By Vladimir Brezina
Here is a Masterpiece that I think our readers, especially those with children of the right age, just have to see…
(sorry for the ad the first time you watch it, but it’s worth it!)
For details see Johna’s original post here.
Copyright
Wind Against Current by Vladimir Brezina and Johna Till Johnson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Authors
Vladimir Brezina (RIP)
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.Johna Till Johnson
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.Recent Comments
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Wind Against Current 
Brilliant!
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It is! :-)
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WOW, it’s truly great. Moves like a giant snake! :-) Thanks a lot for sharing.
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You are most welcome, Dina! It takes a little work to view the video, but it’s totally worth it! :-)
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Brilliant …. but who had to put them all back in order again ????? Splendid. – love it and I’m a child of 64.
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Details, details… ;-)
Actually, putting them together is (presumably) just a matter of sweeping them up. The real tedious work is weaving them all together beforehand. But it’s got to be that way round, otherwise nobody would ever do it—the hours of boring work have to be motivated by the thought of the brief moments of the subsequent explosive payoff :-)
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Just fantastic …. love it – what a trill … I’m glad I don’t have grand kids … because I’m not born with patience.
What a wonderful thing.
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Yes, if the kids were just a bit too young, you’d end up putting it together for them ;-)
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Nothing for me … I rather watch your video … much more fun. *smile
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Haha, so cool!
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It is, isn’t it? :-)
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That had to have taken a lot of time.
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But oh so worth it!! :-)
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Really time consuming but entertaining!
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I never made one of these, but I did the domino chains… hours of putting it together for a few seconds of reward. Teaches some kind of life lesson there? ;-)
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oh my goodness; that is so great! of course i’d like to build something like that!!!
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Go for it, Z!! :-)
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Never saw a woven one like that before, just dominoes. Very cool!
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Dominoes just fall… these jump up! :-)
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Absolutely Perrrfect !! Thank You soo much for sharing this! Also for liking my photo challenge (late) post ;) J9;)
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You are most welcome! :-)
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A little bit like cooking, hours of preparation and eaten/done in a few seconds, how fabulous!!! Good to have a video from ;)
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These days, you absolutely have to document this kind of thing with a video! Thanks, Karen! :-)
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How does it work?!
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Well, you need sticks—springy wood or possibly plastic—that will flex rather than break when bent, then spring again straight when released. Then you weave them together crosswise into a long belt, as shown in the video, in such a way that each successive stick holds the previous one bent. When all is done (and the kids are watching, and the camera is rolling), you release the tension on the last stick. That stick springs straight, and in doing so releases the tension on the penultimate stick, which in turn springs straight, and so on back down the chain.
For more explanation and links see Johna’s original post.
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Thanks
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fantastic!
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:-)
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Wow!
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:-) :-)
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Masterpiece indeed! Thanks for sharing.
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You are most welcome!
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Jaw-dropping! That laughter at the end is magical!
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That laughter makes it all worth it :-)
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Wow! That must have taken an age to set up! Kudos to the parents for their patience and support of their child’s endeavours.
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Somehow, I have the feeling that it was the parents, not the children, who put in the hours needed to weave all the sticks together… but then many adults are still children at heart, just with a lot more patience ;-)
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It would depend, of course, on the age of the children.
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Wow.
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Glad you like it, Indira!
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Great!!!!!
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Yes!!!
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That is a masterpiece!
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That was the thought I had…
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Wow, fabulous – I’m glad I watched the whole thing. And what a cool sounds they make!
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Yes, sounds effects are included :-)
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Awesome! That have taken a time to prepare…
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Hours, I imagine, for one of this size…
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Thank you. That was/is great! Just sent it to Tumblr!
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Thanks, Robert! Maybe it will go viral… children everywhere will be asking their parents to make them one of these—the bigger the better—and you will have a lot to answer for ;-)
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Very cool, Vladi.
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Thanks!!
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Wow that’s very cool! I’ve never seen before. How long have you spent to prepare the stick before you were ready to release it?
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Not my video! I’ve never done this—although I have (a long, long time ago) put together domino chains, and I am sure that, like those, this takes hours of preparation…
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Astounding! Reminded me of a spitting cobra, a Japanese dragon and fireworks all at once. :)
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Yes! Much more exciting than falling dominoes :-)
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That is awesome! I had to show my daughter! Great post!!!
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Thanks so much!! :-)
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The Best!! The video should come with a notice that states “Absolutely do attempt at home”! I know I will. Thanks for sharing.
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But the notice should probably also caution: “Careful: Highly addictive!” :-)
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