Interactive gravestones link to online tales of life.

Imagine visiting a cemetary and seeing QR codes on the gravestone/tombstone? In an instant, you can read some snippets of this person's character, life work or just view a tidbit of what they were like and who they were. Crazy thinking? Not really. 'Keeping the memory alive' is going to have a whole new meaning to it now. Check out the following article below because it's happening:


LONDON (Reuters) - Summing up the life of a dearly departed relative with just a terse description etched in stone may become a thing of the past with the introduction of interactive codes on gravestones. One funeral company in the southern English town of Poole is offering to add quick response (QR) codes to headstones which will link smartphones to online memorials illustrated with pictures, videos and contributions from family and friends.

Chester Pearce funeral directors said QR barcodes enable visitors to learn a lot more about the person buried beneath gravestones than the age, dates of birth and death and the odd biblical passage or literary quote usually written on them. "It's about keeping people's memories alive in different ways," managing director Stephen Nimmo told Reuters. "When you lose somebody, whether it be suddenly or ongoing, you can really struggle with things. Talking about them is very important, keeping their memory going is very important and this is just an add-on to that."

QR codes, a barcode that can be scanned with smartphones or QR scanners, allow users to pull up information on the internet and are frequently used in advertising and marketing campaigns. "It's a new technology, it's something that there will be people who like it, there will be people who don't and that's the same in everything that we do," Nimmo said. He said he has seen demand growing for QR codes as they catch the imagination of the public.

Chester Pearce charge about 300 pounds ($477) to create a code that can also be placed on gravestones, benches, trees or plaques and is linked to a page on their QR Memories website.

Gill Tuttiet, 53, was one of the first customers in Poole to use the technology for her late husband Timothy.
"Tim was quite outward-going and game for anything. I think this is the way forward and Tim would have wanted that, and it's making a process that's hard possibly easier," Tuttiet said.

The website linked to the code shows a profile of the departed, pictures, videos and tributes from family and friends. Close friends and family given a password are also able to add personal messages of their own. "We've all got a story to tell," Nimmo said.

To read the article on the web, click the link below: http://news.yahoo.com/interactive-gravestones-online-tales-life-133458195.html

Things your car is trying to tell you

In all seriousness, your vehicle is more than just a well oiled machine. It holds your life (and others lives) in it's clutches. As with many things in life, if you take care of your vehicle, it will take care of you. If you put it off, ignore certain signs or simply mistreat the vehicle, well....don't be surprised when something happens because it will happen and when you least expect it. Vehicles have a way of communicating and are often trying to tell you something important. To protect your bank balance, your vehicle, and your own body, here is a vehicle-to-human translation guide.


1. A slapping noise that increases tempo with vehicle speed

This is the sound of a tire dying. Its tread is separating from the carcass of the tire. As the tread leaves the tires, it may turn into a giant steel-reinforced Weed Eater. It can cause massive damage to the vehicle’s bodywork as it leaves the tire. So if you hear it, don’t keep driving.

2. The smell of pancake syrup

A sweet scent coming from the vents in your car speaks of the heater coil and if the scent is coming from the engine bay, it probably means the vehicle’s cooling system is having problems. The smell and (we’re told) sweet taste of most automotive antifreeze/coolant comes from its ethelyne glycol, which is very harmful to animals. The source of the leak could be anything from an old, cracked or ruptured radiator hose to a water pump on its last legs. Ignore this smell and you could wind up stranded miles from help with an overheated engine. If you find an green, orange, or yellow puddle under the car, the issue is beyond looking the other way.

3. Puddles in your parking place

A puddle under your car can mean anything from “it’s really humid today” to “you cross-threaded the oil-drain plug and I’m bleeding to death.” When you see fluid under your car, take note of its color and location under the car. Rub a bit between your fingers and smell it. Most often it’ll be water coming from the air-conditioning condenser. If it’s clear and oily, it’s probably power steering fuid, check for leaks around the pump or power steering rack. If it’s darker, slippery, and you’ve recently had your oil changed, it could be a puddle of clean oil resulting from the fact that the mechanic damaged the oil drain plug or improperly installed the oil filter.

4. Other kinds of puddles

Reddish-brown fluid and a lightly oily feel is your automatic transmission telling you that a line running to the trans cooler could have been punctured or the transmission has a seal going bad. If the ATF fluid also has a burnt smell, that transmission probably need an overhaul. If you find an oily fluid on the inside sidewall of a tire, that’s probably leaking brake fluid. Lost brake fluid means a likelihood of air in the brake lines and almost zero braking power, so get it checked out ASAP. If there’s a very dark, heavy, sticky oil under your truck’s rear axle, the seals in your differential could be letting go.

5. Squealing like a pig

A high-pitched whining or squealing that comes from the engine bay and matches engine speed is often an accessory belt in its death throes. Back in the day, we could limp to a service station with a broken water-pump belt or the separate alternator belt. Today’s belts turn myriad devices including power steering, water pump, air conditioning compressor, and alternator. A broken belt will likely leave the car DRT (dead right there).

If you’re greeted with a high-pitch squeal when you tap the brake lightly while at speed, what you’ve got is brake pads or shoes at the end of their life. The squeal comes from a tab of metal built into the pad that becomes exposed as material wears away. If the noise changes or goes away, head to the mechanic today.

6. Grinding noise #1

If you’ve continued ignoring the squealing brakes and they go silent, the next noise you’ll hear from them is a powerful grinding. The last of the pad has ground away and the metal backing plate is now clamping directly onto the brake disc. Braking effectiveness is greatly reduced and the car is now dangerous. Not only that, but your repair bill is going up, too, since the discs will have to be replaced as well.

7. Grinding noise #2

If you hear a grinding, clicking, or rumbling noise during a tight turn in the parking lot, it’s likely a failing constant-velocity joint on a front-wheel-drive car. A CV joint allows the front wheels to both receive power and turn. Ignore this long enough and you’ll have a one-wheel-drive car at best, and likely a paperweight car unless it’s fitted with a limited slip differential.

Other grinding noises could also be anything from a pebble lodged between the brake pad and the rotor to a failing alternator to bearings going dead. Grinding noises are always bad—ignore them at the expense of your pocketbook.

To read article on the website, click on the link below: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/7-things-your-car-is-trying-to-tell-you-.html