RockmanPM Forums

OKeijiDragon · **on:** March 16, 2009, 01:11:14 AM

Somewhat misleading subject name I know.

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090314/ap_on_hi_te/tec_death_online

Quote

NEW YORK - When Jerald Spangenberg collapsed and died in the middle of a quest in an online game, his daughter embarked on a quest of her own: to let her father's gaming friends know that he hadn't just decided to desert them.

It wasn't easy, because she didn't have her father's "World of Warcraft" password and the game's publisher couldn't help her. Eventually, Melissa Allen Spangenberg reached her father's friends by asking around online for the "guild" he belonged to.

One of them, Chuck Pagoria in Morgantown, Ky., heard about Spangenberg's death three weeks later. Pagoria had put his absence down to an argument among the gamers that night.

"I figured he probably just needed some time to cool off," Pagoria said. "I was kind of extremely shocked and blown away when I heard the reason that he hadn't been back. Nobody had any way of finding this out."

With online social networks becoming ever more important in our lives, they're also becoming an important element in our deaths. Spangenberg, who died suddenly from an abdominal aneurysm at 57, was unprepared, but others are leaving detailed instructions. There's even a tiny industry that has sprung up to help people wrap up their online contacts after their deaths.

When Robert Bryant's father died last year, he left his son a little black USB flash drive in a drawer in his home office in Lawton, Okla. It was underneath a cup his son had once given him for his birthday. The drive contained a list of contacts for his son to notify, including the administrator of an online group he had been in.

"It was kind of creepy because I was telling all these people that my dad was dead," Bryant said. "It did help me out quite a bit, though, because it allowed me to clear up a lot of that stuff and I had time to help my mom with whatever she needed."

David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has had plenty of time to think about the issue.

"I work in the world's largest medical center, and what you see here every day is people showing up in ambulances who didn't expect that just five minutes earlier," he said. "If you suddenly die or go into a coma, there can be a lot of things that are only in your head in terms of where things are stored, where your passwords are."

He set up a site called Deathswitch, where people can set up e-mails that will be sent out automatically if they don't check in at intervals they specify, like once a week. For $20 per year, members can create up to 30 e-mails with attachments like video files.

It's not really a profit-making venture, and Eagleman isn't sure about how many members it has — "probably close to a thousand." Nor does he know what's in the e-mails that have been created. Until they're sent out, they're encrypted so that only their creators can read them.

If Deathswitch sounds morbid, there's an alternative site: Slightly Morbid. It also sends e-mail when a member dies, but doesn't rely on them logging in periodically while they're alive. Instead, members have to give trusted friends or family the information needed to log in to the site and start the notification process if something should happen.

The site was created by Mike and Pamela Potter in Colorado Springs, Colo. They also run a business that makes software for online games. Pamela said they realized the need for a service like this when one of their online friends, who had volunteered a lot of time helping their customers on a Web message board, suddenly disappeared.

He wasn't dead: Three months later, he came back from his summer vacation, which he'd spent without Internet access. By then, the Potters had already had Slightlymorbid.com up and running for two weeks.

A third site with a similar concept plans to launch in April. Legacy Locker will charge $30 per year. It will require a copy of a death certificate before releasing information.

Peter Vogel, in Tampa, Fla., was never able to reach all of his stepson Nathan's online friends after the boy died last year at age 13 during an epileptic seizure.

A few years earlier, someone had hacked into one of the boy's accounts, so Vogel, a computer administrator, taught Nathan to choose passwords that couldn't be easily guessed. He also taught the boy not to write passwords down, so Nathan left no trail to follow.

Vogel himself has a trusted friend who knows all his important login information. As he points out, having access to a person's e-mail account is the most important thing, because many Web site passwords can be retrieved through e-mail.

Vogel joked that he hoped the only reason his friend would be called on to use his access within "the next hundred years or so" would be if Vogel forgets his own passwords.

But, he said, "as Nathan has proven, anything can happen any time, even if you're only 13."

I wonder what people here (On the internet) would do if they heard that I kicked the bucket?

Nothing. No memorial, no ritual, no counseling service, no candle vigil, no nothing. The world will keep turning and turning and turning.

I guess what I'm trying to say is is that if you died (unless you were someone close to me) I'll feel some pity, but the news of your death (thought terrible none-the-less) will be gone with the wind by the time I hit the bed at the of the day. Sleeping soundly.

Ok here's two questions (Don't have to answer both), how would you feel if someone in the internet died? Also, do any of you guys happen have a plan like this for your death?
Pardon my half-assed thinking.

Discuss.

Quickman · **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2009, 03:51:46 AM

Well, seeing as how I've dealt with death a few times, both in this community and the SW community, then I unfortunatly have some expierience. How I would react, though, depends on how well I knew the person. If the person was a really, really close friend, I'd be devastated. If the person was an acquaintance, I'd mourn their death but at the same time realize my own mortality. Death on the internet is tricky. I left several forums that Gary and I were members of after his death. I left the SW forums after a member there died. I may return to the SW forums after a while.

As for plans on what to do in case I suddenly dropped dead at the keyboard? Well, it's not a solid plan, but my brother knows many of my friends, so he'd tell them, who'd pass the word.

