PotLD 9: The Walking Dead Virus Exposed?

Episode 5 of AMC's the Walking Dead revealed a glimpse at what we can only assume to be the Zombie makin' virus. We break down what we see in the microscope.

PotLD Episode 8: Lymphocyte Activation & MHC

In this episode of PotLD I cover how B-Cells and T-Cells are activated and the role the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) plays. I introduce an interesting theory on how zombies can always seem to find us. Also I announce the Italian Zombie Movie CONTEST!!! Watch the video to find out how to enter! Deadline is Saturday November 20th 6pm EST. Contestants will be randomly drawn to receive one of the following prizes: 1st place: Italian Zombie Movie parts 1&2 double feature DVD 2nd place: T-Shirt LG or SM (based on preference) 3rd place: T-Shirt LG or SM (based on 2nd place winner) 4th place: His & Hers Underwear set 5th place: Signed poster Additional swag randomly distributed in prize packs! To see the prizes watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvjwhkOO07I If you are under 18 please obtain parents permission. Clips used in this episode: War Games (1983) Hamburger Helper commercial (1983) MST3k #423 Volkswagon Jetta commercial (2000) Undead (2003) Chinese army marching Sorry but the sound is a little wonky in parts, I'm not sure why. And yes I realize that I say "right" quite often. I'm working to correct that. In the meantime, you can start a drinking game. :) References for MHC Zombie theory: +Boehm, T; Zufall, F (2006). "MHC peptides and the sensory evaluation of genotype". +Wedekind, C; Seebeck, T; Bettens, F; Paepke, A J (June 1995). "MHC-dependent mate preferences in humans" +Santos, P S; Schinemann, J A; Gabardo, J; Bicalho, Mda G (April 2005). "New evidence that the MHC influences odor perception in humans: a study with 58 Southern Brazilian students". +Jacob S, McClintock MK, Zelano B, Ober C (February 2002). "Paternally inherited HLA alleles are associated with women's choice of male odor". +or you can just visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_compatibility#MHC_and_sexual_mating

PotLD-P= Derek Ring Interview

This is the interview with Derek Ring who did the artwork for Zombie Fluxx. He also did the art for Back To The Future: The Card Game which I review on http://www.youtube.com/scinemareviews This interview was held in 2009, and it was my second ever interview. So please excuse my speech patterns, dramatic pauses, and shaky voice. ? Derek Ring can be found at: http://derekring.blogspot.com http://abnormalbrain,com For more information on Zombie Fluxx visit: http://www.looneylabs.com Photo of Derek courtesy of Scott Erb: http://20artists.wordpress.com/ Clip of Creature From the Black Lagoon courtesy of 20th Century Fox Songbird courtesy of Kenny G.

PotLD-P= Andy Looney Interview

This is the interview (from 4/09) with Fluxx Creator Andy Looney. We discuss Zombie Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, and Martian Fluxx.

For more Looney Labs Games go to: http://www.looneylabs.com

PotLD-P= Zombie Fluxx Review

In this episode of PotLD(minus)P I review the card game Zombie Fluxx.
The review was actually done early last year as a segment on the former Midnight Podcast along with interviews with the creator and the artist, both of which will be posted soon.

http://www.looneylabs.com/

Sorry about my fingernail, I got it caught in a ceiling fan.

Spooky Bill Hosts the Last Man on Earth

Recently I got to record an intro to 1964's The Last Man on Earth for fellow Pennycult family member Slug and his online Horror Hosting show, Sinema Sinestre. Feel free to head on over to http://vimeo.com/sinemasinistre and check out my cheesiness.
And a mondo thanks to Slug for letting me live out my lifelong dream of being a horror host!

Sinema Sinistre presents The Last Man On Earth from Sinema Sinistre on Vimeo.

PotLD - Episode 7: Lymphocytes

In this episode of Pathophysiology of the Living Dead we talk about Lymphocytes; B-Cells, T-Cells, and NK Cells. Clips used: The Birds (1963) Return of the Living Dead (1985) Be sure to check out: The blog: http://potld.blogspot.com The Fear Inside: http://www.thefearinside.com Pennycult: http://www.pennycult.com Leave comments in the comments section below, or e-mail the show at ZomSci(at)gmail.com

PotLD-P= WitB? + IZM

A special episode of Pahophysiology of the Living Dead. PotLD minus the "P"! This is a crossover episode episode between PotLD and The Cut Up (http://thecutup.blogspot.com) to promote the new site The Fear Inside. http://www.thefearinside.com
;In this episode I get a package from Tom Berdinski director of the Italian Zombie Movies, the contents of which I will be giving away in a contest in the near future!
Go to http://www.italianzombiemovie.com for more info!

What's in a name?

Many people, podcasters specifically, seem to have a hard time remembering the name of the show. There are only a hand full who have gotten it right, even less who have gotten it right on the first try. I have heard everything from "Pathology of the Dead" to "Para-phsyiology of the Living Dead". Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a post with me whining and bitching about how "nobody gets it", I actually find it quite humorous, and I think it ads to the fun of the show. However, it brings to light that maybe people without a medical background may have problems with the word "Pathophysiology". So, let's break it down...

