This website shows what 8 billion people are doing right at this moment

BoingBoing: “Seven billion people are doing a lot of things right now — sleeping, caring for their families, working, relaxing, eating, learning, socializing, commuting, shopping, etc. — and there’s a website that tries to track it all, including some rather personal moments. The What The Hell Are People Doing? dashboard offers a playful peek at humanity’s collective activities, from the mundane to the eyebrow-raising. The site presents a live simulation of global human behavior, complete with a day/night map and rapidly changing statistics that attempt to answer its titular question. And for the curious: according to the simulation, roughly 18 million people (0.22% of the global population) are being “intimate” at any given moment. While not tracking actual real-time data (which would be more than a little creepy), the site uses statistical models based on time-use studies and population data to estimate how many people are currently sleeping, working, or engaging in more colorful activities. The numbers update continuously, creating an oddly mesmerizing display of human habits across time zones. “The simulation provides an impression of global activity, not a literal real-time feed,” the site’s documentation explains. The project combines population data from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau with time-use studies from organizations like the OECD to create its estimates. “This project serves primarily as an artistic representation and for entertainment and illustrative insight,” the creator notes, adding that it aims to “provoke thought about the scale of human activity and shared daily rhythms.” In other words, it’s a reminder that no matter what thing you’re doing right now, you’re not alone.”