Most people know about about Godwin's Law. In short (quoting Wikipedia), this adage states: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1."
Here are a few other internet forum laws with particular relevance to the New Zealand scene.
Slater's Law: this is similar to Godwin's law. but swap out "Hitler" for "Cameron Slater" and "Nazis" for "Whaleoil". This law can be seen in practice on various left blogs.
Trotter's Law: Whatever Chris Trotter predicts about the left, the exact opposite will eventuate.
Mclauchlan's Law: Whatever the Dim Post predicts about the left will almost always eventuate.
The Red Alert Own Goal Law: All the good work put in by hard-working MPs on Labour's blogsite will be undone in an instant by one person's intemperate post.
Edwards' Law: As you get older and have more time to reflect on things you will use your blog to turn on everything and everyone you once loved.
Farrar's Law: The more time you spend reading the comments the more your health will suffer.
The Law of Common Sense: As a blog discussion grows longer, the probability that Pete George will turn up approaches 1.
Brown's Law: Every blog thread will descend into a discussion about coffee.
Edgeler's Law: Graeme knows more than you do about everything.
I'll keep adding more as I/you think of them.
Have I missed any?
Friday, June 8, 2012
21 comments:
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2. Please don't abuse or defame others.
3. Moronic or nonsensical comments may be deleted.
4. I don't often exercise the heavy hand of censorship, but I do reserve the right to delete any comment I don't like, for any reason.
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I have had such a laugh - especially the Law of Common Sense!!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you forgot Imperator's Law - As the posts grow longer the probability of having a good guffaw or chuckle approaches 1."
I agree the law of common sense is very funny and very accurate. Is there a law of common sense 1.1? The more comments that Pete George makes in a thread the less likely it is that the discussion contained in the threads will reflect what was in the original post?
ReplyDeleteVery good.
ReplyDeleteNothing about the likelihood of having me offer a correction?
ReplyDeleteFixed that.
DeleteWhy no Martyn's Law?
ReplyDeleteSurely Slater's Law is the same thing.
DeleteLynn's law: The longer time goes without a post by Lynn Prentice the higher the likelihood that the next post will be a dissertation about what a crash-hot sys-op he is.
ReplyDeleteNeeds a Lew's law and /or a Pablo's law.
ReplyDeleteBut my brain is struggling to come up with one for them..... Maybe something on convoluted torturous sentences for Pablo???
Savage Micky's law: the more one complains about threads being hijacked the more jack shit one makes a thread. Also known as Toothless Troll's Law.
ReplyDeleteWith a complete lack of self awareness Petey helps prove the law of common sense!
DeletePetey when you try to say something funny you should ensure that you are armed with a sense of humour ...
McCroskie's law: the more ubiquitous you are, the more likely your name is to be mis-spelled. Also known as Clarke's Law and Keys' Law.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant and accurate
DeletePenny's law of considered opinions?
ReplyDeleteUre's law: despite promoting your own blog repetitively on someone else's blog, you still end up spending all day commenting on someone else's blog as only tumbleweeds are visiting yours.
ReplyDeleteNo I think that's my law.
DeleteBernard Hickey (interest.co.nz Law): The more discussion on any topic progresses, the likelihood about it becoming a discussion of peak oil and malthusian doom approaches 1 (exponentially of course).
ReplyDeleteThe Law of the Whang: to be made the subject of an internet law, an individual must possess a penis.
ReplyDeleteThe Exception that Proves the Law of the Whang: Cactus Kate.
The Law of Mandatory Retirement: If you recognise and appreciate the relevance of all the laws mentioned on this tread, you immediately must stop reading so many blogs.
The Standard's Law: What Lynn Says ... OK?
Imperator Fish's Law:
ReplyDeleteThe importance of the issue addressed in the blogger's post shall be inversely proportional to the number of comments on that post.
e.g. ...
Imminent Nuclear Annihilation: zero replies.
Some blogger in an obscure South Pacific country abusing another blogger about Imminent Nuclear Annihilation: infinite replies.
Re: Bernard Hickey's Law.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't the the likelihood of becoming a discussion of peak oil and malthusian doom approach 1 according to a logistic function rather than an exponential function?
... or copyright. Or cycling. Things beginning with "C" anyway.
ReplyDelete