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Snippets #54, Monday, 17.Nov.2003 (ISSN 1530-9622)
_______________S N I P P E T S _________________________from James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door ___________________________________#54, Monday, 17.Nov.2003 _____________________________________________ISSN 1530-9622
__________0. CONTENTS _____1. Database Failure _____2. Personal Notes _____3. Sending Email After You Die _____4. Christmas Presents - #1: A $40,000 Desk
__________1. DATABASE FAILURE As a result of a database failure, you may receive this even though you have UNSUBSCRIBED. If you have unsubscribed and are receiving this email in error, please write me directly at <removed> so that I may quickly resolve this issue. I estimate that four subscribers may receive this email even though they have unsubscribed. I am taking steps to prevent a recurrence and, particularly if you are one of the four, I apologize for this inconvenience.
__________2. PERSONAL NOTES The last week has been busy, not so much with a major project as with little ones. Then, this past weekend I drove out of Dallas, down to Austin for a family wedding. I did something this weekend I have not done in a long while . . . I did not take my computer with me. It isn't something I plan on doing frequently, but it was also not a major problem. Sure enough, when I returned, it was still here, carefully guarded and protected by Spot, my cat. The great part was that family weddings bring together all those people you haven't seen in so long. I visited with cousins I had not seen since the last family wedding (Feb.2002). Both wedding and funerals seem to do that. Which brings me to my next topic.
__________3. SENDING EMAIL AFTER YOU DIE There is a new service on the net that lets you send out emails after you die. Called MyLastEmail.com, it lets you go online and create a series of final messages which it promises will be sent ONLY when you are dead. You can create "love messages, words of appreciation and encouragement" to those you care about. You could also create messages with all those things you really wanted to say, but never did, to your boss or ex-boyfriend. Three-year membership in the service costs only $9.99 for the first 5 emails, and another $5.00 for the next 5. You could, of course, do the same thing with a "final letter" that you store with your important papers. But using the Web might make it easier to keep your final messages completely up-to-date and current. All of this raises the $64,000 question: how do they know if you are dead. One thing you do NOT want is for those messages to be sent out early wrecking havoc in your personal and professional life. Here is generally how it works: 1) When you register, you print off a guarantee document and to keep this in a secure place with you other important papers so that your executor will find it when you die. 2) Your executor follows the instructions and sends the document together with a certified copy of your Death Certificate to MyLastEmail. 3) When MyLastEmail receives the documents, they then conduct some further checks to be absolutely sure you are dead. 4) Then they release the messages. 5) The addressees receive an email advising them that there is a MyLastEmail for them and directing them to the web to retrieve it. The messages are kept for 12 months after you die. They are also implementing certain "Auto Release" options that would send the messages if you do not log into your account for a period of time. This option would eliminate the need for your executor to even be involved. During the entire process, system security prevents the staff from accessing either the messages or the addresses. There are also plans to add services such as video MPEGs and voice messaging. And THAT is somehow similar to the movie Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead which featured a service allowing dying people to videotape advice to their loved ones. But now, it is through the internet.
MyLastEmail.com
__________4. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS - #1: A $40,000 DESK As we enter the Christmas season there will be all sorts of new items for sale. I've noticed several already in the television ads. But a recent email highlighted this one: a $40,000 desk based on a cartoon called Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast. Not being a Space Ghost cartoon fan, I had to research this. Space Ghost is a superhero created for a Hanna-Barbera cartoon show that ran on CBS from 1966-1968. Based on the Ghost Planet, Space Ghost is an interstellar police officer. After the original cartoon ended, a new series called Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast was created. This series features Space Ghost, now in his 40s, no longer a super hero, but instead a television talk show host. The new series is broadcast Friday Nights at 11:30 PM EST on the Cartoon Network. This new series obviously does NOT cater to the pre-school crowd. Rather, it is a parody (or is it a satire?) of all the late night talk shows. Which brings us to the desk. Seems that Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast features (as all late night talk shows do) a desk. And someone (with too much time on their hands) has decided that some people (with too much money in their pocket) might like to spend $40,000 for a real life replica. The desk "is constructed with a brushed aluminum body and a frosted Plexiglas inlayed top. Mood lighting is built into the front overhang and the desktop is self-illuminated." "A 15" Philips LCD television pops up seamlessly from the desktop. A Sony Dream System supplies the built-in sound and a mini-fridge is furnished. The desk includes ports for computer hook-ups and AC power outlets. A cordless telephone is also provided." "The desk comes complete with a Custom Executive Desk Chair. Leather with Space Ghost logo appliqué, this luxurious chair includes multi-tilt positions with push button adjustability and a four-zone, eight-motor massage system." So, if you have an extra $40,000 laying around and know a Space Ghost fan, you might have just solved your Christmas shopping quandary.
The $40,000 Desk (includes photo of desk and chair) Space Ghost FAQ About.com's Page on Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast
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