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Welcome to Life

By on May 16, 2012 in Cultural, Legal, Video

Copyright infringement in the digital afterlife. Hilarious.

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SXSW 2012 Digital Immortals: Preserving Life Beyond Death

By on March 15, 2012 in Archival, Cultural

Another SXSW has come and gone. Now that I’m back home and in withdrawal from the breakfast tacos, brisket and free drinks, I took a moment to reflect on my panel, Digital Immortals: Preserving Life Beyond Death. Speaking at SXSW is always a thrill, and this year was no exception. My goal with the panel was to provide [...]

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SXSW Wrap Up: Robot Panelists, AI and the Future of Identity

By on March 15, 2012 in Cultural, Featured, Technical

I sat with 65 other homo sapiens in a room, waiting to have an interview with a robot. Little did I know that in the end, it would be an interview with our own humanity.

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Study: Smartphones Capture 27 Percent of Photos

By on December 23, 2011 in Cultural

Smartphones now account for 27 percent of U.S. photography according to a study from The NPD Group. Up 10 percent over 2010, the increase in smartphone photography comes alongside a decrease—from 52 to 44 percent— in dedicated-camera photography. “There is no doubt that the smartphone is becoming ‘good enough’ much of the time; but thanks [...]

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Mourners Turn To Mobile Phones To Remember Deceased

By on December 19, 2011 in Cultural, Featured

Death used to be the final disconnect from the mortal world, but that’s not quite the case anymore. From the paranormal to the touching, tales abound about technology beyond the grave. Perhaps more telling is what these stories tell us about our changing culture. John Jacobs, 55, passed away in 2005 following a battle with [...]

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QR Codes, Microchips In Cemeteries

By on August 15, 2011 in Archival, Cultural, Video

Would you want a QR code on your headstone? That was a question posed via an email from Adele McAlear. Quiring Monuments is now offering just that with its “Living Headstone” line of memorial products. Cemetery visitors with smartphones can read the QR code and visit a memorial website to learn more about the deceased. [...]

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Robot panelists, AI, and the Future of Identity – SXSW 2012

By on August 7, 2011 in Archival, Cultural, Technical

In the future, we aren’t going to fight the robots, we’re going to become the robots. In fact, it may be even sooner — like, now. We’ll have two AI-powered panelists taking questions from the audience. Oh, we’ll have some great biological panelists, too. They’ll discuss artificial intelligence, digital avatars, and the future of identity. [...]

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Grieving online: social grief goes mainstream

By on June 26, 2011 in Cultural, Featured

With significant adoption of social networks by people of all ages, we now have a broad population that is open to using the Internet as a way to grieve and remember loved ones after death.

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Digital Avatars: what the?

By on May 29, 2011 in Cultural

What if you had someone there for you, every single day, without fail – if they were always ready with a kind word or a response to your latest musing. Never mad. Always caring ans concerned. Always ready to take time to be with you. Would it matter if he or she were a robot? [...]

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You’re Dead. Your Data Isn’t. What Happens Now?

By on March 15, 2011 in Archival, Cultural, Legal

Greetings from Austin, TX and the Samsung SXSW Blogger Lounge. Our team from The Digital Beyond along with Dazza Greenwood (CIVICS.com), Adele McAlear (DeathAndDigitalLegacy.com) and Jesse Davis (Entrustet.com) presented a successful panel yesterday morning, You’re Dead. Your Data Isn’t. What Happens Now? There were several recordings made of the presentation, but most of them aren’t [...]

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