Sunday, October 31, 2010

Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse…





For Fun as its Halloween, lets explore the world of Zombies, and process how one might survive Z-Day if it were to actually happen. Or not in many of your cases.



But if you care to increase your chances of survival during this apocalypse predicted by so many horror films, or even fanatics, I am here to help, with a simple guide on what you need to get through this eh situation.

Firstly, assess what kind of zombie you are facing;

Is it the old stereotype of slow moving mindless zombie working off its sense of smell alone?

The 28 days later zombie who runs at you in a terrifying fashion?

Some horrific intelligent mutation or one of the many other typical ideas in between?

Either way, this is a general guide of what to do in case of a zombie outbreak, because no matter what, the worst case scenario is a zombie horde, a mob of uncountable numbers all shuffling or running at you at once, all lusting after your flesh. So lets begin…

 

1. The First 24 Hours..

are a vital time. With the internet on hand, you will probably hear of a zombie outbreak faster than you will see it. Twitter in this case is your friend! In the first 24 hours this is the time to gather supplies, and set yourself up a base. Whether its gathering ammo, gather food or modding your house and car for the ultimate zombie protection, use this prior knowledge to protect yourself.

Food: Gather all the food you can – the perishable goods should be consumed first, as the non perishable can be held onto for longer.

Water: Gather as much as you can, preserve it in anyway possible in as many containers as possible, this is a vital necessity that you CANNOT go without. Prepare to go without showers etc. when this event happens. You will be dirty.

Weapons: If you can get your hands on a gun or guns, fantastic but more than likely you will have to go without. A chainsaw may seem like a great idea in a movie, but the noise it makes will just attract more zombies and will get you in very close with them. Try something that gives you the best chance of hit and run like a baseball bat. If you do happen to get your hands on a gun, go for one with accuracy and quick firing capabilities, a shotgun may seem like fun up until that vital point where you have to reload.

First Aid Kit: Keep everything necessary for healing cuts, and keep any injuries covered, one drop of zombie blood into your system and you’re more than likely going to be joining their ranks.

Make Contact with Others: Travelling in a group is one of your best bets at survival, in those vital moments where you can;t defend yourself, someone else just might save your life, particularly in your vulnerable moments like sleeping. But keep in mind, people can turn on you, in this world, its kill or be killed, and people will do anything to survive, a crazy human can be much more dangerous than a horde of zombies, remember that. Oh and if one is bitten, put him down. What’s worse, killing your best friend or your best friend nibbling on your brains?

Make Lists: A list of everything you have, everything you need to do and a third list of everything you need to get, these will  be vital. If you forget you need nails but you have plenty of boards to block up your windows, they’re useless.

Emergency Bag: Create an emergency bag just in case you ever need to escape, this should contain enough essentials to get you through at least week before you need to stock up  again. Stock carefully, only bring essentials, clothes, water, a weapon etc.… Oh and choose your colours carefully, no one wants a bright orange bag making them a stand out target.



Now that you’ve stocked up and have thought about all the necessary supplies and such, think about your back up plan, Do you stay in the one place, and board yourself  up? Do you ally with others? Do you go it alone (No one wants to have to kill a loved one)? Or do you simply give up and  let what happens happen?
Well if your striving to survive there a few more notes you need to take.

 

2. Other Human Beings..

Chances are, you are not the only human alive. In an event such as this where the entire world is literally against you, it is probably best to team up, but make sure you team up with people who aren’t going to sell you  out to the zombies for their own survival, someone who isn’t going to trip you up when you’re both running away just so the zombies get momentarily distracted.

The only thing worse than a friend turning on you in this terrible situation, is a friend turning on you and getting the better of you, always be prepared to throw away your loved ones. Everyone is dispensable, particularly if they have been bitten. If its a Zombie Apocalypse then there is no  cure, and you aren’t going to be the one to find it, If you were smart enough to stop this plague, you’d be locked away safely in some military lab.

So in short, DON’T TRUST ANYONE! You might not come out of this alive.

 

3. Killing Zombies..

If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a gun, fantastic, you’re doing ten times better than the man to your left holding a hammer. He won’t survive.

