Hollywood responds to what people want to see and watching slow moving, man-made cannibals is a mechanism to deal with something that appears to be more horrific than a global recession, catching an untreatable superbug or dealing with the thought that the natural disasters we have recently experienced are the result of climate change. The Horror genre exaggerates the post-apocalyptic world of global warming, serving as a social commentary on living in denial, like the walking undead, pretending that everything is fine when it is not.
The CDC posted one of the best PSAs I have ever seen. They used humor to successfully inform the public to be prepared in the event of any emergency, which temporarily prevents access to modern technology. (The site had so many hits it crashed within a few days). You can view the article here: CDC Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse. Everyone should have an Emergency Kit, Go Bag or Zombiepocalypse box, just in case we are on our own for a few days.
Not to worry though, after the Zombiepocalypse come the superheroes to save us all from ourselves. Approximately 40 superhero movies are scheduled for release over the next couple of years. Things are looking up.
Came across this:
You looked, didn't you? So, what is your "Weapon of Choice"? I will put my answer below.
Pens on a paper pad. I can kill even the undead with some bad poetry. If that doesn't work, I can poke them with a pen.
ReplyDeleteBy the time I get the cap off, I'm probably already running and screaming.
Zombies were the topic of discussion at the dinner table. I think that if we dress up like Zombies we would not be attacked... the 19 year old know it all son thinks I am wrong. On going debate.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I have my 9mm sitting next to me... JK!!
ReplyDeleteWhat the HELL am I going to do with a box of tissues?!?!
Good post Ant :)
Be prepared. Always.
I have a camera, a telephone, a Happy Cat bank right next to my left arm. Just a few inches away, a mug full of eyeliners. If all else fails, I guess I can show them how to look their best during the invasion.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a boy the author Trevanian wrote a series of books wherein the main character practiced a martial art he called, "Naked Kill," which was designed to use everyday ordinary objects as deadly weapons. As such my weapon of choice today will be a rolled up magazine.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked I thought, "I am so screwed." But then I leveled with myself as to what I will really do when the zombies invade (because they will), and I will probably be crying in a corner somewhere praying the super heroes find me soon. Any my weapon will be: A box of Kleenex. I'm so ready. Bring 'em on!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Nubian,
ReplyDeleteWhile you wait in your Halloween costume, your son and I will be running or "aiming" for their heads. Zombie mythology has strict rules.
@Sprite,LOL. That was my reaction exactly to the pens. Weapon of choice, pens?!? If that's my choice I won't make it long. Maybe you could divert their attention, until you grab something more effective?
Thanks, exactly!;)
@Meg, LOL! You'll be assigned to the make zombies look their best department:) Then you can send us all pictures.
@Laoch, good luck with that. It presumes that your opponent won't bite and infect you though.
"Naked kill"? Indeed.:)
@Paulsifer, I hear you, my reaction exactly.LOL. Valuable lesson though, be prepared, always have a baseball bat sitting to your left.
I tell myself that gamers should have an advantage, I mean we passed the levels, right? Right?!? I'm still going with the running and screaming.
To my left, way down the hall is the stove in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThe hell!?! Am I supposed to cook them or kill them with my cooking? The first one seems like it would require them to assist. Unless I knock them out first.
Can the undead be rendered unconscious?
I've tried, seriously I have. But Zombies just don't do it for me. Too slow!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't figure out how to contact you to answer your question about the Strathmore paper. I am really not a huge fan of Strathmore's anything. Not real sure what kind of paper you're looking for but if it's watercolor, I really like Arches or Utrecht blocks - both take wet media really well and doesn't buckle and warp like Strathmore.
ReplyDeleteStrathmore is more of a gimmick really with those "Visual Journals". It's poor quality, packaged pretty, and sold to the trend.
But expect to get what you pay for there.
My honest thoughts on Zombies: Just walk briskly away from them. They can't walk any faster than that and running will only waste energy. And yes, preperation is key. I still need to buy a shot gun...
ReplyDelete@Vinny,lol. Dude, you're asking the wrong person, apparently my "choice" was close combat with paper. Can you lift the stove, maybe?
ReplyDeleteGood question, aren't they unconscious to begin with?
@Robert, I am really hoping you're referring to gaming.
@Paulsifer, unless they swarm you and that thing takes too long to reload. I like the mow down approach better.
Isn't it strange that gaming is so mainstream that conversations like these are perfectly normal?
Thanks M.;)
ReplyDeleteAppreciate it, comments is fine.
Problem solved, I was asking about the visual journal, for some reason seem to remember seeing it on your bog.
Picked it up, but the paper feels cheap, like you said.
Agree on the Arches, also like Fabriano.
To my immediate left? The Ikea wooden man. I think that might actually work.
ReplyDeleteI do have a ton of the Visual Journals but I don't love them one bit. They're great as scratch paper - but little else - and I can only imagine how well they will hold up over time.
ReplyDeleteLet me dig around and chew on some paper - I have another watercolor journal - like a 5x7ish, I believe - it's wirebound like the Strathmore ones, but the paper is great in it - fantastic in fact - will see if I can't find it and decipher what brand it is.
My email's on my profile page or rabbit at micaelchadwick.com, by the way.
