Fighting Zombies? Chevrolet Reveals New "Black Ops" Concept Truck 220
cartechboy writes "Whether its the Mayan calendar, a rough economy, or a fear of zombies, there are people who are currently preparing for the end of the world, coming, like, soon. And they can attract some fringe elements. So maybe those elements are worth a little truck marketing. Yesterday at the Texas State Fair, Chevrolet unveiled a "Black Ops" concept truck that it says will "explore the extremes of preparedness." The truck comes with a vault storage unit, solar power pack, gas masks, gloves, a military first aid kit, a folding shovel, a generator and some rope. Twinkies apparently not included."
"Black Ops," eh? (Score:5, Interesting)
You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Re:Does anyone understand the "zombies" craze? (Score:2, Interesting)
If ready for zombies, ready for anything (Score:5, Interesting)
I had a fascinating talk last month with a man who lives near a flood plain. Not in it, but the dikes have been overwhelmed enough times in his lifetime that he's seen failures of basic transport and utilities for the area half a dozen times. He uses "surviving a zombie apocalypse" as his guideline for preparedness. So he keeps a plentiful supply of ammo, and practices with his weapons, and loads his own ammo: he also hunts with those and with a bow, and keeps a freezer full of venison. He also keeps quite a large amount of long-term stable food stores, some water and _water testing and purification_ tools. His vehicles are well built, maintained, and he has several small generators, one in the basement (for weather reasons) and one in a vehicle (for portable use).
He's also doing backup fire and rescue duties for his county, and if there's a problem nearby, I want _him_ as one of my first responders.
Single fuel type? (Score:4, Interesting)
Gasoline is probably the worst fuel type to rely on after the Zombie apocalypse -- most gasoline sources will be in underground gas station tanks and you'll need to find a way to pump it out while fending off the zombies. Diesel can be found in above ground generator tanks in most large commercial buildings.
They should have gone with a Multi-fuel [wikipedia.org] engine to broaden the potential fuel sources - adding diesel and jet fuel to your potential fuel sources gives you a lot of flexibility as you escape the zombie horde.
Mod parent up. (Score:5, Interesting)
Zombie movies are not about zombies.
They are about human behaviour when the constraints of civilization have been removed. Zombies are just the easy explanation why civilization collapsed (and stays collapsed).
Ideally, that is to show insights into society and the roles within it and how various types of people fit into those.
Wrong car. There is only one... (Score:2, Interesting)
There is only one suitable car available to buy by everyone. The Paramount Marauder.
Here is a pic next to a hummer : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eNodvYO-1qs/T6rBLC-h1sI/AAAAAAAAAH0/lgJeiw3dxMA/s1600/Marauder+next+to+hummer.jpg
The Maurauder can withstand 8kg of TNT under any wheel without sustaining any substantial damage.
It's bullet proof (incl RPGs), is over-pressured to protect against biological and chemical attacks, has more torques than a HGV (it can pull real full size trucks; regardless if you put a foot on the breaks or flatfoot to accelerate), able to drive trough walls like a tank, etc etc.
But it costs 300000 GBP. Without options. But the option list is quite....interesting (included the option to electrify the hull to protect against people trying to climb on the vehicle)
Re:Does anyone understand the "zombies" craze? (Score:5, Interesting)
Zombies are the ideal fantasy opponent for a doomsday scenario. They have most of the strengths of humans, thus (supposedly) requiring heavy firepower and good tactics to defend against them, but being sub-human (lacking a soul, whatever) and extremely dangerous, there is little to no aversion to the use of violence against them.
Put it another way, if a prepper told anyone that they were loading up on weapons to be able to attack fellow humans during a crisis, they would be labeled psycho and probably have their weapons taken away.
But... if they're gearing up to fight "zombies", they can stockpile all the weapons they want and only appear to be a little paranoid.
Re:Does anyone understand the "zombies" craze? (Score:4, Interesting)
Suspiciously absent from the list of supplies to have on hand, however, is a ruggedized pickup truck. Medical supplies, duct tape, plastic tarps, potable water, and dry food rations were all highly valued, as was a robust preparedness plan by the federal and local governments, with a focus on organization and communication.
And if I were preparing for a zombie apocalypse, I'd be focusing more on physical defense. Strong property fences, no glass windows on the ground floor, defensible yard, and other physical barriers are more important in zombie attacks. Military invasion, and the others on the list don't have that as a strong requirement, though I know plenty who are arming themselves to prevent looters, and zombies and looters are alike except for their reaction to being shot, or having others in the area shot.
So I guess then it's a good thing you bought a truck and a gun. Better hope you brought a really big gas tank too, because when that runs out, you are totally screwed.
Motorbike and a tank of gas. I can go 50-100 miles on a gallon. And traffic/roads aren't as much of an issue. Worth it for the gain in top speed over your method. I can go hundreds of miles in a day, if need be. And siphon off a gallon at a time from stopped traffic, for great extensions in range.
Re:Why do people want to survive the end of the wo (Score:4, Interesting)
Wherein 'zombies' are a placeholder for 'other (hungry) people', I presume? How christian of you..
I am only a "3" on the Dawkin's Scale [wikipedia.org], and certainly not a Christian. Instead of the bible, I prefer the moral lesson of The Little Red Hen [wikipedia.org]. Why should my family starve because you made a conscious decision not to prepare? But I am still helping my fellow humans more than you are: When the Yellowstone Caldera erupts, and blocks out the sun, you will rush out in a panic buying spree, thus depriving others. But I will already have my stash, built up during times of plenty, so I will need to take nothing from others.