Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

[KWill]

A zombie apocalypse may be more likely than some may think. At least according to Cracked.com.

5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen

at some point when i have more time i really want to sit down and write out exactly how most of this is B.S.

Is one of the reasons "Because none of these scenarios mention me?"

Don't believe him! He just wants to lure us into a false sense of security! D=

[Dr Legostar]

well the funny thing is that none of the basis are really that far fetched. For example, the first one, toxoplasma gondii. they're wrong, 50% of the population doesn't have it in their brains, it's more like 80 to 90%. If you've ever owned a cat or handled cat crap, it's really likely you've got this. it's just dormant as long as your immune system is normal. It, however, doesn't create people eating zombies, it just kinda makes you sick and DEAD.

[Brockway]

Well, thats halfway there then Lego! Then you just need another horrible disease to reanimate the body and finish the job.

Would robot endoskeletons, carefully crammed into cadavers, programmed to maim then drag off victims for further rozombification count as a zombie apocalypse? Or would it be the plain old Terminator 1/2 apocalypse but with a terrible stench?

[KWill]

Would robot endoskeletons, carefully crammed into cadavers, programmed to maim then drag off victims for further rozombification count as a zombie apocalypse? Or would it be the plain old Terminator 1/2 apocalypse but with a terrible stench?

You mean like the borg? I think that falls into the "Machine/Cyborg Apocalypse" category...

[Madnuga]

I have a 100% chance of surviving the zombie apocalypse, but I don't need a quiz to tell me that.
I'm the resident Southeastern United States Zombie Crisis Managemenet Specialist (as said on my personal business card). If you're in my district, I've got you covered.

*note* this is just to up my post count so i can maybe login to siteadmin .

[Brockway]

I was actually thinking more along the lines of the city of heroes dr. vahzilok(?) zombies. The borg don't really kill their victims though. They just sorta staple gun lasers and night vision scopes to their body. I guess they do resemble those Haiti zombies somewhat, except they are self replicating since they actively seek victims.

Its always sat odd with me though how the Borg can be both unstoppable (single cube kicking everyones asses) and cannon fodder (swarms of cubes and drones cut down) at the same time. Guess it all comes back to the inverse ninja theory. The total badassness of a group of ninjas is constant, but divided amongst the members equally. So a smaller group of ninjas is more powerful per ninja than a giant horde of them.

[Dr Legostar]

Well, thats halfway there then Lego! Then you just need another horrible disease to reanimate the body and finish the job.

Would robot endoskeletons, carefully crammed into cadavers, programmed to maim then drag off victims for further rozombification count as a zombie apocalypse? Or would it be the plain old Terminator 1/2 apocalypse but with a terrible stench?

i'm a little concerned about you using the phrase "carefully crammed into cadavers"

[Fishies]

well the funny thing is that none of the basis are really that far fetched. For example, the first one, toxoplasma gondii. they're wrong, 50% of the population doesn't have it in their brains, it's more like 80 to 90%. If you've ever owned a cat or handled cat crap, it's really likely you've got this. it's just dormant as long as your immune system is normal. It, however, doesn't create people eating zombies, it just kinda makes you sick and DEAD.

I've had cats in the house ever since I've been born. I'm screwed.

[Dr Legostar]

well the funny thing is that none of the basis are really that far fetched. For example, the first one, toxoplasma gondii. they're wrong, 50% of the population doesn't have it in their brains, it's more like 80 to 90%. If you've ever owned a cat or handled cat crap, it's really likely you've got this. it's just dormant as long as your immune system is normal. It, however, doesn't create people eating zombies, it just kinda makes you sick and DEAD.

I've had cats in the house ever since I've been born. I'm screwed.

only if your immune system gets compromised severely.

[KWill]

only if your immune system gets compromised severely.

Out of curiosity, what kind of situations could result in the above?

[Kisai]

I'm afraid that you can't rely on power once the zombie apocalypse comes. Most power plants have failsafes that will shut down the plant in the event no operator is at the controls.

Anyways, looks like power is overrated. You may as well see how long you can make the fuel in a car last. Steal some solar collectors or find a wind farm.

Florida blackout lasts 20 minutes. Compare that to the northeast that was how long?
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008 ... r_out.html


Anyway, just thought I'd chime back in about this point. So how many places have off-the-grid power?

[Madnuga]

Florida blackout lasts 20 minutes. Compare that to the northeast that was how long?
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008 ... r_out.html


Anyway, just thought I'd chime back in about this point. So how many places have off-the-grid power?

We had a little Cessna crash-land into the major powerline hub of my city (Tallahassee, Florida), a few weeks ago. It wiped out everything connected to the grid power in the northern half of the city. I live on the 7th floor of one of the university's dorms, so I can see for miles to the north, east, and west. There's almost no independant power. Street lights, but not traffic signals, are powered by an emergency generator on the other side of town, routed through udnerground cables here, and some small businesses run from generators. Also, nearly every building on-campus at my university had power enough for hall lights and power-operated locks on the doors. This power came to the dorms from the power station on campus. Some other buildings have their own generators (the library, the bio building, the cafeterias), and they were kept semi-bright, but they're only meant to operate well enogh to keep frozen things from thawing or to allow people to get out without hurting themselves.

Society decends into chaos rapidly at night without power. I saw it myself, and frankly, remain unsurprised.

Most estimates from the people I know who've looked into the problem of "If all power plant operators walked away, what would be the effects" say that you would lose coal-based power stations in forty-eight hours, natural gas power plants in less than twenty (they require the most attention, evidently), and nuclear plants will run until something triggers their fail-safe. Hydroelectric isn't something I'm familiar with though, since i handle zombie crisises for Southeastern United States, and we don't have any of that sort of foolery. I would imagine that they're pretty close to completely automated as well.

You have zombie questions, I have zombie answers.

[Wendybird]

Guess it all comes back to the inverse ninja theory. The total badassness of a group of ninjas is constant, but divided amongst the members equally. So a smaller group of ninjas is more powerful per ninja than a giant horde of them.

That totally explains Naruto!

26% - I don't currently have access to a bow, the weapon I am most proficient with.

[Phact0rri]

just noticing how this thread is on page six and it hasn't been derailed yet.

[Madnuga]

that's because everybody knows that zombies are a topic that has to be discussed.
It's a primal fear thing.

[Phact0rri]

that's because everybody knows that zombies are a topic that has to be discussed.
It's a primal fear thing.

Zombies would pretty much leave me alone. *s* it pays being indigestible.

[Killbert-Robby]

Ideal weapon for fighting zombies - Pure titanium chainsaw.
Oooooooh yeah. RNNNNNNN--NEEEUN--NEEUN--NEEUN--NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUN.
Oooooooh yeah.

[Rkolter]

I'm pretty sure that a ranged weapon would be better when fighting the nasties that want to bite you and infect you.

Like, perhaps a large box of fragmentation grenades. Those mangle legs pretty well, and a zombie with mangled legs has to crawl towards you.

[Jessi_B]

As Max Brooks, the author of "The Zombie Survival Guide" states, two things: First, "organize before they rise," and second, "you don't have to reload a machete".

In other words, be prepared, and don't rely fully on guns. You *will* run out of bullets eventually. Machetes are the way to go in melee combat. Chainsaws run out of gas, not to mention that they're heavy and hard to handle for a good amount of people. (Unless you're Ash, of course. ...or a lumberjack or something.)

[Phact0rri]

I say if you wanted to do it right. napalm...