Good videos, with context.
Penn and Teller's Lab Scam

Penn and Teller's Lab Scam

catvorg
0 HN recommenders · discussed 2017–2024
Open YouTube ↗

About this video

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.

Why it appears in the archive

It is passed around as a favorite bit of computing folklore, and resurfaces in threads about Penzias, Ritchie and Pike.

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

js2 · 2017-04 · reference

Perhaps not known by the younger audience, but Penn & Teller helped Dennis Ritchie and Rob Pike perform a practical joke at Bell Labs: [LINK] [VIDEO]

Read original comment ↗
EvanAnderson · 2020-03 · reference

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] [VIDEO]

Read original comment ↗
vijayr02 · 2024-01 · reference

RIP Arno. Here's the video and write up of the gag Dennis Ritchie and Rob Pike pulled on him: [VIDEO] [LINK] Edit: just wanted to say the hum of the universe dulled a little bit with his passing

Read original comment ↗