I loved this book growing up, which is why I'm so excited that there's a film version coming out this October. I don't know if this is heresy to say, but I think with famed music video director Spike Jonze ("Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys) directing and Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) writing, as well as voice talents like Forrest Whittaker (playing the Wild Thing), this could very well be better than any memory associated with the book. There; I said it.
Despite many and frequent arguments I have had with numerous people, while having some form of gun would obviously be useful, the first thing I'm going for is a shovel, and then I am finding a way of sharpening that thing ASAP. I mean, seriously, you're going to waste a lot of bullets trying to neutralize each zombie, but a nice long-handled shovel, something with a bit of range so you can keep 'em at bay while you're swinging like a mad man... Plus, once you've sharpened it, there's your one-stop tool for decapitation and brain-pulverization, the only real way of eliminating the zombie threat. Once I've got my weapon ready, time to grab some supplies and my loved ones and to head North to wait for winter. Believe you me, this is a scenario I think through on a regular basis. The Zombie Apocalypse is nigh, and I for one do not want to be caught with my pants down, or my brain exposed...
With the opening up of Facebook's API at their March 14th event, we're beginning to see a ton of new desktop applications cropping up in an attempt to harness the news feed and bring Facebook out of the browser in much the same way as applications such as Twitterific do for Twitter. Some are updated versions of former Twitter aggregates, such as TweetDeck, which features both Facebook and Twitter suport now; some are new contenders bringing many social networks together into one application, such as Skimmer; and some are Facebook-only, like Seesmic's Facebook application (though this will apparently be rereleased as an updated version of Twhirl in the near future, combining desktop access to Facebook, Twitter, and Seesmic all in one app).
Having tried each now at least for a few days each, I'd have to say that they all have their shortcomings, though the real problems lie in Facebook's API itself. Developers finally have access to status updates just as the Facebook homepage is becoming a "real-time" stream of all of one's friends' actions. If all you're after is an out-of-browser aggregate of your friends' statuses, then I would definitely recommend any of the aforementioned applications. However, Facebook is taking social networking in an exciting direction with the latest homepage redesign, and it's only a matter of time before the applications are given access to that potential as well. One can only hope. At the moment, the closest any of these applications comes is Skimmer's integration of photo album updates, as well as rudimentary profile updates. The only catches being that you can't view the photos without going to the site (unlike with Flickr updates in Skimmer, which can be browsed in-line), and that it only notifies you that a friend has updated his/her profile, but not what has changed.
The other real downfall is that the Facebook API does not seem to allow for commenting or messaging from third-party applications. All of the Twitter applications come with the ability to reply or send direct messages to other users, yet the Facebook complement to this feature is lacking in each one. If I like someone's status or a photo they posted, I should be able to comment on it, no matter where I am seeing this update.
At the moment, I'd have to say it's a close toss-up between TweetDeck and Skimmer for me, though the ball seems to be in Facebook's court before the improvements that need be made can have a chance.
