Hand-wavy explanation: (random 0.5) could represent a fair coin toss, e.g. "generate a 0 or 1 with probability 0.5". But the coin isn't necessarily fair, so we can't assume the probability is 0.5. In fact, we'd like to learn what the probability is by observing a lot of coin tosses and counting the heads vs. tails. That's a very simple machine learning model. More complex models involve graphs of random variables where the structure of the graph represents conditional probabilities, and often the variables actually generate other probability distributions instead of scalar values. It doesn't take long before it becomes impossible to calculate the optimal values and parameters of the model. Much of statistical machine learning research involves looking for better ways to approximate solutions to these models, as well as finding graphs that are a good fit for real-world data.
Presumably, a programming language designed around this kind of task would make it easier to explore and develop larger, more intricate models.
I feel bad for the plaintiff. First her pictures were posted to that site, which apparently caused enough distress to seek counsel. And now, despite virtually no chance of redress for her, the whole thing will be far more publicized so this lawyer can throw a hail mary and try to make a name for himself.
And the wide publicity resulting from the political fallout of a legal case touching TOR, one hopes the 'torch and pitchfork' elements will back off a bit.
There is certainly a high level of jerkiness in making fake reservations, but I think it's overblown in the article. If a restaurant is exclusive and popular enough to require reservations, and people are willing to pay $5-10 for a reservation, why don't they just charge $5-10 for reservations themselves, or require a small membership fee to make reservations, or start rejecting customers who can't prove they are the "Dick Jerkson" who made the reservation, etc? (That last one would only need to be a temporary measure, as most people are going to ditch the app after being turned away once or twice.)
I don't understand your logic. Just because countermeasures could exist, it doesn't mean that the original offenders aren't so bad. Nor does that place any new responsibilities on the restaurant, to piss off their customers who by now might have been going to the same restaurants for decades, with the informal system.
Furthermore, an ID check isn't as painless and easy to implement as you say. Often, other guests arrive before the person who made the reservation. Public figures make reservations under assumed names. And the name on someone's ID may not match the name they typically use (read patio11's brilliant piece http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-b...).
And then there's just the offensiveness of requiring people to carry ID in the first place.
I'm not saying the app is less bad because countermeasures exist, only that the app is not as bad as the article makes it out to be, and countermeasures exist. Restaurants constantly have to adapt to changing conditions, which is how they end up with reservation policies in the first place.
The point of the ID suggestion (which was only one idea) would be to somehow identify users of the app, let them travel all the way to the restaurant with their date or client, and reject their reservation. This will kill the app faster than begging the developer to be less of a jerk.
That's surprising. I would have thought they were rolling in cash and building a solid franchise, considering I had actually heard of Crytek/Crysis and don't follow the game industry at all. How does a company just keep chugging along like nothing is wrong until one day they can't make payroll?
Fully agreed up until your last sentence: It's not going to happen unless they have reason to believe it will lead to evidence of someone doing something wrong, and that it will be wrong enough to justify the effort.
I read it more like a machine in everyone's basement, next to the water heater. It would diagnose illnesses, set broken bones, stitch up wounds, and inject you with all the drugs you need.
Presumably, a programming language designed around this kind of task would make it easier to explore and develop larger, more intricate models.