What is that?
Aug. 15th, 2011 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerWhat is that?
One of the TV shows recently consisted of showing a panel various pictures, along with some hints -- and having them try to guess what the object in the picture was. They had a variety, but one that caught my attention was pretty simple.
Basically, there was a wooden base, with a built-in drawer. On top of that was a short stand, with another box on top of that. The top box had a wooden grating as its top. Taking that off, the box itself was filled with fine white sand or ash. The grating and lip of the box was designed so that the grating did not rest on the inner sand.
Interestingly, they said that this used to be something that almost every house (in Japan) had.
As a hint, they showed us that the bottom drawer could be opened, and at least one of the contents was a tool -- a square piece of wood, with a serpentine cutting in the middle, going up one side, turning, coming back, turning, crossing again... about five or six legs, crossing the middle of the wood as if a very simple maze. The cutting went all the way through the wood, and was maybe a centimeter wide (1/4 inch?).
The panel was pretty much stumped by this one. Ashtray? But what is that tool? There was some speculation about the grating. But they really didn't have any idea.
Do you have any idea what it might be?
Well, the answer is really simple. It's a clock! The drawer also contained powdered incense and another block of wood. How do you keep time with that? First, take the grating off the top. Now, in one corner of the sand, lay the zig-zag form down, and pour or spoon incense over it. Take the other block of wood and slide it into the lines of the form -- the long side for the long legs, the short side for the turns. Now pick up the form, and if you did it right, you have a pattern of incense on the sand. Put the form on the next quarter -- it turns out the form is just the right size so that four times will cover the sand completely, and the ends of the incense lines "lock."
So you end up with a single long line of incense on the sand, folded back and forth. And if you light the starting point... 12 hours later, it will burn out the last bit. Or 3 hours later, cross from the first quarter to the next. 6 hours? Easy, two blocks. I think you might be able to get hours and even half-hours from the legs within a block.
Simple, right? It's the same idea as a timed candle, but kind of do-it-yourself with incense on the sand. I have to admit, I wondered a bit about who got stuck preparing the thing each day, and lighting it at the appropriate time (when the temple bell rings?) But the show didn't go into those details.
A drawer, some tools, and a box full of sand -- a clock. Oh, the grating? That's to keep you from burning yourself too easily.
And it smells good, too.
'nother Mike
One of the TV shows recently consisted of showing a panel various pictures, along with some hints -- and having them try to guess what the object in the picture was. They had a variety, but one that caught my attention was pretty simple.
Basically, there was a wooden base, with a built-in drawer. On top of that was a short stand, with another box on top of that. The top box had a wooden grating as its top. Taking that off, the box itself was filled with fine white sand or ash. The grating and lip of the box was designed so that the grating did not rest on the inner sand.
Interestingly, they said that this used to be something that almost every house (in Japan) had.
As a hint, they showed us that the bottom drawer could be opened, and at least one of the contents was a tool -- a square piece of wood, with a serpentine cutting in the middle, going up one side, turning, coming back, turning, crossing again... about five or six legs, crossing the middle of the wood as if a very simple maze. The cutting went all the way through the wood, and was maybe a centimeter wide (1/4 inch?).
The panel was pretty much stumped by this one. Ashtray? But what is that tool? There was some speculation about the grating. But they really didn't have any idea.
Do you have any idea what it might be?
Well, the answer is really simple. It's a clock! The drawer also contained powdered incense and another block of wood. How do you keep time with that? First, take the grating off the top. Now, in one corner of the sand, lay the zig-zag form down, and pour or spoon incense over it. Take the other block of wood and slide it into the lines of the form -- the long side for the long legs, the short side for the turns. Now pick up the form, and if you did it right, you have a pattern of incense on the sand. Put the form on the next quarter -- it turns out the form is just the right size so that four times will cover the sand completely, and the ends of the incense lines "lock."
So you end up with a single long line of incense on the sand, folded back and forth. And if you light the starting point... 12 hours later, it will burn out the last bit. Or 3 hours later, cross from the first quarter to the next. 6 hours? Easy, two blocks. I think you might be able to get hours and even half-hours from the legs within a block.
Simple, right? It's the same idea as a timed candle, but kind of do-it-yourself with incense on the sand. I have to admit, I wondered a bit about who got stuck preparing the thing each day, and lighting it at the appropriate time (when the temple bell rings?) But the show didn't go into those details.
A drawer, some tools, and a box full of sand -- a clock. Oh, the grating? That's to keep you from burning yourself too easily.
And it smells good, too.
'nother Mike
