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New Rubik's Cube World Record Set

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the i-still-hate-the-rubik's-cube dept.

LinuxCowboy writes "CNN is reporting that a 20 year old Cal Tech student set a new record by solving a 3x3 rubrics cube in 11.13 seconds. In addition, he was blindfolded while doing it." From the article: "Still, the world record alone didn't gain Lo the overall champion's title at the event, which was determined by averaging three of five solution times in the final round. For that title, Lo went up against the teenager widely considered the fastest Rubik's Cube solver on the planet -- Shotaro "Macky" Makisumi, a 15-year-old from Pasadena."

59 comments

  1. Minor Correction to Article Summary... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Funny


    a 20 year old Cal Tech student set a new record by solving a 3x3 rubrics cube in 11.13 seconds.

    <pedant>
    Surely it was a 3x3x3 cube, since '3x3' doesn't describe a cube at all.
    </pedant>

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by benh57 · · Score: 1

      Well, the sentence does say '3x3 cube' - the word cube implies it is the same in all dimensions, so you can infer that it is 3x3x3. Hence the final x3 is not really needed.

    2. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by Schickie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Neither is the second.

    3. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by maxume · · Score: 1

      It gets worse, rubrics cube? Amazingly, it is fine in the headline.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    4. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by usrusr · · Score: 1

      good pedantery

      maybe it's a 9x9x9?

      --
      [i have an opinion and i am not afraid to use it]
    5. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by Schickie · · Score: 0

      "Rubik's Cube Masters are Virgins" ... is a rubrik for rubes who master..

    6. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by nomadic · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well then it's a hypercube since we have a fourth dimension. So 3x3x3x11.13s.

    7. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by interiot · · Score: 1
      Not to be terribly pedantic, but doesn't it make the sentence look more like a typo, or at least make you do a double-take to make sure they're not talking about multiple rubrics cubes?
      a 20 year old Cal Tech student set a new record by solving a 3 rubrics cube in 11.13 seconds.
    8. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by cortana · · Score: 1

      You could call it a 3-cybe, or a 3^3 cube.

    9. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by Kelson · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, for some reason the 3x3 Rubik's Square never caught on.

    10. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by Kanasta · · Score: 1

      I think rubrics cube alone kinda implies a 3x3x3 cube

    11. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      '3x3x3' is redundant. You can describe the dimensions of a cube by giving the length of only one side. So you could say it is a "3" cube.

    12. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by stupid_is · · Score: 1
      even more pedantic: go to Rubik's store and look at the listing for the cubes. You have:
      Rubik's mini Cube at 2x2
      Rubik's Cube at 3x3
      Rubik's Revenge at 4x4
      Rubik's Professor Cube at 5x5

      Nowhere do they mention the last dimension of the cubes

      --
      -- Intelligence is soluble in alcohol
    13. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by steveo777 · · Score: 1
      3^3 cube would be rudundent... in this case, or it would really mean 3^3^3, which would really be 3^9. But don't cube that again, it starts getting messy.

      I would wager that most people would understand that a rubiks cube is 3x3x3, as that is the 'normal' size.

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
    14. Re:Minor Correction to Article Summary... by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      3x3 rubrics cube

      It's not even a material OBJECT, just some 3x3 grid of 'rules'. /pedant

      --
      -Styopa
  2. NOT blindfolded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The record for a 3x3x3 blindfolded is just under 2 minutes. Lo was most definately looking at the cube while solving it.

    1. Re:NOT blindfolded by ecryder · · Score: 1

      100% correct. There are several competition categories, blindfolded is one of them.

    2. Re:NOT blindfolded by Kelson · · Score: 1

      What I can't figure out about the blindfolded competition is how they can tell they've succeeded. Do they memorize the configuration before they begin, then solve it "in their head" as it were, or is there some way to tell the different colored labels apart by touch?

    3. Re:NOT blindfolded by tepples · · Score: 1

      or is there some way to tell the different colored labels apart by touch?

      Braille? But then you probably wouldn't know, as people who depend on a screen reader aren't allowed to post to Slashdot because of the CAPTCHA.

    4. Re:NOT blindfolded by fprintf · · Score: 5, Informative

      Memorization. You get a certain amount of time to memorize the cube before beginning. Then you orient the cube with the centers in the direction you prefer, then you put the blindfold on and begin. You know when you are done when you have done all the moves you planned in your head. If you have done it correctly the cube is solved once you put it down. If not, well then it isn't really 100% blindfolded then is it?

      http://www.speedcubing.com/ has a pretty decent FAQ as well as good links to other more robust blindfold or regular speedcubing tutorial sites.

      --
      This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
    5. Re:NOT blindfolded by ecryder · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think the audience yells out "hotter" and "colder."

  3. Tyson Mao by reynols · · Score: 2, Informative

    One of the previous record holders, Tyson Mao, can be seen on WB's Beauty and the Geek 2.

  4. Hmmm by Otter · · Score: 2, Funny
    So is the guy on Beauty and the Geek 2 now more or less of a dork now that he's the ex-record holder?

