You turn it, and it makes a soft, rain-like sound. Then you turn it the other way, and it does it again. Then you turn it back the first way, and it does it again. Then you turn it the other way again, and it does it again. You can continue turning it like this, and it will continue to make a soft, rain-like sound. Beyond that, I don't know what you do with it.
Say you have twelve rainsticks of alternating colors, purple and orange. There is a single space for an extra rainstick in the center, but it must be blue. Solve.
So Freeman uses this post as a ruse to do ANOTHER math puzzle. I might not click through another one of your posts if you're gonna pull fast ones like this!
That reminds me, as Joe mentions, of a didgeridoo, which in turn reminds me of the little Australian aborigine animatronic doll on its a small world at Disney World, which is tapping its boomerang into its little hand in an extremely menacing manner, and my husband and I could not stop laughing. Alcohol may have been involved. Seriously though, check it out the next time you go.
You see, the engineer in me says, "Wait, if you want the sound of rain, without the rain, I have rotate this thing back and forth to get the sound of rain? With my hand? Fuck that." So I'll go devise a device that will do it for me. :D
Misplaced Pants, when I was about 6 my mom and aunt took me to Disneyland. We got on the lagoon pirate boat ride and I started crying when the cannons went off. But I started laughing when we came upon three animatronic natives clinging to a palm tree as they synchronously moved their butts up and down as the rhino under them moved his tusk up and down.
Misplaced Pants, when I was about 6 my mom and aunt took me to Disneyland. We got on the lagoon pirate boat ride and I started crying when the cannons went off. But I started laughing when we came upon three animatronic natives clinging to a palm tree as they synchronously moved their butts up and down as the rhino under them moved his tusk up and down.
Oh cool, Disneyland stories. Just before I graduated HS, me and my best friend at the time came up with a plan to stow away on Tom Sawyers island for the night, but we needed a plan. So we went to DL and went onto the island and mapped it out. Then we started to discover things like cameras camouflaged in the trees and other stuff. We mapped those out to. Then we studied the map and found a couple of weak spots we could exploit. And by sheer luck there were trees there we could climb into and stay up in overnight. The branches were thick enough and could support us both. So the plan fell together. We did a couple of dry runs to see if it would work and how fast we could scramble up the trees and stuff and whether we would attract attention. All went well. So we left Disneyland, came back a couple of weeks later to pull of the caper, but we talked and agreed that if we got popped that we would say and do nothing and just deal with it. So then we put the plan in action. We filled our backpacks full of food and kit kats. Don’t ask me why kit kats, but we loved kit kats. Then we took the second to last boat to the island and waited for everyone to leave for the last boat call. That’s when we struck. We climbed the trees, found a perch and stayed for the last boat and then everyone left. We were sure we were gonna get popped when the security guys did their sweep. Nothing. We evaded them. Let me tell you how totally uncomfortable and awesome at the same time. Sitting in a tree for any length of time sucks. Trying to evade security sucks, but they only made two sweeps and we didn’t get caught. The feeling of that thrill of trying not get caught was really exciting. We didn’t even sleep cause we were so jacked on food, kitkats, and pepsi, and adrenaline of trying not to get discovered. Then when the park opened up again, we waited for 2 boats before we made our move to get out off the island. We did and got to enjoy the park for another day. It was awesome. I’ll never forget that day.
Heh. According to Wikipedia, it's an Aztec invention, possibly used to try to bring down the rain. It's also an instrument used in some Central and South American folk music. Also in really hip Catholic churches at the 11:00 Folk Mass.
Every preschool in the US has one, because it proves them to be sufficiently "multicultural."
To further prove their multicultural bona fides, they have the kids make their own, using paper towel tubes, beans and squares of tissue paper rubber-banded over each end. Just like the natives do.
They shake these instruments enthusiatically while singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and other classics of early childhood.
They don't actually listen to authentic music made using these instruments, nor discuss how or where or of what they are made, or why they should be of interest to them, other than for making a really cool sound and occasionally beating each other over the head -- leading to opportunities to practice creative conflict resolution as part of their peacemakers curriculum. So it's all good.
Thanks a lot Meth and Deborah, now I have to go back to Disney for some more drunk giggling on Pirates and to try to pull off an overnight on the island. Lem's place is such a continual inspiration!
31 comments:
In this case, rocks and thorns.
What is a rainstick?
I was expecting rain.
Silly me.
You turn it, and it makes a soft, rain-like sound. Then you turn it the other way, and it does it again. Then you turn it back the first way, and it does it again. Then you turn it the other way again, and it does it again. You can continue turning it like this, and it will continue to make a soft, rain-like sound. Beyond that, I don't know what you do with it.
The sound is bouncier than those rocks look. Such humble rocks. It's the thorns that do the bouncing.
I had to bing this to find out that it's a real thing. I thought this was some sort of mathematical puzzle.
Hi Freeman. Was this intentional dissection or an accident?
It was a gift to us. It cracked, so we opened it.
Say you have twelve rainsticks of alternating colors, purple and orange. There is a single space for an extra rainstick in the center, but it must be blue. Solve.
