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Posted on 10/10/2004 4:57:38 PM PDT by sionnsar
THERE'S grim news for people who worry that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. A new mathematical formula has proved Murphy's Law really does strike at the worst possible time.
Ordinary people have long known that computers crash on deadline and cars break down in emergencies, while previous studies have shown the law, also called Sod's Law, is not a myth and toast really does fall buttered side down.
But now a panel of experts has provided the statistical rule for predicting the law of "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" - or ((U+C+I) x (10-S))/20 x A x 1/(1-sin(F/10)).
After tests of the experiences of 1000 people, they have discovered "things don't just go wrong, they do so at the most annoying moment".
Now the experts commissioned by British Gas - a psychologist, a mathematician and an economist - say the formula allows people to calculate the chances of Sod's Law striking, and even try to beat bad luck.
Project psychologist Dr David Lewis said: "The lesson from this is that, to cut the seemingly unbeatable Murphy's Law gremlins down to size, you need to change one of the elements in the equation.
"So, if you haven't got the skill to do something important, leave it alone. If something is urgent or complex, find a simple way to do it. If something going wrong will particularly aggravate you, make certain you know how to do it."
But he added a note of caution: "There is, of course, a Sod's Law factor to the equation. If you judge your ratings wrongly, you might become too optimistic - and calamity will strike."
In the calculation, five factors have to be assessed: urgency (U), complexity (C), importance (I), skill (S) and frequency (F), and each given a score between one and nine. A sixth, aggravation (A), was set at 0.7 by the experts after their poll.
Top of the most likely - and most annoying - events was spilling something down yourself before a date and the hot water heater breaking down in cold weather, followed by rush hour being worse when you're already late.
Somebody paid to do this study???????????
I wonder if the checks bounced????????
You just have to go with the flow. The only valid excuse for anxiety is if FreeRepublic is down.
You SURE this isn't from the Onion, and your just having a little fun with us?
ROTF>>>>:)
The actual law is:
You tend to take more notice of things going wrong,
and particularly when they do so at inopportune times.
Nonetheless, people routinely do not plan, test or
maintain for worst-case scenarios, with the result
that when stress arrives, stuff breaks.
Back when computers were unreliable, I used to schedule
the periodic preventative maintenance for Thursday, so
the tech could come back on Friday and fix what he broke.
Do you back up your PC?
Have you ever actually done a restore?
If not, assume your "backups" are nothing of the sort.
It would be poetic justice.................
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Tis true, tis true..........
The most discouraging part of the numerous sub-tenets of Murphy's Law is the last one: "Murphy was an optimist." Which simply means that things are actually worse than Murphy thought they are!
All I know is
A 1,200.00 laptop will protect a lousy thread by blowing first.......:)
Ouch!!!!!!!!
This has been a Murphy week for me --- so I'm not going there!!!!
Me too! An I aren't goin thar either:)
You tend to take more notice of things going wrong,
and particularly when they do so at inopportune times.
(snip)
Back when computers were unreliable, I used to schedule the periodic preventative maintenance for Thursday, so the tech could come back on Friday and fix what he broke.
Two points: Some dead-and-gone humorist suggested that
with the original Pentium (and follow-ons), Intel and
Microsoft collaborated on special circuits and software
inside PC chips to time breakdowns to increase in response
to a user's urgency, as indicated by such factors as
moisture on fingertips, frequency of backspaces (type-
overs), and so on.
And if you don't believe that legend, there's always
the Sodding Paper ClipTM to deal with.
Remember, computer operators are in the luckiest profession...
because everyone knows, computers go down on you just when you need them the most! (grin)
Have you ever noticed that things break down in threes? And one of them is usually the clothes dryer.
Murphy's Law "What can go wrong will go wrong at the most in opportune moment that will cause the greatest damage and cost the most to repair." sheesh ---- ya can't break it!
His cousin O'Malley said it best; "Me cousin Murph is damned optimist!"
Unless of course you are depending on Murphy's Law, in which case it won't apply...
PLEASE.........NOOOOOOOOOOOO
Bad enough my car and my computer - not my dryer, please, please not the dryer.
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FReepmail me if you want on or off this list.
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