Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with zombies

What hilarious book should my book club read?

indiebass — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:56:12 -0800

BookClubfilter: I'm tasked with picking the next book. I have some ideas, but could use the Hive's help. It's a group of pretty literary folks (English teachers and the like) and only about eight of us. We've read some heavy stuff lately and I'd like to switch gears to something lighter, and preferably funny. We've read, in reverse order:

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates
Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan
Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole

So we just did Sci-Fi (Snow Crash), so I def want to avoid the genre. I was considering "The Coup" by Jamie Malanowski, "Boomsday" by Christopher Buckley and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.

If anyone has any experience with any of these books OR can recommend a modern, humorous book that'd be good for discussion I'm all ears. I can answer any questions, of course. Thanks hive mind!

simplesimplesimple

benzenedream — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:47:34 -0800

What is the initial verbal meme that triggers the Pontypool outbreak in the movie Pontypool?

BRAINNSSSSSS

ahrara_ — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:21:44 -0800

I feel like a zombie on Lexapro. I have little motivation and the things I used to enjoy doing don't feel as rewarding. On the other hand, it has done wonders for my anxiety. Will this pass? One thing I should add is that I've been on the pill only three days. I know it's supposed to take at least two weeks to kick in, but before I went on Lexapro I was on St. John's Wort, which I read functions like a SSRI -- maybe the lexapro is picking up where the St. John's Wort left off? Or is this just a placebo effect, and is my apathy a symptom of mild depression? I'm sure it plays a role, but the pills have really helped a lot. My anxiety is gone, my thoughts are perfectly clear again, and I'm back to my old charming self. I'm pretty content to be honest. Maybe TOO content. I don't really want to DO anything. I don't want to read, or hang out, or watch movies, or play games. I feel content just lying in bed or pacing around. This bothers me that life feels so boring now.

So in summary, what I hope askmefi can answer for me is:

If I stay on the same dosage -- 10 mg a day -- will this pass?
Will going down to 5 mg or 7.5 mg keep my anxiety in check but help me feel passionate again?
Is this a placebo effect, since I've only been on the drug three days?

Also, I'm aware there's mannyyy other questions on lexapro and other antidepressants, but I couldn't find any that specifically addressed this issue. If I'm mistaken, please let me know. Otherwise, thanks in advance for the answers!

Dark, danceable music.

Gotham — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:34:19 -0800

Help me find some dark, danceable music. I'm involved in throwing a party for a friend (partially inspired by this question) and have been put in charge of the playlist for the night. I'd like to support the theme (eerie, dark, zombie apocalypse, etc.), but at the same time keep folks on the dancefloor: think along the lines of "Ramalama (Bang, Bang)" by Roisin Murphy or "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz. Problem is, I can't think of many songs which fit both of these criteria. So, hivemind, could I trouble you for a few suggestions?

So are they zombies, or what?

orrnyereg — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:36:58 -0800

Question about the Spanish horror film [REC]. Spoilers ahoy! I watched [REC] last night and am a little confused about the last 15 minutes or so.

There's the clear implication that the infection is linked to demonic possession (a nice touch). So what was the business about "enzymes" on the tape that Angela and Pablo were listening to? How did the infection initially spread? Finally, what happened to the doctor speaking on the tape?

Sorry if I'm being a bit dense. Overall, a great little movie.

I Vant My Keeds to Vead!

curiositykilledthelemur — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:02:17 -0800

Other than vampires and zombies, what human-like beings are rumored to be immortal? Obscure and obvious answers all appreciated! My students say they like vampires because they are immortal. Same with zombies. What other “human-esque” creatures can I teach them about about that are rumored to have immortality”?

What is this book about a viral outbreak apocalypse?

HuronBob — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:27:58 -0800

Name this book, I thought it was a Stephen King book, but going through a list of his books, I couldn't pick it out. Basic story line: A group of people traveling through the northeast after some sort of outbreak that turned folks into mostly zombie types, who initially only come out at night... There's a residential school that some of the travelers come from (boy's school?). One individual is searching for his wife and son who may or may not be infected.. The group is looking for sanctuary....... They arrive at a huge gathering of the "zombies", there's a bomb involved at the end... Someone PLEASE tell me what this book was!

The audience chanted, "HECTOR HECTOR HECTOR."

kiki_s — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:57:46 -0800

Name that movie filter: What 80's dark comedy/horror movie did I see with the members of my falculty? I wasn't able to catch much of the plot as I saw the movie at a private screening with a couple hundred of rowdy university students. What I caught is very scattered:

-Zombies were created by a group of scientists to kill the human race (or something of that nature). The zombies disintegrated their victims.
-The protagonist was young, hot brunette. She worked at a cinema. She neglected her work in favour of playing the arcade system. She has a teenage sister who's a cheerleader.
-The protagonist's love interest was called Hector.
-Protagonist, sister and Hector were the only humans not aware of the evil scheme to survive.
-The name of the film may have had “Comet” in it. I’m not sure.

