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Installing Linux on a Dead Badger
Shocking Linux Gang Mayhem ~ Trolls Gone Wild
Your Corporate Network And The Forces of Darkness ~
A Vampire's Guide to Management ~ And Much, Much More!
This collection from author Lucy A. Snyder will appeal to fans of geeky, offbeat zombie humor.
Your Corporate Network And The Forces of Darkness ~
A Vampire's Guide to Management ~ And Much, Much More!
This collection from author Lucy A. Snyder will appeal to fans of geeky, offbeat zombie humor.
110 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
21 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
About the author
Lucy A. Snyder
143 books613 followersLucy A. Snyder is a five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning writer and the author of the forthcoming Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress, and Switchblade Goddess, the nonfiction book Shooting Yourself in the Head For Fun and Profit: A Writer's Survival Guide, the poetry collections Exposed Nerves and Chimeric Machines and the story collections Halloween Season, Garden of Eldritch Delights, While the Black Stars Burn, Soft Apocalypses, Orchid Carousals, Sparks and Shadows, and Installing Linux on a Dead Badger.
Her writing has been translated into French, Italian, Russian, Czech and Japanese editions and has appeared in publications such as Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, Steampunk World, In the Court of the Yellow King, Shadows Over Main Street, Qualia Nous, Seize The Night, Scary Out There, and Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 5.
She writes a column for Horror World and has written materials for the D6xD6 role-playing game system. In her day job, she edits online college courses for universities worldwide and occasionally helps write educational games.
Lucy lives in Columbus, Ohio and is a mentor in Seton Hill University's MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. You can learn more about her at www.lucysnyder.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @LucyASnyder.
Her writing has been translated into French, Italian, Russian, Czech and Japanese editions and has appeared in publications such as Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, Steampunk World, In the Court of the Yellow King, Shadows Over Main Street, Qualia Nous, Seize The Night, Scary Out There, and Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 5.
She writes a column for Horror World and has written materials for the D6xD6 role-playing game system. In her day job, she edits online college courses for universities worldwide and occasionally helps write educational games.
Lucy lives in Columbus, Ohio and is a mentor in Seton Hill University's MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. You can learn more about her at www.lucysnyder.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @LucyASnyder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 6, 2013
I'm a little confused why there is so much time spent going on about OS compatibility for the install tools. I understand some newbies might want to put Linux on their dead badgers (or weasels, stoats, and ferrets) while running a GUI on Mac or Windows. But seems to me even most casual hobbyists should have a Linux distro on a desktop before jumping forward with cybermancy.
Other than that quibble, most of the stories in this slender book are pretty entertaining. The riffs on cyber-necromancy (which include companies "in-sourcing the recently undeceased" and problems with Aethernet installs) start getting a bit repetitive but happily the later stories are stand alone works not married to the main theme.
Other than that quibble, most of the stories in this slender book are pretty entertaining. The riffs on cyber-necromancy (which include companies "in-sourcing the recently undeceased" and problems with Aethernet installs) start getting a bit repetitive but happily the later stories are stand alone works not married to the main theme.
June 17, 2019
Incisive
As warm and comforting as a warm puppy when you sit on it. It also serves as protection against LPGs and tactical nukes.
As warm and comforting as a warm puppy when you sit on it. It also serves as protection against LPGs and tactical nukes.
April 6, 2008
This is a wonderfully funny and witty collection of short pieces. Not only does it explain how to do what the title promises, but also offers delightful observations such as anyone who plans to become a vampire should have all of their silver dental work removed first. It's a terrific zombie volume.
May 29, 2018
Solid tech humor. I preferred the business-style articles to the straight-up fiction, but ymmv. I love the term "zombloyee."
February 22, 2013
I was expecting more from the hype. It had some cute concepts, but I got more of a laugh from the poem at the back of the book that she wrote in fourth grade.
February 28, 2017
Just... not my cup of tea. Not as clever as it thinks it is.
