Nonconformists have always changed the world, except for the one's that haven't.
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kitonlove
03/12/11
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veachbum
03/23/11
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03/17/11
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janej78
03/27/11
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BJ Jones
04/15/11
July 06, 2012
Who first came up with Murphy’s Law is still a bit of mystery.
But we do have some clues.
An American newspaper in Norwalk, Ohio printed this verse in 1841:
“I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side.”
Some think that, since a fellow named Murphy was involved, it originated when Captain Murphy was working on a 1949 project at Edwards Air Force Base that measured human acceleration tolerances.
And found “what can go wrong, does go wrong.”
While others think it emerged into its modern form in 1952, as an epigraph to a mountaineering book by Jack Sack, who described it as an "ancient mountaineering adage."
We do know it is constantly venturing into more specific areas.
Law of Excuses:
If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
Law of Getting there:
The only things that start on time are those that you're late for.
Law of Opportunity:
Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.
Double-Door Law:
In approaching a double door, you will always go to the one door that is locked, pull when you should have pushed, and push when the sign says pull.
Parent Law:
Any parent will vouch for the fact that the intensity of a tantrum is directly proportional to the amount of people around.
The Law of the Workshop:
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
The Law of Probability:
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
The Law of the Telephone:
If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.
Pessimism stems from the Latin pessimus (worst), and has been around for a while since once embraced, the possibility of being disappointed is diminished.
I like what English writer G. B. Stern said on the subject: “Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute.”
still thinking about today...
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DHeberle
03/27/11
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04/02/11
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03/05/11
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03/15/11
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aryckman
04/03/11
As to The Law of The Telephone, how would you know?
and the corollary ; it rings while you are in the tub....
Murphy, some of you might not know, was the Lord Mayor of the land where missing socks go...
Murphy had a Cousin named, Finagle ... who not only said, "Murphy is an Optimist" but had a postulate of his own ... which declares that, "Whatever You Do to Try and Help The Situation, Only Makes It Worse" .......
How many times have we seen both men proved Right ???
Kind of in the category of "No good deed goes unpunished."
The Law of Shopping: Everything you need is overpriced, everything you don't want is on sale.
The Law of Shopping: Everything you need is overpriced, everything you don't want is on sale.
The Law of Shopping: Everything you need is overpriced, everything you don't want is on sale.
Good morning, Julia X 3!
Here are a few of my favorites:
Klotz's Law: The quality of restaurant food is inversely proportional to the size of the peppermill.
Imhoff's Law of Bureaucracy: The organization of any bureaucracy is very much like a septic tank - the REALLY big chunks always rise to the top.
Finagle's Law: Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it makes it worse.
Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
The Law of My Life: The only people that call are the ones I don't want to talk to, the only mail I get are things I don't want and the days I want to be lazy are the only days I have something I have to do.
For me Klotz's Law is the quality of restaurant food is inversely proportional to the AMOUT of salt they DUMP in the food. The law of hunger-full cabinets but nothing there you want to eat.
Fudd's First Law of Opposition states "If you push something hard enough, it will fall over"
Teslacle's Deviant to Fudd's First Law - "It goes in - it must come out"
Tommy's Law of Hammock- A lazy man remains in a state of rest in suspended mechanical device with a uniform motion of thought unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force, like a thump on the noggin by the Lady of the Estate. This means that in the absence of a non-zero net force, the center of mass of a body continues to remain at rest, and the thought process moves at a constant speed, usually
zero (blank thoughts) or negligible (eg. where did I put that beer? or I wonder what's for lunch...) * adapted from Aswin Blog entitled CHAOS. Don't think and don't worry. 2/11
Hazel, would you say Murphy's law is similar to the British Sods Law, "Anything that can go wrong, will" ?
"If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway" ...novelty posters that listed Murphy's law, adding "Murphy was an optimist"
Murphy's Law of Thermodynamics " Things get worse under pressure"
Murphy's Constant, "matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value".
Most orginations are like bottles in that the bottle neck is at the top.
The longer you toil in the garden, the more extended the drought. Farmer's Almanac 1876.
Speaking of gardening, I need floricultural advice from those who do and I know there are those amongst you that do quite well. I have a gathering (larger than a flock, smaller than a herd) of gladioli around our mailbox. They bloom a brilliant red every spring. However the weight of the bloom causes them to bend as if paying obeisance to the tiger lilies across the road. I don't want to tie them with twine, they aren't those kind of gladioli and outside of nurturing them with a little blue pill and eight ounces of water, I am at a loss. We generally have enough rain in the spring that I do not provide extra watering. Would extra watering help keep them locked and in an upright position? Or is there some other trick to the trade that I need to learn? (I will read each response thrice and even thrice again if necessary. I can be a diligent student when I've had a good breakfast).
