4 ms·

Wow, this is brilliant.

by algaeontoast 7y ago

i_am_nomad 7y ago
Presumably you are being sarcastic? There was no way he wasn’t going to get caught eventually.
- algaeontoast 7y ago
  Found a member of HN who can perceive humor, +1 for you my friend ;)
praneshp 7y ago
Well, it _was_ brilliant, but the alleged perp got caught. Good luck now.
- anonytrary 7y ago
  By this logic, everything is brilliant until it's not. That's not a good way to define "brilliant". Actions that eventually net undesirable consequences are stupid, not brilliant. E.g. Being a petty armed bank robber isn't brilliant until you get caught.
  - JadeNB 7y ago
    > Actions that eventually net undesirable consequences are stupid, not brilliant. I think it depends on how predictable the consequences are (it may be brilliant, or at least smart, to act in a way that offers a small possibility of an undesireable consequence in return for a large possibility of a highly desireable one), and on how long the time horizon is (it may be brilliant, or at least smart, to act in a way that offers certain undesireable consequences much later in return for certain desireable consequences for a long time before that). To overstate the objection, all actions eventually result in death, which is presumably undesireable.
    - jaclaz 7y ago
      Carlo M.Cipolla to the rescue, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla#/media/File:Cipolla-matrix.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla#/media/File:C...
    - anonytrary 7y ago
      > small possibility of an undesireable consequence in return for a large possibility of a highly desireable one Exactly, so the expectation value is net desirable. I wouldn't consider that stupid.
p1mrx 7y ago
Except for the part that leaves an obvious paper trail.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mirimir 7y ago
Yeah, well, he forgot the part about using a fake identity.
reallydude 7y ago
Leveraging Amazon's disinterest in its own processes, to the MAXIMUM effect, surely is brilliant social engineering. It required knowing how return products are handled and treated, which is basically "they are weighed and forgotten in a lottery/auction". The exploitation of existing policies and practices was foiled by greed. Not enough to order products to keep, he had to try to make a business of it.

Wow, this is brilliant.

i_am_nomad 7y ago

Presumably you are being sarcastic? There was no way he wasn’t going to get caught eventually.

algaeontoast 7y ago
Found a member of HN who can perceive humor, +1 for you my friend ;)

praneshp 7y ago

Well, it _was_ brilliant, but the alleged perp got caught. Good luck now.

anonytrary 7y ago
By this logic, everything is brilliant until it's not. That's not a good way to define "brilliant". Actions that eventually net undesirable consequences are stupid, not brilliant. E.g. Being a petty armed bank robber isn't brilliant until you get caught.
- JadeNB 7y ago
  > Actions that eventually net undesirable consequences are stupid, not brilliant. I think it depends on how predictable the consequences are (it may be brilliant, or at least smart, to act in a way that offers a small possibility of an undesireable consequence in return for a large possibility of a highly desireable one), and on how long the time horizon is (it may be brilliant, or at least smart, to act in a way that offers certain undesireable consequences much later in return for certain desireable consequences for a long time before that). To overstate the objection, all actions eventually result in death, which is presumably undesireable.
  - jaclaz 7y ago
    Carlo M.Cipolla to the rescue, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla#/media/File:Cipolla-matrix.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_M._Cipolla#/media/File:C...
  - anonytrary 7y ago
    > small possibility of an undesireable consequence in return for a large possibility of a highly desireable one Exactly, so the expectation value is net desirable. I wouldn't consider that stupid.

p1mrx 7y ago

Except for the part that leaves an obvious paper trail.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

mirimir 7y ago

Yeah, well, he forgot the part about using a fake identity.

reallydude 7y ago

Leveraging Amazon's disinterest in its own processes, to the MAXIMUM effect, surely is brilliant social engineering. It required knowing how return products are handled and treated, which is basically "they are weighed and forgotten in a lottery/auction". The exploitation of existing policies and practices was foiled by greed. Not enough to order products to keep, he had to try to make a business of it.