Microbes can control your mind...

This is pretty creepy, a common parasite in cats, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii or Toxo for short), forces changes in the way mammals behave.  In mice and rats it makes it more likely that they will be eaten by a cat   by making the smell of cat urine attractive rather than repulsive as well as reducing the fear of open spaces.

It now appears that in humans a T. gondii infection also changes our behaviours, making males more aggressive and less aware of their surroundings. Human females become more social and trusting. The following article from the Atlantic discusses this in more detail:

How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy

Rabies is the classic "rage" like infection, in it's later stages the infection ramps up the aggression of the victim while migrating to the victims saliva glands and gums!

Near the end of the article the author discusses other parasites and viruses that have behavioural effects on humans including influenza. Influenza causes an increase in the desire of humans to be close together thus increasing the likelihood of transmission.  What is interesting is the complexity of the effect, it only occurs before the infected shows any symptoms but while they are infectious!  This same behaviour change is seen in people who get influenza vaccines even though they are not capable of transmitting the virus.

Is this the precursor of a Solanum type infection? 

Staying in shape is a good idea...

Train for the zombie apocalypse with this 5K run

By Nicole Bremer Nash

TechRepublic 

August 30, 2011, 6:54 AM PDT

Takeaway: Want to get geeks to fitness train? Attack them with zombies and watch them hightail it through an obstacle course in a forest.

Geeks and fitness aren’t often associated with each other. Sure, there are plenty of us who trek to the gym a couple of times a week and probably some who occasionally walk (or perhaps even run) a charity 5K, but let’s face it: people need motivation to get in shape. One event has found the perfect motivation to encourage geeks to not only run a 5K race, but to work hard to train for it. The “Run For Your Lives” zombie run is designed with one purpose: train well or be eaten.

FEMA got it eventually...

Almost un-noticed at the bottom of the list was the information we needed. If only more people had read it.

They cheered...

Even though they were doomed.
For both civilian and military authorities, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

Looking at this picture, I've always wondered what happened to all these people.
So many stories nobody will ever know.
KJ

Somebody knew...

Six months before the first outbreak in Calgary this guy was trying to tell us.

Too bad nobody was listening.

CDC Warns Public to Prepare for 'Zombie Apocalypse'

Sometimes you just want to accept the headlines just for the thrill of it all  :-)
KJ
====================
CDC Warns Public to Prepare for 'Zombie Apocalypse'

By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published May 18, 2011

| FoxNews.com

Are you prepared for the impending zombie invasion?

That's the question posed by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention in a Monday blog posting gruesomely titled, "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse." And while it's no joke, CDC officials say it's all about emergency preparation.

"There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for," the posting reads. "Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That's right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."

The post, written by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan, instructs readers how to prepare for "flesh-eating zombies" much like how they appeared in Hollywood hits like "Night of the Living Dead" and video games like Resident Evil. Perhaps surprisingly, the same steps you'd take in preparation for an onslaught of ravenous monsters are similar to those suggested in advance of a hurricane or pandemic.

Emergency tool

Interesting bit of kit.
Wouldn't want it to be my primary tool/weapon, but as a backup in a pinch it would be better than a simple claw hammer
KJ
======
From Gizmodo...

The Crovel Is the Only Multi-Tool Shovel You’ll Ever Need

Casey Chan — Like the Chinese military shovel before it, the Crovel is a multi-tool shovel that doubles as an axe, triples as a crowbar, quadruples as a hammer, and does even more. Bottle opener? Check. Saw? Come on, of course. Paracord grip? Uh, duh. The Crove88l has thirteen different tools jam packed in its sexy body and each is more menacing than the next.

I'm a fiend for Swiss Army knives and multi-tool Leathermans but there's no way in hell my bite sized, blunt  knife, toothpick carrying, usb holding, might as well be a children's toy, multi-tool can hold a candle to the Crovel. I'm not worthy. $85