"The Future Looks Viral" is a weekly series where we profile the people behind an innovative, new online project, be it a parody Twitter account, web series or artsy Instagram profile. They all have one thing in common: the potential to go viral.
If you're ever in need of a morale booster, Outlived.org might be what you're looking for. Just plug in your date of birth into this online database, and you'll soon find out the notable individuals in areas ranging from art to sports to politics you have outlived and those who currently outlive you. Dying at an age older than Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon or Leonardo da Vinci might not be the biggest accomplishment ever, but hey, it's something.
The website is the brainchild of Rob Sedgwick, a London-based software developer. He got the inspiration for the site when he realized one day that he had outlived such influential figures as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Elvis Presley.
"I thought about what these guys had achieved in their lives and I had in mine at the same age, and they definitely were the winners," Sedgwick told T-Lounge via email. "That got me thinking about [what] other historical figures I had outlived."
Sedgwick launched the website about three or four years ago after it only took a few days of building. The biographical information in the database comes from various sources, including Wikipedia. Sedgwick is also always looking for contributions for names and dates to add in the future.
While the subject matter isn't the happiest, you can't deny that death is an important part of life and one that many people are fascinated with. Celebrity deaths dominate news headlines for days. Those who die too soon become icons. We often commemorate the days famous individuals passed away to celebrate their lives and legacies every year after they're gone.
Even in your spare time, you might be curious to look up when a noteworthy individual passed away and how old he or she was when it happened. I know I've done it before. One comment on a link to Outlived.org on Reddit talked about how the commenter used to manually keep track of the people he or she had outlived as a hobby.
However, there is of course something a little creepy and definitely heartbreaking about comparing your mortality to that of other people throughout history, especially when you see the names of murder victims or those who died extremely young. When you look at the database that way, it doesn't make you feel so great.
Still, the intention of the website is not to depress or discourage users, Sedgwick said. It's meant to motivate them.
"People have said it's a bit morbid, [but] I think it's more about making the most of your life," Sedgwick said. "It's about you the reader not the people who have died. They are just a stimulus to thinking, 'Hey, I should be doing more with my life than I am, look what these people achieved.'"
Image: Richard Hurd / Flickr
