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In the late 1970's, a group of UCSC students were drawn together in a monumental effort to predict the unpredictable. Their goal was to achieve happiness (and a little financial security) for themselves and their friends via the roulette wheels of Las Vegas. They called themselves The Eudaemons, which stems from their eudaemonic philosophy...

 

eu-dae-mo-nism n. [Gk eudaimonia happiness, fr. eudaimon having a good attendant spirit, happy, fr. eu- + daimon spirit](1827): a theory that defines moral obligation by reference to personal well-being through a life governed by reason.

-- Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

 

Thomas A. Bass, a UCSC graduate, brought the efforts of the Eudaemons to the attention of the world in his book, The Eudaemonic Pie, first published in 1985.

"The fascinating technical adventure of a scientific commune that builds a computer which can really beat roulette! And though Reason's demons, the Eudaemons, manage to run their hands through casino gold, Bass' superb prose suggests that the human relationships they forged in the struggle may have been the greater glory and the greater reward."

-- Dr. Edward Thorp, author of Beat the Dealer

The success of the Eudaemons' project was based on pioneering research in non-linear dynamics at UCSC's Physics Department . Modeling and predicting the behavior of a roulette wheel was one of the most unusual and exciting applications of knowledge from this field.

• The Shoe Computer - How it worked
• Eudaemons from the UCSC Physics Department (Coming soon)

Doyne Farmer

Rob Shaw

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Last modified 14-Jun-97