[net.rumor] Murphy's Laws

robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (11/06/84)

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A progress report on Murphy:  Numerous people have sent me similar
stories indicating that Murphy was a real person who said of a
specific individual, something like "if there's a way to do it wrong,
he'll find it."  Apparently Murphy has been interviewed in a
magazine within the last five years.  Can anyone help me with
a reference?  Following the suggestion of:

	eosp1!{allegra, seismo}!rochester!stuart (Stu Friedberg)

I will be looking in the Guide to Periodical Literature, last 1-5 yrs,
especially 2-3 years ago, perhaps Time or Newsweek, or (another
suggestion) an Engineering magazine.

If people's recollections are accurate, I expect to find that Murphy
predates Chisolm by about four years.  Then again...

(For those who missed my previous posting, Francis Chisolm wrote a piece
between 1958 and 1961, reprinted in "A Stress Analysis of a Strapless
Evening Gown",  that makes it sound as if he is the discoverer of most
of "Murphy's laws".  I am trying to trace the origins of Murphy.)

  - Toby Robison
  allegra!eosp1!robison
  or: decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
  alternate: princeton!eosp1!robison

ewok@ucbvax.ARPA (Lisa Rodgin) (11/09/84)

<no matter where you go, there you are>

	All you people who know about the 'real' Murphy and his Law,
how would you like your knowledge to be preserved forever in the
Folklore Archives of the University of California? 
	The background: I am taking a course in anthropology where
we are required to collect items of folklore, such as Murphy's Law, 
and try to determine where and when they were heard and thus
to ultimately determine their origin (and possibly their deep
philosophical meaning).
	I would really be happy if anyone who has heard of
the real Murphy and his Law(s) would send me the following information:

	any details about Murphy and his Laws
	where you heard these details
	when you heard about them
	who you are:
			name, address, age, background (ethnic and/or
				occupational, as relevant)
	

note: please do not tell me something that you read in a book.
	that doesn't count...


			to the future of folklore,

					thanks,
						-lisa

						{ewok.BERKELEY}

mark@uf-csv.UUCP (mark fishman [fac]) (11/20/84)

What law do you suppose accounts for the curious phenomenon that, when asked to
provide an account of the provenience of Murphy's Law, no two members of the
net come up with the same answer?  No, don't tell me, I'll have it in a
minute...