…the fourth law of thermodynamics–the attorney-entropy principle–which states that ambitious, intelligent young people who can’t decide what to do for a living decompose into lawyers.
David Owen, The New Yorker, August 29, 2011, p. 25
The fifth law of thermodynamics–the side project-entropy cusp–any side project begun before your comprehensive exam stands a good chance of generating your thesis; any “side project” begun after those exams smells of procrastination in the guise of breadth.
Posted by pheidole 
Survive and Thrive in Grad School 