Thank you all for voting!
Before I reveal the answer, you might want to take a look at "What is it? (Part Four)"
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,9186.0.htmlTrust me, it probably ISN'T what you think it is! Ponder it, think about it, and then cast your vote!
And now, for the answer......
It is...........
A Clock!!!
I had one of these when I was a teen. The bottom row consists of 12 spaces (for the hour)
The second row consists of 11 spaces (for the minutes (by 5, (5, 10 ,15, 20, ect...))
The third row consists of 4 spaces (for those four "filler minutes")
So, for example, the time of 11:49 would show 11 balls on the bottom row, 9 balls on the second row, and 4 balls on the third row....
11 (hours)
9 (9 X 5 = 45) on the second row
4 on the third row
11 hours
45 + 4 = 49 minutes. (11:49) I kept the clock in my room but it kept me awake at night (I am a very light sleeper). I could hear the metal balls rolling down the ramps. It was especially noisy at 12:00 when all the balls emptied back down to the bottom as the clock reset itself.
The clock ended up downstairs in the living room.
Thanks for voting everyone!!