From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Thu Dec 25 23:43:21 1997 Return-Path: Received: from sun30.aic.nrl.navy.mil by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.8.1/mc) with SMTP id XAA05224; Thu, 25 Dec 1997 23:43:20 -0500 (EST) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Mail-from: From cube-lovers-request@life.ai.mit.edu Thu Dec 25 19:23:57 1997 Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 19:22:44 -0500 (EST) From: Nicholas Bodley To: "Jin 'Time Traveler' Kim" Cc: Cube Mailing List Subject: Re: Return of the Cube? In-Reply-To: <349F637D.4DA23A12@ibm.net> Message-Id: Jin Kim's comment, with which I heartily agree, leads me to wonder whether some entrepreneur might support small-scale manufacture of a very well-made 3^3, on the order of the Ideal deluxe Cube (I have forgotten what they called it). That Cube had a redesigned mechanism (it differed only in the details) that would tolerate much more misalignment, before making a maneuver, than the typical Cubes. It had attached plastic colored tiles instead of stickers, and was made of an excellent "engineering plastic". There are commercially-available materials that are self-lubricating, and these could be used for the wearing surfaces. The pivots could be true bearings, that is to say, like those in a typical piece of machinery. (The Ideal Cube might have had such.} Tests to 250,000 revolutions might be reasonable. Whether it makes sense to try to improve upon that already very-good design, I can't say. Consider chess, go, checkers or dominoes. I think the Cube quite rightly should take its place with them. Imho, the Cube and its direct derivatives are the most ingenious mechanisms ever invented. On Mon, 22 Dec 1997, Jin 'Time Traveler' Kim wrote: {Lots snipped} } A piece like the Cube is Timeless. -- }Jin "Time Traveler" Kim |* Nicholas Bodley *|* Electronic Technician {*} Autodidact & Polymath |* Waltham, Mass. *|* ----------------Amateur musician-------------- |* nbodley@tiac.net <<<-- Possible change to nbodley@shore.net; will let oodles of folks know if I do. I'd try to overlap by a month or so to give time to change over. Apologies in advance if so! Hope I don't have to.