"Have YOU Been Zombified, And Don't Know It Yet???" Topic

Weird stuff. And I'm sure someone could turn this into gaming material somehow…

"IF AN alien bug invaded the brains of half the population, hijacked their neurochemistry, altered the way they acted and drove some of them crazy, then you might expect a few excitable headlines to appear in the press. Yet something disturbingly like this may actually be happening without the world noticing."
link

Zombies are all around us already. But their feline overlords don't want the public to know. Their weapon … toxoplasma. Pretty scary stuff (and worse than the Futurama brain slugs):

"A common parasite in cats can infect humans. The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii feeds on human brain cells, causing altered mental states, behavioral problems and schizophrenia. According to the CDC, up to 60 million people in America suffer from toxoplasmosis, and most don't know it.
Although T. gondii is a microscopic organism, it seems to influence the mind and behavior of its host. By manipulating the reward and pleasure centers of the brain, the parasite can ensure its own survival."
link

"Changes in Human Personality and Behavior
A study at Charles University in Prague found that men infected with toxoplasmosis were more jealous or suspicious than the men of a control group. Women, on the other hand, became more friendly and outgoing. Both sexes had stronger feelings of guilt, and showed more self-reproach, than did those in the control group.
The same study found that people with toxoplasmosis had delayed reaction times. An infected person was four to six times more likely to have a traffic accident than a non-infected person."
link

Dan
PS. More weird stuff here:
TMP link

It'd explain the popularity of Survivor, at the very least…

- Monk

See my Grandmother was right, cats are outside pets….

Pretty sure if you boil the cat for at least fifteen minutes, the micro-organism doesn't stand a chance.

Now I'm Feeling Zombified!

youtu.be/TEEfgejLzCE

How the hell should I know, if I don't know it yet?

Quite possibly, since I´ve spent the last 36 hours in an aeroplane. Jet-lag, zombified, what´s the difference?

Yes but I knew about it upfront. It was clearly spelled out in my employment contract and I cannot blame fine print.

36 hours in/on an aeroplane? That's some feat. From where to where? My personal best is 38 hours in transit but that includes layovers. Of course I should add that was in the company of two small children.

Right my cat is dead meat. I am going for my machette now. I know he is member of the family but the zombie infection must be stopped. If I go down guys. I expect one of you to do the same for me….. Here kitty kitty……..

I went slightly bonkers in recent years. Initially I was sort of aware of it, but later on stopped being. I thought I was OK again, but apparently I was fairly unhinged.

In a moment of lucidity I ended up nagging the medics into investigating and it turned out I've had a borderline thyroid issue. Not actually that severe in itself, but it had been untreated so long I was developing dementia from it.

I'm fine now it's treated; and everyone's noticed the change, but the decline was slow enough that it wasn't obvious.

I expect one of you to do the same for me

Ok, here Tony Tony Tony, I have a lovely treat for you… (you lot, block the doors in case he makes a run for it) ;-p

If people in family have it, or neighbors even, should you boil them too?

Boil them? I think its a Shotgun perscription ;)

Ben.

Would explain a lot…

But, according to several posters on this thread: TMP link only Americans can be zombified?

No, but I was turned into a newt.

Braaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssss!

Doug

Right my cat is dead meat. I am going for my machette now. I know he is member of the family but the zombie infection must be stopped. If I go down guys. I expect one of you to do the same for me….. Here kitty kitty……..

I've been wanting to off our cats for the same reason. At least when we move out they are not OUR cats and will not be with us. But I make sure I wash my hands after handling the furry vermin…

No. No I have not been…
But for some reason, I keep calling myself Beetlejuice… Odd…

I can just see it now . ..

A feline SF race drops off "domesticated" cats in Egypt around 4,000 years ago and let's things run its course.

Now half the planet* is under the control of their "agents" and soon mankind will be ready for a complete takeover.

I can think of a few figures for the aliens, and getting cats for 15mm or 28mm shouldn't be that hard, I would think.

Dan
* Well, really just half the population in the countries where cats are popular as pets.

"Although T. gondii is a microscopic organism, it seems to influence the mind and behavior of its host. By manipulating the reward and pleasure centers of the brain, the parasite can ensure its own survival."

It it elicits irrepressible sexual urges, it would indeed explain recent events… And if Presidents (of various kinds) are specially targeted, the pattern betrays an 'intelligent design' – a silent invasion not that recent picture then.

"The only known definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii are members of family Felidae (domestic cats and their relatives)."
link

Their stastistics indicate 60 million infected men, women and children in the US (about a quarter of the population). The estimated number of US households with cats seem to match those figures somewhat:

"Thirty-three percent of U.S. households (or 38.2 million) own at least one cat
Fifty-six percent of owners own more than one cat
On average, owners have two cats (2.45)"
link

If this is really the case, then the national levels of infected humans must vary from country to country, right?

Dan

Dan

I feel like it sometimes.

Cool video, once you get past the first 40 seconds:

YouTube link

Actual documentary:

YouTube link

Too funny:

YouTube link

Dan