Koko Loved The Nip
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Jason Murphy is a novelist, screenwriter, and content creator. He once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast.
This Week on The Strangerous Shorts
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Below are the most popular Strangerous shorts from last week, in which I make some slanderous accusations about a perverted ape.
Koko Really Liked Nipples
Koko was a western lowland gorilla who allegedly was trained to communicate with hand signals by Francine "Penny" Patterson. She became famous for her ability to communicate with humans and her story was featured in numerous documentaries and books.
However, Koko was also known for her fixation with nipples. In 2005, two former employees of the Gorilla Foundation, Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, filed a lawsuit against the foundation and Patterson, alleging that they were pressured to expose their breasts to Koko.
The lawsuit claimed that Patterson would interpret certain hand movements by Koko as a "demand" to see exposed human nipples. Patterson allegedly warned Alperin and Keller that their employment with the foundation would suffer if they "did not indulge Koko's nipple fetish."
The lawsuit also alleged that Patterson had a history of sexual harassment and discrimination against female employees. The foundation denied the allegations, but the case was eventually settled out of court.
Koko's nipple fixation was not the only scandal to plague the Gorilla Foundation. In 2009, the foundation was accused of financial mismanagement and animal abuse.
Koko's story is a complex one. She was a remarkable animal who showed great promise in the field of animal communication. However, her story was also marred by controversy. The lawsuits against the Gorilla Foundation raised serious questions about the treatment of animals in captivity and the ethics of animal research.
Koko's nipple fixation has been interpreted in a number of ways. Some experts believe that it was simply a normal part of Koko's sexual development. Others believe that it was a sign of boredom or distress. Still others believe that it was a result of Koko's early separation from her mother.
It is also possible that Koko's nipple fixation was a result of the way she was raised. Patterson frequently exposed her breasts to Koko as a way of bonding with her. It is possible that Koko learned to associate human nipples with pleasure and attention.
Whatever the reason for Koko's nipple fixation, it is clear that it caused a great deal of discomfort for her caregivers. And for me. Reading about this. Lots of discomfort all around.
https://www.livescience.com/3950-lawsuit-koko-gorilla-nipple-fetish-resolved.html
Show the monkey your nipples or you’re fired!
I don’t know how I would respond to that in the workplace. I’ve never been threatened in such a way. Now I think we need a weird tale about what went down at the Gorilla Foundation. Maybe a film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman? Make it bizarre!
There’s plenty of material here. We start off with a research facility that seems to be doing groundbreaking work with a very gifted primate. They’re media darlings and have the attention of celebrities. That means funding and grants! But one plucky new intern has started to see the cracks. The doctor is a bit strange and the ape’s efforts to communicate are called into question. Is this all a lie? If so, why is the doctor perpetuating this. Where’s the research? Where’s the scientific rigor?
Then our protagonist has to expose herself to a gorilla. Just imagining that scene in a screenplay or novel makes me squirm.
Yes, the story of Koko is fascinating. But the truth behind it all is where the real juicy stuff is hiding.
Witch Cake is Made From What?!
In 17th century England and New England, a witch cake was a type of folk remedy used to diagnose and cure bewitchment. The cake was typically made with rye flour and the urine of the person believed to be afflicted. It was then baked and fed to a dog. If the dog became sick or exhibited strange behavior, it was believed to be a sign that the person was indeed bewitched. And if the dog pointed at someone, that was an indication that that person was the witch at fault.
Witch cakes were a popular form of counter-magic, and their use was often endorsed by religious leaders. However, they were also controversial, and some people believed that they were dangerous and ineffective.
One of the most famous examples of a witch cake being used is in the case of the Salem Witch Trials. In 1692, a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, began to exhibit strange behavior, such as convulsing, screaming, and throwing things. Doctors were unable to diagnose their illness, and many people believed that they were bewitched.
One of the girls' fathers, Reverend Samuel Parris, ordered his enslaved servant Tituba to bake a witch cake using the girls' urine. The cake was then fed to a dog, which became sick and began to bark uncontrollably. This was taken as proof that the girls were indeed bewitched.
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-witchs-cake-3528206
Over the last few years, we’ve seen superstitions erode at modern healthcare. This clearly isn’t new. When people can’t find an answer about what is terrifying them, they often turn to the mystical. In this case, the mystical is a pee cake fed to a dog. I’m genuinely wondering if any time someone baked such a cake, was there an outcry from the non-crazies? Was there a contingent of people in Salem asking, “What in the actual fuck are you talking about? A pee cake?”
Stories like these illustrate how we as a people grapple with things we don’t understand. And we often do it in ways that obstruct the real solution. Our fear blinds us to believing something absurd is causing our suffering. It’s not bacteria - it’s a ghost! My scoliosis is bad because I took the Lord’s name in vain! I don’t understand how vaccines work, so it must be Bill Gates trying to control me!
In times of fear, reason is often the first thing to go.
How Did Hackers Compromise MGM and Caesar’s?
In September 2023, a group of hackers called "Scattered Spider" launched a ransomware attack on Caesars and MGM Resorts, two of the largest casino companies in Las Vegas. The hackers reportedly gained access to the casino networks through social engineering, a technique that involves manipulating people into revealing confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.
Once the hackers had access to the casino networks, they deployed ransomware that encrypted the companies' data. This included sensitive customer information, such as driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, and passport numbers. The hackers then demanded a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key.
Caesars reportedly paid a $15 million ransom to the hackers, while MGM refused to pay. However, MGM's computer systems were down for 10 days, and the company estimated its losses from the attack at $100 million.
