Saturday, June 20, 2009

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (?) - the Death Clock

It's Saturday Night - time for some Genealogy Fun!! Today we will investigate the Death Clock at www.DeathClock.com. Fun? Well, maybe. Here's the challenge:

1) Go to www.DeathClock.com (it takes awhile to load) and enter your birth date, sex, mode (normal, optimistic, pessimistic or sadistic), BMI (body mass index - there's a handy calculator for this) and smoking status.

2) Click on the "Check Your Death Clock" button. (This took a long time to load for me)

3) Write about it in your blog, or in comments to this post. Or keep it secret - your choice!

For extra credit, tell us how much longer you would live if you made some lifestyle changes (like stop smoking, reduce BMI or improved your outlook on life).

Here's mine - I chose Optimistic, BMI = 32, Non-smoker: Sunday, September 21, 2036. Wow, almost age 93? I wonder if I did that right?

Last time I checked it was the year 2016 if I recall correctly. Ah, I input "Normal" as my mode last time - Wednesday, August 3, 2016. I'm going to be more optimistic!!! I put in "Pessimistic" and it said my time on Earth expired back in 1994. For "Sadistic," it said I didn't make it to age 40.

What about BMI? I'm overweight - I'll put in 25 and see what my projected death date is: Friday, August 24, 2017. I get an extra year by losing 50 pounds?

Does this work for deceased people? I put my father in and it said he would die on 8 October 1982. He died on 26 May 1983 - pretty close! I must have guessed right on everything (I chose Normal, BMI=30, smoker). What about my mother (I chose Optimistic, BMI<25, smoker)? It predicted 12 December 2009 - she died 4 January 2002.

I'm not sure of the value of the Death Clock is, other than to scare you into being optimistic, a non-smoker, and lighter!

9 comments:

Bill West said...

Hmm..think I'll sit this one out,
Randy. Must be my Irish blood showing. I don't want to know when
I'm checking out, even if it's a
rough guess!

iPentimento - Genealogy and History said...

I might be feeling the same way as Bill, but also, I haven't found all of my dead ends yet. Want to find them before I meet MINE. :)

Sheri Fenley said...

Too creepy for me Seaver. I don't want to tempt fate by asking it questions.

BDM said...

I went for the macabre. Hmmmm, first I mistakenly entered <25 for BMI and the date was 3 January 2028. When I corrected the BMI to 25 my new dirt nap date was 19 November 2028. Does this compute? I can't do math.

Colleen said...

Lots of hedging and hawing on this one. Did I have the guts? Go check it out at www.omchorations.blogspot.com!

footnoteMaven said...

I'd prefer to die peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather, rather than screaming in terror like his passengers.

Most likely, as anyone who'd let me drive on Aug. 1, 2039 (when I'm in my nineties) should have their head examined.

Oh, and I think the death clock should have to look me in the eye.

-fM

MJ said...

I did it then chickened out
before I got the answer.
Heh mj

Unknown said...

Y'all make me LOL.
Reading this exercise reminds me when I was taking a Time Management class many years ago. A class assignemnt referred to the book How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein. I got to the chapter where Alan asked "...to imagine you have 6 months left..." I couldn't do it then... ...and Still can't.

Cyndi Beane Henry said...

Loved this! Guess I do enjoy the macabre!

My first input, at my present [overweight] weight, Jan. 16, 2034. So, I dropped those extra pounds, and it added 5 years exactly. Hmmmm. Not sure if this low-cholesterol, low-sodium, non-delicious food thing the doc has me on is actually worth a measley 5 extra years, especially when I LOVE food!

Then I changed my Mode to Optimistic. [I'd had Normal in the previous 2 tries]. And that added 21 years!!!

I tried singing "Que sera sera", but DOris Day I ain't!

Heck, who wants to live to be 95 anyway?