  We examine the stick-slip fluctuating response of a rough massive
non-rotating cylinder moving on a rough inclined groove which is submitted to
weak external perturbations and which is maintained well below the angle of
repose. The experiments presented here, which are reminiscent of the Galileo's
works with rolling objects on inclines, have brought in the last years
important new insights into the friction between surfaces in relative motion
and are of relevance for earthquakes, differing from classical block-spring
models by the mechanism of energy input in the system. Robust nontrivial
temporal scaling laws appearing in the dynamics of this system are reported,
and it is shown that the time-support where dissipation occurs approaches a
statistical fractal set with a fixed value of dimension. The distribution of
periods of inactivity in the intermittent motion of the cylinder is also
studied and found to be closely related to the lacunarity of a random version
of the classic triadic Cantor set on the line.
