(Unrelated, but since your prior comment on Vegas "hacking" is too old to take replies: if you haven't, you should definitely check out Thomas A. Bass's 1985 Th

(Unrelated, but since your prior comment on Vegas "hacking" is too old to take replies: if you haven't, you should definitely check out Thomas A. Bass's 1985 The Eudaimonic Pie, which I believe may touch upon one of the stories you mentioned, and is also one of that kind in its own right; having occupied some train commutes with it in about 2001 or 2002, I can recommend the book not only for its information but also as a well-written, gripping read, if somewhat shockingly naïve by our 21st-century standard. Enjoy!)