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Ask HN: Whould you replicate a protocol of landing a coin on the edge?

1 points by spacetimeuser5 ↗ HN
If I develop an extensive protocol of training, which may lead someone to flip a coin and land it on the edge (instead of heads/tails) with a bit higher than ~1/6000 probability, would you try to replicate it?

The protocol includes a range from safe enough harnessing of GABA-A etc neurotransmission for brain-arm coordination to esoteric focusing techniques modified for this specific goal. (Of course I'd test this myself first)

9 comments

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PaulHoule
If I was looking to expand human potential I'd be trying to develop a protocol to develop a psychogenic fever on command. Since it activates brown fat burning it might put Ozempic out of business if it wasn't likely the side effects would be worse.
spacetimeuser5
This has already been developed. The goal is to land a coin on the edge with more than 1/6000 probability.
PaulHoule
How?

If were in your shoes I'd start with optimizing the coin and the surface it falls on. Gambling cheaters will coat their hands with sticky stuff so they can take an extra chip here or there, if you coat the edge of the coin with that kind of stuff it would help I think.

spacetimeuser5
Suppose the protocol exists. It's not "gambling cheating" at all, it's not even "gambling", rather following some general methodological guidelines from quantum mechanics (least but not last). The question is to get enough subjects willing to replicate it.
PaulHoule
There's a close tie between card and coin magic and techniques of gambling cheating.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scarne

There are numerous techniques to throw dice with controlled rotation so you can be sure that one side will wind up on top or that a particular axis stays horizontal so you know two sides will never come up. This is why playing craps you have to bounce the dice off a wall. It is possible sometime to throw non-spinning dice right into the corner of the wall and the floor but if you succeed at that you will never play craps with those people.

I think your problem is really close to that problem, I don't think there's anything wrong with card mechanics and such, it's using it to cheat that is wrong.

spacetimeuser5
I'd focus on coins only. There was a link on HN about some pilot study by some students, where they tried to emulate or used an actual mechanical hand or something similar flipping coins.

How? (though not in my protocol) For example, attaching a magnetic levitation system under the surface with the flipper unaware of it, and upon switching the current on through the system, the coin levitates probably on its edge. And it is a problem for the flippers and inference makers for not being able to arrange for such option.

spacetimeuser5
Consider the law of induction, according to which the fact that monkeys flipped coins for gozzilions of years with an average probability 0.5 doesn't mean they'd flip it with the same probability tomorrow.