Similarly how should social networks handle the "in jail" problem? I tracked down a high school friend and someone helpfully(?) posted on his wall that he was currently incarcerated. What is the etiquette here? I goes he should have delegated updating his site to someone else.

What strings do you pull to get featured on The Huffington Post for something that at this point is just a good project?

Two Rhodes scholar ex-McKinsey cofounders?

It would be nice if this article had two consecutive paragraphs on the same topic.

( puff )

Just have http://www.deadmansswitch.net send your passwords to a friend...

This is a great idea. I'm excited by the potential for a cultural shift in the way we react to death. There are so many beautiful inspiring and funny life stories that we usually only get a chapter of with many people we know. A site like this can help us put the puzzle pieces together of that story and celebrate it with others. We spend so much money on death and yet the ceremonies pass so quickly and are often impersonal. This site helps us organize our loved one's life community to do something other than send flowers - to attend the Subway Series each year, to go camping at their favorite spot, to volunteer for a cause they cared about, or to create a foundation in their name that gives others an opportunity they were grateful for. Rituals are important for grieving and dealing with things we don't understand. Let's make new rituals that celebrate the beauty, the drama, or the devotion of that life that touched our lives.

"No matter what happens, one thing is clear: it's never been easier to create a piece of technology. New tools and open source code allow anyone to quit their job and start the next great Internet startup."

No they don't. Tools never have been the biggest impediment to starting a successful startup. Idiots with good tools are still idiots.

I understand the sentimental value of a site like 1000Memories, but I'm having a difficult time seeing how they will monetize the site. You're dealing with a very sensitive issue, so you can't really display AdWords or product placement. And if they charge money, will it be a lifetime fee or annual fee? Who will the custodian of the memory be? Who will make sure memories aren't vandalized?

I would like to see more before passing judgment.

I honestly think it would be easy to monetize; merely a matter of public perception. Consider that it hasn't stopped people from spending on coffins, dirt plots, tombstones, mausoleums, funeral parlors etc. The departed may or may not baulk at the cost, but affected next of kin are easily influenced when thinking of ways to commemorate a loved one. Keep it tasteful and you could easily eke a good profit.

Totally agree. have a quarterly or yearly charge of $30 or something. I would totally do that if someone close to me died. You could offer a way for the site owner to solicit donations if they can't afford it.

Don't forget that people feel that spending more money makes something more valuable.

"Here are your departed, loved-ones memories. Please pay me $30/month to not delete their information."

Not to be an insensitive clod, but this seems to assuage the finality of death...

Time will tell.