Funeral Words

A Little Something for Halloweeen

Amazing pictures of a crypt in Rome decorated with the bones of Capucin monks.

http://eternallycool.net/?p=728

So what did you think of "The Undertaking"?

Frontline's new program begins in little more than an hour and we will all see what they've created with the assistance of Tom Lynch.

If you watched the program (or even AS you watch tonight), take a minute or two of your time to post a reaction in the comments area (just click on the "comments" link below). I don't assume that everyone will find this program the perfect portrayal of what modern funeral service should look like and I would love to hear what people have to say.

I would especially appreciate any general consumer reaction to the program. I will hear commentary galore among funeral directors in the weeks to come, but the stories we tell to ourselves really don't matter. Real consumer perspectives matter much more.

Thanks,

BT

Update: Dozens have posted comments on the Frontline website. You can find them here.

Update 2: I did not see this until just now but the producers of the program had a live online chat with viewers via WashingtonPost.com. You can find a transcript of the discussion here.

New Lamcraft Blessing

In part I have modeled this weblog on the technology site www.engadget.com where new products get announced and talked about and reviewed. That's why I started doing the NFDA convention coverage (though with my laptop stolen, many of those pictures flew out my car window with the computer). Well here's one of the first product announcements I have received direct from a manufacturer or distributor. Perhaps the beginning of many more.

The folks at Lamcraft have developed a new Irish Blessing themed laminated "memorial card", appropriate for laminating a copy of an obituary or other memorial item. Click on the photo for a larger version. According to Bill Brune, Marketing Manager for Lamcraft, this has been their most requested design and they are very proud to now make it available for purchase.

For ordering information, see their website at www.lamcraft.com .

PBS Tomorrow Night

For those of you in the business, I do not need to remind you of the upcoming Frontline program The Undertaking which features the services and philosphies of the author and funeral director Tom Lynch. You've already gotten a blast fax from your state association or other professional membership organization.

If by chance you do not know of what I speak, follow the link below to a description of the program and where you may also check local listings for broadcast times. Here in southeastern Massachusetts for instance, the Boston station will carry the show at 9:00 PM tomorrow but it does not run in Rhode Island until November 8th.

By the way, I would love to see some comments about the program appear on this blog. You do not need a funeral director's license to post here, just a reaction to the program and a willingness to share. I'm very curious to see how people react to this profile of funeral directors.

Any takers???

PBS Frontline: The Undertaking

Vista Version Verities

I posted several days back about my stolen laptop and the challenges of rebuilding my electronic life from backups and downloads and all the rest. By Friday I had everything nailed down and working smoothly, including an older Okidata networked laser printer which I thought could cause problems but which configured just fine.

I had one more project to complete, get logged in to our office server so I could run our funeral home management package and get at the company accounting information. At first I thought I had done something wrong in trying to "find" that computer on the network but my tech support guy reminded me of all the extra steps required to log onto a Windows "domain". No big deal I thought. With my jogged recollections in mind, I knew it would take only a few minutes to get everything aligned.

I went to the advanced system properties section looking for the appropriate place to type in the information and it wasn't there. Oh boy!!! How exciting. And after a visit to the help screens I discovered that the Vista Home Premium version on my laptop did not work with Windows domains. I had to upgrade to "Ultimate" in order for this to work. Again, no big deal I've got a fairly deep geek streak running through me and I've upgraded operating systems before. It had to wait though, I had a meeting and a dinner to attend on Friday night.

Saturday morning rolls around and I dive into the project. I Look up the "Anytime Upgrade" option in Windows help and click the appropriate links only to receive an error message telling me I lived in the wrong country/region and could not use the anytime upgrade system. Living in America, this did not make a bit of sense, so I the the Sony tech support number and give them a call.

Now let me give credit where credit is due. Sony answered my call quickly. The woman on the line understood what I needed and got me an answer very promptly. Tech support did a good job. However, she told me unequivically that Sony would not support "Ultimate" on the laptop and that as a result, key hardward components would not work properly after the upgrade!!! And by the way, (cause I looked this up) Sony's Vista Ultimate compatible machines were anywhere from $800.00 to $1,500.00 more than the computer I had picked out! Honestly I think this boils down to a merchandising decision as opposed to a real technical issue but I did not have time to experiment and find out.

I will not labor this story any further. Just take note that HP does allow for the Ultimate upgrade and I managed to find an HP laptop with slightly better specifications than the Sony for $200.00 less at the local BJ's Wholesale Club. So that part worked out okay except for spending the rest of the weekend setting up another new laptop and returning the Sony.

So the next time you start shopping for a computer for the office, make sure you keep these Vista Premium vs. Ultimate issues in mind and make sure you have purchased or ordered a unit which will actually get the whole job done.

Hopefully my mistake will save you a great deal of time and energy.

Vista by the way, I like it. I'm getting used to it. It will work fine for my purposes and I don't see any reason to go back to XP. Microsoft Word 2007, that's another story. I find the new format tabs very confusing because I've done things in a certain way for so many years and they've taken away the menus. This too shall pass.

