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Not Life After Death -- Email After Death

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the anubis-as-mail-admin dept.

Rick Zeman writes "Wanna send that one last email after you're dead and gone? CNN has an article about a service that will give the 21st century equivalent to a old-fashioned note in a drawer except that this could be more targeted '...by offering people the chance to write one last e-mail, complete with video clip or photo attachments, and send it to loved ones, friends or even enemies after the person who wrote it is dead.'"

13 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. Spam! by wviperw · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It has GOT to suck when you miss one of these because it got sent to the spam folder and deleted.

    --
    Nothing disturbs me more than blind loyalism towards some unrealistic and over-idealistic notion of one's nationality.
    1. Re:Spam! by beacher · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What's worse is when a worm is already emulating this service. I remembered reading some stuff about people recieving emails from dead people thanks to Klez. Still can't find firsthand stuff....

  2. People tend to last longer than dot-coms. by McDutchie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Who is going to guarantee that the company in question won't go belly-up before you do?

    1. Re:People tend to last longer than dot-coms. by kzinti · · Score: 4, Interesting

      the target address of the email itself may [cease to exist]

      Furthermore, the people you want to send that last e-mail to might change addresses even while you're incapacitated for the last few years of your life. I think the old letter in a drawer might be the better answer.

      However, what if this company, instead of trying to send out an e-mail, instead stores a web page with your final message on it. Then you leave the URL of the final page in an envelope in the drawer.

      You'd still have the problem of whether the company will stay in business longer than you live. If you operate your own web site, you might as well set up the page yourself. You could even keep on a hidden page in an otherwise visible site. Leave the URL in that envelope in your desk drawer. If you're smart, you'll also set up a cron job to periodically wget or curl the page, to ensure that it doesn't accidently get deactivated, or otherwise screwed up.

  3. mine's gonna read by JoeBar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    repeat story

  4. thank you by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I couldn't be bothered to go look for the dupe.

    Personally, I'd rather leave an instruction with a lawyer to send that 'last email' (if I were so inclined). This .dom is likely to pass well before I do.

  5. *sigh* by TWX · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Somehow I think it'd be much more touching to leave behind CDs or DVDs of video clips, audio, or whatever message is to be given to someone digitally, as the recipient can store it in The Real World as opposed to on some hotmail account somewhere. It just seems tacky to send e-mail this way. One would even be assured of having enough storage space on the medium for the contents, and not being filtered out by a broken e-mail server.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  6. Re:Mine is going to read... by HAKdragon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Are you going to be dictating it?

    --
    "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
  7. Actually I smeel WORMS/Viruses by pigscanfly.ca · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Personally I know a number of people who dont send out worms/viruses simply becauses of the consequences, but if your dead whats going to happen to you?

  8. For those interested in freeware... by I+Love+this+Company! · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Check out Dead Man's Switch. If you die, it can send out e-mails to those of concern and delete all of your hardcore porn so not as to destroy your family's last image of you.

    --

    "All art is quite useless." -- Oscar Wilde
  9. Dangerous game... by j.leidner · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Services like these raise interesting questions, such as:
    • What happens if the company by error sends around the email when the sender is still alive and kicking? or:
    • What if on the deathbed you would actually reconsider and halt the service, if only you had remembered to have set it up 40 years ago in the first place...!

    --
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  10. The True Geek Solution by Paulrothrock · · Score: 2, Interesting

    hidden cron file at your hosting company.

    --
    I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
  11. Re:"strict privacy"? by Stegersaurus2686 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It could be set up where you leave the password in your will and then a lawyer enters the password in the site and sends the emails. The "Web site" then never does have access to the emails. Just a suggestion...