Couch Potato Chronicles: "Walking Dead" Season 5 Premiere Oct.12

So of course I'm busy marathoning the show on Netflix as a way to get ready.  If you've never seen it and don't mind some occasionally gory (but not too gory) zombie action horror thrills, you might give it a try yourself. Maybe one has to be in the mood.  Some days I want Pride and Prejudice, some days I want Parks and Recreation, some days I want Star Trek, some days I want Justified, some days I want Copper, some days I want Doctor Who (but less and less these days because the current season's plotlines kind of suck), and some days I want The Walking Dead.  (Look, I have to have something to watch now that Breaking Bad is over.)

Oh, sure, I would probably last about 3 seconds in an actual zombie apocalypse, and I hate the undead (though Shaun of the Dead is a hilarious movie and World War Z a far better book than flick).  Still, there's a lot to love in a show that has a Korean American pizza delivery guy turned action hero (Steven Yeun), a taciturn African American woman (Danai Gurira) who wields a mean katana (!), and a crossbow-toting, squirrel-hunting redneck who manages to steal the show even though he doesn't get all that much screen time (fan favorite Norman Reedus as Daryl).  The ostensible lead, small-town cop Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), sometimes seems almost beside the point.

The Walking Dead also refreshingly set in a place other than New York and Los Angeles: the show starts off in Atlanta and takes off into other spots in Georgia where it's filmed on location.  So check it out if you're in the mood for a zombie apocalypse, and remember: you have to stab/shoot/bash the zombies IN THE HEAD or else they'll just keep coming.  Also remember: you can never have too much ammo during a zombie invasion, so stock up!

Movie Review: "World War Z"

Thriller.

Let's get one thing out of the way, my pretties.  The novel World War Z and the movie World War Z haven't much in common aside from the name and the idea of zombie mayhem exploding on a global scale.  Don't expect the movie to be like the book or vice versa.  Take each one on its own terms as a different animal, and you might have more fun with both.  OK?  Good.  Now let's get to the movie, which gives the zombie genre a literal run for its money by giving us city-swamping numbers of undead monsters who have the lightning-fast foot speed of Usain Bolt and the insatiable hunger of that guy from Man Vs. Food.  Terrified yet? Pass the popcorn!

Headline of the Day: "Parasite Turns Wasps Into Outsider Zombie Queens"

I got your apocalypse right here.

Awesome: Day and Night Poster

Look at this!

Great Moments in Research: Mapping Zombies Worldwide

This is what happens when you ask Google Maps where zombies are.

Nerd Fun: Hilarious Alternate History

Check out these images of history re-interpreted to include robots, aliens, and (of course) zombies.

Awesome: Best Wedding Photos Ever

I'm not even kidding.

Quote of the Day: Nathan Fillion on Carmageddon

To quote Kaylee Frye, "I love my captain."  Check this out:

29 hours till #Carmageddon. How are YOU preparing? I'm using trusty zombie apocalypse plan. Works for me.

Oh, geeky humor can be soooo attractive!  The impending 405 shutdown in Los Angeles is going to be a huge headache.  May I recommend that you stay home and marathon "Firefly" on Blu-ray?

Geek Fun: Hacking More Traffic Signs

Check out these warnings of zombie apocalypse from some Canadian pranksters.  My favorite message is this one.  So versatile it also works great for alien invasions, vampire infestations, family reunions, court dates, final exam week on campus, and US economic forecasts!

Heads up.

Satire Alert: Why Zombie Mothers Are Superior

I haven't really gotten into the whole "Hey, let's have a big Internet kerfuffle about Chinese moms!" because I frankly don't care.  I'd rather point you to a silly blog called High Expectations Asian Father and now to Dan Drezner's riff, "Why Zombie Mothers Are Superior."

Disgustingly Cute, Halloween Edition: Teddy Bear Zombies Attack!

