This is probably an 'Off-topic' kind of post except for that it falls squarely into the category of 'Things that are interesting to me' and therefore at least in the broad definition for this blog is actually 'On-topic.'
Check out the Tikker - a watch that not only tells you the time, but tells you the time you have left.
And the folks at Tikker mean that quite literally, the watch displays, based on information you provide on your current age, habits, BMI, etc., how much time in years, months, days you have left to live.
Why would anyone want to glance down at your wrist in hopes of determining (variously) if and by how much you are going to be late for work, how much longer this interminable opera/play/ballet your significant other dragged you to is likely to drone on, or to make the mental calculations that start with 'If I go to bed now, then I will still have 5.5 hours of sleep before the big meeting tomorrow, that should be enough', and instead be reminded that you only have precisely 41 years, 8 months, 12 days and some hours left upright?
Well according to the folks behind the Tikker project, the stark display and countdown of your time left will make you appreciate that time more, help you to make better decisions about how you use that limited and diminishing time, and even make you happier.
From the Tikker project's Kickstarter page:
As a group we first started working on the idea of Tikker 2 years ago (although we have dwelled on the concepts of time and happiness for well over 10), and we've come a long way since those first development meetings. What started as an idea slowly took form in sketches, models and concept prototypes. It wasn't long until the project took on a rather morbid name – Tikker has come to be called "the death watch" by the people in and around the development group. But despite it's nick name we really doesn't see it as one.
"Forget all about "smart watches" that will keep you connected to your work email 24/7. How about a watch that is designed to actually make you happier, and help you get a better life? A happiness watch. That's what Tikker is designed to do."
It is an interesting concept for sure, that being forced to contemplate more directly the limited time you have left would lead you to be more thoughtful and even could change at least some of your decisions about how you use parts of that time.
Would it make you 'happier', to see every day the countdown clock winding down, winding down?
Hard to say.
But it is pretty likely that just about all of us spent potentially large parts of this time we have doing things we really would prefer to not be doing. Of course many of these are from necessity - we have to work, sometimes at jobs we don't enjoy to provide for ourselves and our families, we have to rake the leaves, have to take the odd colonoscopy and so on.
However, it's also likely that we spend a fair chunk of our time on silly things that we choose to do, and rationalize this by convincing ourselves that we have to do to them, and don't really have a choice. Which is also silly, because of course we do.
Anyway, I found the Tikker kind of interesting. I am not sure I would want to wear one though. I am not totally convinced it would make me happier.
But then again maybe it would lead to some better decisions.
And I just spent 31 minutes I will never get back writing this post.