Lets start with the suffix:
-logy: Stems from the Greek "logos"meaning "word. It is used in reference to "the study of, or field".

Patho-: Derived from the Greek "pathos" meaning "suffering or disease."
The word "Pathology" refers to the study of a disease, but with PotLD I strive to go beyond just the disease.

Physi-: Comes from the Greek "physis" which means "Nature". Physiology, then is the study of how living organisms function, and the physical and chemical factors and processes involved.

Pathophysiology: Refers to the bodily function changes that cause an illness or the bodily function changes that the illness causes.

In most cases the Pathogen (disease agent) is unknown, but through the study of how the body functions and how other diseases affect it we can learn about aspects of the zombie causing pathogen. And we will further that learning once we get to the Taphonomy (the study of decaying organisms over time) portion of the series.

I hope this clears up any confusion you may have about the name, and if you still get it wrong, I still don't care, I'm just glad you're watching.

As always, thanks for watching (and reading) Pneumoparapsychology of the Dead!
Stay Spooky! :P

PotLD - Episode 6: The Lymphatic System & The Lymphoid Organs

Pathophysiology of the Living Dead episode 6 discusses the functions of the lymphatic system and the lymphoid organs. These are essential to the immune system. ;

I had to record a clip the next day because I forgot. Can you guess which clip it is?

The music at the end of this episode is from Fabio Frizzi, and is the main theme for Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 (1979).

Check out the blog for future updates: http://potld.blogspot.com

PotLD - Episode 5: Complement

In this episode we discuss a couple roles of the complement system's role in fighting infection.

Clips from:
The Gold Rush (1925)
At The Earth's Core (1976)
The Thin Man (1934)
Voltron (1984-1985)
Subway Commercial

The full Rube Goldberg Machine ("Creme That Egg!") can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrCb_fNmSTA

Also some announcements about:
Pennycult http://www.pennycult.com
iTunes syndication - Search I tunes for "PotLD" or click the link on the blog
And a shout out to Chris at Cinema Corpse Podcast http://www.cinemacorpse.com for helping me out with some software to get this and back episodes playable on your iPod!

Changes and Updates

Hello everyone!
  As you may have noticed at the end of Episode 4, PotLD is now a member of the Pennycult family. This happened after recording, so I wasn't able to explain on the episode. Pennycult isn't really a cult, there are little to no human sacrifices, and I don't pay them for anything. What this really is, is a network of shows (mostly podcasts but Pennycult Pictures is growing), who cross promote one another. I wouldn't become a member if there weren't some excellent shows under the Pennycult label, and I watch/listen to almost all of them. I am proud to call these people my friends.

  Another change you will notice after my blog header. This show is now available on iTunes, Blip.tv, Channels.com, and Miro. So feel free to download it to your iPod and watch it on the go... preferably NOT while you're driving.

  Now the last thing I want to mention is that YES we will get to the Romero style zombies. A lot of people have been asking and I do plan to get there... That is the real reason I waned to do this series anyway. However, I feel that we can't just jump into it without a little background.  Cemetery plots have to be dug before we try to fill them.

  So, as always thank you for watching and reading.

 "Our goal is to bring a blend of media together under one roof.
We are always looking for new and exciting content, original show ideas, podcasts, vidcasts, and more!"

Episode 4: Phagocytosis

More on how phagocytes eat pathogens, and why Zombivita's wounds are unlikely to heal.

PotLD is now a member of the Pennycult family. For more information and other cool shows visit http://www.pennycult.com

Music played in this episode:
The Benny Hill Theme Song
"Meat For The Beast" by Danny Elfman from the Nightbreed soundtrack.
"Earth Died Screaming" by Tom Waits

Clips & Stills used in this episode:
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
The Blob
Evolution
The Naked Gun
OK Go "Do What You Want"
Zombieland

PotLD - Episode 3: Bite Me

Episode 3 explores the types of bite wounds that would occur in the zombie apocalypse, and the body's first response to this injury;inflammation.

Genus Breakdown

Hello and thanks for reading!
  I will be recording episode 3 tomorrow, with an estimated time of around 7 minutes. So, I figure I better get this information up before then.
  Initially when I went through this information I created an extraterrestrial family, but I decided that it didn't really fit.  The rationale being, for example, that a parasite is still a parasite whether it comes from Earth or from beyond.
  However, seeing as Lord Blood-Rah, of Lord Blood-Rah's Tremulous Trailers, brought this up I thought I would include the data I collected.  He does bring up an interesting point.  While I was looking specifically at a list of zombie movies, there are plenty of sci-fi movies that have zombie-like characters; "That would be when an extraterrestrial entity "stings" or implants a piece of itself in a human being and takes them over. Such film examples, mostly from the the 50's and 60's, would be The Brain Eaters, Invaders From Mars, even the Star Trek episode "Operation-Annihilate!" Given our definition of Zombivita these would fit.  Sadly, I am lazy and don't want to go through, Lord knows however many more movies.  But if you feel up to the challenge feel free to let me know what you get.


7.5% of my data contains sources that are extraterrestrial in origin.



