Historically, the world's first weable computer...

[zengrifter]

... was invented by Thorp and Shannon, for beating roulette. I worked with Harry Fechter Ph.D. of the UNLV Physics Dept, breifly in '78, who already had beta'd a similar unit the size of a city-phonebook - it worked but to my knowledge was never successfully put into play. zg
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From MIT Media Lab "Brief History of Wearables" -

1966 (C) Ed Thorp and Claude Shannon reveal their invention of the first wearable computer, used to predict roulette wheels [MIT] -
The system was a cigarette-pack sized analog computer with 4 push buttons. A data-taker would use the buttons to indicate the speed of the roulette wheel, and the computer would then send tones via radio to a bettor's hearing aid. Though the system was invented in 1961, it was first mentioned in E. Thorp, Beat the Dealer, revised ed. in 1966. The details of the system were later published in Review of the International Statistical Institute, V. 37:3, 1969. Thorp also disclosed a similar system for beating the Wheel of Fortune gambling game in LIFE Magazine, March 27, 1964, pp. 80-91.

Thorp's earliest work on the roulette computer preceeded his initial BJ work -
(Dead link: http://c2000.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs8113c_99_spring/readings/thorp.pdf)

 

[computerilliterate]

Re: Historically, the world's first wearable compu

One of those casey computers would be nice if I had an extra 15 thousand dollars lying around, but I think its a felony to use one of those in a casino. right? Of course, if they never know....

 

[The Mayor]

On using electronic equipment

The Casey Computer is old technology, expensive, and very difficult to learn to use.

My advice, don't even think of using such a device in states in which it is illegal (suprisingly, it is still legal in CA, but not for long). If you are going to use one, think low voltage, since many casinos electro-magentic wave detection abilities.

The modern way to use these "devices" is via a cell phone, to an outside partner. I wont say any more about this.

-Mayor

 

[zengrifter]

Re: Historically, the world's first wearable compu

The Caseys and other BJ computers aren't very strong beyong cerebral counting, as Thorp even intimates in his roulette journal. zg