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Surprising Science

This Watch Provides A Countdown To Your Death

Never mind the fact that watches aren’t as popular as they used to be: The Tikker has already blown past its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal. Writer John Kruzel thinks it might have something to do with the appeal of YOLO.

What’s the Latest Development?


A wristwatch currently being pitched via Kickstarter interprets “carpe diem” literally: The Tikker comes with a health and lifestyle questionnaire that, when completed, calculates the approximate moment of the wearer’s death. Once they subtract their current age, the watch begins a running countdown showing years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Below this it shows the current time as well. With 21 days left as of today (Oct. 10) the company has nabbed nearly twice its original $25,000 funding goal.

What’s the Big Idea?

Given that wristwatches aren’t quite as popular as they used to be, writer John Kruzel explains the Tikker’s surprising appeal as, well, timely: “Perhaps Tikker has tapped into a rich cultural vein that transcends generational divides. The $39 gadget would seem not only to validate but actually quantify millennials’ YOLO ethos.” According to the Kickstarter page, the watch’s makers hope to capture how wearing a constant reminder of death might change how the wearer lives. “A week spent in love and happiness can be worth more than a year spent in agony. If you knew how much time you had left, wouldn’t you use that time wisely?”

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Read it at Slate


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