Cheating at Conkers
The men’s world conkers champion is accused of cheating with a steel chestnut. [...]
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Cheating Automatic Toll Booths by Obscuring License Plates
The Wall Street Journal is reporting on a variety of techniques drivers are using to obscure their license plates so that automatic readers can’t identify them and charge tolls properly. Some drivers have power-washed paint off their plates or covered them with a range of household items such …
AI Decides to Engage in Insider Trading
A stock-trading AI (a simulated experiment) engaged in insider trading, even though it “knew” it was wrong. The agent is put under pressure in three ways. First, it receives a email from its “manager” that the company is not doing well and needs better performance in the next quarter …
New York Using AI to Detect Subway Fare Evasion
The details are scant—the article is based on a “heavily redacted” contract—but the New York subway authority is using an “AI system” to detect people who don’t pay the subway fare. Joana Flores, an MTA spokesperson, said the AI system doesn’t flag fare evaders to …
Hacking Pickleball
My latest book, A Hacker’s Mind, has a lot of sports stories. Sports are filled with hacks, as players look for every possible advantage that doesn’t explicitly break the rules. Here’s an example from pickleball, which nicely explains the dilemma between hacking as a subversion and …
Gaining an Advantage in Roulette
You can beat the game without a computer : On a perfect [roulette] wheel, the ball would always fall in a random way. But over time, wheels develop flaws, which turn into patterns. A wheel that’s even marginally tilted could develop what Barnett called a ‘drop zone.’ When the …
Automatic Cheating Detection in Human Racing
This is a fascinating glimpse of the future of automatic cheating detection in sports: Maybe you heard about the truly insane false-start controversy in track and field? Devon Allen—a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles—was disqualified from the 110-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships a few …
Why Vaccine Cards Are So Easily Forged
My proof of COVID-19 vaccination is recorded on an easy-to-forge paper card. With little trouble, I could print a blank form, fill it out, and snap a photo. Small imperfections wouldn’t pose any problem; you can’t see whether the paper’s weight is right in a digital …
Cheating on Tests
Interesting story of test-takers in India using Bluetooth-connected flip-flops to communicate with accomplices while taking a test. What’s interesting is how this cheating was discovered. It’s not that someone noticed the communication devices. It’s that the proctors noticed that cheating test takers were acting hinky. [...]