Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Preparing for the Inevitable

No matter how much we want to ignore it, the statistics on death are clear: one out of one dies.

So, what happens to all the people online you have left behind? If you are like me, and guard your passwords with an iron grip, your family will not be able to let anyone know what has happened. Unless you leave all of your websites and passwords listed where the family can get them, your online friends may forever wonder what happened.

There is also the fact that it is very difficult for a grieving family to bring themselves to do one more thing, notifying an online community they have never met. It might take them weeks, or even months, to get to it, and meanwhile your online friends don't know if they have offended you, or you are mad at them, or ... the list goes on.

I know I have been part of a community that has lost members. In a couple of cases, family was able to let us know, sometimes right away, sometimes after months of us wondering. Others have disappeared without a trace, and we can only hope that they are doing well.

That is why I have a "deathswitch" set up. I am composing letters to be sent to online communities if anything happens. It will be done automatically, without my family ever having to deal with it. It makes me feel better that I can do this.

Today is:

Asalha Puja Day - Buddhist

Bonza Bottler Day ( http://www.bonzabottlerday.com/bonzabottlerday/ for details)

Cherry Pit Spitting Day (Get out of the house with those things! LOL)

Chocolate Day (Enjoy without guilt at your BBD party -- even have chocolate covered cherries.)

Double 7 Day, China (See? Everyone needs a reason to party.)

Father/Daughter Take a Walk Together Day (But only if it stops raining.)

Great Gatsby Festival (Does this one bring back awful school memories to anyone else?)

Macaroni Day (Add a bit of Italian to your celebration.)

Running of the Bulls, Spain

Saba Saba Day, Tanzania (Peasant's Festival)

Solomon Islands Independence Day

Strawberry Sundae Day (Topped with chocolate covered cherries -- is it just me, or is the menu getting a bit crowded?)

Tanabata, Japan (Star Crossed Lovers Day)

Tell The Truth Day (Shouldn't this be everyday? Or am I just hopelessly old fashioned?)


Birthdays Today:

Comic Book Birthday (1802)
Ringo Starr
His Majesty the King of Nepal


Anniversaries Today:

Boulder Dam construction begins (1930)
Elvis Presley hits the airwaves (1954)

1 comment:

  1. Ack! Another thing to worry about!

    Thanks for the info though, I never even thought about it!

    ReplyDelete

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