If you have access to a gun there are a few simples rules. A. Ammo does run out. B. Long range weapons over short range ones any day. C. Carry a back up. D KNOW HOW TO USE A GUN! D. Aim for the head, if you can use as little ammo as possible the better you are.

If you are one of the unfortunate ones to have no access to a gun and can’t pilfer one from your local farmer/cop then the next best thing is a hard blunt object you can get a good clean hit with. A hammer seems nice, bit in that long arcing moment you can have your armpit bitten off. Never underestimate a zombie, even the slowest ones.

And remember, if it comes down to it, Fight or Flee? FLEE! Flee like there's no tomorrow, because if you fight, there probably won’t be.

The most terrifying thing about zombies, its not that they’re the undead, reanimated corpses than are out for your flesh. The scariest part of a zombie apocalypse is the sheer force of numbers in which they might attack you. One Zombie = Easy Survival, five is a little tougher, Hundreds and you might just not make it. Particularly if they can run…

 

4. Final Advice..

Chances are, you won’t survive, but in the small instance you do, here a few more thing’s you should always remember.

A. If you can hide there, its probably a good place to inhabit. (Windows are your enemies, zombies like to break through them, avoid large shopping centres unless you can lock them down.)

B. Learn to read a map, if you have to move, you want to be able to move fast and know where you’re going.

C. Learn to Cook, no one wants to be eating pre packaged crap all the time.

D. Along with that, learn to grow your own, chances are you won’t be getting much else if you plan on surviving an extended period of time, everything has an expiration date.

E. Never Shout – it only attracts the worst kind of attention.

F. If it moves and grunts, kill it!

G. Grab every opportunity, never pass up a chance at safety, first aid kits, ammunition, or food, they will come in handy.

H. Be prepared to kill your best friend if he turns, you two weren’t that close anyway right?
Some sort of protective gear might be handy -– but can you afford to be slowed down? Do you carry something like a sword or a chainsaw for very close encounters, or are you dead by then anyway?

Chances are a Zombie Apocalypse won’t ever happen in our time, but it’s never a bad idea to keep in mind that it could. Be prepared. And remember this How To if it ever comes down to it. It could save your life some day.

For more information on this subject, Max Brooks has an entire collection of books on surviving the Zombie Plague that you can pick up a most book stores. This man takes his research very seriously: Amazon

Happy Z Day!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Carving your own 3D Pumpkin…

Type 3D pumpkin into Google Images and the most amazing bizarre pieces of art can be viewed, generally they only pop up around Halloween. These pieces are spectacular though.

The Villafane Studios web site has a tutorial for creating your own 3D carvings into the face of a pumpkin.

Now this site only has a tutorial on carving one style but if you take what that tutorial teaches you, with a little creativity, you can create something completely unique and in some cases horrifying yourself.

For more inspiration just click here and you can see 54 examples of more pumpkin artwork.

You’re pumpkin probably won’t end up as detailed or as magnificent as some of these but its certainly worth giving it a go. I know I will.

Link to site: Villafane Studios

Or if 3D carving seems like to much effort or you feel it’s too short notice why not go ahead and try stencils to give your pumpkin a completely different look than a conventional scary/smiley face. Make your own Pac man game for example…

Find millions of stencils and ideas on Google Images and get carving.

There's a million ways to be weird with your pumpkins. Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Last Minute Halloween Preparations…

Too cheap to buy a costume? Can’t get creative? Or just forgot it was Halloween altogether.

Well fret not because the Internet is here to help, or particularly Instructables is. The DIY haven for everything and anything has guides on the simplest few minute costumes and party favours to the most extravagant Cosplay gear you could think of.

There are great, cheap, creative costumes to be had in DIY Halloween, including your own “Master Chief" costume, Lady Gaga costumes, and a DIY Iron Man Arc Reactor for all your Tony-Stark-on-his-off-day needs. Not only does it serve fantastic costume ideas, but you can run your whole party off of the DIY ideas this site hosts. From literal finger foods, to anything else your twisted horror filled mind can think of, let your real Halloween horrors come alive.

