From ncramer@bbn.com  Sun May  5 05:02:30 1991
Return-Path: <ncramer@bbn.com>
Received: from LABS-N.BBN.COM by life.ai.mit.edu (4.1/AI-4.10) id AA19791; Sun, 5 May 91 05:02:30 EDT
Message-Id: <9105050902.AA19791@life.ai.mit.edu>
Date:     Sat, 4 May 91 17:58:35 EDT
From: Nichael Cramer <ncramer@bbn.com>
To: "Dale I. Newfield" <dn1l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Cc: Cube-Lovers@life.ai.mit.edu, Cube-Lovers@life.ai.mit.edu
Subject:  Re:  5-cube in a game store!!!

>Date: Sat,  4 May 91 04:58:29 -0400 (EDT)
>From: "Dale I. Newfield" <dn1l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
>To: Cube-Lovers@life.ai.mit.edu
>Subject: Re: 5-cube in a game store!!!
>
>I called and ordered things from this store in California, and just
>recieved things over the past two days.
>
>THE 5X5X5 CUBE!!!!!!!!

Synchronicity!! I was just typing in a virtually identical message when
Dale's posting came!  (D: thanks for saving me all the typing.  ;)

>(I just started the 5X5X5 about 2 hours ago, and already have all but a
>few on the bottom.  I think it will be MUCH easier than the 4X4X4.  It
>comes with instructs on how to open it, and I took it apart to look. 

Yeah, I think anyone who _understands_ how to work a 3by or a 4by (as
opposed to merely memorizing cookbook solutions) should have no problem
with it.

I'm certainly no speed whiz.  The UPS man rang the doorbell at 1pm and I
had scrambled and "solved" it by 3[*].  (Solved is in quotes because I had
the cube completly done except that two non-central edge-cubies were
flipped.  It took me another 15-20 minutes to back out and fix this.)

  [* this includes feeding lunch to my two daughters and a few minutes of
     code-debugging over the phone.]

>THIS DESIGN IS IMPRESSIVE!  You can make some REALLY neat patterns with
>the 5x5x5.)  

(I've got one of mine completely covered in checkerboard patterns).

As Dale says, the 5by seems very solid.  Probably this is because it has an
odd number of cubes and so has the fixed center cubie.  Certainly it moves
more consistently smoothly than my 4bys.  On the other hand, at least once
I've felt one of the cubies start to pop out in my hand while I was turning
it.

Another thing: the cubies are starting to get pretty small.  The whole cube
is only about 1/4 longer on each side than my 4by.

My only concern is _where_ do these cubes actually come from?  The rest of
my cubes (2X, 3X, 4X) have _all_ had the Rubik's symbol and copyright
notices on them.  These 5bys have neither.  Could these be pirated cubes?
On the other hand they seem solidly made and the colors are bright and
distinct unlike most cheepy copy-cubes that I've seen.  But it's curious
that there are no copyright notices _anywhere_ either the cube or the
enclosing box.

Oh well.  Something to keep my hands busy during those long compiles for
the next couple of weeks.

Cheers
Nichael