Temple: Are you literate?

If you picked up the paper today, you were probably confused by the giant image that looks something like the love child of a crossword puzzle and a barcode. But then, after reading Online Editor Dave Isaac’s article, you learned about QR codes.

When you flipped to Page 4 of the Opinion section, you were probably confused again upon seeing this:

Ironic as it is, this is a map showing the below-basic literacy rates in these areas. In the paper, as you probably noticed, it is not labeled. But, here’s the fun part: it’s a test! If you look at Voice of the People at the bottom of Page 5, you’ll see that the question reads, “Philly has a 22 percent below-basic literacy rate. Is literacy really important?” The 22 percent in the question corresponds with the 22 percent shown for Philadelphia on the map. A-ha! If you realized that, give yourself a pat on the back — you are not part of that 22 percent. If you needed this blog post to tell you, congrats, you’re about as literate as the staff members (who will not be named) who forgot to label the map in the first place.

Hope you learned something new today, via your own means or Broad&Cecil. And get the hang of those QR codes, they’re the next big thing.