The Junkie Quatrain -- A Book Review

The Junkie Quatrain by Peter Clines
review by Stephane Martin

In an effort to properly attend to the 4 distinct stories/quatrains that make up this collection, this review has been written section-by-section [by sitting], in the order as presented by the author.


First sitting; [First quatrain]- 

The author goes to great lengths to explain why the pandemic survivors [and main characters] in these stories are called  zombie "junkies". Supposedly this can be ascribed to their similarity to "drug addict junkies/crack heads". I am as yet uncertain if this is an attempt at simple humor or if it is a parallel that the author has himself drawn from his [limited] interactions with heroin or crack cocaine addicts...

"The Walking Dead" are Walking right into Toronto -- Jan 31 CONTEST

CONTEST CLOSED!  For more great contests, keep an eye on Blog of the Living Dead, on https://facebook.com/groups/blogofthelivingdead, and on Twitter @ TweetAtTheDead

Also, keep an eye on that Twitter feed over there in the right hand column.  It is an up-to-the-second feed on all that is Horror-- and many contests!!!

Toronto Dpt. of Zombie Disposal

Toronto, as you know, is generally on the cutting edge of cleanup garbage disposal, despite our mayor's many attempts at cost cutting.  Walk down any major street and see if you can find a Bazooka-Joe gum wrapper.

And so it continues.  A snapshot taken of a specialized cleanup crew was captured by my good buddy Rob J. at Queen Street West and Dunn.

My chest swells with pride.

Click to Enlarge!

Photo Credit:  Robert Johnson

Read more about this crew HERE!

Warner Bros. now adding restrictions to your Netflix DVD queue

www.venturebeat.com
January 26, 2012 | Tom Cheredar14


Giant media company Warner Brothers might be taking further steps to ensure that its updated distribution strategy for newly released DVD movies has the maximum effect — regardless of how petty the company may seem as a result.

Earlier this month, Warner Brothers decided to delay all new DVD movie releases from becoming available through video rental services, like Blockbuster and Netflix. This means the rental services must wait 56 days after a new Warner Brothers DVD hits retail store shelves before it’s able to begin renting it out to customers. Of  course, the video rental companies do have the option of buying the new DVD releases at full retail price, but this would raise over all operating costs for the rental service and ultimately dip into its profits.

The Walking Dead - Season 2 - Episodes 1 - 7 Hiatus RECAP!

I was underwhelmed with the second season of AMC's "The Walking Dead."  AMC hooked me in the first season.
Then something happened.

I have re-watched the first half of Season Two of "The Walking Dead."  Thought I'd give it one more chance.

Point of view, maybe just a bad mood.  Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.  I tweeted my results, and they are, consolidated together below, with rankings.

And then I watched Episode 7.

Observation - Zombie Skyscraper Window Washers

I have to say, ever since we started working with zombies here in Toronto, there have been far fewer instancies of biting.

Take Zombie Skyscraper Window Washers, for example.

Now don't get me wrong-- I was a little skeptical at first, but once they developed that harness contraption that could not be decoupled easily from the washer platforms, all went pretty smoothly.  Putting two or three zombies unharnessed into one platform proved just too chaotic.

Of course, the engineers had to design the moving platforms to climb up and down the sides of the skyscrapers automatically.

Three zombies, harnessed properly to one platform was found to be optimum.

At first, of course, there were alot of startled working folk enjoying their massively  windowed corner offices that complained at first.

Most of the remarks were something like "I was half way through my breakfast bagel and there they were, three bloody, oozing faces staring sadly and hungrily at me, gnashing teeth and face-peices sliding with that odd squeeeeek as they were pulled up to the next floor".

This, of course, actually added rather than reduced the window cleanliness problem.

A junior egineer was the one who has been credited with solving this basic problem.

The answer was ShamWows (TM).

That's right.

ShamWows!

Strap a shamwow to each zombie's face (obviously with eyeholes cut out), and strap a shamwow to each hand and each knee (if present).

