[hinkley]

My favorite story is the genetic evolution algorithm that was abusing analog noise on an FPGA to get the right answer with fewer gates than was theoretically possible.

The problem was discovered when they couldn’t get the same results on a different FPGA, or in the same one in different day (subtle variations of voltage from mains and the voltage regulators).

They had to redo the experiment using simulated FPGAs as a fitness filter.