We had talked earlier about Worldometers, a site which provided continuously-updated estimates of a number of indicators across a variety of fields.

A similar kind of data clock can be found at World Clock, part of the Poodwaddle group of clocks (hey, I didn't name it.)


Here's what I like about these clocks:

1. The data sources are provided.


2. The means of calculation are provided.


3. The clocks are available for you to embed on your own site, if you'd like.


4. You can choose to display the clock as a yearly, monthly, daily, or stopwatch-from-right-now counter.


5. You might even be able to customize the code to include your own data sources, if you know how to program, since the executable file is provided as well. (Someone who knows something about programming please let me know if I'm wrong.)

While you're there, check out the Earth Clock and even the Vital Statistics clock (which is available as an iGoogle widget.)

I'm most excited about using this concept to build localized tools as a different way of displaying information in the community than traditional charts and graphs. There's higher stickiness with a clock that a graph, I suspect, and I suspect we're all looking for something to make presentation of local statistics more compelling.

(Hat tips: Neatorama and haha.nu)