Society unprepared for Zombie attack, say scientists

[ratbert]

"It's imperative that zombies are dealt with quickly or else... we are all in a great deal of trouble."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8206280.stm

Yes, this is serious!

[superjohnmcginlay]

Well thats a relief. I was starting to worry. But I think its a mistake not to take into account the fast mental zombies from the remake of Dawn of the Dead and them fookers from 28 days later. Could catch us out that one.

[TANGODANCER]

They haven't even found a cure for the common cold yet. If you can get paid for this sort of thing I want to be a scientist.

[boltonboris]

I wonder how much that cost the Canadian tax payers!

[Bruce Rioja]

I wonder how much that cost the Canadian tax payers!

Not as much as it does for Monty to be on here.

[jaffka]

Don't forget that they can go underwater now as well, your not even safe on an island.

Oh and firework displays now quite frankly bore them to death

[FD]

To be honest, there's zombies everywhere already.

They may not eat brains, but they are zombies nonetheless.

Minge.

[TKIZ!]

Well thats a relief. I was starting to worry. But I think its a mistake not to take into account the fast mental zombies from the remake of Dawn of the Dead and them fookers from 28 days later. Could catch us out that one.

Sorry to be a film pedant but technically in 28 days later they suffered from Rage and were not zombies. But to be honest this study is a fooking joke!

[Puskas]

Well thats a relief. I was starting to worry. But I think its a mistake not to take into account the fast mental zombies from the remake of Dawn of the Dead and them fookers from 28 days later. Could catch us out that one.

Sorry to be a film pedant but technically in 28 days later they suffered from Rage and were not zombies. But to be honest this study is a fooking joke!

May I ask why this paper (not really a study, since they're not studying anything physical, they're doing maths) is a "fooking joke"?

Whilst obviously sitting on a high-horse, slagging off something you don't understand or have even read, is a splendid pastime, and something to be encouraged on this board, can I ask why all the vehemence?

It's clearly a paper presented in a light-hearted way. Modelling the movement of type-A things towards type-B things when type-A things have the ability to create more type-A things from the type-B things. As was even mentioned in the BBC report, it's not difficult to see how this could be applied to more "mainstream" disease modelling. Developing these techniques is useful.

Comments of the sort, "They haven't even cured the common cold" (they're mathematicians, FFS), whilst stupid, are all too common in a society that fails to understand or appreciate science and how it's done. They don't really believe a zombie attack is imminent, you know...

Having said that, the fact that Professor Smith? has a question mark in his name is a cause for concern.

[TANGODANCER]

Comments of the sort, "They haven't even cured the common cold" (they're mathematicians, FFS), whilst stupid, are all too common in a society that fails to understand or appreciate science and how it's done

.

Fxxks sake Puskas, it was a joke and no, I don't know much about science or even pretend to. Bit of fun man.

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

In their scientific paper, the authors conclude that humanity's only hope is to "hit them [the undead] hard and hit them often".

Yet when a few policemen adopt this during G20 protests......

[jaffka]

Yeah, but, Puskas, who would win zombies or umans???

[Prufrock]

Dancers.

[William the White]

Mathematicians are much more daring than many (most?) writers/artists in their investigations and assertions... Tonight, on Coast, one asserted that, mathematically speaking, the length of britain's coast line is 'infinite'...

There is an argument that nothing is less factual than a mathematical 'fact'.

FACT!

[Lord Kangana]

One of the lads at work told me he was a "mathlete" at school who could recite pi to 32 places. I told him he deserved to be tortured for use of the word "mathlete".

Of course, this anecdote is largely irrelevant, other than he's a Forest fan and its a great way of shoehorning in how sh*t he thinks Megson is. So yes, mathematicians aren't given the credit they deserve for their intelligence.

[Bruce Rioja]

One of the lads at work told me he was a "mathlete" at school who could recite pi to 32 places. I told him he deserved to be tortured for use of the word "mathlete".

Of course, this anecdote is largely irrelevant, other than he's a Forest fan and its a great way of shoehorning in how sh*t he thinks Megson is. So yes, mathematicians aren't given the credit they deserve for their intelligence.

Did he study Freakanomics?

[Lord Kangana]

Please tell me that isn't a real word?

[Verbal]

Please tell me that isn't a real word?

It's a book, tis all I know.

[Verbal]

Dancers.

was about to put that, bastard.

[Puskas]

Yeah, but, Puskas, who would win zombies or umans???

Zombies. Obviously.

See, for example, Night of the living dead, Zombie Flesh Eaters, etc, etc for instances as to how it pans out.