http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/16/rubiks.ap/index.html



I got one of these when I was a kid. I still haven't "solved" it...

 

yea 11 seconds is nuts...

I'm thrilled if I can get 2 sides....when I got 3 I released a press release.


Sides 4,5,6 were much easier....I just peeled off the stickers.

oh yea and I've got a Rubik's Revenge too...the 4x4...that is just silly.

Then there was this chain link one that was a column not a cube...

oh well.

 

I've also got a Rubiks Magic. Hard to explain, but really cool. I've actually solved it both ways, but recently found, and haven't been able to solve it again...

 

There are very easy instructions on how to 'solve it'.

Basically, it's just patterns of colors, how to spot them, and what side to turn.

In other words........ if the side looks like this.... (insert one face of the cube here) with a red square at the top corner, and a yellow in the middle, turn the right face 1/4 turn left.....and so on.

Takes about a half hour, if you can follow directions.

There's only a hand full of starting patterns that can be made, and a smaller number of 'solving' turns to finish it, based on the starting pattern.

After you do this often enough, you can recognize the patterns, and do it without the instructions.

 

maybe but I prefer moving the stickers...

 

I couldn't even do that in 11 seconds...

 

i guess the world champ can do it under 10 seconds... behind his back! guy needs to get a life, lol

edit: ok, i shoulda read the linky first... 11.13 :o

 

I just took the thing apart and snapped it back together, enough of that thinking and concentrating BS!

 

mrs zap! can solve them in around 1 min.

i dont even try

a man has got to know his limitations

...zap!

 

When they were new back in my school days we used to have races. Many of us could do them in less than 30 seconds. We would take them apart and use silicon grease or vaseline and loosen them up so the would spin very quickly. It was very popular back then. A lot of teachers would confiscate them in their classes because we wouldn't pay attention.

 

I had the same problem with Rubik's cube, star wars and heman figures - I left Ram-Man in the bathroom and someone took him....

We also went through a faze where we would "pencil fight". Who could snap each other's pencil with their own, in a chopping motion...my mother never understood why I needed so many pencils. Man we were stupid little kids.

 

After the first 30 min with that damn cube, I decided that it'd make a better skeet target. Ever seen one hit by 12 ga 00 buck? Ohhh, all the pretty colors...

After seeing it on the computer, I had to run it off quite quickly, I don't need a new monitor yet....

 

Oh man, I was into the Rubiks Cube thing for awhile. It was really big back when I was in high school. I qualified for a tournament once they had us out at a local mall. They had a stage set up in the center mall area. There were about 100 of us, so they did it in heats. I survived the first to heats, then I went out.
I used to be able to get it in about 50 seconds. I believe my best time was 38 seconds, but the patterns I was looking for just came together really easy that time (a fluke for me).
Theres a couple different ways to go about it....using the X pattern for all sides or go by rows. We always used powdered graphite on ours.
I also remember the "pencil break" thing someone mentioned eariler. It got so bad we would scope out "victims and steal their pencils, lol. We would spot someone with one in their back pocket and "bump" into them and slide the pencil out, lol (didnt get much allowance back then, so things were tight), lol.
Also remember sharpening them up really good and throwing them and sticking them in the ceilings.........the gym was the best, if you could get one in the gym or cafeteria ceiling you were top dog, lol. Oh man the memories!!!!

 

That was the one of the best games.