From cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Thu Feb 6 14:38:30 1997 Return-Path: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Received: from curry.epilogue.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by curry.epilogue.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id OAA03750; Thu, 6 Feb 1997 14:38:30 -0500 Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Message-ID: <32F99BFC.7299@ibm.net> Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 00:53:16 -0800 From: Jin "Time Traveler" Kim X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Dennis Okon CC: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: Broken Cube References: <9702032332.AA09252@MIT.MIT.EDU> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dennis Okon wrote: > > It would be wonderful if you could mail it to me. And, actually I have two > cubes with broken centers - one of the original type and one of the plastic > snap in tiles, which apparently (from inspection) both have the same size > centers. > I will mail you the piece as promptly as possible. I recently moved into a new residence days ago, so you will have to bear with me as I hunt for my puzzle box and hope that I didn't throw away my ravaged cube in a fit of....confusion? > Also, I'm interested in hearing more specifically what the modification you > mentioned was. The hack sent my mind in all sorts of directions. > >
You want to hear the ugly truth? Ugh... Ok.. while thumbing through Dr. Christoph Bandelow's excellent cube catalog (1992 edition, I think), I stumbled upon an object called the "Fisher Cube," in which each handmade cube had a unique "cut" to it. Basically on a standard cube the "groove" lines run parallel to the faces of the cube. On fisher's cube, two opposite faces had the groove lines running diagonally, which meant that a scrambled cube looked absolutely jacked up. I got this brilliant idea that I could make something similar, so out came the hacksaw.... After about an hour and a half of cutting I realized that I had completely ruined a perfectly good cube. And my bedroom floor (and desk, and bed, and lamp, and clothes, etc....) was COVERED in black plastic shavings which, despite their strangely appealing odor, had managed to make a terrible mess. So after giving myself disgusted looks into a mirror (as a form of "self scolding," if you will) I packed all the pieces away, thinking that maybe someday I would take the Time to reassemble it or fix it somehow. After acquiring 4 more cubes over a period of 5 years, I have lost interest in that project. Soooo, that's it. Nothing particularly drastic, but I think it might be worth a chuckle or two to those of the mailing list, so what started as a personal email has become my own public shame. So I also hope you won't have a problem with your "private email" being part of this drawn out response. -- Jin "Time Traveler" Kim chrono@ibm.net VGL Costa Mesa P.S. If I find it, you want the whole mess or just the middle?