Why eyeholes cut out in the Shamwows, you might ask?   This essentially turned the workers inside the buildings into eye-candy.  Our window-washing zombies were in fact window shopping.

Sometimes it has  taken several passes -- up and down to get a full skyscraper side completely clean-- but hey-- they never stop for lunch.

Zombie Pandemic Survivor Guide

Z o m b i e P a n d e m i c S u r v i v o r G u i d e

The terminal sputters to life and you have a selection of web pages to view...
________________________________________________________________________________

ARTICLES TO HELP YOU SURVIVE

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse - Part 1, 2 etc...

There's been alot written about surviving the impending end of the world-- especially where the end includes a zombie apocalypse.  While most of these "suggestions" include the standard "hunker down"... or the ubiquitous "be well armed" and learn to be happy while sleep deprived, there really is nothing better than a "How To" video.  This one is Part 1 & 2-- both of which look at the "end" from a couple of different viewpoints.

READ MORE

The Social Media Zombie Apocalypse

Following is a helping heapin' lump of data porn and statistics.
Everyone is represented here.  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest (OK, all the important ones).

READ MORE




The Greatest Tips to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse You’ll ever Read

There’s a general reluctance for people to actually get prepared for the inevitable apocalypse. Not to fear, as here are a few tips that’ll ensure that you’ll be far more prepared when the undead eventually take over the earth.
READ MORE


Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) Wants You To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse... In A Hyundai

Robert Kirkman has selected a tricked-out Hyundai Elantra as his vehicle of choice for surviving the impending zombie apocalypse.
READ MORE






Zombie Case Study


Two intrepid Aussies conduct a Zombie Case Study that just may save your life.
READ MORE

Impenetrable Zombie Defense -- Tread Mills!

I would like to mention that "Bong of the Dead" used a zombie-powered treadmill water pump...

How To Weather the Zombie Apocalypse

When an intrepid  weather professional contacts and tells us "How to Weather the Zombie Apocalypse" -- well... we listen. That's one of the 8 things we're here for!

Here we go....  READ MORE

Harvard Professor Explains what to do During a Zombie Breakout

Aside from campus-wide stagings of zombie attacks, when the world faces a real pandemic infection that results in blood-thirsty dead people causing utter pandemonium, one Harvard professor has studied the ins and outs of zombiehood and brought his knowledge to USU.  READ MORE

Disease Control and Prevention -- and Zombies

The US Government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- www.cdc.gov, motto is: "Saving Lives, Protecting People, Reducing Health Costs", has finally come to the realization that there could very well be an impending Zombie Apocolypse, and that the good citizens of the United States of America need to be prepared.  What follows is pulled directly from their website...  READ MORE

Weapons of the Living Dead -- TOP 10 - REVISED LIST

When placed in sudden imminent danger, people will do just about anything to survive. So we thought we'd celebrate the unconventional, and sometimes hilarious weapons our heroes have used against the living dead.  READ MORE

Vehicles of the Dead

Most zombie movies have a few things in common. You have staggering, ashen-faced undead staggering through rubbish-strewn streets. You have a small band of mostly attractive young people fighting to survive.
And to survive, they need a good, reliable car.          READ MORE

Zombie "Help-line"

With all of this talk about real zombies-- read our earlier article regarding a WikiLeaks info at Dugway Proving Grounds, I think this initiative is one well over-due.      READ MORE

WikiLeaks and yes-- Zombies

If you've not been hiding under a rock for the past couple of years,  you will have read a lot about the WikiLeak website, and it's release of many top secret documents.

