USA: Newsweek.com reports on Zombies Attack!

As the NYT’s MediaDecoder blog recently reported, the cheeky programmers for Newsweek.com have apparently placed a hidden joke on the magazine’s home page for readers who enter a special keyboard combination, triggering a page of headlines purporting to provide coverage of an uprising by the undead.

The lead headline, “Zombies Attack!” was followed by a summary informing readers that large portions of the East Coast had been invaded by the undead rising from their graves. Residents were advised to barricade themselves and await further instructions. Other headlines suggested that someone named “Patient Zero” was to blame for the invasion and that people battling zombies should aim for the head.

Readers were also urged to contribute their reports. “Not everybody reacts the same to the undead,” the site said. “If you, or a loved one, has encountered a zombie please share your experiences.”

The page was accessible on Monday by visiting Newsweek.com and typing the “Konami Code” (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Enter), a famous cheat code in video games. In the past, some sites, including Facebook, have used the code to trigger amusing events on their pages.