[meteorite-list] Meteorwrongs and tolerance

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:45 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C8698E58D0_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Hi Dean,

> Since a few folks on the board have opted to slam an
> individual for his ongoing postings of meteorwrongs,
> I thought I'd post one of my old favorites, how to let
> a guy down easy. This is a real letter to a real guy,
> and it fits the occasion. Good for a laugh, and some
> of you guys need to take the hint.

I actually posted this apocryphal story to the list at
some point in the last year for a few yucks. It's actually
not a true story, but I've always loved it none-the-less.

While I generally agree with the spirit of your advice as
it applies to enthusiastic tyros, I recognize that there is
a reasonable tolerance threshold among the cognescenti --
particularly when solicited advice and suggestions are
partially ignored, or worse, disdained. Our young friend
has been given some excellent, constructive advice by a
number of list members, and some day if/when he makes his
first real meteorite find he will probably look back on
some of his early posts with a touch of embarrassment.

So, good people, try to resist the temptation to ridicule
or scold -- better to simply delete the message if it
grates on you. Maybe some kind soul could mail a copy
of _Rocks From Space_ to Mohamed, or perhaps better yet
one of the aforementioned field guides to rocks and
minerals.

For Mohamed, my advice would be to invest some percentage
of those hours in the field recovering specimens into
reading up on rocks and minerals, buying a streak plate,
a 10x or 12x jeweler's loupe, and a diamond file for
windowing hand specimens.

Best wishes,
Rob
Received on Sat 12 Jan 2002 05:52:28 PM PST