Thanks all.

I need Math People to help me find out how long it takes 2 Last (Wo)Men on Earth to meet.

mr_book — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:36:34 -0800

How long should it reasonably take before 2 "Last Men on Earth" meet? I'm writing a story about a post-apocalyptic mathematician, something to do with zombies. Any such character would naturally be inclined to work the following problem in such a situation. My difficulty lies in myself having very few mathematical skills (2 +2 is four, heh heh heh, me smart). So, Hive Mind, assist me!

Question: Assuming that there has been a global catastrophe of Hollywood proportions and most of the human race has died off (or become zombies, etc), and assuming that any lone survivors will, eventually, come to think of themselves as the "Last (Wo)Man on Earth" in the Richard Matheson vein, and assuming a slow rate of travel among these LMOE, how long will it take before 2 LMOE meet, and how many LMOE are there on Earth in total?

Assumption 1: Most of the human race has died off. Let's assume that 99.99% of the global human population is gone, just so we have something to work with.

Assumption 2: Lone survivors come to believe themselves as the Last Man on Earth. Let's assume that it takes 3 months of being alone to come to this assumption. This assumption is contingent on not seeing another -living- human being during this time, so we can expect city dwellers to have a margin of error here leading them to come to this conclusion later than their rural or islander counterparts, being as there should (at first) be more survivors in cities. However, they can't be considered LMOE unless they end of alone, so it may take some time for their fellow survivors to die off and thus the margin of error. If their fellow survivors never die off, they can't be considered LMOE. Let's say any group of survivors has a half-life of 1 week, and no group can begin with more than 8 survivors.

Assumption 3: A slow rate of travel among the LMOE. Let's say, for the sake of the problem, that half the LMOE are home-based and half are travel-based. Home-based LMOE stay within their little "fortified zone" of about 5 square miles (gathering supplies, killing zombies, and waiting out the storm going slowly insane). Travel-Based LMOE move slowly (at about 5 miles per day) due to travel hazards such as zombie hordes, traffic blocks, fires, etc. They're determined to find other survivors and thus keep themselves from madness.

Hidden Assumption 4: The game begins on Day 0. Day 0 is the day when the travel-based LMOE begin moving, the home-based LMOE start gathering supplies, and city-based groups of survivors begin dying off down to single LMOE.

How many days will it take before any 2 LMOE meet?

I realize I am not a mathematician (I am in fact, and English major and the opposite of a mathematician), and so any data that needs to be filled in, altered, or deleted should be in order for the problem to be solved.

Cheers.

THIS IS MY ANGRY FACE

Rhaomi — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:37:09 -0800

Are "fast zombies" really plausible? I've watched a few "fast zombie" movies over the last few months -- 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, I Am Legend, etc. I also have a habit of reading up on movies I see afterwards, to find the trivia and background details that help flesh out the storylines. So it was interesting when, in the course of reading various interviews with the filmmakers, I found that they all had the same basic explanations for why their zombies were the way they were.

They're not supernatural or "undead" like in the old movies. They're just regular humans infected with a virus that makes them psychotic. These viruses were also said to leave the victim's adrenal glands open all the time, making them super-strong, ultra-fast, and impervious to pain.

I was also intrigued by this article from Cracked (an outstanding scientific resource, I know) which discussed this concept. At one point they assert, "you are just one brain chemical (serotonin) away from turning into a mindless killing machine" and link to a study showing the effects of serotonin depression in rats.

This all seemed a little fantastical to me, a doomsday scenario made to sound way too easy. It made me think of the ridiculous way radiation was used in comics a few decades back. In the Marvel Universe, gamma rays give you invisibility and the ability to fly. In the real world, it gives you leukemia. Surely the same must be true for the zombie thing. Of course, all the googling I did lead to a bunch of unrelated medical papers.

So I'm wondering: are these ideas plausible? What would be the effects of a constant adrenaline high on the human body? Would it really turn you into a hyperventilating superhuman, or just wreck your nervous system?

And what about that serotonin thing? Could the lack of one brain chemical really turn a person into a murderous psychopath? Or would it cause something much more mundane, like depression or schizophrenia or dissociation?

Lastly, what are the odds of any of these chemical changes being effected by a contagious virus (or a bacterium or injection, for that matter)? Could Rage or KV be created in the real world?

Where can I find an audio book cast list

ericales — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:47:37 -0800

Is there anywhere I can get a list of the cast of an audio book recording? I just finished reading World War Z. I saw that the audio book lists Mark Hamill and Henry Rollins, among others, as voice actors. But I can't find what characters they read for (portray?). Is there any audio book equivalent to something like imdb.com?