LOL@dbs... how do you figure? :D
ReplyDeleteAnt and M, Hope you don't mind me reading.. thanks for the advice on the watercolour paper. Will have to find out what brand they sell at my art shop.
I'm not into Zombies at all, however, my husband made a movie based on a book called, "Down Home Zombie Blues," and turned it into, "Down Home Alien Blues."
ReplyDeleteIt may be strange, but I honestly believe games are a God send: To prepare us for the coming of the living dead. And I agree with the mowing idea. I should probably start looking at maps to find safe places to run where I won't be backed into a corner. Or do you think they will pop up in several different locations so I won't have to worry about running into a mountain, I'll have to worry about running into a wall of brain eaters?
ReplyDelete@dbs, ah! Using art to defeat them:)
ReplyDelete@Micael, thanks, I'd appreciate it. The field sketchbooks I have are great, they're just not meant to hold up if I want to do anything else to them. Layer or mixed media. Even looked into having it spiral bound, but can't find the coil binding I want.
Ah. Didn't see it yesterday. Maybe too tired. I like keeping discussion about materials in comments, so others can see it too.
@Sprite, lol. It's a DIY by dbs.
That's what the comment section is here for.:) Arches for watercolor pads, Fabriano Artistico for sheets. Too pricey to just experiment and play.
@GutsyWriter, me neither, but enjoyed "Shaun of the Dead", a must see. Did he really?:) Have to catch up on yours.
@Paulsifer, I do think games are an entertaining way to desensitize or start thinking about the what ifs. I see Zombies as metaphor for something threatening that can't be reasoned with. An epidemic, natural disaster, even post-war. Important to know where to meet or run to if something does happen.
Interesting, games do "train" you to think that way. Maps, hiding spots... Only prob you don't get the gadgets, I've got batteries and flashlights:)
A window and a bottle of water. I guess I'll be jumping out the window. Doubt I'll even have time to grab the water.
ReplyDeleteNO! No zombies! I want comedies! ;-)
AUTOWASH...
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why we need to buy guns man.
ReplyDeleteHi Ant. - funky post.
ReplyDeleteTo my left I have a burned-down votive candle in a 150mL Kimax KIMBLE laboratory beaker (candle sitting atop an inch of rock salt). The salt might come in handy for something?
Daler-Rowney journals are beaut. Creamier, heavier paper than most - acid-free; good for dry and wet work. Hardcover (black cloth), exciting shapes and sizes. . . (re; sheets - am working on Fabriano Artistico 640gsm at the moment - gorgeous! Arches always yummy.)
Zombies...and mummies....would be my monsters of choice were I to experience great peril. They run as fast as a Michael Moore Ironman Triathlete.
ReplyDeleteNow, vampires. Those suckers can FLY.
And werewolves. I'm not sure how fast they can go, but I can't outrun my dog. And he doesn't have testicles.
@Jayne, yes I see you've gone for the survival route. Watch "Shaun of the dead" comedy!
ReplyDelete@Paul, I'm sure that will go over well with your wife: "Honey, I know I was supposed to buy food and water, but instead I bought a shiny that goes bang!":)
@Claire, :)Not sure, but I like the beaker.
Haven't used hardcover in a while, prefer spiral bound A5, but can't find them in a 300gm (at least) version. I use them to experiment, have to hold up to layers.
I agree on the Arches and Fabriano sheets (see above), but only use them when I want to do finished work or just watercolor. What are you working on?
Al, Lol. I don't think I can even add anything to that. Except, do you think running speed is correlated to the castanets?
ReplyDeleteJust saw the exchanged comments about the Strathmore visual journals, which I have not yet worked in but if I am using pen and color pencils, they seem okay. What I found at Dick Blick and really like - and recommend - is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dickblick.com/products/pentalic-nature-sketch-book/
Don't know if this applies or not.
My weapon of choice would be anything that would get me out of there - fast. Skyhook, jetpack, deus ex machina.
From the blog "Pimp My Novel," one of the top five growing markets/trends (hasn't it peaked?) Young Adult Zombie Fiction.
You know, you might be onto something there. I wonder how eunuchs would fare in a race?
ReplyDeleteI'm late to this I know but I have to tell you I think I may be done for as far as a future goes 'cos my weapon of choice appears to be a cat lying on a pair of pyjamas.........
ReplyDeleteMarylinn, thank you for the recommendation, I saw it somewhere, will have a closer look. I was looking for a heavier weight paper, a store used to make them, bought up the last ones.
ReplyDeleteLol. Yes, I know what you mean, but what was actually to your left?;)
Interesting blog, I'm hoping it has peaked. but anything that gets teens to read... Looking forward to the "next" Harry Potter, which I think started the trend.
@Al, less wind resistance and friction?
@Alistair, welcome to this fireplace;)
Lol. Better than pens and paper, although your visual image is more amusing.
Bought some Arches hot pressed.. nice. Also got some Canson in 300gsm, cold pressed. Nice to, very sturdy.
ReplyDeleteI'm saving up for one of these: http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/4956385434/the-first-zombie-proof-house
ReplyDelete@Sprite, Arches...Guuud! Haven't tried the Canson in 300, what media are you using on it?
ReplyDeleteDocCyn, Yeeeahh, saw it, beats a moat and a drawbridge, doesn't it? I want one. (Keeps the huuumans out too):)