Quicksand Fans

Hi Folks,

So, I was browsing YouTube and came across this news feature on research into dry quicksand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye5put1JZfg

We, of course, have had many discussions on dry versus wet quicksand over the years. Personally, I like the wetter variety, but this news feature got me thinking as I watched the experiments: one of the features I like about quicksand in general is the way it moves and flows, like a very thick, viscous liquid, which is probably why I like other, similar "liquids" in addition to sand. My favorite outdoor locations have been those where - when the damsel is sinking and struggling, you can see the "ground" around her rippling and flowing (the thicker the better for me). The quicksand used in the experiments in the news feature had some interesting rippling effects, almost as if the sand were alive in some fashion.

I am wondering how much the rippling effect interests others here - as opposed to just the sinking aspect (and other aspects, like the "bondage" or "stuck" effects of quicksand).

Mike

Jumpoff_Joe wrote:I would have to say that the shifting appearance of the sand, the way it moves like a thick liquid is somewhat appealing. The thicker the liquid/the slower the response more so.

That works for me, too!

"The quicksand used in the experiments in the news feature had some interesting rippling effects, almost as if the sand were alive in some fashion."

Hence the name quicksand. Quick used to have another common meaning : living or alive. It can still.be found in phrases like "cutting to the quick"and "the quick and the dead." And one can hope that Syfy will one day make a cheesy movie about the living sand. Now that I have given usless information that you probably already knew, I do like the rippling effect and also how the surface dimples a bit before giving way. I can still remember a video by the late, great Chuck Lang in which the model rocks from side to side making the surface roll like standing on a waterbed.

The best example I've ever seen of "quick" meaning "alive" can be seen in Boggy Man's daring videos of a deep peat bog. That mud undulates and quivers like a pit of liquid rubber while he struggles. The more he fights it, the more energy he gives it. It's simply amazing to watch this stuff in action.