Biological = 19.1%

• Animal Toxin = 1%
• Bacterial = 1.5%
• Botanical = 1% (0.3% of these were extraterrestrial in origin)
• Parasitic = 2.1% (1% of these were extraterrestrial in origin)
• Prion = 0.7%
• Viral = 12.8%

Chemical = 16.3%

• Pharmaceutical = 5.2%
• Toxic Waste = 2.1%
• Unclassified= 9%

 
Metaphysical = 19.3%

• Black Magic/Curses = 6.9%
• Hypnosis = 2.8%
• Religious = 1.7%
• Vampiric = 0.3%
• Voodoo Magic 7.6% 

Pseudozombie = 15.9%

• Alien Possession = 1% 

 Radiological = 5.6%

• Terrestrial = 2.8%
• Non-Terrestrial = 2.8%

 Technological = 8.6%

• Alien Technology = 2.4%
• Nanobots = 1%
• Unspecified Machines = 2.8%
• Unspecified Medical Experiments = 2.4

Unknown = 15.2%

Where the hell is it?

I know in episode 2 I said I would put the percentages up for each family of zombie, and I will very soon. I've had a series of medical problems and a minor surgery. I just haven't had the time yet. I will get them up very soon, I assure you.
Also you may be interested to know episode 3 is ready to record. I just need the swelling and bruising to go away and I'll get to it. I will most likely be recording after Horror Hound Weekend which is this coming weekend.
Thanks for reading and for your patience.

And remember to stay spooky!

Episode 2: Origin of Species

Hello and thanks for reading and watching!
These videos are a learning experience for me. I went over the 10 minute YouTube time limit, and even after editing out some stuff I was still over. So I decided to cut it into 2 parts. I will do my best to keep future episodes under the 10 minute mark.


Pathophysiology of the Living Dead Ep. 2, pt. 1 discusses three schools of thought among zombie fans. Identifies two biological orders of the zombie, and examines trends in each order based on successful films.
Clip: 1968 Night of the Living Dead. The full movie can be found on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBc18J...

Watch it Here

Pathophysiology of the Living Dead Ep. 2, pt. 2 further classifies the two orders of zombie into several families by source of zombification. Also discusses each family and examines prevalence of each family.
Clip of [REC]: Full movie can be found on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5VjCJ...
Which film do you prefer [REC] or Quarantine?
Do you believe the suggested cause of the pathogen in [REC] is the actual cause, or was the girl misdiagnosed by superstitious town folk?

Watch it Here

PotLD - Episode 1: Death & Life

Pathophysiology of the Living Dead Episode 1 will take on the task of defining death and life, and will discuss the problems associated with defining them.

Watch it here! 

or





Clip of Tarman from Return Of The Living Dead saying "More Brains". The first movie I am aware of that had running zombies!

The book read is Plague Of The Dead by the late Z.A. Recht. Truly an amazing novel!

I am still working on the lighting issues. In episode 2 it looks pretty good.


The line failure of cellular metabolism took me far too many takes. I kept slurring the words together and sounding like I'd been sipping embalming fluid. You can still hear it a little in the final take.

Update

Hello and thanks for reading!
I just wanted to let you all know that everything appears to be on schedule for a late February to early March release.  Episodes 1 & 2 are complete, and Episode 3 will be recorded in the next few weeks.
Thanks for your support!

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Further Reading

Hello and thanks for reading!
Episodes 1-3 have already been outlined and are awaiting some fine tuning. I will be recording them as soon as I get a little time. I would like to at least be an episode or two ahead before I start uploading.

Let me say that yes, there have been books dealing with this topic, if you are interested in reading more about zombies and science, three come immediately to mind:

Zombies 101:Knowlege is Survival by Robert Cordray
  I technically have not read this book, but I have heard it read by Dr. Pus on the Library of the Living Dead podcast. It is very informative, and is actually one of the reasons the PotLD book lost momentum. The PotLD video series is going to go further into the actual science.





The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
   Yes this guy can write entertaining material and this is a pretty decent survival guide, but keep in mind that it is a survival guide not a zombie guide. He only briefly covers the Solanum virus(one possible source of zombification) and the Voodoo zombie.
He only  barely touches on the science of death.






Zombie CSU:Forensics of the Living Dead by Johnathan Maberry
  I have not read this particular book but I have read Patient Zero by him and let me tell you that it is a fantastic book, he is an amazing author.  My rationale for not reading this book is that I don't want to accidentally plagiarize (cryptomnesia) him.




          Now, if you're intrested in reading about what happens to the body after death I highly recommend you read:



Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
  I never thought a book about death could be so entertaining! This book is tactful, filled with great facts and hilarious stories.



Here are a couple other resources that you may find interesting:

The Zombie Research Society blog has a lot of thought provoking essays.
And don't forget to visit and listen to the official podcast of the Zombie Research Society The Midnight Podcast.

Episode 0

Channel Activity

Hello, and thank you for reading! Episode 0 is scheduled to be recorded (technically re-recorded) and uploaded on Tuesday 1/5/10. This will be an introduction to myself and the series. Episode 1 will most likley not be made available until March.