ZOMBIE TEDDY BEAR APOCALYPSE!  I laughed hysterically.  I mean, hysterically.   Then I watched the video about five more times.  Happy Halloween, everyone!  (Warning: insane toy violence ensues in the video from BBC Comedy, an outfit that has some sick sense of humor -- I mean, HUMOUR.)

Great Moments in Higher Education: Take a Class in Zombie Movies at the University of Maryland

No, really!

Book Review: "The Passage" by Justin Cronin

A 700-page-long horror thriller novel about a vampire apocalypse? I haven't read this thing. Still, it's been getting a good bit of bookworm buzz (director Ridley Scott is interested in turning it into a movie), so here is a review.

Well, at least it's not yet another zombie apocalypse!

A Little Humor From the Late, Great Bob Hope

Via Tigerhawk, some timeless humor:

Nerd Journal: Exam Time Stress Relief = Zombie Mayhem!

Need a break from the endless books? A little zombie mayhem always helps! Try this hilarious game (complete with Google maps satellite imagery of a simulated zombie outbreak) or this sarcastic "analysis" of why and how everything always goes horribly wrong during a zombie apocalypse (comedic profanity language alert when you get there).

You know, there's something weirdly appropriate about zombies and exam time. Everyone needs/wants/is in search of BRAAAAAAAINS!!!!!!!

For even more zombie fun, click on the "zombies" blog tag, natch.

Nerd Journal: After a Tough Day on Campus, Everyone Needs (A) a Cute Pink Bunny and (B) a Zombie Apocalypse

I'm just sayin'! Did I mention that the cute pink bunny is wielding a bloody chainsaw and fending off the undead hordes?

The cause of my nerd rage? Three words: annoying, whining undergraduates. Sarcastic sympathy violin for them . . . and a weapon-wielding angry zombie warrior for me.

Monday Therapy: Fun with Zombies

It's Monday, folks. This scene from the fantastic British horror-comedy "Shaun of the Dead" seems all too appropriate -- a bunch of ordinary people facing an apparently endless horde of obstacles (Mondaaaaaaaay ...) . Besides, it's without doubt the best use of a Queen song in a zombie flick!

(Amusing ) Quote of the Day: Zombie Defense

Teehee:

"The Second Amendment: The only amendment that can save us from zombies."

Nerd Fun: the Zombie Attack Plan at the University of Florida

Someone still has a sense of humor! Check this out. Go Gators!

For those of you who are interested, here's the PDF version of the Disaster Preparedness Simulation Exercise #5: Zombie Attack. Granted, UF isn't the first school to ponder this. Yale did it a few months ago.

You'll recall a previous nerdy treatment of zombies by 2 Canadian universities. You know, nerds do seem to love zombies -- loooooooooooooove zombies. Maybe it's the whole brain-eating thing. Geeks do love them some walking undead too.

Great Moments in Research: a Mathematical Model for Surviving a Zombie Attack

Some enterprising nerds at Canada's Carleton University and the University of Ottawa have taken research on infectious diseases and applied it to zombies. The result is a crazy mashup of pop culture and nerd neurons. Here are some details, including the equation in which S = susceptible people and Z = zombies (natch).

Bonus: An actual academic paper was the result. Entitled "When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection," you can see the PDF version. I give you the abstract:

Zombies are a popular figure in pop culture/entertainment and they are usually portrayed as being brought about through an outbreak or epidemic. Consequently, we model a zombie attack, using biological assumptions based on popular zombie movies. We introduce a basic model for zombie infection, determine equilibria and their stability, and illustrate the outcome with numerical solutions. We then refine the model to introduce a latent period of zombification, whereby humans are infected, but not infectious, before becoming undead. We then modify the model to include the effects of possible quarantine or a cure. Finally, we examine the impact of regular, impulsive reductions in the number of zombies and derive conditions under which eradication can occur. We show that only quick, aggressive attacks can stave off the doomsday scenario: the collapse of society as zombies overtake us all.

This is just hilarious. Now go watch "Shaun of the Dead" IMMEDIATELY.