tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post112408606764089373..comments2023-05-27T03:17:19.681-07:00Comments on PyroManiac: Monday Menagerie XIPhil Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124294593433675842005-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:002005-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:00Just after the cube came out my sister was dating ...Just after the cube came out my sister was dating a fellow who could do it. He taught himself. I was just starting my teen years, and so every single time the poor fellow came over I bothered him to teach me how to do it (there were no books out on how to solve the cube at that time).<BR/><BR/>Over the course of a few weeks he gave me some guidelines - solve the bottom layer first, then the middle, then the top. The top was solved by starting with the sides then doing the corners. The method was quite efficient - as after only a couple of months I could solve the cube consistantly in under a minute (I think my best time was 23 seconds or something like that), but I was pretty consistant around the 30 to 40 second mark. Like Centurion we greased our cubes - vaseline was the lubricant of choice.<BR/><BR/>After I got good at it, I could look at the last layer, then solve the remainder of the cube behind my back! if doing the cube in under a minute didn't impress - doing the last 15 seconds or so behind my back helped to make up for it.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06734845463331170748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124284143487105512005-08-17T06:09:00.000-07:002005-08-17T06:09:00.000-07:00What Phil, as a theologian, may not know, is that ...<EM>What Phil, as a theologian, may not know, is that that "puzzle" is one of the best, most concrete, examples of a branch of mathematics called Group Theory.</EM> Read all about it <A HREF="http://blogotional.blogspot.com/2005/08/serious-toy.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.John Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02917037602880789273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124202290278062052005-08-16T07:24:00.000-07:002005-08-16T07:24:00.000-07:00Were you an artist, you would be a cubist.Were you an artist, you would be a cubist.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09693381971064363612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124152678198276192005-08-15T17:37:00.000-07:002005-08-15T17:37:00.000-07:00I'm with Chris; reassembling was too hard, especia...I'm with Chris; reassembling was too hard, especially when you could just move the stickers to the appropriate places. It takes true unconventional genius to do it that way. :) <BR/>I think my grandma still has the one we played with.Charhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00590850703882621173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124146050396676782005-08-15T15:47:00.000-07:002005-08-15T15:47:00.000-07:00I remember the guy that could solve it with his fe...I remember the guy that could solve it with his feet. That was on "That's Incredible".<BR/><BR/>And it was...Juicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14484513756313595640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124144596660327532005-08-15T15:23:00.000-07:002005-08-15T15:23:00.000-07:00Phil:I have cleared my calendar. If you take 412 ...Phil:<BR/><BR/>I have cleared my calendar. If you take 412 East from Tulsa, you'll drive about 80 miles. Just before you cross the OK/AR border, there's a Cherokee Casino and a traffic light. Drive another 2 miles or so (about 4 traffic lights), and on the right is Callahan's. I'll meet you there between 11:30 and 12 Noon. You might not recognize me because I don't have awesome rays shooting out of my body most of the time.<BR/><BR/>And since you're driving, I'm paying. I can't have people saying that Phil Johnson came to Siloam Springs, AR and centuri0n forced him to pay for lunch. It would be unseemly.FX Turkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16798420127955373559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124141314378890752005-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:002005-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00I also prefer the "pry the corner off and reassemb...I also prefer the "pry the corner off and reassemble" methodstevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03014994080106461598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124140157927599842005-08-15T14:09:00.000-07:002005-08-15T14:09:00.000-07:00Homer Simpson is a block head, so that's pretty cl...Homer Simpson is a block head, so that's pretty close to a cube.Jeff Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17826755658213329360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124139284519749562005-08-15T13:54:00.000-07:002005-08-15T13:54:00.000-07:00ah the memoriesah the memoriesBhedrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08091896907803479900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124135671484480202005-08-15T12:54:00.000-07:002005-08-15T12:54:00.000-07:00Frank: I'll pay. You gonna be there on the 1st?Frank: I'll pay. You gonna be there on the 1st?Phil Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124135577867434732005-08-15T12:52:00.000-07:002005-08-15T12:52:00.000-07:00Steve:If he pays for lunch, he will definitely ear...Steve:<BR/><BR/>If he pays for lunch, he will definitely earn a halo. =DFX Turkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16798420127955373559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124133189839489232005-08-15T12:13:00.000-07:002005-08-15T12:13:00.000-07:00Phil --I need dates for your visit. I am SO TOTAL...Phil --<BR/><BR/>I need dates for your visit. I am SO TOTALLY UP for lunch -- but I am booked the 9th thru the 15th. <BR/><BR/>However, my cube is long gone, and my cube skills are dormant. I could brush up, I guess -- but I was a system guy, not a self-taught genius. Self-taught, I would always end up with the bottom middles out of wack.<BR/><BR/>If it helps, I can get you a supersaint halo for your trouble. :)FX Turkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16798420127955373559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124131539070470792005-08-15T11:45:00.000-07:002005-08-15T11:45:00.000-07:00I can't solve it anymore...I can't remember the la...I can't solve it anymore...I can't remember the last two moves. I was HS class of '84, so it was very hot while I was in school. I couldn't immediately solve it, so I took the stickers off and lied to my parents about solving it. I was pretty sure that they saw through my lie, so my shame drove me to actually master it. I never used a book for answers, and didn't know that one existed until after I'd figured it out on my own. <BR/><BR/>I used a layer approach and got my time down to 51 seconds twice. I flunked geometry because of the cube and my rubist friends...I wonder which has more value: the cube, or the proofs I could have learned?generalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795058057645485735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124130964803864982005-08-15T11:36:00.000-07:002005-08-15T11:36:00.000-07:00Rubiks Cubes were created to eternally frustrate A...Rubiks Cubes were created to eternally frustrate ADD kids like myself. I was a sticker peeler, and not just the center one. I peeled them all and restuck them. It usually worked once per Cube before the stickers lost their sticky.Chris Freelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959685692971056289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124130628655819842005-08-15T11:30:00.001-07:002005-08-15T11:30:00.001-07:00Like Andrew - I "solved" the cube by taking it apa...Like Andrew - I "solved" the cube by taking it apart (I popped the individual cubes off) when I was a pre-teen. I then correctly reassembled it in under 30 seconds flat!