They're dead, but they're comin' right for us!

rinosaur — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:20:44 -0800

Help me find the perfect gift for a zombie enthusiast. My friend and I are big fans of zombie/apocalypse movies. We spend a lot of time imagining how we and our rag-tag group of friends will survive the coming zombie apocalypse. After coming off of I Am Legend this weekend, I had the idea to get him a tool or other instrument to aid in our ultimate survival as a jokey Christmas gift. The trouble is, I can’t think of anything clever that fits the bill. He is an avid hunter, so he’s already got camping/outdoorsy survival stuff. Ideally I would be able to go to a store to buy it (rather than the internet), and I'd like to spend less than $25, but if the gift kicks ass, I would be willing to spend more and/or order online. Extra points if it’s generally useful or entertaining and won’t just collect dust.

If all else fails, other general zombie gift ideas are welcomed.

Thanks!

Braaaaaains and booooooze

banjo_and_the_pork — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:57:17 -0800

Suggestions for bars/restaurants in metro Boston that would be good for a book club meeting on "World War Z" by Max Brooks? I run a book club, and we like to tie our meeting place thematically to whatever we're reading, when possible. This month we're reading World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, and I'm having a hard time picking a good spot for meeting. Can any Bostonites recommend someplace that is either a)zombie related, or b)easily defensible in the case of zombie attack?

The only restrictions I have to work with are: it must be near public transportation of some kind, must serve booze in the afternoon (on a weekend), and if it also has food that'd be nice.

Why do zombies like to eat brains?

bryanboyer — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:07:11 -0800

Why do zombies prefer eating brains (as opposed to any other part of the body)? It seems to be part of the public consciousness that zombies prefer brains but I can't find any sources that tell me why.

Why am I suddenly getting hundreds of undeliverable email messages?

maggiemaggie — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:48:00 -0800

For the last few days I've been getting hundreds of "undeliverable email" messages. The sender of the undeliverable email is a garbage name at my domain. I think some bot is just cranking out these names, having found out my domain name. I'm pretty sure there is no virus on my computer; also I've been using only webmail for a while. Is there any way to make this stop?

Do I have pink eye?

Loto — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 11:26:25 -0800

Could I have pink eye? So, I've been sick the past few days (I'm assuming I caught what my girlfriend had, which subsided a few days before I became sick.) Runny and stuffed nose, sinus headache, hacking cough (no real sore throat though). I was like this for 3 days, and then waking up on the fourth day I could barely open my eyes. My eyes were basically glued shut with sticky, stringly, green goop. When I finally got them open, my eyes were extremely red and bloodshot. Throughout the day they were very sensitive, and gooping up frequently. Today though, while they were stuck this morning, they overall seem better (much less goop, but still red.)

Could this be pink eye? The intarwebs says "probably" but I've never had it and never have known anyone with it (except cats.) I already have a doctor appointment for tomorrow, so I don't need to be told to go see one. Is it a bad idea to go to my classes, though? The appointment isn't until the afternoon, and I have class from 8-12. Any advice, anecdotal or otherwise, is welcome.

when PC networks go bad...

zaelic — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 04:31:59 -0800

My computer (Windows 98) no longer network connects to my girlfriend's computer (Win2000). Is there some setting I'm not getting? I'm googled out on this.... My girlfriend runs windows 2000 - so her network can read and send to my Windows 98, while my compouter can't communcate directly to hers. We are connected by a coaxial cable. The internet connection comes from her computer to mine, so there is still an obvious connection between our computers. I am guessing that the problem dates a month back to when I re-installed Widows 98.

Getting a new computer or a more recent Windows OS is not a possibility - money is short, and I am happy to keep my zombie computer as long as I can...

Zombie Movies

id girl — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 12:59:05 -0800

ZombieFilter: I have recently developed an interest in zombie movies. I'm having trouble finding a good list though; can anyone recommend some new ones I haven't seen yet? Preferably North American releases but any foreign suggestions are welcome too. [+] Already Seen
Evil Dead
Evil Dead II
Army of Darkness

Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Day of the Dead
Night of the Living Dead (1968)

28 Days Later
House of the Dead
Braindead aka Dead Alive

Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Planning to See
Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Are there any good zombie books out there?

cmonkey — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 22:24:48 -0800

I've watched plenty of zombie movies, and I've read Monster Island, but are there any good zombie books out there?

zombie chatfilter

noisia — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 09:19:42 -0800

The dead are rising. What do you do? given a romero situation, not fulci or return. i just recently started reading through the zombie survival guide after receiving it as a christmas present and while it's a clever and sometimes funny book, there are issues with some of the finer points
but what's your plan? i'd want a houseboat but know it wouldn't be possible so around here it might be worth it to drive up into the wilderness and rough it.

Stopping Spoofing Spammers

Hackworth — Sat, 17 Jan 2004 13:00:33 -0800

Anyone care to drop some knowledge about stopping spammers from spoofing your address? [more] So, a company I do consulting work for seems to have a problem with a spammer spoofing their email address in either the "from" or the "reply to" field of their spam, as evidenced by the large amount of bounced mail they seem to be receiving. I'm pretty sure it's not a virus or trojan, as I spent a good amount of time scrubbing their computers for culprits, and have found nothing. What can you do in this situation? If we are able to track them down, could we file in small claims court?