January 6, 2023
I picked up this book because Jason Eckert recommended it on his blog. His strong recommendation of it made it a must have. It did not disappoint. Snyder is hilarious. Her use of characters and creatures from myths and legends, to re-depict IT situations by superimposing these beings from a supernatural realm onto real-life computer industry events, describes them in a new light, with tremendous insight and humour. The twelve articles collected here are fun for any Geek on your gift list.
The wit and wisdom displayed in this book are exceptional, with everything from step by step instructions on how to install Linux on a dead badger, to using your dead badger to fight zombies. This book has it all, from stories about IT helpdesks starting to staff with zombies to cut down on cost, to using vampires as supervisors to keep the zombies under control and working, to management having no brains to begin with so the zombies have no interest in eating them anyway.
Pick this book up for yourself, for your geek friends or anyone in IT or computer science; they will ROTFL while reading it.
The wit and wisdom displayed in this book are exceptional, with everything from step by step instructions on how to install Linux on a dead badger, to using your dead badger to fight zombies. This book has it all, from stories about IT helpdesks starting to staff with zombies to cut down on cost, to using vampires as supervisors to keep the zombies under control and working, to management having no brains to begin with so the zombies have no interest in eating them anyway.
Pick this book up for yourself, for your geek friends or anyone in IT or computer science; they will ROTFL while reading it.
January 22, 2024
When the second chapter started going into great detail about the Linux install, I almost gave up on this. But... let's be real. If I don't give up on full-length books that are fucking awful, I won't give up on this two-hour book. hah!
And it got really fun! I loved the Zomployees. I loved the concept of them taking over people's jobs, people faking their zombie status to *get* a job, and the zombies' complaints.
That last chapter, while it seemed a bit off-topic had a very satisfying end!
My favorite part, though, was the real-time use of Dead Badger Linux!
And it got really fun! I loved the Zomployees. I loved the concept of them taking over people's jobs, people faking their zombie status to *get* a job, and the zombies' complaints.
That last chapter, while it seemed a bit off-topic had a very satisfying end!
My favorite part, though, was the real-time use of Dead Badger Linux!
September 15, 2022
Funny and lots of puns. Definitely more effective since I'm well acquainted with Linux. It starts off with a simple idea and blossoms into a full narrative. I especially like the concept of telling the story with no real main character.
The final story didn't seem to follow the rest of the book. It felt tacked on and the tone was very different.
The final story didn't seem to follow the rest of the book. It felt tacked on and the tone was very different.
June 12, 2018
This is a short story collection - mostly "articles" about technical things you can do with re-animation of animal corpses, or the blending of the supernatural with technology. Amusing in parts, but not really laugh-out-loud funny. Light and entertaining for people with a technical bent.
December 23, 2019
How would you go about installing Linux on a dead badger? And why? In this collection of short stories we see glimpses of a society where technology meets the (un)dead, literal vampires replace the metaphorical ones and life has to adapt to new technologies. Short, concise and funny, a must read!
April 2, 2018
Weird but quite funny
July 20, 2018
Funny at first, but started dragging on halfway through.
August 24, 2018
I'm probably not enough of a tech nerd to truly grasp the book, but I just could not get into it. I was disappointed, but eh, what do you do, hm?
November 17, 2018
Really liked this book, it's the king of tongue in cheek comedy
May 4, 2019
I wasn't sure what I expected when I started this audio book. It was actually pretty funny as it went on. Short, sweet. I recommend it!
September 17, 2019
Really funny even for those who are not computer wizards. I am amazed at the number of people who saw this book on my shelf and said "Hey! I read that too!"
September 20, 2019
Great collection of short stories about necromantic computing and other topics. Wish there was more.
August 5, 2020
I loved installing Linux on a dead badger.
April 19, 2021
Well... that was a weird book. I read it because the title caught me. Short horror fiction involving Linux and zombies and other stuff.
July 26, 2022
Liked this. Collection of stories, loosely mixing magic and science (or magic as a form of science).
January 13, 2011
If you've ever encountered one of those geeks who insists upon installing Linux on everything from his new iPhone to a BetaMax he found at a thrift store, this title should elicit a laugh. Unfortunately the actual book doesn't live up to the promise of the title.
