Jacques Mechelany, formerly a high-flying French banker, has thought a lot about death and the human legacy. One reason is that he has travelled so manically in planes that he felt impelled to update his will regularly. But also, a few years ago he inherited some stunning photo albums. They contained photos of his ancestors dating back to 1870 – but Mechelany was frustrated by how hard it was to find any personal details about them.
Last month, he took a dramatic step. Using funds collected from private investors and technology from whiz kids in Palo Alto, he launched a website called I-Tomb that claims to be the world’s first virtual cemetery. Now, for the fee of $50 a year – which you can pre-pay for two decades – anybody can create an online “tomb” for a dead person, which can be adorned with virtual flowers, poems, tributes or videos.
Alternatively, if you prefer to act while you are still alive (and/or are fearful about what others might do with your “tomb”), you can also create your own virtual memorial site before you die. That service can carry complex instructions, messages or videos from you to ensure that your tomb is created as you want, after your death.