The generalised or "folk" veRSion of Murphy' s Law, fully named "Finagle' s Law of Dynamic Negatives" and usually rendered "Anything that can go wrong, will". One variant favoured among hackeRS is "The perveRSity of the UniveRSe tends toward a maximum". The label "Finagle' s Law" was popularised by SF author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of asteroid mineRS this "Belter" culture professed a religion and/or running joke involving the woRShip of the dread god Finagle and his mad prophet Murphy. [Jargon File] (1995-12-14)