The Source/Cause of the Infection!

You had me all the way up to singularity...aside from that. I'm totally on board with it..could not the "singularity" be the interaction between the "smart" hosts and the nanites(I like it) themselves? Would also lend to the explanation of pinstripes/randy etc..and create the perfect "hive mind" scenario we seem to gravitate toward

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Originally Posted by 7oddisdead

You had me all the way up to singularity...aside from that. I'm totally on board with it..could not the "singularity" be the interaction between the "smart" hosts and the nanites(I like it) themselves? Would also lend to the explanation of pinstripes/randy etc..and create the perfect "hive mind" scenario we seem to gravitate toward

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http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...048299,00.html

That should explain things thoroughly.

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Originally Posted by 7oddisdead

Nano theory IS awesome...but now how would you plug something like ground zero into that equation? Control center of sorts?

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Even the nanites would have needed to be produced somewhere. If I were to venture deep into tinfoil hat territory, I'd say that the entire nano-tech theory could have begun as an experiment to control the populace by a few chosen individuals, but something may have gone wrong. Perhaps the "servers" or some such techno-gizmos weren't ready to handle such bandwidth and what was supposed to be a controlled experiment got out of hand. Or perhaps a virus had been introduced into the nanites' programming to overwrite a part of the code, so that those injected would behave in a violent way?

As for the nasal spray, what yarri actually said was that humanity can and does do shitty things to one another. At no point did she actually state that nose-sprays were used to create zombies, she took an accurate historical example of man's cruelty in the name of science (tempted to bring up Mengele, but you're all thinking it already anyways).
That being said, I would like to stake my claim on that theory, even if it has little or no backing. A couple of years back there was news that eyedrops had been injected with acid (the plastic eyedrop containers) and that people had lost their sight because of this. Now, imagine if you will that an outbreak of a virus happens, what do most people do? They panic and stock up on readily available medication, even if its not all that useful. If you want to stoke that panic or increase the spread of your virus, you infect this medication with it, to spread it to even more of the population. If I was out spreading the zombie virus/nanite this is what I'd do. And one of the easiest ways to get it into circulation is nose-sprays because:
a) It is already in liquid form, thus more difficult to notice
b) It is sprayed directly up your nose, making infection very likely

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Originally Posted by Osiris

I don't mind the SF explanation of it all. Grounding the story in some sort of science helps it to retain some sense of realism even if it is reaching. Then again, we're talking about zombies.

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and that's the danger (and fun!) of theorizing a story such as this..strong roots in science and realism...yet...frigginzombies
It can go any which way.../donethinkingtoday/

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Originally Posted by Luna Guardian

If we close out the possibility of a virus, and utterly ridiculous ideas such as aliens or divine (Infernal?) intervention, I think a few good options might be nano-machines or parasites.

The former would allow for the "mutations" we've seen with some degree of scientific accuracy and would allow the "infection" to work through the machines multiplying in a host body. The machines could embed themselves in all tissue, or at least bodily fluids such as blood and saliva, and transfer from one carrier to another. This might also give an explanation to the "smart ones" and the coordination we've seen, since the smart ones may have more advanced machines or may employ or control them to a higher degree and through a kind of wireless network send messages to the nanites in other infected.

The parasite theory works in a similar fashion, but the mutations might be more difficult to explain. Ideas?

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There's always the possibility of more than one system at work or more than one wave of intervention working together. Like, you could have multiple infections of a virus each carrying a piece of the puzzle or mutation. Then, maybe nano machines providing some sort of advantage to some.

The problem with divine or infernal causes (looking at it from a purely what works in fiction perspective) is it's so intellectually and emotionally fraught it takes people out of the story. I guess, basically, it couldn't be something that a lot of people have discounted in their daily lives.

The problem with nano technology is it's a bit like the a lot of the future we've been promised. The reality right now is more "look how teeny tiny I made that chemical" rather than true machines. But that's true of just about any scientific explanation. Unless,...you could have something developed for a benign purpose being twisted.

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Originally Posted by Osiris

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...048299,00.html

That should explain things thoroughly.

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heh and that's why. Fully understand singularity..i just can't bring that concept into THIS story...well..i suppose I can, but damn. That just opens the floodgates.

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Originally Posted by 7oddisdead

heh and that's why. Fully understand singularity..i just can't bring that concept into THIS story...well..i suppose I can, but damn. That just opens the floodgates.