The title "essay" explains how to do the actual installation with a combination of technology and eldritch magic. Conceptually, this is a great idea, but if you've ever read a how-to on installing Linux, you know how dreadfully boring they are, and even changing Ubuntu to VuDu doesn't make it more readable. The essay is followed by numerous news articles and press releases that riff on the idea, such as teenage hacker gangs using their undead badgers for trouble with a capital T -- everything from sneaking webcams into sorority houses, to foiling Homeland Security's attempt to obtain library records (there are several topical political digs like that which are already looking dated and will undoubtedly confuse the hell out of anyone who reads this book in twenty years). These stories do create an interesting world, where necromantic technology allows corporations to "in-source" jobs to linux-zombies, but there's no narrative, and although they may've been amusing when they first appeared in magazines, collected together like this the joke gets tiresome.
Luckily Snyder breaks form in the last third of the book with three narrative stories in this universe.
* The Great VuDu Linux Teen Zombie Massacre is essentially an attempt to give a plot to the titular essay. We follow a reporter who's travelled to Texas (which has been overrun by zombies) to interview a guy who installs Linux on dead badgers. Why does she have to go to Zombieland for this? We never find out. But if you ignore that (and let's face it, zombie stories have never been strong on plot-logic) this is a pretty good horror story.
* Wake Up Naked Monkey You're Going to Die is a story where stuff happens, I guess. There are some frat boys who've been kidnapped by some sort of supernatural beings, but I didn't care enough to actually remember what happens after that.
* In the Shadow of the Fryolator is about a cook at a diner who is approached by a Cthulhuoid creature who wants to marry her. Seems she's descended from some other Lovecraftian beastie and is destined to marry this monster and reign with him over subjugated mankind, bwa-ha-ha-ha. This is the strongest entry in the book, though not great by any means. It does highlight something that bugged me about many of the news items -- this book is clearly set in a mythos universe. There are references to Miskatonic U. and various eldritch abominations -- but all those abominations are given fake Lovecraftian names, including the Cthulhuoid creature, H'telred (get it?) from Y'harneth, a great city in the "briny depths of the Esoteric Trench. If you're going to do the Mythos, do the Mythos. Call the guy Cthulhu of R'lyeh.
This is an entirely mediocre collection, though Snyder does show some promise as a writer if she works on her narrative skills.
The title "essay" explains how to do the actual installation with a combination of technology and eldritch magic. Conceptually, this is a great idea, but if you've ever read a how-to on installing Linux, you know how dreadfully boring they are, and even changing Ubuntu to VuDu doesn't make it more readable. The essay is followed by numerous news articles and press releases that riff on the idea, such as teenage hacker gangs using their undead badgers for trouble with a capital T -- everything from sneaking webcams into sorority houses, to foiling Homeland Security's attempt to obtain library records (there are several topical political digs like that which are already looking dated and will undoubtedly confuse the hell out of anyone who reads this book in twenty years). These stories do create an interesting world, where necromantic technology allows corporations to "in-source" jobs to linux-zombies, but there's no narrative, and although they may've been amusing when they first appeared in magazines, collected together like this the joke gets tiresome.
Luckily Snyder breaks form in the last third of the book with three narrative stories in this universe.
* The Great VuDu Linux Teen Zombie Massacre is essentially an attempt to give a plot to the titular essay. We follow a reporter who's travelled to Texas (which has been overrun by zombies) to interview a guy who installs Linux on dead badgers. Why does she have to go to Zombieland for this? We never find out. But if you ignore that (and let's face it, zombie stories have never been strong on plot-logic) this is a pretty good horror story.
* Wake Up Naked Monkey You're Going to Die is a story where stuff happens, I guess. There are some frat boys who've been kidnapped by some sort of supernatural beings, but I didn't care enough to actually remember what happens after that.
