Maybe you're familiar with the Doomsday Clock. It's an analogy started by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to track how we close we are to the apocalypse by way of nuclear war or other global disaster. Midnight means the end of the world. Artist Tom Schofield went ahead and turned that analogy into reality with this clock, which automatically checks the Bulletin's site for updates on the human race's demise. Cheery!
As of 2012, the clock's been set to 11:55 p.m. (Gulp.) That's not the closest to midnight ever--it was set to 11:58 back in 1953--but it's still too close for comfort. That's where Schofield's clock, the Neurotic Armageddon Indicator, is sitting right now. It uses a computer program to regularly check the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' website for any time changes, then adjusts accordingly.
Hard to say when that change is coming, though: the hands have been altered just 20 times since the clock started in 1947, and often they aren't change for several years. So Schofield's clock will neurotically check the Bulletin's site until the real clock budges. Unless it's midnight, in which case it's going to be tough to find updates.
140 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.
Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
For our annual How It Works issue, we break down everything from the massive Falcon Heavy rocket to a tiny DNA sequencer that connects to a USB port. We also take a look at an ambitious plan for faster-than-light travel and dive into the billion-dollar science of dog food.
Plus the latest Legos, Cadillac's plug-in hybrid, a tractor built for the apocalypse, and more.

Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor:Rose Pastore | Email
Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email
Huh, You would think that with N.Korea testing warheads and threatening nuclear war that it would have at least be at 23:56.
I would expect that in 1960 during the Cuban Missile crisis that the clock would be nearest to midnight.
Nah. North Korea isn't a threat to the world. They're like a punk kid running through the halls punching the big guys thinking he's tough because he gets away with it. Meanwhile the big guys are ignoring them because they know that they would hurt him really badly.
*changed
"...and often they aren't change for several years."
DING!
Ah, good, my eggs are done! YUMMY!
If you think Anne`s story is flabbergasting..., in the last month my mum basically made the small fortune of $7448 grafting fourty hours a month from there apartment and they're buddy's step-mother`s neighbour has been doing this for 3 months and brought home more than $7448 parttime from there laptop. the information at this address, http://www.jump14.com
I don't waste time on things I can not control.
Why doesn't his clock have any indication of P.M.?
Ya know.... if the bomb drops and so then electricity stops too. Then the clock will never ding or reach midnight and the world will continue as usual, because the clock never dings or reaches midnight.
Aaaa, all is well! ;)
The clock dose not show any indication of PM because it is in 24 hr time not 12 hr and obviously it really means 11:55 am not closer to midnight in which case it would read 23:55.
However It dose not say 11:55 it says 11.55 which is not time. So I believe someone has fucked up along the way anyway.
Besides a clock in which people devise algorithms to predict the apocalypse? I think not.
And if anyone from North Korea can read this, Wake up you are under a evil spell from drinking the blood of Kali. "Temple of Doom" Jk your all just weak minded and easily persevered to do dumb shit.
P.S. the clock thingy sucks
As I look at this clock, it is 11.55 minutes past midnight.
I suppose no one notice, lol.
Since no one seems able to read the article, including Robot, the clock is set to 11:55 PM - five minutes until midnight or "apocalypse".
So when we get the clock upgrade-getting rid of those horribly inaccurate hydrogen maser clocks; which way will the Doomsday Clock be adjusted?
Seems to me that a clock system that's better than the hydrogen maser would be a device that forwards our march towards doomsday all by itself because of the multitude of deadly things it makes possible far outweighing the relatively good things that this advance will be being used for. For instance, it will be military that gets it first, and then the same people that just stole 100 TRILLION DOLLARS from the world.
Ti.........me, is on my side. Yes it is!