The codes themselves are cool, I've got some idea for projects using them. Sticking them on t-shirts is a novelty though. Sticking them on business cards I'm also not quite sold on, the benefit over a short url eludes.

Not every website has a short URL, especially if you wanted to link to, say, an individual employees page in the middle of a site. Also, relying on a URL shortening service introduces the problem of link rot. Lastly, I think the novelty of simply taking a picture of a QR code and being instantly taken to a site rather than typing out a URL makes them more likely to be used. It's still a good idea to include a URL, but a QR code could certainly have some additional benefit.

As you say, it's the novelty of taking a picture of a QR code to go to website.

The long URL problem can be solved without URL shortener, just make your urls shorter :)

I'm really not arguing that the idea of using QR codes to indicate URLs (or, more interestingly, for other things) is totally without merit. Just that current usages seem to be mere novelties to me.

Actually, I feel there's one other non-novelty use of QR codes: Android apps. Most sites with Android apps have a QR code to the market in them. If you're browsing on a computer/laptop/not your phone, you can just point your phone at the screen and be taken instantly to the app's Market page. It's a case where the URL problem can't be handled by teh user, and where typing in a URL seems odd.

I agree that QR codes aren't fully useful, but I have seen some decent use of them. They certainly have more potential in my opinion, although the augmented reality demos of them I've seen are pretty cool.