Dirt - was An Old Earl

[Kim.Salazar@em.doe.gov]

   Landi replies to my assertion that as an Ancient, I own the rights to 
   dirt(tm), and continues our silly discourse:
   
>Hmm, given how long dirt has been in the public domain, it could make for
>an expensive and interesting court case!  :-)

>Perhaps you would know the answer to a question which came up at Pensic
>this past summer:  When they (y'all?) were doing the feasability studies 
>on dirt, how did they miss what happens when you get it wet? :-)
     
     
     To Landi, from Ianthe
     
     You may view this as a design flaw, but Duke Frederick says a flexible 
     near-viscous state during phase transitions was seen as a desirable 
     feature for dirt(tm).  After all, the main purpose of dirt(tm), aside 
     from providing habitat for living things, is to make those it comes in 
     contact with dirty(tm).
     
     Viscosity in particular was seen as so desirable a characteristic that 
     mud(tm) (dirt(tm) plus water) was configured to occur in many 
     thicknesses, consistencies, and colors.  
     
     Duke Frederick is especially proud of the special custom contract work 
     that produced Pennsic Mud(tm), a substance that has gone on to develop 
     sentience and invasive powers of transport all its own.
     
     
     -Ianthe
     Who still owns things colonized by the mud(tm) of single-digit 
     Pennsics.