"...Tall varieties will probably need staking to prevent the flower spikes from flopping over in the wind. Hilling the soil will help, but staking individual flower spikes or creating a grid with stakes and string are the best ways to keep flower stalks upright. Single stem supports are ideal. "http://www.gardeners.com/The-Basics-Gladiolus/7128,default,pg.html I am not a college professor, but this might help.
Spring F~ Sod's Law and Murphy's Law are the same thing.
Paolos~ No escape, you'll be glad you staked your glads. If you think 'I will do it tomorrow', it's Sod's Law there will be a storm tonight and you blooming blooms will be flattened.
Thank you Miss Blue. I did not intend to distract you from your studies. I hope all is well in the microworld.
Law of probability? Forget just being watched, these days you are digitally recorded and uploaded to the internet via smartphone for millions of people to revel in your stupidity.
All I know for sure is that when anyone tells me it is foolproof, I find a way to screw it up...so does that make a fool or something even dumber than a fool?
Miss Hazel ~ This year's blooming is done, I didn't know if a deeper planting would help. They seem too fragile for bondage, but if that's what works, who am I to subvert their whims and desires? I have also seen some with the leaves tied down once the blooming is done, is that something else I should be doing? Thank you for your attention. I will await your answer off line.
nachista....no, just human
If any of you have been following Felix Baumgartner’s
adventure scheduled for later this summer, here is an animated preview. Let’s pray Murphy doesn’t catch up with him.
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/RedBullsLongJumpSetForThisSummer_206922-1.html
So if we start with no expectations is there a reverse of Murphy's law? If so I'm going to have to shift to that way of thinking.
I had a girlfriend, years ago, who married a guy named Murphy. She became a nurse....in preparation of all the boo-boos I assume.
I always expect the worst. That way I can be optimistic things will get better!
I shall never make fun of slow-moving Southerners again.
This is the quietest stretch in my lifetime: about one third of the car traffic, virtually no bikers, walkers or runners. Even the squirrels are walking and there are almost no birds to be seen or heard.
It is too hot… for too long.
Thank God for Georgia peaches.
Tommy's Law of Pimply Faced Adolescent Boy Romance- The opposite of love is not hate- It is indifference. Better a slap than a snub.
The squirels who dine on the peanuts and birdseed on my patio have usurped the outdoor furniture for their own R&R - on their stomachs, legs out behind them - and in front of them too, since that's how squirrels are designed - this one in particular has been on the lounger for an awful long time in that position. Should I be worried? As in, he's eaten his last peanut and has chosen my lounger in which to bid adieu to this hot world...? "Either this heat goes, or I do" - and he did...??
STONEY, HELP. DO SOMETHING. CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE OF THIS, THIS IS WHY WE LIVE IN THE MIDWEST BECAUSE 'THIS' DOESN'T HAPPEN, RIGHT? I'M SO DONE WITH BURNING HOT HOT.
Park4, Stoney
If I am not mistaken,
you both are due for some heat breaking stormy weather.
I don't even
go to the grocery store when it's this hot without taking a little cooler with
some ice and water, a straw hat, insect repellent, a folding chair and an umbrella,
sort of the same logic as packing that winter safety kit when traveling.
Crap! Another
brown out followed by an outage. We had a three hour outage between 12am and 3
am the other night. Our old co-op electric company just can't keep the juice on
.....
And as an
added bonus, old Sol has sent out a few very strong MCE's that are headed our
way.
The midwest should be getting the huge rainstorms that passed over us here in Utah yesterday. Please send them back when you've had your fill.
STONEY: Indeed ..............
and they provide such Southern Comfort .......
MISS PARK4: Prepare yourself, way ahead, for August ....... August is the Killer Month, heatwise ... in Texas we actually can, fry Eggs on the sidewalk ... and also ... August is the start of the, "Late Season" for Hurricanes, and Late Season Hurricanes are most always Monstrously Destructive Killers .......
I have had numerous OBE in my life. Some were spiritual experiences. I also experimented with Hallucinogens out of extreme curiosity in my youth and there was that.. Several painless migraines have resulted in light shows and temporary surrealism that are beyond description with human words. However, to the weather we had a similar hot spell back in the 60's and I went to the pool (bikini clad girls were running amok) and I slathered on the usual iodine and baby oil mixture and stayed out in the sun for a good 12 hours and rode home in a non AC vehicle, our old Nomad Station Wagon. When I got to the hacienda I was fried and strangely almost feeling cold and little wierd dots everywhere in my view and then I walked up to my mom and I felt the whole world spinning out of control but as I fell out I remember a giddy feeling of euphoria. Heat Stroke is a dangerous thing. When I came to my mom had somehow carried me to the tub and filled it with cool water. We humans have such a small range of temperature ranges that we can function in. The heat will break soon. My lawn guy is going broke.
To quote Terry Pratchett 'Million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.' He didn't say whether they were good or bad chances...just chances.
