Smart Cow Problem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Smart Cow Problem describes the method by which a group of individuals, faced with a technically difficult task, only requires one of their number to solve the problem. Having been solved once, an easily repeatable method may be developed, allowing non-technically proficient entities to accomplish the task. The term Smart Cow Problem is thought to be derived from the expression: "It only takes one smart cow to open the latch of the gate, and then all the other cows follow." [1]
This has recently been applied to Digital Rights Management (DRM), where, due to the rapid spread of information on the internet, it only takes one individual to defeat a DRM scheme to render the method obsolete. [2]
- ^ http://www.wired.com/news/business/1,60901-0.html Buck a Song, or Buccaneer? , retrieved 2007-02-13
- ^ http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,67556,00.html Give Your DVD Player the Finger, retrieved 2007-02-13
