January 29th, 2021
Mat Smith / Engadget
The Rubik’s Cube has been around for decades. I’ve toyed with the cube, probably in the very late ‘80s or early ‘90s, but never imagined being able to solve one. But wouldn’t it be satisfying if I could? And if not now, with months of social distancing, when?
Fortunately, the internet makes solving what was originally an architecture puzzle doable for most of us. Even the impatient, like me. The world record for solving a cube has plummeted since 2000 from 20 seconds to under five, as pros and enthusiasts synthesized high-speed solutions and turn combinations (called algorithms) and shared them with the world. (For a good primer, check out this documentary on Netflix.)