MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - "The Three Laws of Zombiotics" - STORIES, PSEUDO NON-FICTION, POETRY, ETC. NEEDED

jinlo · 08-03-2010, 11:32 AM

The importance of sound to a Zombie has led to numerous areas of study and has often created difficult scenarios for researchers to resolve. For example, a military caliber rifle with a telescopic sight is often accepted as the best weapon for dispatching a lone Zombie at distances of over 50 yards. The report of the rifle, however, might alert other Zombies to your presence. Thus, it might actually be safer to use an alternative weapon that makes little to no noise. Escape vehicles are another area of concern. A running car will move faster than a bicycle, but will the sound of the engine also attract curious Zombies? Noise is your enemy when trying to avoid detection. But since I want to remain focused on music, both of these are subjects best left for another day's discussion.

I'm not sure if it's possible to repel Zombies with music. Once the Zombies have zoned in on possible prey, the 3rd Law would seem to imply that even the most obnoxious music, say Neil Sedaka or Slim Whitman, would be useless as a deterrent. If you can't dissuade the undead with a few shotgun blasts to the knees, I doubt singing an irritating ditty from some bad musical is going to work any better. A Zombie locked on its meal is not going to care whether the potential victim is singing opera, hip-hop, or even God forbid Mr. Roboto by Styx.

This is not to say that music can't be utilized in other ways. It has already been mentioned that it could be quite useful as a lure to guide Zombies toward a certain area. But again, this would only be useful on Zombies that are not already focused upon prey. You don't have to tell the undead that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. A Zombie will never leave a known target for a catchy tune in the distance.

Still, sounds do attract Zombies, that is now confirmed by many documented case studies. I do not, however, know of any studies that test to determine if certain music is more effective than others. A simple test would involve placing a Zombie at an equal distance between two stereo systems and playing different types of music on each. I believe further investigation is warranted.

08-03-2010, 11:32 AM	#65
jinlo aka coco jinlo Posts: 415 Karma: 500002 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NJ-USA Device: Just purchased Sony 505, but alas, it is for the wife	The importance of sound to a Zombie has led to numerous areas of study and has often created difficult scenarios for researchers to resolve. For example, a military caliber rifle with a telescopic sight is often accepted as the best weapon for dispatching a lone Zombie at distances of over 50 yards. The report of the rifle, however, might alert other Zombies to your presence. Thus, it might actually be safer to use an alternative weapon that makes little to no noise. Escape vehicles are another area of concern. A running car will move faster than a bicycle, but will the sound of the engine also attract curious Zombies? Noise is your enemy when trying to avoid detection. But since I want to remain focused on music, both of these are subjects best left for another day's discussion. I'm not sure if it's possible to repel Zombies with music. Once the Zombies have zoned in on possible prey, the 3rd Law would seem to imply that even the most obnoxious music, say Neil Sedaka or Slim Whitman, would be useless as a deterrent. If you can't dissuade the undead with a few shotgun blasts to the knees, I doubt singing an irritating ditty from some bad musical is going to work any better. A Zombie locked on its meal is not going to care whether the potential victim is singing opera, hip-hop, or even God forbid Mr. Roboto by Styx. This is not to say that music can't be utilized in other ways. It has already been mentioned that it could be quite useful as a lure to guide Zombies toward a certain area. But again, this would only be useful on Zombies that are not already focused upon prey. You don't have to tell the undead that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. A Zombie will never leave a known target for a catchy tune in the distance. Still, sounds do attract Zombies, that is now confirmed by many documented case studies. I do not, however, know of any studies that test to determine if certain music is more effective than others. A simple test would involve placing a Zombie at an equal distance between two stereo systems and playing different types of music on each. I believe further investigation is warranted.