Originally discovered by technicians on crash tests at Cailfornia in 1949, Murphy's Laws spread quickly. They were spotted everywhere: buses always came in threes, desperately needed objects became invisible, etc...

Well, let us post them over here..

These are some of my favorite picks among the Murphy's Laws regarding software/technology. I've taken them from 'Why the toast always lands the butter side down' by Richard Robinson.

1) "If it's not in the computer, it does not exist."

2) "Whenever a system becomes completaly defined, some damn fool discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition."

3) "Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget. Or, all is well that ends."

4) "If there is the possibility of several things going wrong, then the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong."

But why make you suffer more?! Should not make it lengthy for Murphy also says, "The longer you look at a page, the more the words don't get in."

Oops, I misspelt the thread title.

O'Toole's Commentary:

"Murphy was an optimist."

I'd say some of his observations sound pessimistic (sometimes even wierd); but they are surprisingly realistic.

Here's probably all the Murphyisms you could ever want or need

http://www.murphys-laws.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law

I apologize. Perhaps the spacing I used made it difficult to recognize the context I was giving.

The phrase 'Murphy was an optimist' is the 'law' called O'Toole's Commentary. As you yourself pointed out, the hypothetical original Murphy would seem to have been somewhat, if not severely, pessimistic. So how pessimistic must O'Toole's outlook have been?

How 'bout the 3 laws of thermodynamics re-phrased:
1) You can't win
2) You can't break even
3) You can't get out of the game.

Murphy fought entropy and entropy won

I guess that would be pessmistic beyond the realms of reality.

Capitalism is based on the false assumption you can win (but government prevents that)

Socialism is based on the false assumption that you can break even.

Mysticism and Transcendental Meditation are based on the false assumption that you can quit the game.

More laws:

Imbesi's law on the conservation of filth:
- In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty.
- But you can get everything dirty without getting anything clean.

Boren's laws:
1. When in charge, ponder.
2. When in trouble, delegate.
3. When in doubt, mumble.

Corollary for cats:
3. When in doubt, wash.

The waste multiplier law:
- If you put a teaspoon of wine in a barrel full of sewage, you get sewage.
- If you put a teaspoon of sewage in a barrel full of wine, you get sewage.

- If you set n mousetraps, the n+1 mouse gets all the cheese.

Measurement laws:
1. measure with micrometer
2. Mark with chalk
3. Cut with ax
4. Measure once, cut twice

Lurry's commentary on the measurement laws:

Measure once, cut once, measure again, cut again, get another piece and start over because it's now too short.

Lowry's Laws of the Lab:
1. Hot glass looks exactly like cold glass.
2. Once an experiment is fouled up, anything done to improvement makes it worse.
3. For any given result, someone can be found to fake it, deny it, or claim it happened according to his pet theory.
4. If n ingredients are needed for an experiment, n-1 will be available.

Zymurgy's evolving system dynamics law:
- Once a can of worms is opened, you need a bigger can to recan them.

Dobbin's law:
- When in doubt, use a bigger hammer.

Ulan's law on traffic congestion:
- Roads cause traffic like mice cause cheese.