CephiYumi · **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:08:06 AM

nya... all my real life friends have moved away so now the only friends I have are on the internet. So yes if one of them died I would be heart broken... ; ;

As for a "plan?" I don't have one, I've actually thought about this before ^^; I think most people will think I've jus moved on or became busy or something, and perhaps it would be better that way ^^

Nekomata · **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:11:28 AM

yoshi knows all my passwords, and the places i go to.. so if something ever happens to me...

yeah i'd rather not think about it... ._.

Flame · **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:14:34 AM

heres another one, for example, if I died, none of you would ever know it. I would simply have "left" RPM, and no one would ever know what happened. its a scary thought when I think bout it.

Solar · **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:17:33 AM

What Flame said, and it's very sad when I think about it. There's just absolutely no way for anyone online to know whether I'm dead or alive, so it'd be just like if I stopped caring about everyone =(

Sparky · **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:19:34 AM

Eh, I never really believed I'd affect any of the places I go to should I die. >_>

Protoman Blues · **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:20:46 AM

Perhaps Lou would pull himself away from Chrono Trigger DS & Street Fighter IV to let you all know that once again, I've beaten him somewhere, even if that somewhere is death!

I'm #1

Klavier Gavin · **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:21:06 AM

Quote from: Flame on March 16, 2009, 04:14:34 AM

if I died, none of you would ever know it. I would simply have "left" RPM, and no one would ever know what happened.

^This.

Quote from: Sparky on March 16, 2009, 04:19:34 AM

Eh, I never really believed I'd affect any of the places I go to should I die. >_>

^And this.

Shiki Tohno · **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:23:47 AM

I myself am a member of Slightly Morbid. It'll inform all the important people that need to know if, and when, I'm gone, and they'll take care to pass the word.

Sky Child · **Reply #10 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:47:23 AM

I wouldn't want anyone to care if I died.

Satoryu · **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:54:15 AM

i have an irl friend here on RPM, so if one of us were to pass, the other would let everyone here know.

in other online communities, predominately SDA, no such situation exists. i guess word would spread there from here. Youtube would also help; i have friends there too.

to be painfully honest, i don't think more than three people on SDA would actually care that i died. i think a few would actually be happy. but those few are terrible people who deserve to rot, so don't worry about that.

Protoman Blues · **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:56:09 AM

Oh, I know I'd be terribly missed by people online. I'm just awesome like that!

No worries though, everyone. I plan on living forever!

Nekomata · **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:57:24 AM

Quote from: Satoryu on March 16, 2009, 04:54:15 AM

i think a few would actually be happy. but those few are terrible people who deserve to rot, so don't worry about that.

is one of them TSA? he's a dick D:

Quickman · **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:03:30 AM

I know I'd be missed here and on the SW Fanon Wiki, as they'd suddenly lose an artist.

Satoryu · **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:06:02 AM

Quote from: Nekomata on March 16, 2009, 04:57:24 AM

is one of them TSA? he's a dick D:

i never really talked with TSA. from what i've seen of him, he ain't a bad guy. something i missed?

Protoman Blues · **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:07:15 AM

Quote from: Nekomata on March 16, 2009, 04:57:24 AM

is one of them TSA? he's a dick D:

Looks like that stands for Totally Sucks Ass, right? Right?

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:15:46 AM

Yeah, I've thought about this before. Typically my response is, "What site would you REALLY care that much about letting 'em know that you've left?" But that was before I got here, and now, heck, I'm not sure how I'm going to let you guys know if something happened to me.

Regardless, oh yeah, there's definitely peeps I know that I'd be shocked to hear the news, and would want to hear the news about.
And since I started the Majora's Mask/Midna's Helmet FFFFFF thing, I pretty much have to do something extra devious for /v/.

Nekomata · **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:41:01 AM

Quote from: Satoryu on March 16, 2009, 05:06:02 AM

something i missed?

he was a really big ass to me back when i actually used my IGN account.

Satoryu · **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:54:56 AM

Quote from: Protoman Blues on March 16, 2009, 05:07:15 AM

Looks like that stands for Totally Sucks Ass, right? Right?

he pioneered Ocarina of Time speedrunning. (way back when beating the game under 5 hours was a milestone. now everyone's shooting for under one hour.) he doesn't suck that much.

Protoman Blues · **Reply #20 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:57:22 AM

Quote from: Satoryu on March 16, 2009, 05:54:56 AM

he pioneered Ocarina of Time speedrunning. (way back when beating the game under 5 hours was a milestone. now everyone's shooting for under one hour.) he doesn't suck that much.

LoL, I was joking. I don't even know him!

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #21 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:59:41 AM

Quote

beating Ocarina of Time in one hour

WHAT?! There's some serious glitches goin' on, here.

Satoryu · **Reply #22 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:05:22 AM

yes. enough glitches to skip every temple, dungeon, and Ganon's trials. at some point, they'll probably find a way to warp directly to Ganon.

back on topic, i never did say how i'd feel if someone i knew on the net died. partly cause i feel the same as most everyone else. if i really knew the person, i'd be really upset. if i didn't know him that well, i'd wish his family well, but probably move on after a while.

and if i hated the guy, i'd throw confetti...

Nekomata · **Reply #23 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:47:10 AM

i want a ferengi death ritual.
D:

The Drunken Dishwasher · **Reply #24 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:56:40 AM

Not sure to be honest.

In the end, as far as dramaticy goes, i'd prefer that everyone is ignorant of my death, simple as that.

News

In the event of someone from the internet dies....