New Watch Counts Down to Your Death

There's no "good" way to die.  Dying an untimely, sudden death doesn't allow for goodbyes to family and friends.  Long, slow illnesses are also painful to be part of or witness.  Given the option, would you want to know WHEN you're going to die?

That's the pitch behind a new product.  It's a watch, but don't be fooled... this isn't the new Samsung watch.  It's not a watch that keeps track of time moving forward.  It's a watch that counts down to your death.

How can this be done?  We've all seen or heard about the websites where you type in your health information and it tells you when you're going to die.  Now, there's a watch that offers the same service.  Think of it as a constant, depressing reminder that all the joy in your life will one day be ripped from you without negotiation.

Maybe this cute little cartoon talking about death will make it all a little easier to deal with:

This Kickstarter campaign hoped to raise $25,000 in order to put the watch into mass production, and at the time of this article the total had exceeded $34,000... with 23 days still to go.  Apparently, nearly a thousand people loved the product enough that they were willing to donate money just to get the product off the ground.

While this may sound depressing, the makers of Tikker feel the watch could serve as a reminder, not of impending death, but as a reminder to live each day to its fullest. Would watching the seconds of your life tick away help you to remember to stop and smell the roses?  If so, maybe it's time to check your Tikker.

I'm a glass-half-full guy that doesn't need a constant reminder to live life to its potential every single day.  For others, maybe a countdown to death will do some good.  Just don't go thinking that you can start running into busy traffic just because your watch says you've got 15 more years to live.  I'm pretty sure your family won't be able to get a refund because the watch turned out to be incorrect.