Still in Florida...and it is hot here, too, and humid! Saw a colleague friend at breakfast, and then we drove from Panama City to Tallahassee and are going over to another friend's for cookout supper. It is nice to know people all over the state, and to have a retirement schedule to enjoy their company~!
Paolos --My glads also like to fall over, but I got these little green wire stakes at the nursery with an open circle at the top to hold the delicate bloom part. They are not expensive, and do the job of holding up the lovely but heavy blooms. If you cannot find the ones with the circles that encircle the stems, then get plain green ones, put them in the earth by the plant and use green twister ties to loop around the stems between the blooms. As Hazel says, the glads are nearly always too heavy to stand up alone. I have always staked mine, and they look lovely, the wind does not flatten them, and they bloom away! Try it....OH, I also stake the iris stalks bc the wind and rain do the same to them if they are not staked. Good luck and get your stakes now while the summer sales are on so you'll be ready for next May or June!
In the spirit of the day's topic, sometimes even those blooms that are staked will blow over if the rain and wind is strong enough! Lesson: There are no guarantees in life.....some things work most of the time, but few always.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1lYUrhxM8o ;
It is time for me to Sign Off for the end of the Week, with miles to go before I sleep, but I Wish Each and Every One of You a Great Weekend, whether you are continuing the fiesta of the 4th. , or making the Best of another time off ... I Wish You All Good Friends & Family, Good Food, Good Wine, (Good Desserts) and a Safe, Enjoyable Time of Liesure ...
Monday will be there for you when you wake up ... and The Mamas & Papas were Right !!!
To the TRIBE: a GOOD SABBATH !!!
I Wish You All a Sabbath of Peace, of Joy, and Rest .......
"My Soul is Richly Nourished, O Lord ... and I Will Praise You with Joyful Lips ...
When I meditate on You as I lay upon my bed, in the night watches ...
Because You are my Shield and Buckler, and in the Shadow of Your wings, I sing for Joy ...
My Soul clings to You, and Your Right Hand holds me fast ..."
May Our Rest Be Pleasing to Him Who Made The Sabbath For Us .......
Blessings Upon You All .......
IVAN
Hot Sizzlin' Blessings Backacha I-Man. And for all, The Troggs scored big with Wild Thing but also did the very best summer song in my opine- Here she blows- http://youtu.be/FlZ7x9u9wLY
BLESSINGS ON YOU, DEAR IVAN!
Ok. You can make a case for Mungo Jerry and John Sebastian. Hot Town Summer in the City. You can actually see the heat. Nice effect.
Thanks, Ivan for your Friday nite blessing.
Before you start to feel to sorry for the heat-dazed squirrels..........we had a huge grass/brush fire here yesterday that required evacuation of a large neighborhood and the attention of the fire department for over two hours in 104+ temps(!) that the fire inspector says was due to a squirrel....it somehow caused a spark from a power line that ignited the dry vegetation beneath. Watermelon is the most cooling thing I know and berries are not far behind...that's what's been getting me through the days. And salads for dinner or a plate of cold sausages and cheeses.
Park4 ~
We're Vikings for God's sake! Not Guatamalans.
InkyTinky ~
Thirty years ago as I was convalescing from and accident and some surgery, a doctor told a story of his grandfather, the dean of a science department, who got a number of well-to-do families to agree to match his charitable donation.
They did, unaware that he was going to throw 700 grand into the pot. They stood behind it over time and the result was a well equipped part-time rolling vet for the county's poor.
It is still going and has taught a fair number of families how to properly breed and socialize a litter or two of puppies each year and pick up a few thousand dollars.
Score one (a big one) for the gownies.
Ivan ~
Thank you.
Carol ~
There was a big tupperware tub of cut up watermelon in the fridge last night…. was.
Wow! Sorry to hear about the blistering heat...hope it cools down soon!
Ivan, blessings upon you and your household too!
The outdoor temp gauge in the car registered 106 degrees when I was in town today................I was so depressed & hot that I had to buy a pair of sandals on sale.......................
After a month of almost no rain it poured this evening. You could just feel the trees and shrubs & flowers drinking like sailors...................... The perfect weather for napping....................PARK...............is your squirrel still sprawled out like a frog on the lounger??????? he sounds very adorable...................
IVAN.................blessings right back at you!
MISS BLUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..............................hey!
Law of Give 'em something to think about came over me over fish tacos so I'll have a Chesterfield (Lord that is) "Style is the dress of thoughts; and let them be ever so just, if your style is homely, coarse, and vulgar, they will appear to as much disadvantage, and be as ill received, as your person, though ever so well-proportioned, would if dressed in rags, dirt, and tatters.” “The law of nonconformity bleeds over into today's briefcase Coco style- "in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”
bebe ~
I believe that would be 1-0-effing-6.