paul-s

Why are they so hard how do you do it

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Yup

Can't remember how now - this was some 20+ years ago, the 1st time they came out

Clarebabes

Yep, me too. But I think my Dad got it off some dodgy trader at Liverpool Street Station. It was well easy to pull apart.........

T4molie

Finishing it is easy..... twist, separate and put back together

But seriously... yeah I've done it but it was a loooong time ago

JohnS

iTrader: (1)

Yes, but that was when I was at school. I can still solve them, but it takes about 3 - 5 minutes these days, instead of under a minute. Best ever time at school was 31 seconds!

Tentenths

Me too. Again, can't remember the "solution" - it was a hell of a long time ago!

Puff, I reckon it was even longer than that - best part of 25 years.

Rumplestiltskin!

funily enough I picked up a cube yesterday & tried to remember how to do it.
My record at school was 42 secs. Managed to get most of it done then forgot the last part & had to consult the book. Its wierd how you remember the moves & can do them without even thinking when its in your hand.

TEXAS PETE

The lad sat next to me here in work can do it, on demand, every time, and it only takes him about five minuets.. Bloody amazing!! I cant even get two rows to match up..

Tentenths

Yup... it was late 1979/early 1980

If anyone's interested, here's the history - http://www.eightyeightynine.com/games/rubiks-cube.html

Spoon

27 seconds was my record but only with my genuine cube. The cheap and nasty imitation cubes would, 9 times out of 10, break apart at speed.

The formula from memory was in a little yellow glossy book and was surprisingly easy to memorize.

Tiggs

no never....youre a bunch of geeks!!! (and it seems, were also geeks 20 years ago!)

Spoon

Old loose lips at it again. Surely nobody can be as wrong as you as often, surely?

TelBoy

Can i tell my story about the Rubik's Cube, or is any admission about being able to do them going to be shot down for some reason or another?

Markus

have a peek here

(wonder if the chap now has a beard and goes to Uni? )

Ubik

I used to be able to complete the cube but I can still do the other thing Rubik did. I don't know what it is called. Its a series of flat two inch square pieces of plastic held together with wire. You can fold and twist it into many different shapes. The objective was to arrange the tiles so you could see one of two logos. Easier than the cube!

Buckrogers

Yes

HankScorpio

Aaaaah... my first taste of performance tuning!

Didn't anyone else experiment with the tension on the screws holding it together (or dare I say it, greasing the mechanism with Vaseline) to shave a few seconds off their time...?

Markus

Ubik - oh, the "link the rings" puzzle? (Believe it's called Rubik's Magic) Had one of those, loved it, easy to solve when you know how.

mad_dr

I had a couple of these when I was a lad. Did you get the version that came with the free Music Tape? It had a collection of 'hits' from the time: Around 1987 IIRC!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I never, ever got anywhere with the cube - but Rubik's Magic was easy when you know how. I could link the rings on a well-used one in about 5 seconds - though at that speed the wires tended to break before long.

fast bloke

Used to be able to complete the cube in under a minute every time. Tried showing off a year or two ago - most of the moves and patterns came back, but it took me about a day to string them all together

Tel - wont matter if you could or couldn't do it - it will be shot down anyway


IIRC the secret was in getting the CORNERS right

RichS

Hmmm - being a bit thick and having a shorter attention span than a goldfish, I'm sorry to say that I was beaten by the cube

Anyone remember the Rubik's Snake?:
http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/gnf/b.../rubsnake.html

Wasn't really a puzzle though....

Ubik

HAHA. I had quite forgotten that, yes I had the exact same version. Now you have jogged my memory I seem to remember that the tape had Mel & Kim as the first track.

Freak

never done the cube

The rubiks magic (linked rings) i could do in about 7 seconds start to finish (unlinked to linked)...

I have the rubiks CLOCK somewhere in the loft- ive never been able to do even one side of that. Total bitch and impossible to do.

GaryK

Yep remember greasing a cheap imitation of a cube, as said they never seemed to move as smoothly as the genuine article, never managed below 90 secs and that was after studying the book on how to do it, always remember seeing the guys on telly doing it in 18-20 seconds, incredible!

dome

Anyone remember Rubiks clock? 9 clock faces on each side and wheels at each corner. I could do that but never mastered the cube. I think they still make the cubes, might be tempted to get one and have another go now that I'm older and wis.. er, just older.

johnfelstead

i had the snake. I used to do the cube stupidly fast at school.

I got a new one at christmas with the hint book, maybe i should open the packet and have another go.

pslewis

Waste 90 seconds of my life??

Nah, even way back then I had no interest at all in life sapping pursuits

Why do I find it not in the least bit surprising that JohnFelstead was one of those saddos???

Pete

johnfelstead

oh gawd, i have myself a stalker.

I have a blue peter badge too Pete.

pslewis

You got bullied at school too, didn't you?? Classic case of the sad kid in the corner sucking on his mummies apron string

Pete