"Theodore Hapner" making the rounds

In a bit of humor, the Pacific Institute has suggested that chemist Theodore Hapner "may soon be finding himself on the shortlist for openings in industry-funded think-tanks, cable news show guest lists, and Federal science agency appointments."

The Onion had reported Hapner "managed to disprove two of the three laws of thermodynamics and show that gold is a noxious gas."

Hapner was separately quoted: "But then, wasn't Einstein ridiculed when he unveiled his theory of relativity, or Copernicus when he posited that the Earth revolved around the sun? True, I have since proved them both wrong, but at least they took risks."

Of course, "Theodore Hapner" is a fictional construct, whose story is being copied onto various internet websites. But, one wonders whether a (fictional) patent application of Hapner will enter into the "patent quality" debate.