The hackers reportedly found an MGM employee's information on LinkedIn, including their name, job title, and contact information. They then called the MGM IT help desk and pretended to be that employee. They claimed that they had forgotten their password and needed help resetting it.
The IT help desk employee trusted the caller because they had all of the correct information about the MGM employee. The IT help desk employee then reset the employee's password, giving the hackers access to the employee's account.
Once the hackers had access to the employee's account, they were able to move laterally through the MGM network and deploy ransomware on the company's servers.
https://qz.com/young-hackers-are-sticking-up-las-vegas-casinos-for-hef-1850837238
https://slate.com/technology/2023/10/mgm-caesars-casinos-vegas-hacks-ransomware-gambling.html
Let’s be honest. In reality, most hacking is pretty boring. It’s not Swordfish. There’s very little about it that’s sexy or even dramatic. It’s usually some guy with poor hygiene, sitting in a filthy workspace running a Tor with a VPN.
Then again … sometimes you’ve got international organizations using their wits and guile to coax someone to give them access to a casino’s network. And any time a casino is robbed, it’s automatically sexy. Sorry Caesar’s. You’re more fun when the underdogs are looting your coffers.
As if Chiropractic Treatment Wasn’t Already Sketchy
How Daniel David Palmer Invented Chiropractic
Daniel David Palmer, a magnetic healer and grocer in Davenport, Iowa, is credited with inventing chiropractic in 1895. Palmer was also a spiritualist, and he claimed that the idea for chiropractic came to him from the spirit of a doctor, Jim Atkinson, who died 50 years earlier.
One day, a janitor named Harvey Lillard came to Palmer's office with partial deafness. Palmer examined Lillard's back and noticed a vertebra that was out of alignment. He believed that this misalignment was causing Lillard's hearing loss, and he used his hands to adjust the vertebra.
According to Palmer, Lillard's hearing was immediately restored. Palmer was amazed by this result, and he began to experiment with spinal adjustments on other patients. He soon discovered that he could relieve a variety of ailments, including headaches, back pain, and digestive problems.
Palmer developed a theory that misalignments of the spine, known as subluxations, were the root cause of all disease. He believed that by adjusting these subluxations, he could restore the body's innate ability to heal itself.
In 1897, Palmer opened the first chiropractic school, the Palmer School of Chiropractic, in Davenport. He taught his students that chiropractic was a natural and safe way to heal without drugs or surgery.
Palmer's ideas were met with skepticism from the medical establishment at the time. However, chiropractic quickly gained popularity among the public, and it is now one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine in the world.
Chiropractic is still based on Palmer's original principles, but it has evolved over the years. Modern chiropractors use a variety of techniques to adjust the spine and other joints. They also provide other services, such as massage therapy, exercise therapy, and nutritional counseling.
Chiropractic is generally safe and effective for most people. However, it is important to choose a qualified chiropractor. Chiropractors in the United States must complete a four-year chiropractic program and pass a national board exam.
https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-chiropractic-quackery-20170630-story.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic
I’ve never been to a chiropractor, but many of my friends have. They swear by its efficacy, and I’m in no place to deny them. As I understand it, there are a variety of types of chiropractors. Some approach the practice as something like massage therapy, which I can get behind. Others, however, still flirt with all manner of pseudoscience. If my back is hurting, the last thing I want to hear is ‘Let’s get your energies aligned.”
Quackery can be profoundly harmful. We still encounter it, and while it helps to be skeptical about some treatments, it’s even more important to not forsake actual medical care. Whatever you think about chiropractic now, it seems to have its benefits. Sure, the idea from it came from a séance, but so many of the medical techniques we use today come from people in the past just trying to figure things out. When Palmer was working, we were still open to things like trepanning, leeching, and eventually, lobotomies. Luckily, modern medicine mostly grew out of that superstitious behavior. And what’s superstition but a story we create to better understand something?
The Strangerous Channel Updates
With the launch of the Strangerous, I’ve finally managed to carve out some more time to get back to Roll Fast//Dice Hard. We launched a separate channel along with that and we’ll soon be posting a ‘cleaned up’ version of the Halloween game - Happy Hallowmoon. And while it’s sadly no longer Halloween, I’m working on getting the pdf of that adventure ready for downloads. It will be available on the Strangerous Patreon for very, very little money. Like … $2? I’ll keep you posted.
In the mean time, I’ll likely be posting a bit more Roll Fast//Dice Hard Instagram account.
And if you’d like for me to run a D&D game for you, please email me at:
jason at jasonsmurphy dot com
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Even More Strange and Dangerous!
Guys, the alien thing isn’t going away. So far, it’s just been a lot of claims from people in power or from randos with little established credibility. “An anonymous source claims … “
Well, my anonymous source says, “Quit jerking us around and just tell us what the hell is going on.”
I’m sure there’s no small amount of disinformation going on here. And for how long? Decades? More? It’s clear that something is happening. New videos pop up every day. Sure, those are easily faked, but many of them have been witnessed by various people from multiple angles.
I’m not saying it’s aliens, to quote the meme. But … what the hell are these things? Am I falling for a massive psy-op?
Hey! Did you like Lost? Well, there’s this show I just discovered on MGM+. It’s not Lost, but … it’s Lost. It’s called From, and it even starts Harold Perrineau, the guy who played Michael on Lost. Technically, it’s not connected to Lost in any way. But after finishing the first season, I had to laugh. I won’t spoil it for you, but the similarities stack up rather quickly.
See you next week, friends. And let me know if you encounter anything Strangerous out there you’d like for us to cover!
As a home brewer I'm dying to read the Yeast Dialogue. Ive always wondered what those guys talk about.