The project, described in the book The Newtonian Casino (published as The Eudaemonic Pie in the US), was, however, difficult and fraught with technical problems. In the late seventies, graduate student Doyne Farmer and colleagues did just that – with purpose-built computers that could predict where a roulette ball would land. You rush to the toilet to undertake emergency repairs, hoping that the casino staff do not realise what is happening. Suddenly, you start getting electric shocks. Solenoid electromagnets thump against your body telling you where to place your bet on the roulette table. Imagine walking into a casino with a computer strapped to your chest.