The site can be found here: Instrucatables Halloween

Or if you want, Instructables for a short time is giving out a free eBook for download, for those of you without an ereader you can download Calibre and view it on your computer. (windows mac or Linux)

DIY Halloween (direct ePub link)

Have fun DIY’ing your own Halloween!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Ember Media Manager…

If you download TV shows or Movies and you aren’t getting caught, congratulations. But more than likely your files are scattered all over your computer or you find yourself with the completely wrong labels on many movies/TV shows. Or maybe like some, your just a neat freak with not enough time to organise their files.

Why bother identifying the year, the director, the genre, and the proper names of your TV and movie collection when that data's already sitting around the web?

Ember Media Manager (EMM) runs through your files, "scrapes" the information it can from them, then matches them up with the web's best guesses. Depending on your settings, EMM then places the files in their properly named folders, and then automatically keeps tabs from then on.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Sick of Facebook Being Everywhere?

Facebook is everywhere, and will inevitably remain everywhere for an extended period of time, but if like me, you are getting tired of all the Facebook “like” buttons and widgets on every single website well then there is a simple method to remove them, if you run Google Chrome. A simple extension.

Not much more to it than installing the extension, reloading the page and poof, they’re gone! No more Facebook Buttons everywhere.

Facebook Disconnect [Google Chrome Extensions]


I am currently looking for the best way to to emulate this in Firefox and will update if I find such an add-on.

Monday, October 25, 2010

CCleaner aka Crap Cleaner…

Windows only: CCleaner optimizes your PC by removing various kinds of system detritus, such as temp files, old Registry entries, and invalid shortcuts. It also helps promote privacy by deleting your browser's URL history, cookies, and so on.

Basically it cleans all the crap out of your computer and yes that is what the C stands for. I’m not the biggest fan of programs like this, I worry about ruining my registry and in turn ruining my computer but CCleaner has a stellar reputation and I’ve never had a single issue with it using it on all forms of Windows without error.

All you need to know is CCleaner is going to save you space, and speed up your system, and apart from that, it can be used as both an uninstaller and registry analysis.

You don’t even have to open it, in settings you can set it to run on start up, keeping your computer in pristine condition.

Get CCleaner

After that, I recommend following up with CCEnhancer, updating the popular system cleaning utility with support for cleaning up after 270 more applications, so you can keep your system even more crap free.

Found Here.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Bettering Windows 7…

 

Windows 7, good not great, by no means perfect but a hell of a lot better than Vista. And if like many your upgrading from Vista the change is appreciated but not too significant that your lost, but if your  coming from XP you can get a little lost in all of 7’s shiny new features. Here are a few ways to improve 7’s looks, features, and functions leading to a more convenient upgrade.

1. Ninite..

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again, Ninite, use it, love it, appreciate the time you save. Moving on.

2. Gmail in Your Taskbar..

If Gmail is your priority mail, Gmail Notifier Plus not only subtly informs of you of new mail by changing its taskbar icon, but provides a subject line preview of new messages when you hover over its icon. Giving you shortcuts to writing new messages, opening your inbox, the perfect little tool to keep you on top of your incoming mail.

3. Bored of your Logon screen?

You can customize a lot of your system's look in Windows 7, but the login/password screen remains fairly opaque and unchangeable. Tweaks.com offers a Logon Changer for Windows 7. Simple effective and all without the hassle of going into your registry. One catch: images have to 256kb or less.

4. Creating a Recovery Disc..

If you'd like to ensure you can save your system from common boot-up and system errors in the future, NeoSmart offers its own Windows 7 System Recovery Discs that can repair damaged files, restore System Restore points, and even pull in full backups for restoration. If you upgraded to 7 from a student discount package that only delivered a single .exe file, Download Squad explains how to make a DVD upgrade disc from student discount files.

5. Stacking your Desktop..

The taskbar in 7 is fantastic, Microsoft out did themselves, but its missing on thing. “Stacks”. But fear not, one quick download later with either StandaloneStack or 7stacks and you can start getting right to the file after you’ve added a custom collection of shortcuts. Scouring for files is a thing of the past.

Bonus..

For those of you that don’t know, press Alt + Tab and you can switch between any open window on your desktop, not a tweak but in every way a helpful hint when using 7 especially if like me, you have a million and  one different programs running.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

After Installing Windows 7…

You’ve got a new Windows set up on your computer, starting fresh, but where to begin? Well this is a quick guide on getting you started.

