt S.A. due to its alleged violation of federal securities laws. Announced in a press release, Rosen Law Firm is filing the class-action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of CD Projekt S.A. between January 16, 2020 and December 17, 2020, and is seeking to "recover damages for CD Projekt investors under the federal securities laws." The lawsuit claims that CD Projekt has "made false and/or misleading statements" and/or failed to disclose that "Cyberpunk 2077 was virtually unplayable on the current-generation Xbox or PlayStation systems due to an enormous number of bugs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/18/sony-pulls-cyberpunk-2077-from-ps-store-will-offer-refunds"] In response to the many issues and messy messaging surround the game's launch, Sony removed Cyberpunk 2077 from the PS Store and Sony, Microsoft, and CD Projekt would "be forced to offer full refunds for the game." The lawsuit claims that, as a result of the above, "CD Projekt would suffer reputational and pecuniary harm" and that its "statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages." This news follows a previous report that lawyers and investors in Warsaw, Poland - where CD Projekt S.A. is located - were "circling the situation" and were deciding whether or not they should take action. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/24/20-good-things-about-2020-and-10-things-that-sucked"] Despite all these issues and CD Projekt's stock price dropping around 29% at launch, it didn't stop Cyberpunk 2077 from selling over 13 million copies and recouping its entire development and marketing costs with pre-orders alone. If you are able to get past some of the issues and are enjoying the game, be sure to check out our Cyberpunk 2077 walkthrough, cheats and secrets, and tips on hacking. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The European Space Agency wants to send a massive claw into orbit to clean up space junk and steer any debris back into the Earth's atmosphere, where it would be burned up. The agency has officially signed a contract with Swiss start-up company ClearSpace SA to launch the first active debris removal mission, known as ClearSpace-1, which will aim to dispatch a claw into space by 2025 to "rendezvous, capture and bring down for reentry" a VESPA payload adapter that was left in orbit after the second flight of Vega back in 2013. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/12/19/nasa-successfully-grows-lettuce-in-space-ign-news"] The VESPA has a mass of 112 kg and, according to the ESA, is close in size to a small satellite. "In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5,550 launches have resulted in some 42,000 tracked objects in orbit, of which about 23,000 remain in space and are regularly tracked," the ESA said in its announcement of the mission. "With today's annual launch rates averaging nearly 100, and with break-ups continuing to occur at average historical rates of four to five per year, the number of debris objects in space will steadily increase. ClearSpace-1 will demonstrate the technical ability and commercial capacity to significantly enhance the long-term sustainability of spaceflight." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] The ESA signed an €86 million contract to purchase the service, which could be used to remove further debris in the future. For more scientific studies and real-world developments, check out this study about how brains process visual communication in films, read about the scientists that detected a strange radio signal coming from outer space, and find out about the 139 new planets that astronomers discovered at the edge of our solar system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The European Space Agency wants to send a massive claw into orbit to clean up space junk and steer any debris back into the Earth's atmosphere, where it would be burned up. The agency has officially signed a contract with Swiss start-up company ClearSpace SA to launch the first active debris removal mission, known as ClearSpace-1, which will aim to dispatch a claw into space by 2025 to "rendezvous, capture and bring down for reentry" a VESPA payload adapter that was left in orbit after the second flight of Vega back in 2013. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/12/19/nasa-successfully-grows-lettuce-in-space-ign-news"] The VESPA has a mass of 112 kg and, according to the ESA, is close in size to a small satellite. "In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5,550 launches have resulted in some 42,000 tracked objects in orbit, of which about 23,000 remain in space and are regularly tracked," the ESA said in its announcement of the mission. "With today's annual launch rates averaging nearly 100, and with break-ups continuing to occur at average historical rates of four to five per year, the number of debris objects in space will steadily increase. ClearSpace-1 will demonstrate the technical ability and commercial capacity to significantly enhance the long-term sustainability of spaceflight." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] The ESA signed an €86 million contract to purchase the service, which could be used to remove further debris in the future. For more scientific studies and real-world developments, check out this study about how brains process visual communication in films, read about the scientists that detected a strange radio signal coming from outer space, and find out about the 139 new planets that astronomers discovered at the edge of our solar system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A mysterious, hazy, circular object has appeared in space, and astronomers have been trying to figure out what it is for over a year. According to an article in The Conversation by Ray Norris, a science professor at Western Sydney Universe, via Space.com, astronomer Anna Kapinska presented an image to Norris and the rest of her colleagues in September 2019 labeled "WTF?" The image showed a smoky ball chilling in space. None of the scientists knew what it was. Another was found a few days later. Now, scientists estimate there are about 1,000 of them. An image of the phenomena can be seen in The Conversation. Scientists have named them ORCs, which stands for "odd radio circles." They don't know how big or far away these rings are. