3068: Rock Identification - Revision history

FaviFake: /* Explanation */ complete

2025-06-16T13:45:04Z

‎Explanation: complete

FaviFake: not funny, grammar

2025-04-18T15:05:37Z

not funny, grammar

DKMell: touch-up

2025-03-28T17:35:08Z

touch-up

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T16:34:13Z

‎Explanation

108.162.241.211: /* Explanation */ fixed some grammar errors and added some paragraphs

2025-03-27T14:44:20Z

‎Explanation: fixed some grammar errors and added some paragraphs

172.69.43.220: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T13:04:54Z

‎Explanation

141.101.98.227: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T10:01:06Z

‎Explanation

141.101.98.226: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T09:59:07Z

‎Explanation

141.101.98.226: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T09:56:14Z

‎Explanation

141.101.98.227: /* Explanation */

2025-03-27T09:55:23Z

‎Explanation

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:45, 16 June 2025
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4.}}~~
	{{w\|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock, or the presence of local sediments.		{{w\|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock, or the presence of local sediments.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Explanation==
 {{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4.}}
 {{w|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock, or the presence of local sediments.
-In the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]], who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information. [[Randall]] then insinuates that this issue of provenance is a minor hurdle, and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to motivate the geologist you ask by paying them for the service. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would discourage them from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
+In the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]], who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information. [[Randall]] then insinuates that this issue of provenance is a minor hurdle and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to motivate the geologist you ask by paying them for the service. As the old adage says, "If you’re good at something, never do it for free." Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would discourage them from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
-In the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, likely to pay/bribe Ponytail, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency.{{citation needed}} (Furthermore, if a rock was wrapped in paper and put in a hole in the ground, the $5 bill would be covered with dirt and no longer be usable.) Palming people with "tips" like this when trying to {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|sweeten an interaction}} is a common trope, the implication being that whatever happens to the attached object (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
+In the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, likely to pay/bribe Ponytail, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency. (Furthermore, if a rock was wrapped in paper and put in a hole in the ground, the $5 bill would be covered with dirt and no longer be usable.) Palming people with "tips" like this when trying to {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|sweeten an interaction}} is a common trope, the implication being that whatever happens to the attached object (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
-This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?", or to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, e.g., "Why is this granite red?", or even to just provide the kind of fuller details that can give the expert more confidence that any answer they give is more useful to you.
+This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask pre-emptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?", or to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, e.g., "Why is this granite red?", or even to just provide the kind of fuller details that can give the expert more confidence that any answer they give is more useful to you.
-The conversation continues in the title text, with Cueball asking about the economic price of the rock which, unfortunately for him, is [https://www.geologysuperstore.com/product/garnet-mica-schist/ quite low] as a hand-sized sample. He may find this out by paying Ponytail another $5 bill. Unfortunately for him, he cannot know whether the total outlay will be offset in full (or more) until he has already made the second payment, or gone to the trouble of trying to blindly recoup his expenses from the first gratuity, not even knowing if he's badly over- or underpricing any offer he might get.
+The conversation continues in the title text, with Cueball asking about the economic price of the rock which, unfortunately for him, is [https://www.geologysuperstore.com/product/garnet-mica-schist/ quite low] as a hand-sized sample. He may find this out by paying Ponytail another $5 bill. Unfortunately for him, he cannot know whether the total outlay will be offset in full (or more) until he has already made the second payment, or gone to the trouble of trying to blindly recoup his expenses from the first gratuity, not even knowing if he's badly over- or under-pricing any offer he might get.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Explanation==
 {{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4.}}
-{{w|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources or to explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock or the presence of local sediments.
+{{w|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock, or the presence of local sediments.
-In the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]] who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information.
+In the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]], who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information. [[Randall]] then insinuates that this issue of provenance is a minor hurdle, and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to motivate the geologist you ask by paying them for the service. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would discourage them from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
-[[Randall]] then insinuates that this issue of provenance is a minor hurdle, and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to motivate the geologist you ask by paying them for the service. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would technically discourage one from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
+In the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, likely to pay/bribe Ponytail, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency.{{citation needed}} (Furthermore, if a rock was wrapped in paper and put in a hole in the ground, the $5 bill would be covered with dirt and no longer be usable.) Palming people with "tips" like this when trying to {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|sweeten an interaction}} is a common trope, the implication being that whatever happens to the attached object (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
-In the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, likely to bribe Ponytail, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency{{citation needed}}. Furthermore, if a rock was wrapped in paper and put in a hole in the ground, the $5 bill would be covered with dirt and no longer be usable. Palming people with "tips" like this is a typical trope, when {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|trying to sweeten an interaction}}. The implication being, whatever happens to the object to which it is attached (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
+This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?", or to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, e.g., "Why is this granite red?", or even to just provide the kind of fuller details that can give the expert more confidence that any answer they give is more useful to you.
-This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?". Or, to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, i.e. "Why is this granite red?" Or even just provide the kind of fuller details that can give the expert more confidence that any answer they give is more useful to you.
+The conversation continues in the title text, with Cueball asking about the economic price of the rock which, unfortunately for him, is [https://www.geologysuperstore.com/product/garnet-mica-schist/ quite low] as a hand-sized sample. He may find this out by paying Ponytail another $5 bill. Unfortunately for him, he cannot know whether the total outlay will be offset in full (or more) until he has already made the second payment, or gone to the trouble of trying to blindly recoup his expenses from the first gratuity, not even knowing if he's badly over- or underpricing any offer he might get.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
-{{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
+{{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4.}}
 {{w|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources or to explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features that can form similar-looking hard things, such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock or the presence of local sediments.

