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Wednesday December 17, 2008
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Apparently 70-odd percent of the living market isn't enough: Apple's ubiquitous iPod is getting ready to take on the dead as well. The weird new trend in the burial industry--a space that's surely no stranger to weird new trends--is people requesting that their loved ones be buried with their beloved gadgets--an iPod, for example.
"I've seen family members place iPod earphones on the decedent and play songs as the casket closed," LA funeral planner Pam Vetter told MSNBC. "It's comforting to the family to think Mom's playing her iPod or Dad's still got the cell phone that was attached to his ear all the time," she said. "It's comforting to think those things are still with them."
It's fascinating, touching, and creepy, all at the same time. Some relatives are asking that their loved ones be buried with a phone so they can call them after the funeral. No will answer, of course...
"A lot of people say the phone represents the person, that it is part of their legacy," another funeral home employee told the cable news station. "It's an extension of them, like their class ring."
So much for getting a little peace and quiet.
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December 17, 2008 1:43 PM
Okay, it's not like there's no historical precedent for being buried with items of value or things that gave you joy in life, but really? Cell phones?
So you can CALL THEM? That presents a whole other issue: how much do you love grandpa that you'll keep re-upping his contract when it expires? Maybe you'll go minute-to-minute? And do you have to dig him up to upgrade his phone when his "new every two" comes up?