Have a fantastic week,

BT

Aardbalm--Green Hype or Green Hope???

Among the pile of materials returned with me from the convention, I come across a brochure for Aardbalm: Preserving & Protecting Naturally. On the back I see the Pierce Chemicals Royal Bond logo and address along with the words "available 2008". So no, this fluid will not become available for at least several months.

On the inside of the brochure only limited information such as the following:

"AARDBalm is a non-toxic embalming chemical designed from within the funeral industry for the funeral industry. The design criteria being to develop a product that is environmentally safe, non toxic and non carcinogenic."

"After years of research and development AARDBalm is a proven product currently in daily use throughout various European countries"

"It will not dehydrate the body, its properties will naturally rehydrate thus providing a more natural appearance of the deceased"

I don't know about you but when I hear vague phrases like "currently in daily use throughout various European countries", alarm bells start going off. So I've done a little bit of research.

Aardbalm has a United Kindom website which contains a material safety data sheet and an instructions manual which does seem to spell out some of the use and limitations for this fluid.

If I read this correctly, the primary active ingredient seems to be the disinfectant Iodine. That seems consistent with an item in the instruction book which says, "AARDBalm is not a long-term embalming solution. It is a sanitising process post death pre-burial/cremation." It goes on to say, "It will not dehydrate the body, its properties will naturally rehaydrate thus providing a more natural appearance of the deceased." All in all, it sounds like a non-formaldehyde injectible disinfectant solution designed to temporarily arrest the activity of bacteria in the remains. It certainly won't pull fluids out of an edemetous body and even if it slows down decomposition, there would still be many trade-offs in terms of lost firmness for cosmetic and reconstructive needs.

I would love to see one of the funeral service schools take this on as an independent research project where we can get a complete understanding of what a chemical like this can do.

I will post links to all the documents below and let the technical experts out there give this a closer look. Perhaps someone in the UK who has experience with this product will take a few minutes to leave a comment.

http://www.aardbalm.co.uk/

Download Aardbalm_safety_data_sheet_complete.pdf

Download aardbalm_instructions_sept_2007.pdf

Fenway Magic

I apologize for the delays in posting this week, but sometimes opportunity knocks and the schedule gets put on hold. I received an invitation yesterday morning to attend the opening game of the World Series at Fenway Park and had to go for it.

What a strange game last night with the Red Sox walking away with the victory so readily. Not dramatic, but definitely fun. There's nothing like a crowd of people so amped up and excited to see the locals win.

Here's to three more just like it. GO SOX!!!

Windows Vista--bummer

To some, I must sound like an idiot when I complain about the new equipment I now have as result of the "smash and grab" robbery which occurred with my car last Friday. Thank God for a replacement value policy which gets me right back to work with a computer and camera.

At the same time, I can't "replace" anything I used to own. Nikon doesn't make the same camera and Microsoft doesn't make the same operating system for computers (well technically they do since you can still special order computers with the old Windows XP inside but I decided to become a technology guinea pig since XP won't last forever).

A word to the wise small business owner: upgrade with a plan or don't upgrade at all.

Microsoft redesigned the look and feel of most components in Vista and every task seems to require a new procedure or becomes disorienting because the work area or window looks totally different. We humans have a tremendous capacity to build maps in our heads, even maps of screens and where to anticipate the next button or click needed to work the computer. Vista changes the whole landscape and that slows my work down because every keystroke and step I had memorized from XP which let me get my work done more quickly, now gets in the way and causes at least a little bit of confusion.

Two things to consider carefully for your small office environment. First and foremost, if you have ailing computer equipment at the funeral home, get it replaced soon while you can still special order Windows XP. This way you don't have to deal with all the confusion and training which accompany's Vista. Second, if you have an in-house computer wiz, get them a Vista machine and have him or her climb that learning curve sooner rather than later. When the time does come to upgrade other users in the next year or two, you will want to have an expert on hand who can point people in the right direction.

My Computer Took a Walk on Friday

Sad to say that someone smashed two windows on my vehicle while out for a family dinner. My computer my iPod and my good camera took a walk along with a few other odds and ends.

Thankfully I did a full backup just before the Vegas trip, so I did not lose too much material. Unfortunately I lost about two weeks of email and all of the photos I took at the NFDA convention.

I will try to piece together a few more postings from vendor websites once I get a new laptop pulled together and organized.

May you all have a great week ahead,

BT

P.S. For those of you following my other website www.windowrip.com, it may take a few days before I have a camera available for use. I'm looking for submissions from other parts of the country, this would bee a great time for someone to step up and send me a few photos.

Even Wall Street Bankers Grieve

Here's a story from today's New York Times which talks about death and loss among Wall Street hotshots. Ice does not flow through their veins every minute of every day.

NYTimes: Real Losses Have Nothing to Do With Money