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 [[Randall]] then insinuates that this issue of provenance is a minor hurdle, and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to motivate the geologist you ask by paying them for the service. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would technically discourage one from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
-To this end, in the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency. Palming people "tips" like this is a typical trope, when {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|trying to sweeten an interaction}}. The implication being, whatever happens to the object to which it is attached (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
+In the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a {{w|United States five-dollar bill|$5 bill}}, likely to bribe Ponytail, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy enough for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency{{citation needed}}. Furthermore, if a rock was wrapped in paper and put in a hole in the ground, the $5 bill would be covered with dirt and no longer be usable. Palming people with "tips" like this is a typical trope, when {{tvtropes|EveryManHasHisPrice|trying to sweeten an interaction}}. The implication being, whatever happens to the object to which it is attached (a rock, a driver's license, an offered handshake), the cash is discreetly kept by the recipient.
 This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?". Or, to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, i.e. "Why is this granite red?" Or even just provide the kind of fuller details that can give the expert more confidence that any answer they give is more useful to you.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Explanation==
 {{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-{{w|Geologists}}, being the specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or to explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called.  It is somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them - as this gives such features as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock or the presence of local sediments that can form into similar looking hard things.
+{{w|Geologists}}, being specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called on to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or to explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It can be somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location and the materials that surround them, as this gives information on features such as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock, or the presence of local sediments that can form similar-looking hard things.
-Thus in the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]] who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information.
+In the first panel [[Cueball]] is seen handing a rock to the geologist [[Ponytail]] who tells him something like the above and concludes that she cannot identify the rock without more information.
-[[Randall]] then insinuates that this is just a lie geologists insinuate to obtain free money from curious people looking to identify rocks and assures that the best way to get rocks identified is to pay the geologist you ask. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would technically discourage one from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
+[[Randall]] then insinuates that this is just a lie geologists spread to obtain free money from curious people looking to identify rocks, and implies that the best way to get rocks identified is to pay the geologist you ask. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would technically discourage one from “giving away” such a valuable skill.
 So in the second panel Cueball has wrapped the rock in a $5 bill, and claims that this is how he found it. Suddenly it is easy for Ponytail to identify that it looks like {{w|garnets}} in a {{w|mica schist}}, despite the fact that it was presumably not naturally surrounded by currency. Handing people "tips" like this is a typical trope.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?". Or, to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, i.e. "Why is this granite red?"
-The conversation continues in the title text, with Cueball asking about the economic price of the rock which, unfortunately for him, is quite [https://www.geologysuperstore.com/product/garnet-mica-schist/ low] as a hand sized sample. He may find this out after first having paid Ponytail another $5 bill. Unfortunately for him, he cannot know whether this will be a good deal until he has already made it.
+The conversation continues in the title text, with Cueball asking about the economic price of the rock which, unfortunately for him, is quite [https://www.geologysuperstore.com/product/garnet-mica-schist/ low] as a hand sized sample. He may find this out by paying Ponytail another $5 bill. Unfortunately for him, he cannot know whether this will be a good deal until he has already made it.
 ==Transcript==