<BR/><BR/>A virtual child-prodigy eh? <BR/><BR/>;-)Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00237152912911048265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124130616751542232005-08-15T11:30:00.000-07:002005-08-15T11:30:00.000-07:00Great post. It reminded me about all the things I ...Great post. It reminded me about all the things I enjoyed as a kid. It also reminded me of all the let-downs, too. For instance, Sea Monkeys. Mine never looked like that aquatic version of the Cleaver family no matter how well I fed them.<BR/><BR/>Now, I'm off to Amazon to order the 25th Anniversary Cube. Maybe it will arrive in time for my son to take to school when they dress up for 80's Day.puritanicoalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01037018607747983203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124125149556053382005-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:002005-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00One of my few claims to fame in my otherwise munda...One of my few claims to fame in my otherwise mundane life is the fact I could solve the RC in under 40 seconds or so. I even entered a contest one Saturday morning sponsored by Salem junior high in MO. It was a pretty easy win for a flabby asthmatic geek over a bunch of redneck jocks. I think I won 25 dollars and promptly went out to Wal-Mart that afternoon and spent it all on Star Wars stuff.<BR/><BR/>Fred<BR/><A HREF="http://www.hipandthigh.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Hip and Thigh</A>Fred Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025967176465685306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124124935933446822005-08-15T09:55:00.000-07:002005-08-15T09:55:00.000-07:00Frank and James: I'm not surprised to learn that e...Frank and James: I'm not surprised to learn that either of you are cubists. I would have guessed yes for both of you.<BR/><BR/>I am, however, amazed that James's wife tolerated a cube on the honeymoon.<BR/><BR/>And I am <I>very</I> impressed with Frank's 65-second ability. The down side to my self-taught corners-first method is that while it works, it's not that efficient. I'd love to learn your secret. Maybe when I'm in Tulsa next month, I'll drive over to Siloam Springs and let you show me. (Are you up for lunch? Is there a cafe nearby that serves cube steak?)Phil Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124120806468435372005-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:002005-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00Now, that is just plain mean. Here I am on a Mond...Now, that is just plain mean. Here I am on a Monday morning starting a busy ministry week after a Pastoral Sunday and there you go getting me thinking about playing games. What a guy!! Thanks a bunch!!<BR/><BR/>Really, I learned how to solve the cube by using a little book called the Simple Solution to Rubik's Cube and I even entered a couple of contests in High School (class of '85).Timotheoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880788118136612744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124119589214758692005-08-15T08:26:00.000-07:002005-08-15T08:26:00.000-07:00Phil,Nice analogy in comparing the Body of Christ ...Phil,<BR/><BR/>Nice analogy in comparing the Body of Christ of 1 Corinthians 12:25 to movements of the cube. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>BradBrad Hustonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13034379100231079992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124118542903398982005-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:002005-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:00I consider my inability to solve the Rubik's Cube ...I consider my inability to solve the Rubik's Cube one of my great failings in life. I was so ashamed. I hung out with the geeks, but I was really just a middling jock who was a wanna-be geek. I was an 8080/DOS kind of boy living in a Commodore world.Matthew Selfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826142025854336984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124116845450875712005-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:002005-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:00I was in HS when the Cube was big, and I could sol...I was in HS when the Cube was big, and I could solve it in about 90 seconds. One of my problems in breaking the 90-second barrier was that my cube had too much friction -- the layers would not slip fast enough, or they would jam. After I disassembled my cube and re-assembled it with a very healthy dose of graphite applied to the interior surfaces, I got down to 65 seconds consistently.<BR/><BR/>Then the darnedest thing happened: the cube wouldn't stay together while I was solving it. I'd lose a side piece every time.<BR/><BR/>I account the evil of the Rubik's Cube to my eventual slide into atheism. I just wanted to get the blasted thing done in 30 seconds, and if there was a God in Heaven, he would have let me do it. Or something like that.FX Turkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16798420127955373559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124109557392330642005-08-15T05:39:00.000-07:002005-08-15T05:39:00.000-07:00I got a Rubik's cube when I was about 10 years old...I got a Rubik's cube when I was about 10 years old. The best I could do was about two faces of the same colour. I could solve it with instructions. I have not used one for about 20 years - got too frustrated with it.A Birdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14420363402955095478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124109460766840172005-08-15T05:37:00.000-07:002005-08-15T05:37:00.000-07:00"If the Rubik's Cube teaches logic, are there any ..."If the Rubik's Cube teaches logic, are there any liberals who have solved it?"<BR/><BR/>Yeah, me. (wise guy)The Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08411690548427127566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723103.post-1124108216726167632005-08-15T05:16:00.000-07:002005-08-15T05:16:00.000-07:00I did the original with instructions, the 4X4 with...I did the original with instructions, the 4X4 without. Can't wait to get my hands on the 5X5!The Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08411690548427127566noreply@blogger.com