Shit Posting: Hollywood Arithmetic

The only branch of mathematics to allow equations consisting entirely of positive values to yield a negative result via division by zero. While this has revolutionised the methodology of financial auditing and statistical analysis, its practical application in the field of science has been found to be limited in scope. One notable attempt was the Hollywood Hyperdrive®, a trademarked and patented system of interstellar transport, whereby the unfathomable depths of space are simply reduced to a more manageable scale, allowing viable transport between galaxies using conventional propulsory means. It never made it off paper because its core premise was deemed "non compos mentis", and the bombardment of subsequent lawsuits targeting tech firms for patent infringement and trademark dilution set actual space travel back by more than a century. In all other regards though, it was considered a financial and commercial success, the balance sheets showing some of the cleanest losses in history.

Advancements in IP laws made Hollywood Arithmetic redundant some time during the early 24th century, and it has since taken on something of a cult status. Every year during the holiday season, adults and children alike look forward to rounding up its practitioners—identifiable by their tendency to write complex pseudo-equations on mirrors with a marker pen—and busting their legs with transaction records encased in concrete, before nailing them to a burning tree.