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-space-opera-movies-that-arent-star-wars-or-star-trek&captions=true"] Is it a ghost? A smoke ring? A (cool) ghost blowing a smoke ring? The researchers haven't ruled those out yet but they have ruled out "debris left behind when a star in our galaxy explodes" and radio emission, according to The Conversation. Astronomers around the world are trying to figure it out. The post on The Conversation says two scientists in Russia feel it could be connected to wormholes. "It’s an exciting time for us," Norris wrote. "Most astronomical research is aimed at refining our knowledge of the Universe, or testing theories. Very rarely do we get the challenge of stumbling across a new type of object which nobody has seen before, and trying to figure out what it is." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/scientists-call-for-more-evidence-of-possible-ufouap-sightings"] Researchers have submitted a full paper about the unidentified objects, but it's not known when the paper will be published. Maybe the circles are a message from the Galactic Federation, which may or may not be an actual thing. Maybe it's an alien race looking for their missing monolith since a monolith was recently found in Utah. At the very least, these spooky circles further the calls from scientists to keep exploring unidentified objects from space with new technology. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

A mysterious, hazy, circular object has appeared in space, and astronomers have been trying to figure out what it is for over a year. According to an article in The Conversation by Ray Norris, a science professor at Western Sydney Universe, via Space.com, astronomer Anna Kapinska presented an image to Norris and the rest of her colleagues in September 2019 labeled "WTF?" The image showed a smoky ball chilling in space. None of the scientists knew what it was. Another was found a few days later. Now, scientists estimate there are about 1,000 of them. An image of the phenomena can be seen in The Conversation. Scientists have named them ORCs, which stands for "odd radio circles." They don't know how big or far away these rings are. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-space-opera-movies-that-arent-star-wars-or-star-trek&captions=true"] Is it a ghost? A smoke ring? A (cool) ghost blowing a smoke ring? The researchers haven't ruled those out yet but they have ruled out "debris left behind when a star in our galaxy explodes" and radio emission, according to The Conversation. Astronomers around the world are trying to figure it out. The post on The Conversation says two scientists in Russia feel it could be connected to wormholes. "It’s an exciting time for us," Norris wrote. "Most astronomical research is aimed at refining our knowledge of the Universe, or testing theories. Very rarely do we get the challenge of stumbling across a new type of object which nobody has seen before, and trying to figure out what it is." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/scientists-call-for-more-evidence-of-possible-ufouap-sightings"] Researchers have submitted a full paper about the unidentified objects, but it's not known when the paper will be published. Maybe the circles are a message from the Galactic Federation, which may or may not be an actual thing. Maybe it's an alien race looking for their missing monolith since a monolith was recently found in Utah. At the very least, these spooky circles further the calls from scientists to keep exploring unidentified objects from space with new technology. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Netflix is bringing some holiday cheer with the announcement that Season 3 of Cobra Kai will premiere globally on January 1, 2021, which is one week earlier than originally reported. Here's how Netflix describes the upcoming season of Cobra Kai: "Season 3 finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/cobra-kai-the-karate-kid-saga-continues-launch-trailer"] The streamer also released a clip of Johnny (William Zabka) personally changing Cobra Kai's Season 3 release date to January 1. You can check out the video right here. In case you missed the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, which aired on YouTube Premium before Netflix acquired the series, you can binge Seasons 1 and 2 right now on Netflix before Season 3 debuts. For more on the series, be sure to check out our reviews of Cobra Kai Season 1 and Cobra Kai Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cobra-kai-season-3-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Netflix is bringing some holiday cheer with the announcement that Season 3 of Cobra Kai will premiere globally on January 1, 2021, which is one week earlier than originally reported. Here's how Netflix describes the upcoming season of Cobra Kai: "Season 3 finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/cobra-kai-the-karate-kid-saga-continues-launch-trailer"] The streamer also released a clip of Johnny (William Zabka) personally changing Cobra Kai's Season 3 release date to January 1. You can check out the video right here. In case you missed the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, which aired on YouTube Premium before Netflix acquired the series, you can binge Seasons 1 and 2 right now on Netflix before Season 3 debuts. For more on the series, be sure to check out our reviews of Cobra Kai Season 1 and Cobra Kai Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cobra-kai-season-3-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.