Javascript spinning wait hourglass-type thing
<p>I'd like to indicate to the user of a web app that a long-running task is being performed.  Once upon a time, this concept would have been communicated to the user by displaying an hourglass. Nowadays, it seems to be an animated spinning circle. (e.g., when you are loading a new tab in Firefox, or booting in Mac OS X. Coincidentally, the overflowing stack in the stackoverflow logo looks like one quarter of the circle).</p>

<p>Is there a simple way to create this effect using Javascript (in particular, JQuery)? Ideally, I'd like to have one of these little spinners as elements in a table, to indicate to the user that the system is still active in processing a pending task (i.e., it hasn't forgotten or crashed). (Of course, I realize it's possible that the back-end has crashed and the front-end still show as an animating spinning thing, it's more for the psychological purpose of the user seeing activity).</p>

<p>And what do you call that spinning thing, anyways?</p>
