History Main / FinaglesLaw

* MistakenForIndex

* BoobyTrap, in cases where they go off on people ''other'' than those they're meant for.

* TheFunInFuneral

* MaternityCrisis

* PointyHairedBoss

Expressions of Finagle's Law include:

* ASimplePlan

*** ThePreciousPreciousCar

Sometimes called "Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives." [[LaymansTerms A simplified version]], often called Murphy's law(or Sod’s law) is this:

The true Finagle's Law is stronger than "anything that can go wrong ''will'' go wrong". It allows for things going well, as the universe is merely lulling you into a false sense of security before proceeding to screw things up for you. It also allows for things that can't go wrong going wrong; some cases of this count as GoneHorriblyRight.

Sometimes called "Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives." [[LaymansTerms A simplified version]], often called Murphy's law, is this:

* DisasterDominoes

Sometimes called "Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives." [[LaymansTerms A simplified version is this]]:

Amongst the general populace, this is usually called "MurphysLaw". However, there is another Murphy's Law -- though still related to this one -- "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it." In layman's terms, that means that if someone plugs in a toaster [[ReversePolarity backwards]] and it fries itself, the problem isn't just that some idiot plugged it in backward, but that it was able to be plugged in backwards in the first place. ''Someone's'' going to try and mess it up [[HanlonsRazor (or mess it up without trying)]].

The name "Finagle's Law" was coined in order to have a correct name for the law. The term was popularized by SF writer Creator/LarryNiven. More on Finagle's Law can be found in the [[http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/F/Finagles-Law.html Hacker's Jargon File]]. (The concept can sometimes also be used seriously in certain real-life situations. For example in computer programming this is the driving principle behind so-called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_programming defensive programming]].)

* LawOfDisproportionateResponse

This is '''Finagle's Law''':

See also HanlonsRazor. No relation to [[TheHorrorOfPartyBeach Fingal's Quarry]]; nor to Webcomic/MurphysLaw, a webcomic. For other uses of Murphy's Law, see [[MurphysLaw the disambiguation page]].

Amongst the general populace, this is usually called "Murphy's Law". However, there is [[MurphysLaw another Murphy's Law]] -- though still related to this one -- "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it." In layman's terms, that means that if someone plugs in a toaster [[ReversePolarity backwards]] and it fries itself, the problem isn't just that some idiot plugged it in backward, but that it was able to be plugged in backwards in the first place. ''Someone's'' going to try and mess it up [[HanlonsRazor (or mess it up without trying)]].

Amongst the general populace, this is usually called "MurphysLaw". However, there is another Murphy's Law -- though still related to this one -- "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it." In layman's terms, that means that if someone plugs in a toaster [[ReversePolarity backwards]] and it fries itself, the problem isn't just that some idiot plugged it in backward, but that it was able to be plugged in backwards in the first place. ''Someone's'' going to try and mess it up [[HanlonsRazor (or mess it up without trying)]].

''Anything that can go wrong, '''will''' go wrong.''

This is Finagle's Law:

Amongst the general populace, this is usually called "MurphysLaw." However, there is another Murphy's Law -- though still related to this one -- "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it." In layman's terms, that means that if someone plugs in a toaster [[ReversePolarity backwards]] and it fries itself, the problem isn't just that some idiot plugged it in backward, but that it was able to be plugged in backwards in the first place. ''Someone's'' going to try and mess it up [[HanlonsRazor (or mess it up without trying)]].

->'''Marty''': Doc, about the future--\\
'''Doc''': No! Marty, we already agreed that having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically!
-->-- ''Film/BackToTheFuture''

The name "Finagle's Law" was coined in order to have a correct name for the law. The term was popularized by SF writer LarryNiven. More on Finagle's Law can be found in the [[http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/F/Finagles-Law.html Hacker's Jargon File]]. (The concept can sometimes also be used seriously in certain real-life situations. For example in computer programming this is the driving principle behind so-called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_programming defensive programming]].)

''Anything that can go wrong, '''will''' go wrong, normally in the [[LogicalExtreme worst way possible]].''