The Zombie Research Society is doing it’s part to make the zombie apocalypse a little more comfortable and easier to manage with it’s Sling Bag.

“…perfect for staying light and fast in a zombie world”, The ZRS Sling bag is a must have for any survivor.

Get your ZRS Sling Bag Today!

Brian Moakley over at A Word On Fire bring us another quandary for the zombie fan to ponder. Are Zombies just another form of vampire. They are both dead, they both multiply by biting its victims. There is certainly something there.

Personally, a lot of monsters add and take away from other monsters. Werewolves also bite and infect their victims. These days it seems like a lot of horror movies like to mix in some science fiction by making their monster created by or transmitting some virus that makes them into monsters. So is every monster, alien, whatever that is spread by infectious means a vampire? No.

What are your thoughts?

Apparently everyone is covering this Newsweek zombie article story. That unfortunately means that we should probably include it here, too.

Here’s the short and sweet of the matter: Newsweek, a more or less respectable news magazine, mysteriously displays on its web-based counterpart a story about a zombie outbreak, the genesis of said outbreak being a transplanted Briton in New York who also happened to be a zombie. There is also an article about effective ways of fleeing this “zombie horde,” which read like the Cliff Notes to Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide. If that isn’t kitschy enough, these articles aren’t just casually planted on the front page. Oh no, to reach these vital reports on the impending zombie invasion, an online Newsweek reader has to enter in the legendary Konami code, up up down down left right left right B A enter. This may seem similar to a technique a certain sports news website employed a while back, but don’t be fooled, this is entirely unrelated. Because it has zombies.

For the record, the story’s bunk. I know some of you are filing that under another day saved by Captain Obvious, but I also know that I shouldn’t assume that people understand that the internet (with the exception of this site, of course) is full of more lies than a White Collar criminal on a first date with an attractive Federal Prosecutor. The amount of digital ink that’s being spilled over this non-news story is pretty disheartening, however. When someone first showed me the Konami code Easter Egg on the ESPN website several months back, it was amusing. I thought it actually improved the content of the site immensely. However, this was a move by the same people who bring you forty year-plus men making references to The Big Lebowski on highlights of homeruns and invite the Do double G on the set to promote his son’s Pop Warner Football Team.

My point? ESPN has already made peace with the fact that they’re the Frank the Tanks of the sports news world. Newsweek, one would think, wouldn’t need to resort to gimmicks to get readers. They’re f’in’ Newsweek. What demographics are they getting that say that the same people who read about world events are also into video games and zombie movies? If this had been April Fool’s Day and Newsweek decided to show they’re not a bunch of squares and political junkies maybe this wouldn’t leave such a sour taste in my mouth. But this just reeks of cheap publicity. I know the print industry is going down the tubes, but is this really the way it’s going to transition into the New Media? I’m waiting for the day where I can read Primary Election coverage with emoticons or click on a video of the President’s speech on the oil spill in the Gulf only to find myself watching Rick Astley’s vaguely zombie-like sway.

Look, I like video games. I clearly also like zombies. What I don’t like is when a source I go to for news provides false coverage on things I like in order to dupe me into being interested in the “real events.” This ranks up with soccer moms wearing “Team Edward” t-shirts on the list of things that just aren’t classy.