* In the Shadow of the Fryolator is about a cook at a diner who is approached by a Cthulhuoid creature who wants to marry her. Seems she's descended from some other Lovecraftian beastie and is destined to marry this monster and reign with him over subjugated mankind, bwa-ha-ha-ha. This is the strongest entry in the book, though not great by any means. It does highlight something that bugged me about many of the news items -- this book is clearly set in a mythos universe. There are references to Miskatonic U. and various eldritch abominations -- but all those abominations are given fake Lovecraftian names, including the Cthulhuoid creature, H'telred (get it?) from Y'harneth, a great city in the "briny depths of the Esoteric Trench. If you're going to do the Mythos, do the Mythos. Call the guy Cthulhu of R'lyeh.
This is an entirely mediocre collection, though Snyder does show some promise as a writer if she works on her narrative skills.
November 16, 2009
In this book, Snyder succeeds in making zombies (both human and animal) wickedly funny--no matter how jaded you are by cries of 'Braaaaaaaaaaaains!!!' Either this book will make you laugh out loud at least once, or you should consider having yourself checked for signs of death.
Snyder's work first came to my attention when the cover story, 'Installing Linux on a Dead Badger' was submitted to SFF webzine Strange Horizons, where I was then an articles editor. I can't take much credit for discovering her, though--there wasn't any debate in the articles team about whether we should publish Badger. It remains easily my favourite of the articles published during my year at SH. So it's a treat for me to see it appear in print, along with eleven companion stories that also explore ideas surrounding cybermancy, badgers, and the undead.
Throughout the book, Snyder's style is light yet assured. She makes no effort to convince you of the validity of any of her claims, or to justify them, but just writes as if it's all true. The effect is almost to convince you that it is true--that you, too, could install Linux on a badger. Or maybe a wombat. Or even an entire replacement workforce, with all the advantages and strange happenings that would bring. If only you had a Duppy card, and a herb-scented application.
The focus on cyber-zombies does become a little too much at times, especially when one story contains virtually a re-run of the badger installation instructions, so my recommendation would be not to try to read this book at one sitting. Carry it with you--it's neither large nor heavy--and dip into it in a spare moment, on the train, or when you desperately need cheering up. You'll soon find yourself immersed in a whole other world, where vampirism is a career opportunity, and the best way to get an entry-level job is to pretend to be dead.
The book is nicely-presented, and there are small gems everywhere--check out the product disclaimer on the back, for example--but for me the illustrations don't do it justice. They tend towards the grainy or the noticeably photo-shopped, although a notable exception can be found on page 73. It's a shame, as a lot of work has clearly gone into this book, but it might have worked better had the visuals been left to the reader's imagination.
Overall, this book is a winner. It'll amuse you, entertain you, and inspire you to seek out more of Snyder's work, some of which--shameless plug--can be found in GUD.
Lucy Snyder's poem Subtlety appears in GUD Issue 2 and her poem Internal Combustion is forthcoming in GUD Issue 5.
Snyder's work first came to my attention when the cover story, 'Installing Linux on a Dead Badger' was submitted to SFF webzine Strange Horizons, where I was then an articles editor. I can't take much credit for discovering her, though--there wasn't any debate in the articles team about whether we should publish Badger. It remains easily my favourite of the articles published during my year at SH. So it's a treat for me to see it appear in print, along with eleven companion stories that also explore ideas surrounding cybermancy, badgers, and the undead.
Throughout the book, Snyder's style is light yet assured. She makes no effort to convince you of the validity of any of her claims, or to justify them, but just writes as if it's all true. The effect is almost to convince you that it is true--that you, too, could install Linux on a badger. Or maybe a wombat. Or even an entire replacement workforce, with all the advantages and strange happenings that would bring. If only you had a Duppy card, and a herb-scented application.
The focus on cyber-zombies does become a little too much at times, especially when one story contains virtually a re-run of the badger installation instructions, so my recommendation would be not to try to read this book at one sitting. Carry it with you--it's neither large nor heavy--and dip into it in a spare moment, on the train, or when you desperately need cheering up. You'll soon find yourself immersed in a whole other world, where vampirism is a career opportunity, and the best way to get an entry-level job is to pretend to be dead.
The book is nicely-presented, and there are small gems everywhere--check out the product disclaimer on the back, for example--but for me the illustrations don't do it justice. They tend towards the grainy or the noticeably photo-shopped, although a notable exception can be found on page 73. It's a shame, as a lot of work has clearly gone into this book, but it might have worked better had the visuals been left to the reader's imagination.
