Pride and Prejudice

with Zombies?

“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” book cover

Hmm...

and Tokyo Zombie? Has anyone seen this film?

This review seems to have a spoiler.

Finally!!!

Someone with some useful information viz a viz Zombies. A concerned individual using the sobriquet "getoffmylawn" directs us towards ZombieSquad, and indicates a look at the forum is in order. Thank you!!! We are all far far behind on this important matter!

Zombies (don't know why that second post pops up under the search) and more Zombies!!

Zombies

Stanford University considers the matter:

"7. Conclusion

There is not always a meeting of minds in this debate. Some physicalists believe the zombie idea and its relatives exert an irrational grip on anti-physicalist thinking, so that

… it is tempting to regard anti-physicalist arguments as rationalizations of an intuition whose independent force masks their tendentiousness (Loar 1997, 598).

Correspondingly, some anti-physicalists believe their opponents’ commitment results in turning a blind eye to the difficulties:

Some may be led to deny the possibility [of zombies] in order to make some theory come out right, but the justification of such theories should ride on the question of possibility, rather than the other way round (Chalmers 1996, 96).

Regardless of whether those pessimistic readings of the debate are correct, and of whether the zombie idea itself is sound or incoherent, it continues to stimulate fruitful work on consciousness, physicalism, phenomenal concepts, and the relations between imaginability, conceivability, and possibility."

I'll just boil that down for everyone:

It means they are real!

So there.

More here and here. Oh, and here. Oh, and here.

"Quite Understandably"

Woody Harrelson defends self from Zombie.

"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," he said.

Zombies...danged zombies...

Bullet Holes and Zombies

They assist and expedite the dreary commute.

Zombies

Danger Room takes a gander.

via LGF

Radioactive Zombie Badgers

It seems badgers are digging up graves in merry old England. That reminded me of the dreaded Komodo Dragon.

This blog has always had deep concerns over the Zombie menace, and it turns out that we can use zombification to produce weapons which could in theory be used against Zombies. For instance a "Radioactive Zombie Badger Launcher."


RZBL being test fired

It's all true. First link via DaveBarry

Neat Newt

Nice Science Daily article on newt toxin and the evolution of some garter snakes.

Tetrodotoxin:

History

• The first symptoms occur 15 minutes to several hours postingestion of tetrodotoxin-containing food. A recent report on toxicity found that initial symptoms may occur up to 20 hours after ingestion.
• Initial symptoms include lip and tongue paresthesias, followed by facial and extremity paresthesias and numbness.
• Salivation, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea with abdominal pain develop early.
• Motor dysfunction with weakness, hypoventilation (may be from dysfunction of central and peripheral nervous systems), and speech difficulties then develop. A rapid ascending paralysis occurs over 4-24 hours. Extremity paralysis precedes bulbar paralysis, which is followed by respiratory muscle paralysis. Deep tendon reflexes are preserved early in the course of paralysis.
• Finally, cardiac dysfunction with hypotension and dysrhythmias (bradycardia), central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction (eg, coma), and seizures develop. Patients with severe toxicity may have deep coma, fixed nonreactive pupils, apnea, and loss of all brain stem reflexes.
• Death can occur within 4-6 hours. Typically, death occurs from respiratory muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.

Physical

• Loss of sensory and motor neuron function is a prominent finding.
• Ascending paralysis with respiratory depression.
• Cyanosis occurs with respiratory failure.
• Hypotension can occur with myocardial dysfunction.
• Cardiac rhythm disturbances, especially bradycardia, atrioventricular (AV)–nodal block, and bundle-branch block, can be life threatening.
• GI effects are not prominent, but vomiting and abdominal tenderness can occur.

Causes

• Ingestion of tetrodotoxin causes the syndrome.
• Almost all toxicity is caused by the ingestion of fugu, but other species of animals have been shown to produce tetrodotoxin (eg, California newt, parrot fish, blue-ringed octopus). A death from ingestion of tetrodotoxin from a California newt has been documented.

(Blue-ringed octopus, where have we seen that before? By the way never trust a hexapus.)

That primer was an eMedicine link from "Molecule of the Month" which I did not know existed.

Which brings us to zombies, of course. I didn't realize salt can bring them around.

Some doubt. Hmmm...

Ten things not to do during a zombie outbreak.

Previous here and here.

More Zombies

Over at Blue Crab Boulevard.

You can also find a link there to this fine primer on fallacies.

Speaking of Zombies

The undead cortex of the former Bob Dylan, now some manner of reduced paste of a Zimmerman, waxes large on Obama.

The Zombie Democrat Connection

Zombies are a problem. Via Classical Values:

Zombism Outbreak

During the course of a Zombie outbreak it may be necessary to warn others with whatever is most prominent at hand. Print and keep these instructions for programming a DOT sign with your emergency kit:

BBGadgets is interested in everyones preparedness and welfare.

Zombies. People never take them seriously until it's too late.

Bone Conduction

This time used in neat museum display. The topic has come up before.

Oh Gizmo! also links to a garden zombie. This blog has never mentioned zombies.

Miracle berries look like fun, here in tablet form.

Zombie Hunters

Here.

Oh dear...Gay zombies?

Wait for the debate on undead marriage.

Zombies Over the Holidays?

Via Legal Insurrection this fine educational film regarding the wise steps to maintain the lovely holidays and keep the undead at bay.

I particularly enjoy rule number four: