The Caltech Sweepstakes Caper | Hacker News Reader

The Caltech Sweepstakes Caper

hoaxes.org

49 pointsturtlegrids15 comments

The basis of an incidental subplot in the classic movie “Real Genius“

GCHQ used to challenge applicants to disassemble a motor vehicle, and reassemble it indoors. Perhaps this inspired Chris and Mitch's revenge prank on Kent (for Kent's phone spying / leaking stunt)?

Disassembling a car and reassembling it in someone's room (or on the roof) was also a classic prank at Caltech, especially back in the 1930s when Model Ts were common.

I came to this thread exactly because I wondered if it could be the frito lay contest from Real Genius. I've seen that movie more than any other.

Its such a brilliant movie. My son and I have watched this countless times as well. I only recently realized that Lazlo is also Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite and Dr Roberts in Dream Corp LLC. Check out Dream Corp if you haven't its brilliant.

Lazlo Hollyfeld! My FAVORITE 80's movie :)

Seriously, it may be the best portrait of smart people in the movies I know of. Also you have fine taste.

My man. Definitely required viewing for anyone a fan of the genre. Great cast, humor, morality, nerd stuff, amazing soundtrack, has it all.

oblig. https://web.archive.org/web/20080126061303/http://alumnus.ca...

One do the greatest movies of the 80s. Should be required viewing for technology students.

> " He then denounced the Caltech stunt, calling it "in complete contradiction of the American standards of fairplay and sportsmanship."

Funny how I view this quite differently. You find a way to tilt the odds in your favor by being astute and aware of your surroundings + applying math and reasoning: that seems like American ingenuity to me.

Also, we're talking about a massive corporation running a sweepstakes - there's nobody really being harmed in all this.

It would be incredibly out of character for a big American corporation, when found on its ass, to not clutch pearls.

Indeed. "The original intent of the sweepstakes contest was to provide all McDonald's customers with over 1,850 chances to win prizes best suited to lessen effects of the current economic slump" is exactly the kind of inane, obvious lie that corporations seem required to make in response to things like this.

> The Caltech students issued a press release of their own in response to McDonald's statements, in which they said, "We feel that by accepting the challenge to 'enter as often as you wish,' we have acted in accordance with the best ideals of American sportsmanship."

I think they would agree

The article does not mention the fourth individual involved, Glenn Hightower (one of the founders of APh Consulting), who from what I've been told was one of the ringleaders of the operation. Here is a third-party mention of Glenn Hightower being involved [1].

[1] https://commonplacefacts.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/i-hope-the...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com