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It's like The Matrix with Zombies.

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Originally Posted by Eviebae

Unless,...you could have something developed for a benign purpose being twisted.

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Perhaps it was designed to be used on dangerous convicts to alter their behavior to something more socially acceptable? It would explain why Ink would have been infected/injected as a possible test subject for the experiment.

And whatever the explanation turns out to be, we'll need to suspend our disbelief somewhat. Unless KC ACTUALLY has a zombie whateveritturnsouttobe at home, in which case I say let it break loose. I've perfect plans, even if Nik doesn't agree. We'll just see who outlives who Voodoo boy!

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Originally Posted by Luna Guardian

Perhaps it was designed to be used on dangerous convicts to alter their behavior to something more socially acceptable? It would explain why Ink would have been infected/injected as a possible test subject for the experiment.

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It's a logical conclusion... convicts were second only to the mentally handicapped for use in such experiments. I'm sorry to know that fact as well. It cost me a decent blog and a few nights sleep.

You know what might be worse than knowing? Not ever knowing or even being able to figure it out. No matter what people decided was the truth, there'd always be people believing otherwise (like the moon landings).

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Originally Posted by Eviebae

You know what might be worse than knowing? Not ever knowing or even being able to figure it out. No matter what people decided was the truth, there's always be people believing otherwise (like the moon landings).

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It changed my view on my profession. Some of the things I found out were real eye openers. I had no difficulties after the chapter "The Devil's workshop" of believing in illegal human experimentation. I had references from good sources on Eugenics being used here in the United States up into the 1970's. What would stop something like that from being what caused the outbreak. Maybe, the zombies had their own Dr Mengele?

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Originally Posted by Eviebae

...(like the moon landings).

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Moon landings? Really? Isn't that a bit heavy handed in the present company, donchya think? ;)

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Originally Posted by Luna Guardian

Moon landings? Really? Isn't that a bit heavy handed in the present company, donchya think? ;)

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Wow! That took way longer for me to get than I'd like to admit...

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Originally Posted by yarri

It changed my view on my profession. Some of the things I found out were real eye openers. I had no difficulties after the chapter "The Devil's workshop" of believing in illegal human experimentation. I had references from good sources on Eugenics being used here in the United States up into the 1970's. What would stop something like that from being what caused the outbreak. Maybe, the zombies had their own Dr Mengele?

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Or Dr. Cain...

Stuff like you are talking about scares me because the line that separates those that do it from those they do it too looks so flimsy to me, but looks like Hoover Dam to them. And you can't reason them out of it no matter how well you argue.

I haven't fully evolved my theory yet, but an article I read a while back on toxoplasmic parasites which currently infect the brains of around half the planet is a very scary read and something that would fit into what we currently know about the outbreak.

Please take a read...
http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Scienc...sp?NewsNum=547

I think a government mind altering experiment based on the toxoplasma theory got out of control.

Heres my theory, Scratch is the source of the infection. But first a little back-story.

Scratch use to go out with a guy named Bill. Bill was your normal clean cut, sane, intelligent guy. But she was so bat sh*t insane/sadistic, it drove him crazy. First he shaved off all his hair. Then he started getting tattoos all over his body. Then he started killing people. Hay you would too if you had a relationship with Scratch.

By the way Bill Roberts gave Scratch her nick name, because thats what he did after they had sex...

Yup. You guessed it. The zombie virus is an STD. Thanks Scratch.

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Originally Posted by GeneTwo

Heres my theory, Scratch is the source of the infection. But first a little back-story.

Scratch use to go out with a guy named Bill. Bill was your normal clean cut, sane, intelligent guy. But she was so bat sh*t insane/sadistic, it drove him crazy. First he shaved off all his hair. Then he started getting tattoos all over his body. Then he started killing people. Hay you would too if you had a relationship with Scratch.

By the way Bill Roberts gave Scratch her nick name, because thats what he did after they had sex...

Yup. You guessed it. The zombie virus is an STD. Thanks Scratch.

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You are so lucky that you're new. However--all polite and civil-like--I don't believe that is a sound theory.

I like the idea of Ink being patient zero... but it falls down for me when I think of how fast the infected spread. As a story line I find it limiting as well... why not have several ground zeroes (coordinated attack), more possible Ink's out there -- more possible stories to build off of in different locations.

