Vidstone: the video-playing tombstone

Oddly enough, there's actually already some precedent for this idea to combine tombstones with… multimedia. Entrepreneur Joe Joachim, billing himself as the "Walt Disney of the funeral business" (we guess that has a ring to it… maybe), is set to unveil his company's Vidstone video-playing tombstone that will play a video of a person's life at the touch of a button. The unit will be solar-powered and in lieu of speakers will have a headphone jack for plugging in to the, um, deceased's audio feed. Some cemeteries are totally not down, though, saying the Vidstone could possibly offend people. We guess that depends on what's in the video.

[Thanks, Felix]

[Shola Ogunlokun @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Well as we asy over here, 'only in America'.

Mind you its not a bad idea, just that it is going to be hard to keep the videos within taste of the majority of cemetry users, though I don't see why I would go and check out the video of someone I don't know.

[Xavier @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

WTF?! That's just wrong

[dreampc @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

...and how well will that hold up in a hot Texas Summer or the extreme cold in Northern states?

Guess it will probably not be a problem for vandals(bat-wielding, drug-crazed teenagers) either?

[Rick Flashman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

I remember seeing on TV years ago some foreign country where they alreado do this... anyone know which?

[tino @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

That's the god damn ugliest baby I have ever seen. Jesus god.

[Connor @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

I like that they have colour footage of a baby on a tombstone for someone born in 1923/5/9

[bale @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Maybe they could have footage of the accident that sent him there?

[gnome @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

The simpsons did this years ago, it was called "CadaverCam".

[dave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Sweet! The grave robbing industry has been in a slump for decades - this will provide the kickstart it sorely needs. Not to mention the high level of entertainment one would get from visiting the porn-star graveyard.

[bale @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

With that thought, it will only be a matter of time until......X-rated cemeteries!!!

[Raffi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

I think this would just raise the crime rate in cemetaries, now that people will want to steal these LCD screens.

Besides, what happens when you want to make a video about the life story of a porn star? Come on now...

[Lectoid @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Along with dreampc's comment about extreme weather, what about the batteries? They will need to be easily replaced, therefore easily stolen (as dave touched on). If this thing solely relies on solar power, then it would suck for many parts of the US.

[Ralph @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

The writer William Gibson, in his 1984 novel Neuromancer, had a similar but cooler idea, though unfortunately undoable with today's technology. He envisioned an artificial intelligence program he called a "personality construct", along with some good animation, that would allow you to actually "talk" to a facsimile of the deceased. Creepy.

[xVariable @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Morbid and scary. Looks like a prop from an Art Nouveau horror flick.

[bale @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

I think these will be solar powered. As for alternate ideas, holograms anyone?

[WOV @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Eh, solar resources are pretty highly available throughout the US, as long as you tilt the panels and point them south, you get about 75% as much sun in Maine as in Nevada - remember, if you can *see*, there's some sunlight there - they run on largely visible spectrum light, not heat.

[gorillak @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

anyone ever see "the final cut"?

[Adamz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

I don't see what's wrong with this. Is it any less vain than having a huge statue built or an entire room? At least this way you can tell more about the person than just their name and age. I wish I could go see little videos of my great grandparents' lives.

[KurtRoedeger @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Hmmm, what about hacking these things and inserting your own videos? That would be great for a kid to be visiting his mother's gravestone and instead of seeing her smiling face, he gets an eyeful of gay-porn.

--KurtRoedeger

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Combine this with life caching (http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/LIFE_CACHING.htm) and you could already have all the footage ready before you die. The only problem I see is that the result could just remind people of how boring you were.

[Joe Clay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Your late. They showed this on the local news last night. I just hope the news wasn't local, otherwise I might have to move. And they did say the guy wanted to be the Walt Disney of the funeral business" and I'm still wondering just what the fuck that means.

[Joe Clay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

Oops! You're...

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

"Combine this with life caching (http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/LIFE_CACHING.htm) and you could already have all the footage ready before you die. The only problem I see is that the result could just remind people of how boring you were."

You just described the plot to Final Cut starring Robin Williams (including the video gravestones).

--Matt

[get swole @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

you people are stupid. it's a good idea.

[shane @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

i also think it would be cool to see videos of my loved ones' lives.

[Samuel Lago @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

hmmm... can i get an rss feed for all the new commers

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM]

His idea isn't the first. I was quoted in a 1997 issue of USA Today as having the idea way back in 1979 - the only difference was that my original idea used a then-bigger-than-your-table VCR.