Video Tombstones 426
Rio writes "A new company plans to unveil new high-tech tombstones with embedded flat screen monitors that would allow visitors to play memorial videos of the deceased. Joe Joachim, who says he wants to be the Walt Disney of the funeral business, plans to show the Vidstone this year at the annual funeral directors convention. The solar-powered Vidstone will play a video of the person's life at the touch of a button."
Great, but... (Score:4, Interesting)
Free LCDs! (Score:5, Interesting)
More seriously:
"It could be offensive to some. I don't think it's appropriate or it's been tried enough on the grounds." Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association spokesman Michael Chilcote said.
I personally find it a little odd too but who is going to be offended by this? With all the religions and traditions in our society you'd think people would be more understanding and accepting of differences. Offended by an LCD screen on a tombstone? That's as rediculous as me being offended at someone wasting flowers by placing them around a grave instead of in nice vases and pots where, you know, the living can enjoy them.
Maybe it's just that I've always found societal views on death odd. I don't understand why people sit around crying about the fact that someone has died. Why not celebrate the life they lived? If anything, it seems like these LCD screens could do that well. Short clips of happy times, playing with their children and whatnot would be a great way to paint a nice picture of the person's life. I guess that's offensive though, nevermind.
Advertising (Score:2, Interesting)
Not new, but not bad. (Score:2, Interesting)
I mean if I could have the highlights of my life played it would make people remember the best moments of my life, rather then have a few words ingraved
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a moving picture should be worth a couple million. Of course it won't last as long as either but it'll be nice when it can go a hundred years, of course let's not forget that it'll increase the chance someone will vandalize your tombstone too.
TombSTONEs (Score:5, Interesting)
Stone lasts a very long time. Can the same be said of LCD video displays?
Timeless (Score:5, Interesting)
This is one of the stupidest ideas I've seen in a long time. The only way it'll go anywhere is if some funeral home directors manage to guilt and manipulate grieving relations into buying the damn things.
This Just In! (Score:4, Interesting)
Who knew that one day, we'd have to worry about a new tombstone-trade in the black market.
Luke
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ChristianNerds.com - An Easy-to-Understand Encyclopedia of Computer Knowledge/a [christiannerds.com]
Re:Fun to be had by all... (Score:3, Interesting)
How about a video of...
an empty coffin?
dialing a phone (complete with fake ringer on tombstone).
someone else.
Offensive? (Score:3, Interesting)
Could someone please explain why someone would think it is offensive or inappropriate? Exactly which tradition or long held belief that anyone might hold would this patently offend?
I would think that adding services such as creating the video and making DVDs for families could be a lucrative market (and good margins) which could be more easily introduced by having this tombstone on display.
What with the growing number of cremations these days (supposedly to reach 50% in the next 10 years) you would think that these funeral directors would be looking for new ways to make money.
I still don't see the issue here...
And to be sort-of humorous for a second, but mostly serious, if these things became popular I could see people visiting cemetaries to actually view _other_ peoples grave sites and seeing their life stories. That might be interesting. Until the flat screens start going kaput...
Re:Free LCDs! (Score:3, Interesting)
A friend of mine was murdered last summer by some punk thugs strung out on cocaine. They stabbed him to death looking for some more money to support their habit.
He was an excellent aerobatic pilot and we all flew with him often.
His funeral was quite a site. Everyone was wearing shorts and t-shirts. We went out to his hangar, some friends flew a 'missing man' formation over the field. They had loud speakers blasting music (a little Van Morrison, CCR, etc). At the end of the 'funeral', his best friend flew his airplane at about 200mph over the runway spreading his ashes along the way. At the end of the runway he pulled into a steep climb and did three aileron rolls -- the tower yelling at him the entire time.
I only hope that my passing is treated with such dignity and respect -- true respect -- not the staged boohooing that is put on at funerals. Personally, I have instructed my loved ones that I want my ashes spread over the top of a loop.
Re:Hmm... (Score:4, Interesting)
- Geeks jacking off in cemetaries
- People stealing tombstones\videos inside the tombstones
- Kids getting even more freaked out whilst walking through cemetaries hearing ghost noises coming from everywhere
- People still whining and annoying you after they're dead
- Advertising V1@GR4 whilst your trying to mourn, along with hopeless puns to do with stiffness and their product being to die for
- Hacking the screens to show tubgirl, goatse guy, lemonparty, various rotten photos, home-made GNAA videos and more, as if a bunch of dead people in a field isn't bad enough
- LAN parties in cemetaries, a whole new business bound to make a killing
- ???
- Profit!
In soviet Russia, you talk to the grave!Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these things! (Score:2, Interesting)
Or turning them to the Dark Side using them as spam zombies.