From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Thu Mar 11 18:02:02 1999 Return-Path: Received: from sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil (sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil [132.250.84.38]) by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.1-mod) with SMTP id SAA14965 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 18:02:02 -0500 (EST) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Message-Id: <714F77ADF9C1D111B8B60000F863155102DD6D8E@tbjexc2.tbj.dec.com> From: Norman Diamond To: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: Oddzon version of the cube Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 09:36:17 +0900 Patrick Weidhaas [weidhaas1@llnl.gov] wrote: >As far as I know, nobody has produced a cube (or variation) where the >plastic "cubies" are colored appropriately without relying on stickers. I think I have mentioned on this list before that I bought one in India in 1996. >Is that process so much more expensive, I think it is not. I am not an expert on manufacturing so can't really say if it's more expensive to make a multicolored plastic piece than it is to make (or buy) adhesive tapes and punch stickers out of them for attachment to unicolored pieces. But I do think, when the version with multicolored plastic pieces could be retailed for 35 rupees, the cost of manufacture must be less than 35 rupees, the difference between this method of manufacture and the more common method must be less than 35 rupees, and I'd lay odds on a distributor not even noticing the difference in costs if they went that way. (35 rupees was about 120 yen then. 35 rupees would be about 100 yen now, though the product's price in rupees might have risen.) >or do the toy-makers want to give their customers a chance to cheat >by switching the stickers in case they can't get the puzzle solved? Interesting. Is this the reason why the stickers come off by themselves :-) Maybe they don't know that some people used to disassemble cubes and rearrange the cubies :-) Of course early Rubik's Revenges used to disassemble themselves that way. -- Norman.Diamond@dec-j.co.jp [Not speaking for Compaq]