h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why would a government official carry a rock with him in the course of his duties???

Of what use would it be???

No Google or Wickipoedia as usual..

There are klaxons!!!


GT

the tax man to prove his prowese to doubting debtors

Tax man Taff???

Sorry, tax is a -5




GT

first of 2010

I had nothing to do with it.

Did he use to the rock to gain attention somehow?

Was it used to for storing messages (again, somehow) - since 'governemnt' is fairly vague and doesn't pinpoint any period, I'm thinking maybe similar to how the Incas used knotted ropes to convey messages from a spoken language without a written language.

Was it used to test whether witches were made from wood and could therefore be burnt?

silicon is rock, and in abundant use in laptops,

Hey that's lateral thinking that is.

Plastic is also a kind of rock and is what the shells of many lap tops are made from.

For providing a pseudo *eureka* moment when checking, er, certain types of rock?

It's probably a jewel of some kind, signifying some authority.
But which government?
We don't go for crown jewels much here in the colonies.


~jwf~

is it a seal of office

Now, do I remember Clive saying he encouraged the use of home paperbooks and you, gandalfstwin, saying you do not?
So

Philosopher's -or- Apothecary's stone, the one that was used to check for poison.

You know the one, if the king arose one morning all blackened & shrivelled, everyone knew that pretty soon so would be the failed philosopher -or- apothecary, and there'd be a new philosopher -or- apothecary, along in a timely manner, full of confidence.

MY own rule for MY threads is no google no wikipedia, anything outside of those is fine by me and shows resourcefulness.

BUT this isn't my thread, so GT, - your rules.

yes, Clive - but I've assumed GT's rules are tighter, unless hse clarifies.

I'll risk a klaxon by saying that they use their rocks to cast votes. I know the Athenians used stones to cast votes but they used two stones (one black, one white) to keep the voting anonymous, I think that was how juries voted and Athens didn't have a government as such so ...

I come from a region where you can still find real amber. Now if you rub amber on silk or wool, the amber will get an electrostatic charge and attract dust, or small scraps of paper, for instance.
Maybe it was taken along to prove whether silk or wool were indeed silk or wool (and not something of lesser value)? The German word for amber is Bernstein, btw, and Stein means stone.

At risk of the big K...

Would the rock be a touchstone? Used to check that gold was er.. gold.

And if that happens to be right, for a QI point, Catweazle's frog was called Touchstone, and midwife frogs were used to prove whether you might be pregnant or not... well not 'me' exactly....

Deke

Catweazle has a toad, not a frog!

Yes, the distinction is important.
Kiss a frog you might get a prince.
Kiss a toad and all you get is warts.


~jwf~