Let The Dead Speak: Put Video Screens On Their Tombstones

from the no,-seriously dept

A few years ago, video game company Acclaim came up with the idea of advertising their latest video game on cemetery tombstones. Obviously, this was a bit of a publicity stunt, but someone is now going a bit further with the idea of making better use of all that tombstone space and is trying to offer video screens for your tombstone. The idea is that sometime before you die, you can record various videos of yourself talking about whatever you want such as final messages to loved ones (though, the inventor suggests: "having the final say on a disagreement" making you wonder what's been going on in his life lately). However, given Acclaim's publicity stunt, I wonder if people could just sell advertising space on their video screen? These video screens would be interactive as well. The graveside visitor could click on the segment they wanted to watch. He even suggests hooking up the tombstone video screen to the internet, so the person who died could use one of those silly "after I die" email services to update his messages. Why not just put this on the web? Well, that's no fun for people who (apparently) want to wander aimlessly through cemeteries listening to the last thoughts of random dead people. As for the business model, well that's still a bit up in the air, but he actually suggests making the tombstones coin operated, so you have to plunk in a couple quarters to actually watch your loved one's message. Either that, or the cemetery could rent out headphones (just like airplanes) for anyone who wants to listen in on the messages from beyond the grave.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    dorpus, 8 Jul 2004 @ 11:38am

    Might succeed in Asia

    Many Asian cities have cemetries on the roof patios of department stores, due to space shortages. The fees for a "proper" plot of land are astronomical. Combine this with the fact that many women in Asia hold a deep grudge for their in-laws, the ones who poured boiling water on them, etc. to "teach them manners" when they were newlywed. I bet a lot of such women would be happy to turn their mother-in-law's grave into blinking ads for war games.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    alternatives, 8 Jul 2004 @ 4:41pm

    Re: Might succeed in Asia

    Combine this with the fact that many women in Asia hold a deep grudge for their in-laws, the ones who poured boiling water on them,

    Can you actually provide proof for the messages you post on TechDirt?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    dorpus, 8 Jul 2004 @ 9:59pm

    Re: Might succeed in Asia

    You never heard about dowry killings in India? Or the kind where they don't kill her, but pour sulfuric acid on her face? It happens in East Asia too, behind the scenes. TV dramas allude to it. That part of the world is very secretive about their family problems; social workers do exist, and (in theory) are there to help with problems as such, but nobody wants anything to do with them, for fear that people will spread rumors that so-and-so is seeing a social worker. It's why we've had so many violent crimes by children in Japan recently, because schools and families are either unable or unwilling to get referrals to social workers. In TV dramas, young brides get even when the mother-in-law is dying, because then she can pull out her gold teeth with a pair of pliers to help save funeral costs.

    Asian women have this deep pent-up grudge, and I can spot the signs. White men don't see it (or don't want to see it), and mistake it for shyness.





    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    dorpus, 8 Jul 2004 @ 10:16pm

    Re: Might succeed in Asia

    So Mike/Anonymous doesn't accuse me of being a total racist, I know there are vicious white women out there too. This is the scariest woman I've seen in quite a while:

    http://abcnews.go.com/sections/US/Living/abandoned_baby_040708-1.html

    Asian women may have the same heart as the one in the picture, but put on a facade of normality.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Jim H, 9 Jul 2004 @ 4:10am

    Video on Tombstones

    When I was in Switzerland, several years ago I talked though a cemetary in which several of the tombstones had those pictures where if you move your head from left to right, the picture takes on some motion suggesting a very short 3-frame video. It was downright creepy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Carl, 9 Jul 2004 @ 6:43am

    Better alternative

    If the display is run on windows, you could have it show the Blue Screen of Death. :}
    Or how about put a URL on the tombstone? You can access the page via your cell phone (3G, WiFi, whatever).
    Put a barcode on your tombstone and you don't have to type in the URL (assuming your cell has a scanner).
    Better yet, how about a holographic virtual tombstone? You can have your entire life pass before someone else's eyes.
    I hope nobody goes out an patents these ideas, I wouldn't want to start a standards war in the graveyard.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.