Some statistics are useless. You can put numbers into a calculator and get numbers out but they don't always mean something.

Taking people born on a certain date of the year and seeing what date of the year they die on the most is one such useless number. It means nothing.

That being said, you can still technically say "You're born on January 13th so statistically you're most likely to die on August 26th so this will be the day to celebrate your impending death. It will be called your "Death Day".

How do you do it? Probably in Halloween like, black humor fashion, a cake shaped like you in a coffin, condolence cards etc.

What's the point? Maybe get a little reminder that this is temporary and use the date to be close with loved ones and friends or make changes to your life. Small ones like "I'm not going to get angry at people who don't put their shopping carts back in the parking lot any more." or big changes like quitting drinking or eating stuff that's bad for you. Or, drinking more, whatever moves you.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 28 2018

This is kind of interesting https://www.death-clock.org/
According to this I'll die on Tuesday, 25th of May, 2049 at 88 years old. Sounds plausible. [doctorremulac3, Oct 28 2018]

Achilles and the tortoise https://en.wikipedi...es_and_the_tortoise
One of Xeno's Paradoxes [8th of 7, Oct 28 2018]

Interesting indeed. That calculator tells me I'm due to due in 3 years and 7 months. On the other hand, if I change the inputs to be teetotal, never smoked and a perfect BMI, it gives me about another 3 years.

Frankly, I see that a vindication.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 28 2018


I cranked everything to worst case. Drunk constantly, never without a cigarette, started smoking at 8 years old, "Suicidal" for attitude and it gave me about 6 months.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 28 2018


That website seems to assume that living in the UK is fatal, which is technically true.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 28 2018


I think I found the secret of immortality here.

If I'm an obese, suicidal alcoholic Bangladeshi who's been smoking for 49 years and is currently 112 years old, it gives me about another year to live.

But then if I ask how long a similar Bangladeshi, currently aged 113, has left, it gives me the best part of another year.

Clearly, if I iterate this, the cumulative age never asymptotes, which means I can just keep going indefinitely.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 28 2018


Actually... <link>
-- 8th of 7, Oct 28 2018


//"You're born on January 13th so statistically you're most likely to die on August 26th..."// - actually, it's more probable that there isn't a day which is 'statistically' - i.e. statistically significantly - more likely to be the day of your death than other days.
-- hippo, Oct 29 2018


Should that Death Clock thing take genetics into account? E.g. a question about the ages of your grandparents when they died, if they died of natural causes.
-- hippo, Oct 29 2018


//actually, it's more probable that there isn't a day which is 'statistically' - i.e. statistically significantly//

No, there won't be, but just due to the nature of the calculation, one day might pop up with teeny tiny percentage point higher probability that doesn't mean anything.

Every day has the exact same probability of death but a calculation won't show that due to the random nature of the calculation.

If you take a million people born on April 1st, and chart their deaths, it will be a scattergram of number of deaths x day, even though there's an equal probability those born on that date will die on any day of the year, the chart won't show that. One or two days will likely be more than any others by a few deaths.

Facts don't necessisarily mean anything.

Now if you want to throw all sorts of other stuff in that effects longevity in there, that's different. This is just dates.

Unless people tend to die more in winter, which they might. That would just scew the useless number towards winter months though. Still meaningless.

The point is not to predict the day of death, the point is to celebrate that day as something that will happen eventually to contemplate mortality in a potentially positive perspective with an eye towards engaging in a change or adjustment that may be beneficial.

Incidentally, dealing with life insurance renewals and stuff, that's why this is on my mind. The day of my death is something the insurance company thinks about when placing a bet on when I'm going to go, which is what life insurance is. I'm betting I'm going do die within a certain period of time and they're taking that action.

So my multi billion dollar insurance companies really want me to live. Makes you feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it?
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 29 2018



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