Penn and Teller's Lab Scam
Why Hacker News recommends it
It is passed around as a favorite bit of computing folklore, and resurfaces in threads about Penzias, Ritchie and Pike.
What it is
Penn and Teller help Rob Pike and Dennis Ritchie of Bell Labs play a prank on Nobel-winning physicist Arno Penzias. The clip shows the gag and its setup.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2017 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Cites js2 · 2017-04 · on “Teller Reveals His Secrets (2012)”
Perhaps not known by the younger audience, but Penn & Teller helped Dennis Ritchie and Rob Pike perform a practical joke at Bell Labs: [LINK] [this video]
Cites EvanAnderson · 2020-03 · on “A Tale of Two Ships [pdf]”
I was around 3 y/o when Abscam went down. Now, however, I have a pretty good idea why Penn and Teller called their Bell Labs prank "lab scam". Thanks for that. [LINK] [this video]
Cites vijayr02 · 2024-01 · on “Arno A. Penzias, 90, Dies; Nobel Physicist Confirmed Big Bang Theory”
RIP Arno. Here's the video and write up of the gag Dennis Ritchie and Rob Pike pulled on him: [this video] [LINK] Edit: just wanted to say the hum of the universe dulled a little bit with his passing