But some of these documents are mind-blowing, and one, in fact, makes reference to "zombies."  READ MORE


ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead

Multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry is currently on tour with his latest (and strangest) book, ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead (Citadel Press, $16.95). This is a nonfiction book in which the author interviews over 250 experts in law enforcement, forensic science, medicine, the military, the clergy, the law and others to ask how they think the real world would react and respond if something like Night of the Living Dead ever happened.  READ MORE

10 Worst Things To Do During a Zombie Outbreak

A wave of Zombie survival manuals have popped up recently, this one included, telling people what they should do during an outbreak of zombies. Thing is, nobody’s talking about what people shouldn’t do during a zombie outbreak.
Fortunately for you, our Zombiephile has scoured popular zombie movies and has isolated the Ten WORST Things to Do During a Zombie Outbreak. Sit back, enjoy, and take notes.  READ MORE


_______________________________________________________________________
Read about the game and its development... 
"Zombie Pandemic" - An MMORPG

Zombie Pandemic - The Interview (#1)   
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 
Intrigued by the prospect of an online, massive multi-player zombie game, we interviewed the developers of Zombie Pandemic. 

READ MORE

_______________________________________________________________________

Zombie Pandemic - A Quick chat with the developers 
Friday, February 18,2011 
Blog of the Living Dead continues to follow the intrepid team of artists, programmers, producers and everyone else that have come together to create awesome games-- online, desktop, wireless...  
Zombie Pandemic is one of these. 
We've chatted with the producer Thomas Bjørn Krogh-Jacobsen, for a quick follow up to our discussion prior to, and during development.  

READ MORE

BOTLD

ZergNet

Hannover House Pacts With Studio 3 Entertainment for Major Home Video Campaign Supporting "Humans Vs. Zombies" Release

By Hannover House, Inc.
Published: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 - 8:34 am

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Hannover House, Inc., the newly rebranded corporate name for Target Development Group, Inc. (Pinksheets: TDGI), will unleash an apocalypse of horror and promotions with the May 8, 2012 home video release of "Humans Vs. Zombies," a new sci-fi-thriller from director Brian T. Jaynes ("Boggy Creek: The Legend Is True").  The feature thriller was inspired by the hugely popular role-playing game of the same name,  and marks the second home video release between Hannover House and Studio 3 Entertainment.

‘The Dead’ follows Romero’s Rules of Order - A Review!

By Anders Wright

The Dead, helmed by British commercial directors Howard and Jon Ford, was shot in 35-millimeter film in Ghana and Burkina Faso and adheres strictly to George Romero’s rules of zombies. You know, the zombies shamble along slowly and aren’t all that interested in brains, and the only way to put them down is with a head shot.

Observation - Zombie Barbers

Here's something that irks me. It's stressful enough getting a haircut. I really hate having to do that explaining thing to the barber.

Guys-- You know what I'm talking about. To have to describe, each time, exactly what you want the cut to look like-- "Yeah-- I want to look like Brad Pitt."

So, of course we refrain from that, for many obvious reasons. Now, try doing that with a zombie barber.

I know, I know. It's only been recently that they have been allowed zombies into the "academy."

Yup, they have a Hair Cutting academy, and apparently they accept the undead.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure this was a good business decision.

Let's walk through a hair-cut -- zombie-style.

It's Ok when you first get into the shop. The muzak is playing (actually it's usually an AM radio station that is tuned to about 4/5 the frequency wavelength).  The undead can't hear very well, so that leads to at least one advantage-- they aren't distracted.  It does, however, annoy the living.

Fine enough. I'm there with a mission-- and let's get to it. Hair shampoo. Can we really come up with a better name than shampoo for men?

Really. Shampoo. Say it with me. Shampoo. I can feel my testicles shrinking every time I say that word.

Now, to my point earlier, comes the moment to explain what you want done with your hair.  I have tried to cultivate a pseudo-relationship with a favorite slicer/cutter/hacker. It's the one that you managed to actually get more often than not in the last 10 or so haircuts.

That barber is, of course, always busy or not there at all. You don't want to make any of the other barbers/haridressers feel inadequate-- but do you really want to regurgitate the last 10 haircuts into 8 seconds, which include gesturing and making karate chops all over your head.  And with zombies, there is a chance, albeit small, that it just might set one off in an awkward and delayed display of pseudo-self-defence.