1. Change your theme..

Make your windows 7 your own, you can find many different themes already ready to be used after a quick Google search. But if you want to get really personal, make your own. or if you'd like to keep your wallpaper fresh, but don't want to hunt down the widescreen-friendly pics yourself, set up Bing's backgrounds as a auto-rotating wallpaper feed.

2. Set up XP Mode..

If you’ve got old, unfortunately out-dated apps that just aren’t compatible with the latest Windows system, you’ll want to set up XP mode for free and learn how to use it. If Microsoft's own XP Mode doesn’t impress you, check out VirtualBox. A tutorial on how use it can be found here.

3. Integrate Your Dropbox..

As I have previously stated, Dropbox is a must have app. But you can link it in with your windows system rather than leaving it stand alone. You can sync folders outside your main Drop box and later change the location, along with having many other uses. Dropbox is an integral part of any computer.

4. Learn the Shortcuts..

Shortcuts make everything faster, and with Windows 7 there is no shortage of them. Read them, test them out, and learn them, it will make everything a lot easier on yourself. Windows 7 Shortcuts

5. Get Everything with Ninite...

I’ve discussed this before. Ninite is possibly one of easiest, simplest things to use on your computer, making that long installation process with every new system take half as long. Pick your programs, download, and the customized installer does thee rest. What apps you get is up to you but I will have a recommended list up soon.

Bonus. Dual booting your System...

This is normally reserved for those who have messed around with Linux or other Dual boots before but I will throw up proper instructions on this in the next few days.

Friday, October 22, 2010

What 7 Can do Over Vista…

windows_7-1

1. Shake it Away

Do you have over a million programs open at once and find them cluttering your desktop? Want to clean them off the screen without actually closing them? Simply just grab the top of the window you want to keep open and shake it about on the screen to scare away all the other applications.

2. Jumplists

This simple yet innovative idea to come with 7 can save you a lot of hassle. Giving you a list of recently accessed files without the need to even open the application, all you have to do is click the arrow on the right hand side on the application in the taskbar and there it is. All your recently accessed information.

3. Snap into Place

This is surprisingly useful. Simply drag your window to the left or right edge of the desktop to snap and resize the window to one half of the screen. Drag the window to the top to maximise it, or use the simple Windows key plus any arrow key (depending on where you want to put it).

4. Homegroup Networking

Always wanted to share your folders and files wirelessly with other computers and networks with little hassle? Windows 7 finally does it, well with Windows 7 it does anyway, using the 'Homegroup' wizard, check the default folders you would like to share. This will give you a passcode that will have to be entered in another computer on the same network to share the files. Sounds too good to be true? There is a catch: only a Windows 7 computer can join a Homegroup.

5. The Taskbar

I don’t know what it is about the taskbar in 7 that makes it so great, it might be the fact that I don’t actually want to hide this one away, it has a use. Its large but so helpful allowing you to pin almost any program you want to it, giving you easy access right there in front of you rather than trawling through the start menu.

Bonus. XP mode

For those XP applications that do not work under Windows 7, you can download XP Mode free from the Microsoft website and run XP applications in an emulated XP environment in Windows 7. Imagine Parallels on Mac OS X without the need to fish out money on an extra OS.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


Windows 7 has hit the one year mark, give or take a few days. A fantastic year for Microsoft, replacing the vile taste that Vista left in so many loyal users keyboards.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware which Windows Vista was not at the time. - Yes that is a Wikipedia extract but its probably the most profanity free apt way of describing Windows 7 and Windows Vista in the same sentence.

And 7 succeeded were Vista failed, becoming the fastest selling Operating System of all time, unsurprising as it has sold over 175 million copies as of July.

So to celebrate this giants birthday I am going to dedicate the next few days to Windows 7 blogs and what you can do with it.

If you're interested, here's more detail from an Official Windows Blog

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What if you Wrote One Page a Day?

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Tony Morrison

One Page Per Day is exactly what the website states it as. "It's a very simple web typewriter that presents you with a single blank page each day. You are free from the tyranny of the infinite page."

It is simplistic but genius and allows anyone who finds themselves struggling to write, the chance to do so without the never ending word document or open pad.

How does it work? Simply log in using your Google account or twitter and type your one page a day, whether it is to get you into the practice of writing, you're starting your new book, or simply, you want to finally commit yourself to that blog you've always tried to keep up to date.

