Making a Time Capsule with QR Codes - To Yourself 10 Years from Now
The Idea of a Digital Time Capsule
When it comes to time capsules, many people probably picture the can they buried in the schoolyard at their elementary school graduation. You dig it up 10 or 20 years later and feel nostalgic looking at the letters and photos from that time. A "QR code time capsule" recreates that experience digitally.
The mechanism is simple. You upload a message from who you are now (text, photos, video, audio) to the web and turn that link into a QR code. You print the QR code and stick it in a planner, put it in a picture frame, or enclose it in a letter. Then you decide to "open it in N years" and do not scan it until that day.
When you scan it on the opening day, the message from your past self is displayed. "So this is what I was thinking 10 years ago." A dialogue with yourself across time lets you experience an emotion close to that of a physical time capsule, more easily.
Time Capsules to Make at Life's Milestones
Graduation ceremonies: All the classmates record a video message "to myself 10 years from now" and gather them in one shared album. The QR code is printed in the graduation album and everyone scans it at once at the class reunion 10 years later. Videos of 18-year-olds speaking to their 28-year-old selves will probably be fun entertainment at the reunion.
Weddings: The bride and groom record a message "to us 10 years from now" and attach the QR code to the marriage certificate or a photo frame. When it is scanned on the 10th wedding anniversary, a message plays from the two of them, full of happiness on the day of the wedding.
Children's birthdays: On every birthday, a video message from the parents to the child is recorded and the QR code is attached to the birthday card. When the child turns 20 and lines up and scans the 20 cards from age 0 to 19, 20 years of the parents' love play back in chronological order.
Choosing a Storage Location Where the Link Will Still Be Alive in 10 Years
One of the big challenges of a time capsule is "whether the link will still be alive on the opening day." Scanning it 10 years later only to find a broken link would ruin everything.
Recommended storage locations:
- YouTube (unlisted): It is a Google service and is likely to still exist 10 years from now. If it is unlisted, only people who know the URL can access it
- Google Drive / Google Photos: Also Google services. No additional cost within the free storage capacity
- Internet Archive (archive.org): A digital archive run by a nonprofit organization. A service aimed at long-term preservation
Storage locations to avoid:
- Short URL services (bit.ly and others): Risk of broken links when the service ends
- Social media posts (Instagram, X, and others): May become inaccessible due to account deletion or service changes
- Free file sharing services: Some automatically delete files after a certain period
Securing the Durability of the QR Code Itself
Not only the storage location for the digital data, but also the "physical durability" of the QR code is important. The QR code needs to remain in a readable state for 10 years.
When printing on paper: QR codes printed with a laser printer are said to be more durable than those printed with an inkjet. In addition, lamination protects against water and fading. Using neutral paper (archival quality paper) instead of acidic paper also limits the deterioration of the paper itself.
When engraving on metal or ceramic: This is a highly durable method. A QR code laser-engraved on a stainless steel plate tends to last a long time even when placed outdoors. Some people engrave a QR code on the inside of their wedding ring.
When saving digitally: If you back up the QR code image file itself in several places (the cloud, an external HDD, a USB flash drive), you can reprint it even if the physical QR code deteriorates.
What to Tell Your Future Self
When thinking about the contents of a time capsule, a common struggle is "not knowing what to write." There is no need to think of it formally. A letter to your future self is a "snapshot" of who you are now.
Examples of easy themes to write about: what you are into right now, something that made you happy recently, your current worries, your goal for a year from now, the person you like, what you ate today, a book you read recently, a photo of your room now, and a selfie of your face now.
Something especially recommended is writing about "your current worries." When you scan it 10 years later, you might laugh, thinking "So that is what I was worried about back then." Or you might realize "I am who I am now because I had that worry." Either way, the worries of your past self are a valuable record for your future self.