I spent my fair share around metal shops when I was in school. A lot can be learned when you are surrounded by high voltage, explosive gases, molten metal and tools powerful enough to cut and deform steel plates

Every semester we had projects we are graded on. Every semester I submitted designs for a compressed gas cannon or a trebuchet and every semester I was told to build something practical instead - like a barbecue pits or a tool boxes. I graduated high school with a pile of tool boxes, barbecue pits and storage shelves.

The man in the video clip above obviously had instructors who were happy to encourage his desire to tinker and experiment with controlled explosive forces and physics.

Looking back on it now, I should have submitted designs for a oxy-acetylene powered speakers?

You know how serious we are about that first cup of coffee in the morning is. Now, everybody else will know it too.

Respect the 'joe' or face the fist full of caffeine. Few would be willing to mess with a geek who openly packs a aggregate of brass knuckles and 100% arabica beans.

I think most sys-admins would love to have the fisticup on their desk at the office filled to the brim with a fresh morning brew. Then let's see how many of your co-workers want to approach them whining because they forgot their email password again.

If they only made this in the stainless steel travel mug variety!

In school I had a love / hate relationship with chemistry. The mad scientist in me loved the idea of mixing up all manner of explosive and corrosive substances. That same mad scientist hated all the little things that got in his way .. such as common sense, safety protocol and protective gear.

Fortunately for me and to the relief of my lab partners, fate always intervened by placing an over cautious and hyper vigilant instructor nearby when this wannabe chem geek was about to try for another fiendish creation.

Looking back now I have to admit that I was probably not the best person to have in close proximity of things like sodium, open flames and sinks of water. I have to thank all those instructors that I hated. Today I wish I could show them that I still have all of the digits I was born with and shake their hands.

Note: I am not the idiot from the video. I would have used more sodium, been indoors and without proper ventilation.

When I think of Zombies, I often think about that old Dorito's marketing slogan - 'Crunch all you want. We'll make more!'. Which is exactly why the skull biting and cranium sucking undead have always been at the top of the list when Hollywood, pulp horror writers and fans are looking for a never ending supply of bad guys to run undaunted into a hail of bullets or walls of flailing baseball bats, swords, axes and chainsaws.

The latest offering of restless undead set to splatter all over movie screens October 9th is Zombieland. From the trailer (see below), it looks like it's going to be a very entertaining grim comedy starring Woody Harrelson. The mix of laughs and gore was a real success with zombie movie geeks with Shawn Of The Dead. One of my favorite good time films.

So why are the ravenous re-animated dead so much fun?

It never seems to matter how many of the tenacious highly motivated rotting things you kill, there numbers never get depleted. There always seems to be a supply of humans that do stupid things to secure their spot among the undead horde as a freshly risen zombies.