From the Los Angeles Times of June 5, 2005:
History Exhumed Via Computer Chip
Embedded electronic devices allow a cemetery's visitors to connect with some of the dead and learn their stories.
By Cecilia Rasmussen, Times Staff Writer
In Altadena, from 6 feet under, the dead speak.
Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum was founded in 1882, the year downtown Los Angeles first glowed with electric lights. Now the graveyard is illuminating Los Angeles' past: A high-tech headstone "library" tells the stories of the dearly departed.
Jae Carmichael, whose family founded the cemetery, hopes that a little technology can help visitors who want to know more about the dead than is told by two dates separated by a dash. The cemetery plans to embed a Memory Medallion, a coin-sized, stainless steel-encased computer chip, in 50 of its tombstones. About a dozen are in place so far.
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The devices coax stories out of stones, offering text and images about the dead in four- to five-minute silent minimovies. Visitors can take laptop computers among the giant oaks and Himalayan deodar cedar trees or use a hand-held computer with assistance from the cemetery office. The medallions are activated when connected to a "touch wand," allowing visitors to download photos and a narrative. Although the medallions are wired for sound, audible stories are not yet available.
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Computerized grave markers eventually could be able to simulate the deceased's image in a hologram, allowing visitors to carry on virtual-reality conversations with the dead. But dubious observers worry that such technology could be used to rewrite history.
"While this offers an exciting chance to hear voices from our past, at the same time, it provides descendants a tempting opportunity to beef up Grandpa's resume," said Michele Zack, Altadena historian and author of the recently published book "Altadena: Between Wilderness and City."
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