(brainstorm ramblings ahead)

If I were a mad-eco-scientist-type out to wipe out the population (puts on tin-foil hat) I would invent a virus with a long incubation period so it spread as far and wide as possible before showing symptoms... and, I don't know if such a thing is possible, a two-part virus that 'zipped' together when they met causing the mutation -- set them loose on each side of the world and see what happens when they finally met up.

This is something I've been thinking about. What if "ground zero" was the source of some time of gas leak. Gas leaks out in mass amounts getting in the air stream. Select group of people are initially affected by the gas causing the to die and become zombified. Then the rest of the population would be eaten or infected quickly.

The gas would have to come from some type of government experiment. Maybe the virus or strain of whatever they were working reached a critical point and adapted to such a degree that it could no longer contained. Once it was out, it multiplied rapidly as it hit the airways. Like I said before, maybe the virus only initially affects a small group of people.

For this to work, there would have to be labs all over working with the same virus. This would mean that there are several "ground zero" locations. As I write this it feels weak. Sounded way better in my head.

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Originally Posted by zombie19

This is something I've been thinking about. What if "ground zero" was the source of some time of gas leak. Gas leaks out in mass amounts getting in the air stream. Select group of people are initially affected by the gas causing the to die and become zombified. Then the rest of the population would be eaten or infected quickly.

The gas would have to come from some type of government experiment. Maybe the virus or strain of whatever they were working reached a critical point and adapted to such a degree that it could no longer contained. Once it was out, it multiplied rapidly as it hit the airways. Like I said before, maybe the virus only initially affects a small group of people.

For this to work, there would have to be labs all over working with the same virus. This would mean that there are several "ground zero" locations. As I write this it feels weak. Sounded way better in my head.

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two things, one the zombies aren't dead, just infected. two, in chapter one part such and such, before the news goes out on tivo, we hear reports of the same thing happening in cities across the country, so the multiple G0 theory looks more likely than not.

edit: maybe it wasn't chapter one, it might have been chapter 2... or three, but it was definitely part such and such, i know that much for sure.

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Originally Posted by reaper239

two things, one the zombies aren't dead, just infected. two, in chapter one part such and such, before the news goes out on tivo, we hear reports of the same thing happening in cities across the country, so the multiple G0 theory looks more likely than not.

edit: maybe it wasn't chapter one, it might have been chapter 2... or three, but it was definitely part such and such, i know that much for sure.

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I'm going to call it a virus, just to give it a name. Say many gov. agencies have this virus and are all working with it to reach some common goal(super solider etc.) The virus matures and become uncontainable and leaks into the air undetected. This happens everywhere at the same time. The virus leaks in the open where it multiplies rapidly. Nobody is affected right away, maybe another incubation period. This would allow time for international travel, assuming that other countries don't have access to the virus.

By this time the virus will have entered the bloodstream of millions of human across the country and world. Then a the virus would undergo another change that would affect the brain and rest of the bodies functions of a small part of the population. Most people wouldn't be initially affected at all. Some people would be affected more that others in the intelligence department. From there, the rest of the population would be changed manually or eaten.

The virus would also start to transform some humans, with a certain genetic code, into something more (i.e. Smart ones, big ones, jumpers).

p.s. if this post turns out with gray font again, I will need help changing that.

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Originally Posted by zombie19

I'm going to call it a virus, just to give it a name. Say many gov. agencies have this virus and are all working with it to reach some common goal(super solider etc.) The virus matures and become uncontainable and leaks into the air undetected. This happens everywhere at the same time. The virus leaks in the open where it multiplies rapidly. Nobody is affected right away, maybe another incubation period. This would allow time for international travel, assuming that other countries don't have access to the virus.

By this time the virus will have entered the bloodstream of millions of human across the country and world. Then a the virus would undergo another change that would affect the brain and rest of the bodies functions of a small part of the population. Most people wouldn't be initially affected at all. Some people would be affected more that others in the intelligence department. From there, the rest of the population would be changed manually or eaten.

The virus would also start to transform some humans, with a certain genetic code, into something more (i.e. Smart ones, big ones, jumpers).

p.s. if this post turns out with gray font again, I will need help changing that.

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Or eco terrorists released it :)

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Originally Posted by yarri

Or eco terrorists released it :)

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And it went very wrong and/or worked to well. I like it.