And One Page Per Day will remind you to fill up that one page, pushing you to finish what it is you have started.

Distraction Free Writing can be found here: OnePagePerDay

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Looking for Tech protection with Artistic Merit?


If you’re looking for a way to establish your iPhone as its own in a world where everyone seems to own one, then you best look towards GelaSkins. GelaSkins are essentially art off the walls and wrapped around your iPhone.

Gelaskins may not offer the same range of protection as most covers but they will prevent scratches whilst keeping your phone looking as stylish as you want it to. You can choose from a range of illustrations and designs on the site or even submit your own for the extra personalisation, just upload your image, tweak it how you wish and pull that $14.95 out of your pocket. And yes they do ship internationally (starting at $3.95).

In addition to the skin, the price includes the option to create an iPhone wallpaper from the image and add personalized text. GelaSkins will then e-mail the file to you as the order is shipped.

And for those of you wondering if you can personalise your iPad too, well GelaSkins caters to over 100 devices, everything Apple included.

Check them out here. GelaSkins

Monday, October 18, 2010

Ninite - For Starting Fresh...

N

If you're looking for a way to install some of the best windows freeware applications in a matter of minutes, then Ninite is the way to go. It's a batch installer which allows the user to get the latest versions of the more popular browsers, media players, instant messengers, antivirus software and numerous other utilities.

Best of all, its Free. With no unnecessary steps like creating an account or registration, using Ninite is as simple as point, click, install.

Ninite is perfect for people who are updating to Windows 7 or just for those of you who want to restore your computer back to default factory settings for a fresh start. With well over 60 applications and over 10 categories, Ninite is well stocked.

Installation

Ninite is an online service and no installation is technically required. In order to start using Ninite, just go to the website, choose the applications that you wish to install and click the get installer button.

The best part about it all - you don't have to change anything! Ninite will choose the default setting for the applications and will all the adware and toolbars that might be bundled with some of them, leaving nothing on your computer except the programs you wanted, catch free.

Click this link now: Ninite and save yourself some hassle

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Take Your Files Anywhere with Dropbox...


Dropbox is a fantastic little online storage and online back up tool that you can sync up with on multiple computers, with access from your phone and the web too. When setting up an account you are given a few different options:
  • The free account - up to 2GB of storage for free. (expandable up to 8GB if you can get more people to sign up and through your referral)
  • Paid Accounts - you can get up to 50GB of storage a month for just $9.99 or up to 100GB for just $19.99.
Dropbox is simple and easy to use even for the computer illiterate, saving you having to worry about carrying that precious memory stick of assignments or documents around for fear of losing it. Leaving you with the piece of mind that even if you forget it, you can have a back up synced up to your account online which has easy access.

But
Dropbox is so much more than just online storage, you can use it to host files you want to share with others, family photos that are far too large to email, or even large documents if you are working with a virtual team on a project.

Dropbox has so much potential and is the perfect tool for anyone that has to so move files anywhere, particularly for the absent minded who don't bring their memory sticks everywhere. you can even sync it up with other folders on your computer so any important documents are imported straight into it.

Even 2GB is perfect for any student who is careless with their memory stick, so sign up today and make things that much easier,
Dropbox has even gone mobile for anyone who now runs Android or iOS on the Iphone.

To learn more, and for the fastest tutorial possible, go to Dropbox.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Beginning a New Blog...

Small Fish, Big Pond?

Not to make this out to be a personal diary or anything, but as with any situation, I find it best to introduce yourself from the beginning, and from there everything else can catch up. Forget the anonymity of the Internet, and begin blogging from what I know, which is very little.

This Blog will be dedicated to being a learning process, and a guidebook, a sort of almanac for everything and anything that can make day to day life easier, from whats the fastest browser on your computer right now, to what are the others uses for rice apart form ingesting.

From scouring the web to personal little discoveries I aim to contribute this blog to being a place of learning and hope in doing so it will become somewhat notable, regarded as readable rather than rubble.

If you have any questions, posts you'd like to read, ideas you'd like to share, or information you just can't find yourself, feel free to contact me here, either via comment or else at my email address which I will be posting in all future spaces above.