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So... if you get hit by a bus tomorrow, would your online friends ever find out?
I've been thinking recently about what would happen if I were suddenly to be incapacitated for an extended period, or not survive that bus crash. Oh, my immediate family would be informed, but I got to wondering how word would get to all of my friends out here on the intertubez. The spark for this came from recent conversations I've had to have in Second Life (but are very much pertinent to all of us out here in Real Life, so don't jump for the comments just yet...)
One of the guys who rented virtual land from the landlord I work for died last month. CL left behind his partner KK (who did not live with him in real life) and the items in his inventory (where everything you own in SL is, your "stuff") and what he'd placed out on his virtual land. His partner hasn't been in in weeks, and the rent is due (yes, virtual land costs real dollars, so the landlord can pay the $$ necessary to keep the computer the land exists on operating). In SL, no one can move your stuff but you or the people you give rights to, or your landlord who can return it all to your inventory. Problem is... CL didn't give anyone but his partner those rights; she has computer issues and can't get in. We're faced with having either to get CL's friends to donate to keep the land in his name until KK can get in and sort through the stuff, or repossess the land before she can get in.
No it's not the end of the world, and thankfully the "stuff" is only virtual no matter what emotional importance it has for those who knew CL. It did get me thinking about what if...? I'm lucky in that Mr. Brillig is a Kossack, on FB, and a Second Lifer; if something were to happen to me he'd let you all know. Same if something happened to him. But I don't know his passwords and he doesn't know mine; so our virtual pages simply would remain static forever.
What if the unthinkable were to happen while we were together, and neither of us was able to share what happened. What would happen then? We all remember those from this community who have passed away and we learned of it. But what about the Kossacks that simply stopped posting?
There's a popular cell-phone contact entry ... ICE, which is used so that paramedics, police, etc can find next-of-kin/preferred contact person easily if you cannot provide that info yourself. When the comment frenzy :-) dies down tonite, I'm going to deal with my online ICE: make a list of my online accounts & passwords, put it in an envelope, then add it to our other important papers. Whoever it is who sorts through them will be able to access the online me and do what seems appropriate. SL allows for bequeathing accounts and assets as part of a will, so both Mr. Brillig and I will make sure to do so when we draw up our will later this month.
How about you - have you thought about what if? Is there someone who will let us here at Daily Kos, as well as the other online places dear to you, know?
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On to Top Comments, where we receive notification every day of comments meriting recognition for their intelligence, wit, or that certain
je ne sais quoi all Top Comments have :-). We can't do it without you, so please send them to us when you see 'em!
First, one from just past last night's deadline, but the nominator says it's her first, and I can't let it fade away! So, from julifolo:
good history & good pro-health care reform talking point from Pescadero Bill
From XNeeOhCon:
This comment: The problem with your premise, by Awesumtenor in Tim Wise’s Excellent Diary Sociopathy on the Right: Ayn Rand and the Triumph of Conservative Cultism was similarly magnificent.
From virgomusic:
Yoshimi makes an elegant point about ridicule vs. violence, and rainmanjr expands on it. The whole thread is worth reading.
From benintn:
Following the intro to Crashing the Gate, we see the moral bankruptcy of "Christian" political conservatives who are now following Ayn Rand instead of Jesus, neatly summarized by terrypinder.
From Clarknt67:
Responding to Kos's front page on Mary Landrieu, who said "Well, many of us believe, George, that [the public option] will undermine the private insurance system." bleedingheartliberal218 provided the PERFECT rebuttal. Let's not lose sight of this. Making a profit off of others' suffering is the the foundation of the private health insurance business model.
From trashablanca:
In LaughingPlanet's diary Video of 9/12 MorAns Going Viral, blueyescryinintherain made a great and funny point about one of the featured morans in the video. I watched the whole thing and teh stoopid, it burns.
From nightprowlkitty:
From buhdydharma, in Michael Moore's rec listed diary. That'll teach him.
