How random is random ?!
At the EXL Services office at Noida on the capital's outskirts, all visitors have to dip into a covered box and take out a ball while entering and leaving the building.[ http://www.nasscom.org/artdisplay.asp?Art_id=3371 ]
If you pick a white ball, security personnel will check only your bag. A pink ball means you're subjected to a body search.
[Originally read in ZdNet, link for which is now broken] [ Search for this article ]
One of my colleagues was commented, "If any crooked intruders enter the building, must have luck".
Leaving security to luck ?! What if the security had a suspicion, but the person picked a white ball. The suspect can indeed walk free. Or is it something more ??
What if the box has 2 inner boxes with white and pink balls and the security guard has the controls to slide the boxes horizontally when a suspect approaches, make him/her pick the pink ball.
|-------- --------|
| | oo|| xx| |
| <--> |ooo||xxx| |
| |---||---| |
| OO------OO |
| |
|------------------|
Can this be an excuse for not giving reasons (from the security guards side) for suspecting someone, and doing a complete check ?
This moves the issue from "How dare the security guard suspect me ?" to "Oh! It is just random selection and I am just not lucky".
Well, just some random thoughts.