One of my self-help books ( “Stop Procrastinating Now!” ) says that I should buy an egg timer to see how I use (or waste . . .) time. While putting off cleaning my apartment by shopping for an egg timer I had an idea: "a lemming task timer" Yes, I thought, this could be it!

"lemming task timers" Wind 'em up and watch 'em creep along your desk at such a speed that in the allotted time each will fall off (emitting a pitiful little scream) You could have various ones when you need to time more than one task. Each inches towards the "deadline" --the deadline may be seconds or days away... but it will come! (a slot in the back may hold a note to remind you which rodent stands for each task)

The game is (of course) to “save” save the lemmings by getting the task done before the alarm.

MUCH better than the old “tick tick tick tick tick …ding!”
-- futurebird, Jan 02 2003

Lemmings don't commit suicide. http://www.snopes.c.../films/lemmings.htm
It's an urban legend. [cswiii, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

(?) Lemmings http://www.io.com/~...Images/lemmings.gif
They'll walk right off a cliff, without your help. [Amos Kito, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[+] for the image.
-- half, Jan 02 2003


The whole thing about lemmings jumping en masse over a cliff is an urban legend (see link), but the annotation is mildly amusing.
-- cswiii, Jan 02 2003


If the legend didn't exist we wouldn't get such wonderful ideas as this one.
-- kaz, Jan 02 2003


Tres cool.
-- phoenix, Jan 02 2003


Love it. +

Problem is, I've no desk space. Why don't you build it into a website like MSN calendar? You could have a virtual cliff with a pile of squashed lemmings at the bottom. You could choose alternative characters: crawling babies, politicians (maybe that one wouldn't work).
-- FloridaManatee, Jan 02 2003


Excellent idea, which I think would work fine as is... except for me: desk space problem here, too. Plus as I shoved stuff around I might, oh, accidentally push the lemming back. What about some variation of those things that go schlorp-schlorp-schlorp down the window glass - then you'd see it every time you started absently gazing out the window.

Another possibility, make it a computer program, with PDA version - a few tiny lemmings that make their way across the top of your screen towards the cliff. Hover the mouse over them to see what they represent.
-- rowlycat, Jan 03 2003


You're on a roll, futurebird! Also one could have gooey slime hanging from the ceiling, over the chair and/or bed, hanging more tenuously for each minute.
-- FarmerJohn, Jan 03 2003


Wonderful fb, a gem. Must get round to doing it one day.
-- IvanIdea, Jan 03 2003


Oh, god, another thing to feel guilty about. Not only am I not getting anything done, I'm causing the death of little lemmings.

("I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams)
-- meowhous, Jan 07 2003



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