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Survey Says To UK — Repeal Laws of Thermodynamics
mostxlnt writes "As we noted, the new Tory UK government has launched a website asking its subjects which laws they'd most like repealed. There are proposals up for repeal of the Laws of Thermodynamics: Second, Third, and all (discussion thread on this one closed by a moderator). One comment on the Third [now apparently deleted] elucidated: 'Without the Third Law of Thermodynamics, it would be possible to build machines that would last forever and provide an endless source of cheap energy. thus solving both potential crises in energy supply as well as solving the greenhouse gas problem in one step... simples... eh?'"
idiots pour through.
No other way.
Government actually uses the internet for something potentially beneficial, and people troll it. I'm surprised there isn't anything related to lazers, mudkips, or Pedobear on there.
I think it's happening because of this article on a British clone of The Onion, called NewsBiscuit... http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2010/07/05/nick-clegg-to-repeal-second-law-of-thermodynamics/
These aren't complete idiots. Everyone knows the First Law is what prevents robots doing harm to humans.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
You know, if you squint really, really hard, that rolled up newspaper looks an awful lot like an olive branch. The thing is, they both smart when you're being whacked with 'em.
I remember a news article that circulated around the communications company where I worked, on some April 1st, saying that Shannon's Law had been repealed, and the company was ready to release a new product offering high speed Internet access over HF on a 2.8 kHz channel. So, I'd vote for Shannon's Law to be repealed.
Gravity, that Law that keeps me form drifting out into space and into the sun?
Wait, if Gravity were gone, that wouldn't happen, because the sun couldn't pull me either.
What the hell would happen?
I don't post AC. I like my -1, Flamebaits. Trump/Sheen 2012 on the Batshit Insane ticket!
The reason this is largely being treated as a joke by the British people is that most of the unpopular laws are coming from Brussels, not London. There isn't much the British government can do about EU directives, besides withdraw from the EU. And that's not on the table.
American Third Position
Finally, a real choice!
Here was I thinking we had a coalition of Tory and Libs.
We need simple easy to remember mathmatical and physical constants. Alabama failed to pass this modification to the universe. Washington could do much better.
When I was young, I had to rub sticks together to compute.
I actually thought about this once, not that I have any illusions about being able to do it; it was just a Gedankenexperiment. My conclusion was that if the Second Law was eliminated, the odds are good that somewhere in the universe some process would enter a feedback loop, producing ever more energy at an ever accelerating rate, and the first we'd know about it would be when the shock wave washed over us at a substantial fraction of the speed of light.
The universe as it stands may be a raw deal, but most imaginable tweaks to the laws of physics make it even worse.
Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
Well what the hell did you expect? The site is little more than theater
It is because people like you are making it one.
What if it's real? Why try to kill something that might actually help before it has a chance to show if it's theater or not?
Why is it so hard to believe that a group being voted in on a wave of people finding the government unreasonable, might in fact want to git rid of some of the more egregious laws that have sprung up? It seems pretty obvious if you get rid of very unpopular laws you (and your group) are going to win more elections. So the thought that it's theater did not occur to me, if for no other reason than politician self-interest - and do you really want to bet against THAT?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
And they that sarcasm doesn't travel well.
In case it wasn't entirely obvious, these are jokes. The whole process is a farce, so people are making jokes. I know, I know, I shouldn't have to say.
When you are caught break a regular law (speeding, larceny, etc.), you can expect to be punished with a fine or worse.
If you manage to break any of the Laws of Thermodynamics, you can expect to be lauded, copied, co-author a stream of high-impact papers, get offered some cushy sinecures, and eventually receive a Nobel prize.
The far likelier outcome, of course, is to be given an Ignobel prize, for a fruitless and ill-conceived waste of effort. I suspect the UK government can look forward to at least an honorable mention at the next Ig award ceremonies.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
It's not a Tory government, it's a coalition government.
The first law of Thermodynamics is that YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THERMODYNAMICS!
If a man empties his purse into his head no man can take it from him. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/restoring-civil-liberties/repeal-the-british-north-america-act-1867
It's a joke, amazed that you guys think these submissions are from idiots that believe this is possible. It's a British site, we enjoy taking the piss out of government crap.
...rule 34?
is it a law?
Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
Once. I mentioned to my Dad how neat the centrifugal force was. Then he pushed me off.
I mean really, it's not even tagged "Funny". Probably because people trolling what appears to be a legitimate attempt by an oppressive government to actually be, you know, less oppressive, really isn't funny to begin with.
Same goes for the previous "story", whose title is not just grossly misleading, but plain wrong. Curiously, these two stories have the same editor. And yes, I'm willing to risk my karma to point this out.
This post expresses my opinion, not that of my employer. And yes, IAAL.
The reason this is largely being treated as a joke by the British people is that most of the unpopular laws are coming from Brussels, not London.
I found another online survey the results of which reflects similar sentiments.
The serious favourite for repeal on that site is the law against cannabis. Perfectly reasonable law to repeal. Plenty of good reasons for doing so. But there's no change the government will do so. They aren't really interested in hearing what the public wants. They just want it to appear that they are listening.
Hence why the public choose to ridicule the whole thing by voting for the repeal of various laws of physics.
Of course, successive British governments have realised that people think this. So they've taken to passing all the really unpopular laws by asking their appointees in the EU to push for EU-wide laws on the subject. If necessary, any additional nastiness above and beyond what the EU is willing to do can be inserted into the British implementation of the EU directives. The press are guaranteed to still blame it all on Europe, and only people who've been paying close attention notice it's a load of bullshit.