From yojimbo:
In a (satirical? If so, rather underdeveloped, IMO) diary arguing against the darker tendencies of a flawed author's flawed novels, there's a hilariously spot-on (pun intended) rejoinder to an appeal to read Ayn Rand's "body of works" by unreasonablyprogressive
From Your Humble Diarist, me:
In a discussion on supermajority requirements for budget/revenue legislative approval, CeeusBeeus compares 50+1 to 67.
This one from TheWesternSun should be read by everyone.
virgomusic crunches the numbers using secret sardonyx/cskendrick magic and gives us Top Mojo!!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) What President Carter is Referring to by JekyllnHyde — 212
2) It really is a war. by TomP — 170
3) She - and her sycophants - by blue in NC — 124
4) Great diary, buhdy. by TomP — 124
5) I loved Carville just laughing at him. nt by grannyhelen — 121
6) Every single day - I am more and more grateful by Christin — 121
7) Yes, the Randian notion that personal good equals by JimWilson — 117
8) Do NOT give them such a break. by blue in NC — 116
9) Oh, and I LOVE being lectured to about by grannyhelen — 108
10) Obanma just gave a rousing speech to by Kitty — 105
11) It's refreshing to hear ex Pres Carter by looking and listening — 98
12) Actually, Alan Greenspan, was a close friend by NC Dem — 95
13) He not only bagged a teabagger by Kitty — 92
14) Minnesota LAW does not ... by Meteor Blades — 88
15) Vigorous, even fierce, discussion... by Meteor Blades — 86
16) Carter's comments are a big deal by ErinW43 — 86
17) Keith also said that Brian showed it by Julie Gulden — 83
18) I hope you're right by Dallasdoc — 81
19) And his whole point about taking money from by blueyescryinintherain — 78
20) Pelosi Stands By Public Option by TomP — 76
21) unless the 2/3 rule for budgets and taxes changes by wu ming — 74
22) Excellent analysis, tim wise. by I love OCD — 74
23) Both Baucus and Conrad should be tossed by slinkerwink — 72
24) and Confederate money doesn't count by mydailydrunk — 70
25) No. He has to self destruct by mmacdDE — 69
26) I keep posting this Pic, in the hope that by MinistryOfTruth — 64
27) Saw it on Countdown by dangoch — 64
28) Carter is best ex-POTUS we've ever had by RFK Lives — 64
29) Actually by HawkRock33 — 63
30) The good news is by candycane386 — 62
Top 30 Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar list :-):
1) Tip Jar by tim wise — 583
2) Tip Jar by Keith Pickering — 474
3) Tip Jar by thereisnospoon — 451
4) Tip Jar by shevas01 — 355
5) Alms (tips) by Muskegon Critic — 350
6) tips for unity as we fight together for a by math4barack — 321
7) Tip Jar by Michael Moore — 296
8) Cut out ALL the political crap, and get down to.. by buhdydharma — 292
9) Tip Jar by ihumanable — 287
10) Tip Jar by pronin2 — 261
11) Tip Jar by Alien Abductee — 246
12) Tip Jar by WeBetterWinThisTime — 246
13) What President Carter is Referring to by JekyllnHyde — 202
14) Do with this what you will by teacherken — 191
15) Tip Jar by ActBlue — 181
16) It really is a war. by TomP — 169
17) Tip Jar by brooklynbadboy — 166
18) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 165
19) Thanks for all you do. by TomP — 154
20) Tip Jar by mango — 128
21) She - and her sycophants - by blue in NC — 124
22) Great diary, buhdy. by TomP — 123
23) I loved Carville just laughing at him. nt by grannyhelen — 121
24) Every single day - I am more and more grateful by Christin — 121
25) Yes, the Randian notion that personal good equals by JimWilson — 117
26) Do NOT give them such a break. by blue in NC — 116
27) Oh, and I LOVE being lectured to about by grannyhelen — 108
28) Obanma just gave a rousing speech to by Kitty — 105
29) It's refreshing to hear ex Pres Carter by looking and listening — 96
30) Actually, Alan Greenspan, was a close friend by NC Dem — 95