In keeping with the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, who buried their pharaohs with all their treasured possessions for their journey to the after life, mobile phones are providing bereaved Japanese a channel to maintain contact with their loved ones after they pass on to the other side.

Through modern technology, the concept of reaching out and touching someone has now gone further than anyone could have ever predicted.

Japanese tombstone maker, Ishinokoe has developed a new tombstone that will contain a scanable bar-code behind a lockable door on the tombstones, allowing family members and friends to scan them with their mobile phones.

Once the bar-code is scanned, the phone will serve as an electronic scrapbook, providing a means for relatives to post and view different items that reflect on the life of their departed loved one, such as holiday photos.

This drastically alters the concept of a tomb, as it no longer will just store the remains of a loved one; it will now serve to honor that person’s life.

The stones are expected to go on sale next month and will cost a mere one million yen ($10,010 US smackeroos).

Samples of how these codes work can be seen at the website.

(Link)

By MDeeDubroff on 26-01-2009