Overall, this book is a winner. It'll amuse you, entertain you, and inspire you to seek out more of Snyder's work, some of which--shameless plug--can be found in GUD.
Lucy Snyder's poem Subtlety appears in GUD Issue 2 and her poem Internal Combustion is forthcoming in GUD Issue 5.
October 12, 2011
Although each of the short stories or essays in "Installing Linux" stands alone, you’ll find a few common themes. Most touch on technology. Many have mythical creatures: zombies, fairies, trolls, and such. Some may have a dark side, but all are humorous, with many satirizing something or someone in the process.
The title story gives directions for installing the Linux operating system on a badger. When you’re done you’ll have a zombie badger that can be operated like a robot. Doesn’t that sound like fun? This piece satirizes computer installation manuals.
Multiple stories imagine a future where reanimated corpses or zombies provide a cheap workforce for corporations. This example passage is the response of the owner of a fast food restaurant, addressing concerns that his “zombloyees” (zombie employees) present a health risk, and clearly satirizes a typical corporate spokesperson putting a positive spin on a situation for good public relations:
"There's still this perception that they're these oozing corpses dropping parts everywhere, but that's completely outdated. When properly plasticized, our zombloyees are cleaner than our regular employees – all you do is wipe them down with orange cleaner every shift to get the grease residue off."
Of course this brave new world isn’t good for everyone. We also get to meet the IT employee injured while trying to exterminate trolls from his company’s computer network and the unemployed worker who masquerades as a zombie to get a low paying job in a call center. Overall, I found "Installing Linux" to be a quick (just shy of 20,000 words) and fun read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
The title story gives directions for installing the Linux operating system on a badger. When you’re done you’ll have a zombie badger that can be operated like a robot. Doesn’t that sound like fun? This piece satirizes computer installation manuals.
Multiple stories imagine a future where reanimated corpses or zombies provide a cheap workforce for corporations. This example passage is the response of the owner of a fast food restaurant, addressing concerns that his “zombloyees” (zombie employees) present a health risk, and clearly satirizes a typical corporate spokesperson putting a positive spin on a situation for good public relations:
"There's still this perception that they're these oozing corpses dropping parts everywhere, but that's completely outdated. When properly plasticized, our zombloyees are cleaner than our regular employees – all you do is wipe them down with orange cleaner every shift to get the grease residue off."
Of course this brave new world isn’t good for everyone. We also get to meet the IT employee injured while trying to exterminate trolls from his company’s computer network and the unemployed worker who masquerades as a zombie to get a low paying job in a call center. Overall, I found "Installing Linux" to be a quick (just shy of 20,000 words) and fun read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 20, 2008
I read the original, shorter version of the titular essay on Everything2, and found it as funny as the title suggests it would be. (Unless you read the title and figure that can't possibly be what it's actually about!) I'm not sure the fleshed-out piece adds great value, getting a bit redundant, but Linux geeks will still love it. The other eight or nine stories in the volume are more "storyish", with a nice thread of continuity in them (e.g., fake company names in the zombie-centric areas, which is most of them.)
I'm not a great zombie fan, but it is true that the version in the book at least told me why I would install Linux on a dead badger, and what it would do after I did.
One of the stories I'm surprised was never posted on E2 (to my knowledge), because it relates, without actually naming it, to the Giant Squid meme that was popular there several years back.
A fun read when you've got a few down minutes at work.
I'm not a great zombie fan, but it is true that the version in the book at least told me why I would install Linux on a dead badger, and what it would do after I did.
One of the stories I'm surprised was never posted on E2 (to my knowledge), because it relates, without actually naming it, to the Giant Squid meme that was popular there several years back.
A fun read when you've got a few down minutes at work.
January 20, 2009
A quick, cute, fun compilation of 12 stories and essays, some of which have appeared in various publications. The first chapter reads as a technical manual, describing detailed instructions on (obviously) installing Linux on a dead badger, complete with troubleshooting tips and software recommendations.
