Death and the net: How to log off gracefully for the very last time

[rjbull]

There have been mentions of similar services on DC before, but this seemed a useful up-to-date summary.  The current edition of New Scientist magazine, dated 5 June 2010, No. 2763, has an article entitled Me and my Avatar: Upload your mind and you could live forever, by Linda Geddes.  The complete article is currently (2010-06-08) online as Immortal avatars: Back up your brain, never die.

The third and final page has a box entitled Death and the net: How the web can help you log off gracefully for the very last time... listing the following services:

• My Last Email
  Enables you to leave letters, photos or video messages for friends and family, as well as write your own obituary
• Deathswitch
  Imagine you die with a secret that you longed to reveal. Deathswitch is an automated system that prompts you for your password on a regular basis. If you repeatedly fail to respond, it assumes you have died and emails pre-scripted messages to nominated addresses
• Legacy Locker
  You create a master list of usernames and passwords for all your online accounts and social networking sites. Once your death has been verified by Legacy Locker, the list will be emailed to a named beneficiary
• Seppukoo
  Samurai warriors preferred to commit ritual suicide rather than allow themselves to be captured by enemies. Seppukoo.com enables you to commit "virtual suicide" by deleting your Facebook account - or at least it did until a legal wrangle with Facebook, though the service hopes to be up and running again soon
• Slightly Morbid
  If something terrible happened to you, who would tell your online friends? This service enables users to consolidate all their online contacts, allowing a trusted third party to contact them in the event of your demise

[40hz]

I'm neither that organized nor important.

When I die, I think I'll just stop posting.

------------
P.S. Good set of links. Seriously.

One anomaly however. When I tried LastMail's website I got this:

[attachthumb=#]

[Eóin]

This briefly came up before in a thread related to Pubbox.net. It's a pity we didn't have those links then, thanks for sharing.

[mouser]

Excellent set of links, thanks. 

[Paul Keith]

Well...I don't know if these are appropriate to the topic but I felt the theme needed some of these:

Link NSFW: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/An_hero

Apologies if these are inappropriate.

[MilesAhead]

I guess the service died before I did.



[attach]

[Stoic Joker]

Apologies if these are inappropriate.

I've never really been good at the whole "what's appropriate" thing - But I probably shouldn't be laughing this hard at work... (I love the demotivational series)

[higherstate]

Interesting topic    I have to say though Deathswitch sounds very dangerous!

[Stoic Joker]

Interesting topic    I have to say though Deathswitch sounds very dangerous!

Yeah, not a password you'd want to forget if you have any big secrets, or pointed last words. Got 30 days in the can for a trumped-up traffic charge ... (oopsy daisy!) ... You just "died"...

[Innuendo]

A couple years ago I read about one very similar to Deathswitch that provided the same functionality, but with the additional feature of automatically deleting all your pr0n so your loved ones won't find out what a deviant you are. 

[Paul Keith]

I wouldn't be surprised if Deathswitch originated as a porn plot.

Then again, the porn plot could be in reference to something earlier too or Deathswitch could also be an early concept. (the site isn't loading for me right now and I can't verify the date)

All I know is that it's not that rare to encounter a superheroine blackmail story where a normal powered villain will hold control over a superheroine by claiming that he has pictures of her identity and at a regular scheduled interval, he needs to input a password every day or her identity will get sent out to all the major villains in whatever city she was in. (Often as insurance to keep the heroine from beating him up and sending them to jail or even murdering them.)

This was prior to the days where Tony Stark would reveal his identity in the movies or Spider-man in the comics.

[Innuendo]

The one I'm thinking of was Arsware (freeware written by Ars Technica members) and it was called Dead Man's Switch.

Looks like the www.arsware.org web site has expired though...

[OldElmerFudd]

I'm neither that organized nor important.

When I die, I think I'll just stop posting.

------------
P.S. Good set of links. Seriously.

One anomaly however. When I tried LastMail's website I got this:
(see attachment in previous post)

I tend to agree. These are the kind of operations I can do without depending on clouds or webware. In fact, I've already done so; I gave my closest friend and beneficiary access to everything having to do with finances.

Well...I don't know if these are appropriate to the topic but I felt the theme needed some of these:

Apologies if these are inappropriate.

Love it! Thanks!

[40hz]

Something funny just occurred to me.

Many people are very concerned with the issue of life after death. So much so that entire belief systems (salvation/reincarnation) and scientific research efforts (human cryogenics) have come into existence with the goal of increasing our chances for having one.

But when it comes to our digital personae, just as many people seem to want to do everything in their power to make sure their digital selves won't survive them.

Odd...

[daddydave]

I guess the service died before I did.

[MilesAhead]

I don't recommend this method... way too corny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytoID_SNnE

[rjbull]

Yes, folks, it's Return of the Living Thread.  The 15 Jan. 2011 issue of New Scientist (209(2795)) comes with a CareersGuide supplement, which speculates about what you might find yourself doing in twenty years time:

With an increasing proportion of our personal estate residing in cyberspace, we will need someone to make sure that our online presence is dealt with in accordance with our wishes when we can no longer do it ourselves.

Their name for such an agency - Virtual Undertaker.

<sigh>

[Target]

necrothread warning (sorry, I couldn't not do that)

I mate sent me the below link this morning - I'm not sure whether he's trying to tell me something or not, but I thought it may amuse some here

having attended to your virtual afterlife per the above, what to do with your mortal remains?

Holy smoke is a service that will 'load' your cremated ashes into the small arms ordnance of your choice.

If you've ever wanted a 21 gun salute at your funeral this could be the way to go...

[Stoic Joker]

Example: 1 Pound of ash is enough to produce 250 shotshells (one case).

Perhaps this is for a 21 Gatling gun salute??

I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with a purpose for this service that isn't just a teency bit disturbing.

[Target]

I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with a purpose for this service that isn't just a teency bit disturbing.

indeed, seems pretty bizarre to me (right up there with freeze drying deceased pets)

[cranioscopical]

Holy Smoke? I don't think I'd want to shell out for that!

[mwb1100]

I'm not a hunter, but if I were I think this would be a great way to commemorate.

I'm all for people having a blast at my funeral - I wouldn't want it any other way!

[cranioscopical]

I'm all for people having a blast at my funeral

Should be a barrel of laughs!

[Target]

I'm all for people having a blast at my funeral

Should be a barrel of laughs!

boom boom...

[Stoic Joker]

I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with a purpose for this service that isn't just a teency bit disturbing.

indeed, seems pretty bizarre to me (right up there with freeze drying deceased pets)

Because nothing says dignity like being turned into a knick-knack...