Rubik's Cube

[James Lehman]

Just out of curiosity... are there any other cubers here at the PL?

James.

[decix]

That would be a nice quest for Zoof's 3D-Engine: Rubiks Cube for Easylase

[Laser Ben]

I can do it, not really fast though, my best times are like 66 seconds.

[James Lehman]

I can do it, not really fast though, my best times are like 66 seconds.

WOW!

That's really good!

The best I ever did in a timed situation was on the school bus home, while I was in the 10th grade.

I did it in 58 seconds.

That was WAY before any of the times records that came from That's Incredible, the American TV show that featured the "world championship".

I also must say that I really did solve it all by myself! I worked with it long enough to get lucky in, of all places, 10th grade Geometry class.

I knew how to take it apart and put it back together. So, I knew how to mess it up with some repeated patterns, and get it back again by applying the same set of turns...

One day I got to the last table and I saw a pattern I knew... so I applied that set of moves and there it was !

I really did solve it !!!

After that, I met a foreign exchange student from Germany. He was a "cuber". He had a cube and a photocopy of some pages from Der Spiegel. This German magazine took the bold step of publishing the solution to The Cube. It was in German, but it had pictures. That is how I learned the last 22 step maneuver that can solve the cube every time!

Weeeeeeeeeee!

James.

[Insanity]

I had one of these as a kid and spent every spare minute of my time with it until I had it nailed...

Then used to take it apart and cover the inside faces with beeswax so you can do it really quick... Used to win all the comps at school with this cunning little trick

My little niece got one and I'm damned if I can remember how to do it now...

I don't think my parents ever forgot me having that cube, 26 years later and they still buy me a puzzle at Xmas..

Mark

[The_Doctor]

I solved it once. Slowly. And I couldn't retrace my steps so I never repeated it. Never found the patience to try long enough since. I knew there'd be patterns to detect that would help but I never figured them out. I usually ended up using cubes like cricket balls.

[Things]

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=zePA3uIbB5I




If you can't figure out how they did it, heres a hint: The guy in the background was walking backwards when they recorded it

[buffo]

I also learned how to solve the cube in 10th grade Geometry class. Our teacher was a cube fan and spend a whole week talking about the cube. At the end of the week we had races to see who was fastest. I didn't win, but I was in the top 5. My personal best time was 37 seconds.

These days I can solve it in around a minute and a half or so. Maybe quicker if I get a good cube that doesn't stick. As for the beeswax trick, I never heard of that. I know a few people that experimented with petroleum jelly, but for me the best lubricant was powdered graphite. Only problem is that it tended to leak out of the cube, making a mess on your hands. But it sure loosened up a tight cube.

I always solve it Top, Middle, Bottom, which is not the most efficient way, but it's the one I'm comfortable with. I also learned how to solve it Top, Bottom, Middle while still in High School (this is one method where you'll likely need to use the Rubik's Maneuver in order to finish), but I can't remember all the other required moves now. I remember that it was faster doing it that way than the Top, Middle, Bottom method though.

A buddy of mine that is a total cube fanatic (has multiple variations on the 3x3, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes, plus other puzzles, and solves them all routinely) came up with a novel approach where he solves the corners first and then the sides. Not sure if it's any faster than the Top, Bottom, Middle approach, but it sure is cool to watch!

Adam

[Stuka]

In my Rubik's experience, I find they really hurt if someone gets frustrated and throws them at you....

[James Lehman]

I still have my original cube. The stickers are a bit tattered, but they are original.

As the old saying goes, "They don't make 'um like that anymore!"

The new ones that can be had for 99¢ at the checkout isle of a toy store are really crappy. The individual moving cubes have open faces (holes) on the insides and they scrape really bad.

I remember I got so "into" the cube when I was a kid, one time I found myself loading the dish washer and while I was putting the plates and bowls into the rack, "cube think" kicked in and I rearranged everything... before I even realized what I was doing. It was a very weird moment that I still remember. Funny how the brain works with patterns. I love that!

James.