From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Tue Sep 22 16:10:10 1998 Return-Path: Received: from sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.8.8/mc) with SMTP id QAA17882; Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:10:10 -0400 (EDT) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 15:52:33 -0400 (EDT) From: Nicholas Bodley To: Hana Bizek Cc: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: Rubik's cube kingdom In-Reply-To: <35F350B1.626F@ameritech.net> Message-Id: My apologies for a delayed reply. Hana's essay was rather philosophical, and contained some uncommon points of view; it was appropriate, in my opinion. One aspect of the Cube (and related puzzles) that seemed to be ignored is the remarkable ingenuity of their internal mechanisms. I maintain that the mechanism of the original (i.e., 3^3) Rubik's Cube is one of the most ingenious ever invented. I recall being very fatigued, riding the West Side IRT subway in NYC about 2 AM, perhaps, and catching sight of someone manipulating what must have been one of the very first Cubes, probably from Hungary*. I was fairly sure I wasn't hallucinating, but was very troubled that what I'd seen simply appeared impossible. I've been a somewhat-casual student of mechanisms all my life. *This was probably several weeks, or more, before the Scientific American article, and the later explosion of its popularity. My regards to all, |* Nicholas Bodley *|* Electronic Technician {*} Autodidact & Polymath |* Waltham, Mass. *|* ----------------------------------------------- |* nbodley@tiac.net *|* The personal computer industry will have become |* Amateur musician *|* mature when crashes become unacceptable. --------------------------------------------------------------------------