
If you’re looking for something to do while this Monday morning drags on, head to the Google homepage and hit the “I’m feeling lucky” button without putting anything in the search box. On the results page you’ll see a countdown timer at the bottom of the page. But what’s it counting down to? The zombie apocalypse? The new Google phone? Y2.01K?
Actually, it just looks like a countdown to the end of the year, which means it’s not exciting at all. But it’s a slow news day, and it’s kind of cool in a geeky sort of way.
[Thanks Luke and Simon!]


















Veagor
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 10:58 AMThat can’t be right, according to Google it says there is only one day left until the end of the year! Zombie Apocalypse with out a doubt. GET YOUR BILLY RAY CD’S
Paul
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:58 AMI think you haven’t calculated it right its just over 17 days and 12 hours left which is New Years day.
Ben
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:16 AMCan’t be the end of the year, that means there is about 1 and a half days to go! Whats going to happen when it hits zero…..
Ben
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:18 AMNope I just stuffed the maths, it looks like it is a countdown to the end of the year
william dutton
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:23 AMits the count down too the new year :)
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1517879seconds%20from%20now
Dale
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:36 AMThat would be the seconds until New Years…
Ryan
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 11:48 AMMaths time noobs.
1519396 / 60 / 60 / 24 = ~17 days until NY.
Bam!
enio san
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:08 PMYeah, I just found that… by accident. It is kind of cool. But I think it must to be related to a new product or service they may be launching by the end of the year.
Oleg Estrin
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:11 PMI converted the seconds to days and it works out 17 days, so yeh it has to be the countdown to the end of the year.
Alan
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:24 PMIs it the time until new years?
Dave
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:28 PMYup, I’m getting a touch over one and a half million seconds at my end. Suggesting that New Years’ is the target. But hey, what better time for a zombie apocalypse.
Chad
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:29 PMAh, sorry to burst your Zombie bubble (that sounds weird), but Google is merely counting down the seconds to 2010. I checked. http://www.7is7.com/otto/countdown.html has a seconds figure that pretty much matches that on Google’s homepage.
Angus Keenan
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:30 PMyes it is a count down to the end of the year
Steve Cimarosti
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:32 PMi would say that it’s a countdown (in seconds) to NYE..
proof: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=12%3A30+14+december+2009+%2B+1510200+seconds
MDolley
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 2:01 PM“N”ew years “E”ve
X is the roman numeral for 10, as in 2010
US as in the United States
OMG!!!! The Nexus One is going to be launched in the US on new years eve.
ThePengwin
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 8:02 PMThe source code is counting down to Date(2010,0,1). There is a bunch of references to “egg”. I guess it just means like an egg timer.
Sadly there’s no comments or references to external links :(
Twincamm
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 1:26 AMI’m curious as to why there are so many comments stating the bleedin’ bloody obvious?
Twincamm
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 1:35 AMI call it STABFOC disease – “Stating The Absolute Bloody Friggin’ Obvious Case” (TM)
Jiaren Lau
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 4:07 AMHow does THIS post have so much more AU comments compared to others?!
…but yeah…totally geeky cool!
Ben Ashby
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 11:43 PMMDolley if you are right I will buy you a beer cause lol that is a real interesting observation, if you are not right lol wow what an interesting coincidence
Tony Delero
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 6:54 AMis google counting down to the next blue moon? which just happens to be a Partial Lunar Eclipse one new years eve.
This is a unique year because the last full moon of the year, the Blue Moon, is also the 13th moon.
once in a blue moon hay…..
tony delero
Tha' Kid
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 7:25 PMWow, just found the countdown on accident. Freaked me out, so I googled about it and here I am. Glad its just a 2010 countdown and not a countdown until Google’s ninjas reach my house and turn me into a zombie….;>
Hakim
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 5:02 PMIt looks like google wants to show the number of the seconds left to the end of this year?
Arijit Das
Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7:08 PMYa… I discovered it!! its showing 987755 after i clicked the button “I’m feeling Lucky” button. Divide it with 60x60x24 to get the real result.
Maxwell Smart
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 6:18 PMNo you bunch of Bozo’s – its the countdown until the end of this month…Geez.
Rhy
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 8:11 AMSo.. if it’s a countdown to the end of the year..
what’s it going to do at midnight?
Instead of watching a ball drop I’m totally watching google…
Munk
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 9:14 PMGoogle waves goin public or the new google homepage being implemented??
Renovated google:(http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029471,49304406,00.htm)