So, you get the distant and far off doe-eyed look or hollow eye-ball cavities of alone-ness and despair from several of the workers, hidden mostly in the shadows..

Lord knows I empathize.

Then you get to it, and pick out a zombie.  Once again, the fear that you're going to have to explain the cut you want all over again is everpresent, even if you've picked out the same zombie ten times in a row.  They have the goldfish-bowl syndrom, and generally stop remembering you about half way through the cut (and you have to explain again). I do like the mumbling and the barely discernible dialogue.  If he's talking that way-- I really don't need to answer.  You know, he's just going through the motions, so a grunt from you is all that is really needed.

The fear, of course, is to lose an ear... or an eyebrow.  My suggestion to you is to keep a keen eye on the mirror in front of you, and bob and weave as necessary.

All in all-- generally pretty successful.  You have to be ready to swat away an ear nibble-- right quick-- but really-- is that much worse than the bad barbers?

Zombie barbers.  Not all bad.  And if the shop is essentially a zombie hoard, you can often even get away without paying.

Not that I've ever done that. But  face it, they're just happy to eat, I mean see you.

Observation - Zombie Hitchhikers

My mother told me to never pick up hitchhikers.  I will reinforce that wisdom for you now.

Even if there's a possibility that the target hitchhiker is just a drunk person trying to get home (and avoid hypothermia)-- do not pick him up.

Lesson learned.

So I picked up a hitchhiker who turned out to be a zombie late one night near Jarvis and Wellsley.  Yeah-- it is also the primo pickup spot for men who aren't men and want to be paid for the fact that they aren't women.

I assure you I was on my way to Harvey's for a late-night burger (aka Hooker Harvey's).

I noticed the zombie I picked up was looking a little under the weather and I should have just kept on going, weaving my way through the lady-men, but compassion overcame common sense, and well, I stopped to pick him up.

Now the first thing I noticed was that he didn't really know how the doorhandles on the passenger side, so it was quite a chore to get him inside..

After a bit of grappling, some snapping on his part, I did manage to get him in. It was then that I realized the hand and thumb that he had been sticking out for a hitch was not in fact his hand and thumb.  That rascal.

He wasn't particularly talkative. And he really didn't know where he wanted to go.

I drove him around the block and dropped him off where I picked him up.  With the lady men.

Deadsville Posting 4 -- Character Design

Mike Fields

Character studies, drafts and sketches give us a glimpse into the creative minds of Thomas and his team.  Mike Fields, zombie FX guru and Co-Producer of "Bong of the Dead" has been instrumental is working with Thomas's vision.

READ MORE>>>

Observation - Zombie Mailmen

This morning I noticed our mailman had become a zombie. He wasn't always this way.  But due to an obvious unfortunate incident, he had become one.  But he kept making the deliveries!

Neither sleet, nor hail, nor virus-- how does that go...?

Of course I got my neighbor's mail-- so nothing's really changed. Except the dogs don't chase him anymore.  So there's that.

Z-108 -- Zombie 108 Coming out of the Far East- 2012

The far east has had it's fair share of problems.  Some of them came in the form of earthquakes and tsunamis.  Well, apparently is has also altered the genes of the influenza virus, and well, the outcome writes itself.

Observation - Zombies and the Homeless

I have to say, ever since we started working with zombies instead of against them here in Toronto, there have been alot fewer homeless people.

Of course, there is the problem of telling the undead apart from the deadbeat.

I mean generally the homeless are the ones sitting in front of a cup, holding a cardboard sign that says something snappy like: "Hit me for 25 cents!"  Now that I think of it, that particular homeless person must have been doing quite well, by the shape his face was in.

The zombies, bless them, have really been trying to fit in though.

I saw one zombie the other day standing on a corner, holding an old greasy cardboard pizza box. There was nothing written on it.

