Greeting Earthling: Recognize My True Worth

[tribdog]

Greetings. I have been on your planet for centuries. Like you I am carbon based, I have two eyes like you. I have two hands and ten fingers just like you. In many ways we are alike, but unlike you I know my true worth. I am always strong, as is my entire family. I do not suffer from jealousy or hard-headedness, but you seldom give me respect. So go ahead Earthling, hit me, throw me away, do what you will. At least recognize me.

 

[tribdog]

I guess the question is, who said that?

 

[T@P]

...ummmm maybe it would be easier if we approximately knew what time period that was in? its not exactly shakespeare now is it...

 

[tribdog]

it was said 12/17/2004 at 6:07pm.

 

[Cosmo16]

Is the answer You?

 

[poolwin2001]

A dog...

 

[matthyaouw]

A dog...

If your dog posesses those charachteristics and talks to you, chances are what you have there is a rather hairy man crawling about on his knees. This being the case, I'd cast him out if I were you, before you get a reputation for leading naked men around on a leash.

 

[tribdog]

Select for a hint The reason I put the jealousness and hard headedness was so that you wouldn't think of green or metal, eliminating paper money and coins.

 

[Gokul43201]

While the eyes, hands and fingers are troublesome in themselves, the opening statement worries me more.

When you say "centuries", it sounds like it's a smaller time than tens or hundreds of millenia. This eliminates all plant life, and most animals too...and in fact, seems to point towards something that may, after all, be man-made. But it would seem unusual for a man-made thing to have to go introduce itself to man and explain its characteristics...unless it's inadvertently made...like some kind of by-product. So anyway, that's where I'm stuck...more or less.

Also, I can't think of a thing that's got anything resembling 2 eyes, 2 hands and 10 fingers.

 

[NoTime]

Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus.
I don't think I have ever met an Earthling.

The hint isn't much help.
Coins are not carbon based.
While US paper money has two eyes, I don't think I have ever seen any currency with hands and fingers.

It's tough being green.

 

[ceptimus]

I was thinking gloves. Most gloves don't have eyes; boxing gloves do (where the laces go through) but they always have more than two. What else has eyes? potatoes? needles? Horses have hands (to measure their height in)... Nah... I give up.

 

[tribdog]

Select for a hint Yes this is an inanimate object and how many forms of carbon can you think of?

 

[DaveC426913]

I want to say 'silicon', but it's too much of a stretch.

- it's been on our planet for a long time (a *very* long time - centuries is a red herring)
- it is in the same periodic family as carbon (carbon-based)
- it has two 'i's
- I thought the '2 hands and ten fingers' might be a metaphor for its electron orbitals
- it's 'true worth' is Atomic number 14
- 'strong' would somehow refer to its elemental/chemical properties, and would be similar to its 'entire family' on the periodic table
- 'jealousy or hard-headedness, seldom respected' - red herrings or metaphors

 

[dextercioby]

I want to say 'silicon', but it's too much of a stretch.

- it's been on our planet for a long time (a *very* long time - centuries is a red herring)
- it is in the same periodic family as carbon (carbon-based)
- it has two 'i's
- I thought the '2 hands and ten fingers' might be a metaphor for its electron orbitals
- it's 'true worth' is Atomic number 14
- 'strong' would somehow refer to its elemental/chemical properties, and would be similar to its 'entire family' on the periodic table
- 'jealousy or hard-headedness, seldom respected' - red herrings or metaphors

Carbon isotope.Not necessarily radioactive 14.It has 10/11/12/13/14/15/16 nucleons and,as diamond,it's the second toughest/strongest mineral known to man.Carbon 12 has two alotropic forms.Diamond and graphite.On the other hand,it may not be pure carbon:it may be coal,a form of it.

It's weird,though.

 

[DaveC426913]

"...as diamond,it's the second toughest/strongest mineral known to man..."

Second? Next to what? Bucky-ene?

 

[dextercioby]

"...as diamond,it's the second toughest/strongest mineral known to man..."

Second? Next to what? Bucky-ene?

You mean second to what? Yeah,i was missinformed .Apparently diamond is still number one.For who is number 2 and 3,check these links:
number 2 and 3

I was thinking about boron carbide $B_{4}C$

Daniel.

 

[dextercioby]

ACCORDING TO THESE ARTICLES ON WIKIPEDIA.ORG,DIAMOND ITSELF IS NUMBER THREE!

number 2
number 1

So i was right,since apparently number 2 exists only in theory.

Daniel.

 

[tribdog]

Was this one really that hard? I thought I gave enough clues. select for answer:I thought the "hit me" would give it away. It is a playing card. the carbon based tells you it is a diamond, only face cards have eyes and hands, the J and Q have 4 eyes, so the answer must be the King of Diamonds.[/color]

 

[dextercioby]

Was this one really that hard? I thought I gave enough clues. select for answer:I thought the "hit me" would give it away. It is a playing card. the carbon based tells you it is a diamond, only face cards have eyes and hands, the J and Q have 4 eyes, so the answer must be the King of Diamonds.[/color]

Good one,Tribdog!Really smart. I guessed the "diamond "part. Anyway,it's nice to find out that "silicon has two eyes('i'-s)".

Daniel.

 

[DaveC426913]

Doh.

Good one.

Got any more?

 

[BobG]

That was a good one. I like carbon. They should sing songs about carbon.

http://www.entersci.com/cosmic/Carbon.html

 

[NoTime]

You win!