World Reality Clock

Several people have sent me a link to this cool Flash-based World Clock. It displays not only the time and date but also the numbers and estimated changes for the chosen period for population, births, deaths, barrels of oil produced, forest area lost, prison population, and others. It's an interesting and sobering view of this world of 6,612,349,742 people... now 6,612,349,803... now 6,612,349,915. You get the idea. Set it to "Now" and see how things change in the time it takes you to have breakfast.

Of course the changes are based on estimates that are probably pretty accurate over a year, though there is certainly modeling involved in some of these numbers. And from the author's choice of this particular set of items to monitor, you could infer one or more political agendas. I think it's reasonably balanced (US illegal immigration, abortions, average Earth temperature, oil production, species extinct, etc.). Your mileage may vary.