I dropped a loonie into his bucket, which was half full! Let that be a lesson to the homeless-- the message, keep it simple.

So how do we live with zombies among us, and do it quite happily?

It really is not much more of an effort than avoiding the homeless. This may sound crass-- but it's a fact.

Zombies shuffle, they don't run (as does a homeless person), and the myth that zombies really just want brains, is untrue.

This concept grew out of a great Zombie flick called "Return of the Living Dead."

Now that they've produced "Zeet."  Zeet is a zombie repellant that uses deet in concentrations 1000 X stronger than mosquito repellents used in the Amazon.

..."Zeet"-- I've heard can cause skin problems if used constantly. I guess the idea is to use it when you need to.

Toronto Dpt. of Zombie Disposal

Of course, the undead eventually just run out of flesh on their bones, and drop.  This can cause an unpleasant odor problem, especially in the summer, but thanks to the city setting up "The Toronto Department of Zombie Disposal" recently, that problem has pretty much disappeared.  Just call 1(831)BRAAIN5 (www.zombiehelpline.com ) to report a body.

My wife and I live in a 16 Story Condo in a place in Toronto called "The Junction."


We actually live on the 15th floor-- which, I think is safe. Ground  floor people do not know what might be lurking just outside their door, or out on their balcony.  Never quite got the concept of a balcony on the ground floor.

Not that the undead can't use an elevator-- well I think they can't intentionally use an elevator.

I got into an elevator one time with a zombie--but it was more funny than scary. He got really confused by the mirrors. I left him in one corner.

He was still there when I came home that night.

Deadsville Posting 3 -- The Creative Cave

December 5, 2011

Budget preparations, estimates and breakdowns need to to be-- well, nailed down.  As everyone knows, there is a business side to every endeavor.  Funding will continue to need to be raised to continue.

Week 2 of facial hair growth

Thomas has decided, as many filmmakers do, to insert himself physically in the film-- in a cameo appearance.  If it's good enough for M Night Shyamalan, and more importantly Brian DePalma--well, you know where I'm going with this.  So Thomas will be playing a Blacksmith.  He has been attempting to grow a beard, and... well, we'll comment on that a bit later.

READ MORE>>>

Containment Room 7 -- A Book Review

Containment Room 7 
a Zombie Novel by Bryan Hall
Published by Permuted Press

Novel Synopsis:

In a far corner of space, orbiting a massive black hole, the research ship DARC12 discovers a strange asteroid—one that seems to be … alive. After loading the rock onboard for study, the ship quickly descends into madness.

Bong of the Dead -- Outtakes -- BLOOD BATH

Blog of the Living Dead has followed intrepid movie maker Thomas Newman through his trials and tribulations during the making and promoting of his first feature flick "Bong of the Dead."

And what is movie-making without outtakes?  And what are outtakes without buckets and buckets of blood???

What indeed?

READ MORE>>>

Twitterpated and Face-Slapped

It was inevitable. Blog of the Living Dead has now been Twitterpated and Face-Slapped.  That's right... we're on Twitter and Facebook.

So...
Follow us on Twitter here:
@TweetAtTheDead
(Note the Twitter feed window further down on the right hand side)
Follow us on Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/blogofthelivingdead/

The best and most interesting Tweets and Facebook posts will be posted back here!  Also follow that Twitter feed over there in the right hand column.

Follow us.  You know you'll need us.  Soon.

Impenetrable Zombie Defense -- Tread Mills!

Zombie Treadmill Defense

I would like to mention that "Bong of the Dead" used a zombie-powered treadmill water pump-- Read our reference to this great scene and entire review of "Bong of the Dead" here!

Zombie Bees

As if full-sized human flesh-eating corpses wasn't bad enough.

Yep-- they apparently come in the insect variety as well.

AFP – Wed, 4 Jan, 2012

US scientists have discovered that a fly parasite can turn honey bees into confused zombies before killing them, in an advance that could offer new clues to why bee colonies are collapsing.