[Tutor] Useless: Twiddle prompt w/o curses?

[Doug.Shawhan@gecits.ge.com]

For reasons of perversity and foofiness, I desire to create a twiddle prompt
in python.

http://www.elsewhere.org/jargon/html/entry/twirling-baton.html

The sequence : -/|\-/|\-  interspersed with backspace characters has proven
to be a tad more difficult to produce on the same line than I thought. 

Has anyone got an idea on how to change characters in place in a portable
way? i.e. not resorting to curses? (Nothing against curses, mind you...)

d