Lasting Stories app: a time capsule for your family legacy
I wish that I’d had more time as an adult with my grandparents. My paternal grandfather was a logger and bear hunter in the Catskill Mountains. My grandmother ran the town’s post office from a room in their house. It smelled like a bookstore on the inside with the scent of diesel engines outside. Though I never met my maternal grandfather, I’ve heard stories about his entrepreneurship and inventions including building some of upstate New York’s first geodesic domes.
What would my grandparents say if they could speak to me at particular moments in the future? I would love to hear their candid thoughts on turning 40, 50, or 60 when I’m celebrating those birthdays. Their perspectives on work, relationships, the economy, politics—you name it—would be fascinating. A friend told me half-jokingly, “If I had a video of my grandma reading an ingredients label, I’d cherish it forever.”
I made Lasting Stories, a free web-based app, to let family members send each other videos that are delivered years in the future.
Features
Record videos or audio clips for a family member to view in the future
Message are encrypted based on time—viewable only on the date that you choose
If you want help brainstorming, an assistant can optionally suggest topics based on family memories.
FAQs
How do people use Lasting Stories? Capture anything you’d want your family to know about your life right now—or wishes, advice, and predictions for the future. For example:
Give your 10-year-old advice on college to be delivered when they turn 18
Wish your spouse a happy wedding anniversary 5 years from now
Describe your current career so you can reflect after that big promotion
Brainstorm in the app to find other topics unique to your family
What’s the benefit of using Lasting Stories vs. recording a video by myself to share in the future?
It can be difficult to keep a video secure and make sure it gets delivered to the right person years from now. Lasting Stories makes sure the right family member views it at the right time. It also helps you brainstorm & explore topics tailored to your family.
How do you secure videos?
The app applies time-based encryption to all videos at the time you upload them. You receive a backup key, which is the only way to view a video before its unlock date.
Start capturing your family legacy
Lasting Stories is still in beta with plenty of bugs and missing features, but please feel free to try it, invite a family member, and let me know what you think.