**Sads**
A bit like explaining a joke, though.
Once magic, now science.
Pay no attention to the Freeman behind the curtain.
Pogo, I agree. It was sad!
Reminds me of a didgeridoo. I just like saying that, didgeridoo.
We buried it in a bucolic setting.
Okay, not really.
So Freeman uses this post as a ruse to do ANOTHER math puzzle. I might not click through another one of your posts if you're gonna pull fast ones like this!
That one's not math, that's can-do-ism. You'd go buy a blue rainstick. These may not be sold. Blue paint then.
Or, better yet, surely twelve is enough rainsticks for anybody! Why fill the extra space?
Rainstick blogging. This is sort of a "What Not to Do" followup to Paddy's post.
Can you come up with a don't-make-me-thinkism for a late Friday afternoon?
You could stream television through your computer.
Dried peas?
My kids had one and always imagined it to be filled with dried peas.
"followup to Paddy's post."
I see it as a blogging koan. There's enlightenment to be found as I ponder the mysteries of the rainstick.
There are 15 mysteries to ponder. I counted them.
I was expecting to see Claude Rain's stick.
I don't know about you, but I see a work of art in that picture.
That reminds me, as Joe mentions, of a didgeridoo, which in turn reminds me of the little Australian aborigine animatronic doll on its a small world at Disney World, which is tapping its boomerang into its little hand in an extremely menacing manner, and my husband and I could not stop laughing. Alcohol may have been involved. Seriously though, check it out the next time you go.
You see, the engineer in me says, "Wait, if you want the sound of rain, without the rain, I have rotate this thing back and forth to get the sound of rain? With my hand? Fuck that." So I'll go devise a device that will do it for me. :D
For Freeman and her three little indians:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Endless-Rain-Wheel/
Misplaced Pants, when I was about 6 my mom and aunt took me to Disneyland. We got on the lagoon pirate boat ride and I started crying when the cannons went off. But I started laughing when we came upon three animatronic natives clinging to a palm tree as they synchronously moved their butts up and down as the rhino under them moved his tusk up and down.
deborah said...
Misplaced Pants, when I was about 6 my mom and aunt took me to Disneyland. We got on the lagoon pirate boat ride and I started crying when the cannons went off. But I started laughing when we came upon three animatronic natives clinging to a palm tree as they synchronously moved their butts up and down as the rhino under them moved his tusk up and down.
Oh cool, Disneyland stories. Just before I graduated HS, me and my best friend at the time came up with a plan to stow away on Tom Sawyers island for the night, but we needed a plan. So we went to DL and went onto the island and mapped it out. Then we started to discover things like cameras camouflaged in the trees and other stuff. We mapped those out to. Then we studied the map and found a couple of weak spots we could exploit. And by sheer luck there were trees there we could climb into and stay up in overnight. The branches were thick enough and could support us both. So the plan fell together. We did a couple of dry runs to see if it would work and how fast we could scramble up the trees and stuff and whether we would attract attention. All went well. So we left Disneyland, came back a couple of weeks later to pull of the caper, but we talked and agreed that if we got popped that we would say and do nothing and just deal with it.
So then we put the plan in action. We filled our backpacks full of food and kit kats. Don’t ask me why kit kats, but we loved kit kats. Then we took the second to last boat to the island and waited for everyone to leave for the last boat call. That’s when we struck. We climbed the trees, found a perch and stayed for the last boat and then everyone left. We were sure we were gonna get popped when the security guys did their sweep. Nothing. We evaded them. Let me tell you how totally uncomfortable and awesome at the same time. Sitting in a tree for any length of time sucks. Trying to evade security sucks, but they only made two sweeps and we didn’t get caught. The feeling of that thrill of trying not get caught was really exciting. We didn’t even sleep cause we were so jacked on food, kitkats, and pepsi, and adrenaline of trying not to get discovered. Then when the park opened up again, we waited for 2 boats before we made our move to get out off the island. We did and got to enjoy the park for another day. It was awesome. I’ll never forget that day.
Heh. According to Wikipedia, it's an Aztec invention, possibly used to try to bring down the rain. It's also an instrument used in some Central and South American folk music. Also in really hip Catholic churches at the 11:00 Folk Mass.
Every preschool in the US has one, because it proves them to be sufficiently "multicultural."
To further prove their multicultural bona fides, they have the kids make their own, using paper towel tubes, beans and squares of tissue paper rubber-banded over each end. Just like the natives do.
They shake these instruments enthusiatically while singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and other classics of early childhood.
They don't actually listen to authentic music made using these instruments, nor discuss how or where or of what they are made, or why they should be of interest to them, other than for making a really cool sound and occasionally beating each other over the head -- leading to opportunities to practice creative conflict resolution as part of their peacemakers curriculum. So it's all good.
No child left behind, baby.
Thanks a lot Meth and Deborah, now I have to go back to Disney for some more drunk giggling on Pirates and to try to pull off an overnight on the island. Lem's place is such a continual inspiration!
What a cool story, Meth!
Pants, have fun :)
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