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Monday, July 31, 2006

Dead Man’s Switch for Windows

When you die, do you want to send an e-mail to loved ones? Or even to an old enemy? Want to tell your boss what you really think of him or her? Now you have the opportunity to send some "final remarks." Best of all, no one can answer because, after all, you’re dead!

Dead Man's Switch

Dead Man’s Switch is a program designed to carry out those last minute computer details that you are concerned about when you are on your deathbed. It's a program that, if not reset on a regular basis, assumes you are off to that great motherboard in the sky. It then sends e-mails to loved ones or to anyone else you wish. It also posts messages to (some) Web sites and even deletes files or encrypts files to prevent embarrassment or snooping. Hmmm, perhaps this is the tool to use to tell somewhat where to find the keys to the safe deposit box. Or to notify a distant relative that "you’re not really the son of the man you think you are." I’m sure that each of us could dream up a dozen other uses. 

Dead Man’s Switch installs on any Windows system. To keep it from launching its tasks, you must periodically "reset" the program by entering a secret password. If the password hasn’t been entered for the period of time that you specify, the program assumes that you are deceased and then executes the tasks you have previously specified. Dead Man's Switch gets its name from a safety device that used to be installed a century ago in locomotives: a spring-loaded pedal or lever the engineer would have to stand on or pull to operate the train. If the engineer left his assigned position -- or if he fainted or died while at his post -- the pedal or lever would be released, and the train would automatically stop. I’m not sure how you handle the possibility of being incapacitated and unable to reach your computer for some time. You could even be delayed from returning home by an airline strike or some similarly unpredictable event while on vacation. Would Dead Man’s Switch activate and send those messages? I’ll leave that for you to investigate. Dead Man’s Switch for Windows is twenty-first century software that uses steam-age ideas and sensibility. 

Software not available anymore

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