Postmortem scripts that run in case of your untimely death? [closed]

Question

Do you know of any interesting real life stories where programmers have written scripts that executed in case of their deaths?

Do you have any scripts that would run in case of your untimely death? If you were to write a such script, what would it be? If you have already written one for yourself, what does that script already do?

Answer 1

One thing comes to mind: If you're the only administrator / root user of some system(s) that other people rely on, somehow sending the credentials to a trusted follower would be a good idea.

Answer 2

There are a couple of websites which offer a postmortem service like sending someone your passwords, cancelling accounts like Facebook/MySpace/mailing lists:

• AssetLock.net
• Legacy Locker
• Deathswitch.com (Flash :-( but offers “final word in an argument” as a service)

Answer 3

I would write something that emails me a special link every month or so. For which I would be required to click on it. If I don't respond by clicking on it by a specified period of time such as a week/month/ etc, then something has happened to me, so the script would then email all my passwords and electronic assets to my next of kin.

Bun not before automatically destroying my secret stash of UFO evidence and my porn collection.

Answer 4

I would code something like this:

from postmortemlib import AliveRFIDsensor, AliveMAILChecker
..
if AliveRFIDsensor().has_not_triggered_for(AVERAGE_DAYS_AWAY_FROM_HOME) and \
   AliveMAILChecker().getMessagesFrom(STILL_ALIVE_ACCOUNT).isEmpty():

  #Don't look here
  cleaner = Cleaner(heavy_shredder = True)
  cleaner.wipe(XXX_DIRECTORY_LIST)
  cleaner.logout_from(XXX_EMBARASSING_SITES_ACCOUNTS)
  #TODO: try to remember other place where I've put stuff

  #People I dislike
  mailbomber = MailBomber( level = MailBomber.MORTAL,
                           swear_level = MailBomber.STELLAR)
  mailbomber.bomb(TERRIBLE_PEOPLE_EMAIL_LIST) 

  #For my coworkers
  workconnection = Connect(WORK_IP)
  workconnection.perform(Connect.CHECK_IN,
                         force = True) #Have a nice day

  #For my family
  mailsender().send(to = FAMILY, 
                    content = LAST_WORDS_OF_ME, 
                    attachment = [passwords, stuff])

  #TODO Is it all?

  SelfDistruction.enable_in(10)
  ..
  #That's all folks

Answer 5

Mine e-mails damning evidence about all of my enemies to the media outlets. Thanks for the idea, Patrick Stewart! (I wrote the application in Objective C so that no one else can understand it.)

Answer 6

The Heaven's Gate group Heaven's Gate did not exactly have an 'untimely' death, but their website regularly updated for a few days after their mass suicide with additional information / propaganda / literature explaining their viewpoints.

Answer 7

A script like this is the premise of Daemon, an epic hacker novel from Daniel Suarez. Highly recommended. The sequel examines reputation systems (like the one used on Stack Overflow and sites like iFixit) in-depth.

Answer 8

If (HeartBeatTicker.Timeout)
{
    // Gotta keep my baby happy ;)
    Print3DToyForWife();

    foreach(address in addressBook.Friends)
    {
        SendEmailMessage(address, "I'm Dead Bitches!!!");
    }

    foreach(address in addressBook.Enemies)
    {
        SendEmailMessage(address, "It has been a good life... I'll be seeing you in your nightmares");
    }

    ActivateGraveAntiPeeingTaserDefenses();

    ReleaseTheClones();
}

Answer 9

I actually thought about this several years ago but have yet to write the script.

Methods by which the code should become suspicious that you're dead:

• No email sent recently
• No shell activity recently
• No facebook activity recently
• No twitter activity recently

Once you're suspected dead, it should seek verification by emailing and/or smsing you and telling you to do one of the above things within 72 hrs or it will assume you're dead. If you don't answer within the specified timeframe, it should email the keys to the kingdom to your designated successor, and also maybe send out other relevant death notices.

Answer 10

The Submarine guys have a knob you have to turn to a different position every watch. If you don't, the rescue beacon is fired.

A really easy way "web centric" way is a script that scans the web ( mostly the stack exchange sites) and if you don't post in 3 days, you're dead :-)>

A Google news alert for your death notice !

A script that gathers other evidence (stackexchange, facebook , IVR system that phones your Mon, etc) is triggered by the alert email.

Answer 11

#!/bin/sh
announce-to-whole-world 'Jason Baker is dead.  Commence grieving.'

Does anyone know where I can find a good implementation of announce-to-whole-world?

Answer 12

Daemon, a book by Daniel Suarez, is all about postmortem code on steroids... Daemon

Answer 13

An implantable health monitor chip that send out signal in the event that health check fails and then brodcasts the signal out on free whitespace frequencies using a new peer to peer health protocol. A secondary signal is issued over wifi to connect and and make an authenticated web service call to a life registry service. It is carried viral over long distances through carriers and terminated if unsecured wifi is found and connect is successful or if found that registry service returns an already_dead response. The life registry service than executes a set of predefined actions set by you including but not limited to emailing necessary information/passwords to the people concerned and sent out final emails etc. :)