I thought the “perpetual motion machine” reference would be sufficient to indicate that I was being ironic. It seemed the least cruel approach to mock the original poster’s unfamiliarity with the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
And I thought my reference to the solar panels that produced more energy than was put in would highlight my “ironic” statement. This was, as you smugly describe, another reference to the laws of thermodynamics.
smug: contentedly confident of one’s ability, superiority, or correctness; complacent.
