From cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org  Tue May 13 23:24:09 1997
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Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 22:26:22 -0400
To: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu
From: karen angelli <kangelli@tiac.net>
Subject: 2x6 Rubik's Magics
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Wow, what a response.  
	Yes, you are all correct, the ones I saw are 6x2, not 8x2.  However, as I
now know, almost any number are possible.  I saw the puzzles for sale at
The Games People Play at 1100 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Ma 02138
617-492-0711 (not far from the cube-lovers administrators at MIT) (They are
also available from Puzzletts in Seattle).  The owner of Games People Play
had about five for sale, and also several of the original black background
8panel Magics.  She sells the 12 panel for $20 and the 8 panel for $15.
However, the buyer must beware.  Each of the 12 panel ones I looked at in
Games People play had one broken string each.  I bought one despite the
flaw, because she gave me the phone number for someone who knows how to fix
them, and the $20 price was substantially below the $35 plus s.h. from
Puzzletts.  I had lunch with my Rubiks Magic repair-man today, got a lesson
in Rubiks magicology and now have a fully functional toy.
	According to my sources, the Magics can function with as few as half of
the original strings.  Each string set is double strung for extra strength.
 Accordingly, the thing will still work properly if any one breaks, or if
any number break, so long as both strings on any particular loop both
break.  He suggests removing any broken string as soon as possible so that
it does not get in the way of the other ones and create a cascading loose
loop catastrophe.  
	He happened to have a number of extra loops of fishing line because he
fixes the puzzles for a puzzle mail-order company.  The company told him
that there was a large batch of puzzles made with defective strings.  They
send him the puzzles, and he canabalizes them to make n-1 Magics from n
defective magics.
	He fixes the Magics by wrapping the loop around the same path as the one
path that has only one loop around it.  There are only a couple of rules to
follow: the string paths on one side cross the string paths on the other
side at 90degree angles, and when the two strings from one side pass the
strings from the other side between panels, the two from one side must be
either both outside of the two from the other side, or both inside the ones
from the other side.
	Personally, I've always been too paranoid about my puzzles to abuse them
enough to actually find out how to take them apart.  I also usually
hesitated at spending the money to get several puzzles when one seemed
sufficient.  I guess I need to learn how to live life on the wild side.

'e-ya later, 
Peter Reitan