Man admits sending 'monkey out of cage' message

[SlowwHand]

I don't guess I get it. What does it all mean? The message, the outrage. Why? Is it one of you, and is it banana related?

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- University of Florida officials said a man has confessed to sending a mysterious message through the school's emergency text message system. UF spokesman Steve Orlando told The Gainesville Sun that the man, a former employee of the university's text messaging service, told investigators the message was sent by accident.

Thousands of current and former faculty, staff and students received a text message reading "The monkey got out of the cage" Tuesday night.

Orlando said it does not appear that university data was compromised.

Authorities are investigating the incident. The university said officials are working to determine which agency has jurisdiction the case.

---

Information from: The Gainesville Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com

[-Jrabbit]

Ex-employee? Doesn't sound accidental.

Most universities here have installed these multi-stage mass notification systems in the wake of the VaTech shootings. The idea is that, between PA announcements indoor and out, plus emails and texts, they can quickly notify the whole campus when something nasty happens.

Some of these systems may not have a very secure front end. Compromise the system, send whatever wacky message you want.

[DaShi]

Also not all schools are licensed for monkeys but may keep them anyway. There's a huge black market for monkeys in the university system.

[Tuberski]

Also monkeys are funny.

ACK!

[Elok]

Given that it was Tuesday night, I'd be inclined to suspect this fellow was typing a little racist remark about our new president which he never intended to actually send out. Only it's Gainesville, which my GF tells me is the one hyper-liberal enclave in all of Florida.

[SlowwHand]

That kind of shoots down your theory, doesn't it?

[MrFun]

Well, at first I thought it may have been a racist remark as well.

[Lorizael]

Given that it was Tuesday night, I'd be inclined to suspect this fellow was typing a little racist remark about our new president which he never intended to actually send out. Only it's Gainesville, which my GF tells me is the one hyper-liberal enclave in all of Florida.

Guardian Force?

[Solomwi]

Given that it was Tuesday night, I'd be inclined to suspect this fellow was typing a little racist remark about our new president which he never intended to actually send out. Only it's Gainesville, which my GF tells me is the one hyper-liberal enclave in all of Florida.

It's still full of Branch Floridians, plenty of whom would be inclined to type a little racist remark about our new president.

[Elok]

That kind of shoots down your theory, doesn't it?

Only partially. I can imagine some Gainesville bongo-basher getting a guilty thrill out of typing something incredibly racist into an address system with no intention of actually hitting "enter." Like streaking, or altar boys sneaking a look at porn mags; people get kicks out of being naughty in minor ways.

[Grandpa Troll]

Our new president has a pet monkey?

Was it on a chain or did someone just walk up and start petting it and it spit at him?

Im so confuzed

[Riesstiu IV]

"Monkey out of cage"? Is that a new way of saying your pants are unzipped?

[Tattila the Hun]

Weeel, it could have been a "28 Days later" kinda situation... Glad the thing works!

[Alinestra Covelia]

OTOH it could be a message saying Bush is out of the White House now. In many editorial cartoons he was depicted as very simian in appearance.

[Elok]

...actually that interpretation sounds considerably more likely, in Gainesville. Whoops.