General knowledge
A Miracle Comes Once a Month: Littlewood’s Law
Littlewood’s Law is the rule of thumb that an event as rare as one in a million happens to an ordinary person about once a month. This article explains its origins with J. E. Littl
General knowledge
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General knowledge
Headlines That End in a Question Mark Usually Mean No: Betteridge's Law of Headlines
Betteridge's law of headlines is the adage that any headline ending in a question mark can almost always be answered with a single word: no. This article covers how the law came ab
General knowledge
Joke or Sincere? Poe’s Law
Poe’s Law is the internet rule of thumb that, without a clear sign of the author’s intent, a parody of extreme views will inevitably be taken as sincere by someone. We look at wher
General knowledge
Refuting Takes Ten Times the Effort: Brandolini's Law
Brandolini's Law is the rule of thumb that refuting a false claim takes far more effort than producing it. We look at where the law came from, why rebuttals are so hard, older insi
General knowledge
Masterpieces Are Always the Few: Sturgeon's Law
Sturgeon's Law is the rule of thumb that 90% of anything is crud. We look at how it came about, what it really means, similar ideas that came before it, and how to use it wisely in
General knowledge
Suspect a Mistake Before Malice: Hanlon’s Razor
Hanlon’s Razor is a rule of thumb that says not to blame malice for what mistakes or foolishness can adequately explain. This piece covers where it came from, why we tend to read o
General knowledge
Anything That Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong: Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law is the rule of thumb that anything that can go wrong eventually will. This piece covers its origins in the U.S. Air Force's MX981 rocket sled tests and Edward Murphy's
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It Always Takes Longer Than Expected: Hofstadter’s Law
Hofstadter’s Law says that it always takes longer than you expect, even when you take the law into account. This piece covers its origin in Gödel, Escher, Bach, its recursive struc
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Know the Reason Before You Tear It Down: Chesterton’s Fence
Chesterton’s Fence is the principle that you shouldn’t remove a rule or custom until you understand why it exists. This piece covers its origin in G. K. Chesterton’s 1929 essay, th
General knowledge
The Brain’s Limit on Relationships: Dunbar’s Number
Why can contact lists grow while deep ties stay few? Dunbar’s Number says humans can sustainably keep only so many stable relationships—often about 150—layered as roughly 5, 15, 50
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The More You Hide It, the Further It Spreads: The Streisand Effect
Why does trying to hide information make it spread even further? This article covers the 2003 lawsuit that gave the Streisand effect its name, four reasons suppression backfires, w
General knowledge
When the Number Becomes the Goal: Goodhart's Law
Why does a measure stop being a good measure once it becomes a target? This article explains the origin and logic of Goodhart's law, examples such as the cobra effect, and how to u