Rating: Place a QR code on your headstone
When you think about it, placing a QR code on a headstone (tombstone) is a very logical step. It takes advantage of two chief facets of mobile barcodes. Firstly, they can be used to provide a link to any kind of media about the person who has died. It could be pictures, videos, textual tributes and audio files – such as the deceased favourite music track. Yet despite being set in stone, the information provided by a QR code is actually dynamic. Relatives can easily change the information serves up from the URL link embedded in the QR code. Surprisingly, the first company to have woken up to the possibilities (we believe) is a bereavement services firm based in Poole, Dorset (UK) going by the name of Chester Pearce Associates.The company says the QR codes can now be placed into stone memorials on graves, or next to a tree or shrub, on a bench, or even a metal plaque.
scan for qr-memories
The code is linked directly to the relevant Memorial page on the company’s QR Memories website.
These days virtually every mourner will possess a smartphone or tablet capable of scanning in the code.
As Chester Pearce says, QR codes provide, “A way to help remember, and at the same time, allow others, perhaps even people who never knew the person, to learn a little more about them, and what they achieved during their life.”
As a former airport operation manager at the local Bournemouth International airport, the first person to benefit from this facility was Timothy Tuttiett whose QR memory gives details of family, schooling and career.
His wife commented, “I think this is the way forward and Tim would have wanted that.”
Surviving relatives don’t have to be IT/mobile professionals because Chester Pearce provides help at every stage of the four stage process – starting from the creation of a unique QR Code which links to a page on QR Memories site.
The company then has the the QR code is cut into stone or metal, tested and placed into the memorial and emphasises that the QR code is very hard wearing.
The company then helps the family create an individual web page and posts it. Scanning the QR code will take cameraphone users directly to the relevant page.
Although Chester Pearce isn’t obviously offering such a facility at the moment, it would be relatively straightforward for this information to be updated subsequently.
The only criticism we would have of this whole pioneering service is that the web site isn’t currently mobile friendly.
Given that the first device the QR codes will be viewed from would probably be a smartphone, that’s a tiny little oversight.