The next few chapters are presented as current newspaper or magazine articles, each quite matter-of-factly reporting such topics as how todays successful businesses are effectively utilizing zombie employees, or what methods experts are employing to banish the malicious spirits that erupt from their corporate network.
The final chapters are all self-contained short stories including zombie attacks, monsters, fast food shacks, and of course, the best uses for a Linux-running dead badger.
Sci-fi and horror readers will appreciate a few genre in-jokes and references.
The next few chapters are presented as current newspaper or magazine articles, each quite matter-of-factly reporting such topics as how todays successful businesses are effectively utilizing zombie employees, or what methods experts are employing to banish the malicious spirits that erupt from their corporate network.
The final chapters are all self-contained short stories including zombie attacks, monsters, fast food shacks, and of course, the best uses for a Linux-running dead badger.
Sci-fi and horror readers will appreciate a few genre in-jokes and references.
July 19, 2014
While it starts from a clever premise - the literal combination of computer science and necromancy - the stories that riff on this premise are fairly shallow social satire, resting on obvious (and entirely accurate, to be fair) jokes about outsourcing and corporate greed.
...that is, until two-thirds of the way through. Then it suddenly becomes a series of strange urban fantasy stories, only the first one of which has anything to do with the previous concept (and takes it to a more interesting level by showing you why you'd want to install Linux on a dead badger). Though the second of these feels a bit too over-the-top, overall, this part of the book actually makes me sit up and ask for more.
...that is, until two-thirds of the way through. Then it suddenly becomes a series of strange urban fantasy stories, only the first one of which has anything to do with the previous concept (and takes it to a more interesting level by showing you why you'd want to install Linux on a dead badger). Though the second of these feels a bit too over-the-top, overall, this part of the book actually makes me sit up and ask for more.
August 24, 2016
Snyder is a brilliant satirist of IT culture and this collection of parody technical manuals, media articles, and short stories will make you giggle till you kernel panic. The majority of the collected works form a loose narrative surrounding the titular piece about installing Linux on a dead badger. This is built upon as the fictional world discovers the ability to command other undead life and eventually otherworldly forces as automation initiatives and information technology conduits; which quickly devolves into chaos.
Fast paced writing and a short overall length will have you finished in a few code compiling sessions and will be guaranteed to leave more of a smile on your face than closing off tickets with "ID:10T error".
Fast paced writing and a short overall length will have you finished in a few code compiling sessions and will be guaranteed to leave more of a smile on your face than closing off tickets with "ID:10T error".
January 30, 2011
This was fun. the stories are written effectively and each does something interesting.
It's probably even better if you have an even stronger affection than I for zombies (particularly), fairies, evil spirits, vampires, and other supernatural elements of horror and fantasy, all used here with wry humor as tools of satire as much as SF/Fantasy.
Similarly, it's probably better for fans of such things who know a lot more about information technology. Also programming and corporate HR, to some extent.
But if you care anything for the former and know anything about the latter, it's an entertaining read.
It's probably even better if you have an even stronger affection than I for zombies (particularly), fairies, evil spirits, vampires, and other supernatural elements of horror and fantasy, all used here with wry humor as tools of satire as much as SF/Fantasy.
Similarly, it's probably better for fans of such things who know a lot more about information technology. Also programming and corporate HR, to some extent.
But if you care anything for the former and know anything about the latter, it's an entertaining read.
February 19, 2014
This is a collection of stories, sort of interrelated, if sometimes only by weirdness. It started and ended strong, but I thought some of the zombie stories in the middle kind of blurred together. Then again, I've kind of had it with zombies, especially the humorous kind. The format varies from story to story: a bunch of them are written as newspaper stories, but a few are just regular stories, and Installing Linux on a Dead Badger itself is written as instructions.
The last story in the book, In the Shadow of the Fryolator, was probably my favorite. (It had nothing to do with zombies.) But the title story was A-OK too.
A quick and mostly enjoyable read.
The last story in the book, In the Shadow of the Fryolator, was probably my favorite. (It had nothing to do with zombies.) But the title story was A-OK too.
A quick and mostly enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews