Gravestones Get Digital Twist in Austria

It's the last place you'd expect to experience interactive media - the graveyard. But a company in one small Austrian town has come up with a novel way of remembering lost loved ones... Aspetos is etching so-called Quick Response codes into gravestones...meaning anyone with a Smartphone - and proper authorization - will be able to unlock a treasure trove of memories simply by scanning the code. This new virtual dimension to that unavoidable reality offers customers the opportunity to craft how their loved ones will be remembered. QR codes are used widely in advertising and media. These ones will go 'live' in a matter of weeks, but ensuring they don't fade with time has its challenges. Vienna's central cemetery is the site of Beethoven's grave and a monument honoring Mozart. There are no current plans to tag these landmarks with QR codes, but should that eventually happen it would surely change the experience of paying respects. That famous line from Gladiator: what you do in life echoes in eternity, seems all the more true now with the rise of QR codes and Smartphone's.