    My advice to Ashton Kutcher is to kick him off the show and replace him with Leyan Lo, in a stunning plot twist. Unless Leyan Lo has a girlfriend, but that seems implausible.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    1. Re:Hmmm by chibimagic · · Score: 1

      I go to school with both Tyson and Leyan, and Leyan tutors me in physics. Tyson's record referred to on the show was already broken by Leyan back in November, however, the show was filmed before then.

      And Leyan does have a girlfriend, and they're an adorable couple.

    2. Re:Hmmm by Schickie · · Score: 0

      Aww go on, admit it, you made all that up.

    3. Re:Hmmm by InsaneLampshade · · Score: 1

      Yeah... surely everyone knows you need pictures to prove anything on the internet!

      We demand pictures of this so called "girlfriend"!!!

    4. Re:Hmmm by Schickie · · Score: 0
      Oy! Lampshade - put brain gear! So you get a digi-snap of chibimagic's kid sister (Pamela WhatsHerFace?). So what. The minimum non-negotiable demand should be a vid-stream of the happy couple inclusive spinning cube. (Look for faintly visible wires).

      Anybody know what Leyan looks like?

  5. randomness... by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    shouldnt records for solving something which starts in a random state be taken as an /average/ of solving times?

    in other inqueries: do competative rubix-cubers use special rubix grease or something for smooth spinning?

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    1. Re:randomness... by dozer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They do. They disassemble and reassemble their cubes and oil them to where there's almost no sliding friction at all. They don't twist a face, they flick a side with a fingertip and let momentum do the rest while they move their hands for the next move. It's amazing to watch.

    2. Re:randomness... by Gorimek · · Score: 1

      You're right, there are records for that as well, and the average records are taken far more seriously by the cubers themselves.

      But there is no way to make the media write about that concept.

  6. Prize by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From TFA:
    "For his victory, Makisumi won a Rubik's Snake puzzle"
    Wow. He should be able to put himself through college with that.

    Also (from the /. synopsis):
    "rubrics cube in 11.13 seconds"
    I think this falls under the rubric of spelling mistake.

  7. Does it have anything to do with age by Rac3r5 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The reason I ask this is because when I was between gr 7- gr 9 I was quite good at solving puzzles.
    When I was in gr.7 or 8, we had a rubix cube at home.. and I was able to solve it, not fast, but I was able to solve it none the less.
    Then when I was in gr 9-10, I was really good at chess and chinese checkers. I was also good at solving tiled puzzles in under a minute. I don't remember what I did, but I had some sort of procedure for doing it and stuff just worked out all the time.

    Now I'm 24 and my sister bought me a rubix cube for christmas and I still haven't been able to solve it. I have no idea what I did when I was a kid.
    Maybe it had something to do with puberty?

    1. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 4, Funny

      Probably

      next up...... the clitoris. nature's rubik's cube.....

      Stuart

      --
      It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
    2. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yea I think something happens at age 21 that suddely our brain power begins to drop off faster than usual. I don't know what it would be either. Guess I'll drink a beer and think about it.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    3. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by Neop2Lemus · · Score: 1
      The famous English author Rudyard Kipling wrote about a [paraphrase] "great collapse of the mind at the age of 25", I'ms sorry I don't remember which book. I used to listen to the radio and repeat it, can't do that anymore. Mathematicians note the same thing, much of their best work is done under the age of 25, after that it's elbow grease that succeeds, or so I've read.

      But at 21 you're probably just really out of practice, and I was never smart enough to be a mathematician.

      --
      Needle Nardle Noo
    4. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by shane_rimmer · · Score: 1

      When I was young, I had all the time in the world to devote to solving puzzles and mastering tough moves in video games. Now that I am married, have two kids, a mortgage, and the stress of work, I find I am not so good at puzzles that require a lot of practice...

    5. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea I think something happens at age 21 that suddely our brain power begins to drop off faster than usual.

      Or years younger, in countries whose governments don't babysit their populace.

    6. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think at this is true for mathematicians.
      This rumor was started by Hardy in his book "A mathematician's apology".
      However, there are many counterexamples of matheticians doing high level stuff despite being not young are more, i.e. look at Erdös or Perelman who recently solved the remaining open case of the Poincare conjecture.
      The fact that perhaps more new/good stuff comes from young mathematicians is in my opinion a consequence of the way academia works. For young people the pressure to publish is highest, but the load on administrative stuff and teaching is lowest. Furthermore they haven't dived so deeply in specialized fields, which stops them from taggling which complicated problems which have only a very small audience of interest.

    7. Re:Does it have anything to do with age by shigelojoe · · Score: 1

      Even worse, you're expected to solve it with your tongue.

  8. Stuff that Matters by jazman_777 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Slashdot:
    News for nerds, stuff that matters.

    I see that that really means:
    stuff that doesn't matter, stuff that matters.

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    1. Re:Stuff that Matters by Sockatume · · Score: 1

      "News that only matters to stuffy nerds"?

      --
      No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  9. Bah by Enjoi · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ignorance gets it wrong again. - He wasn't blindfolded, that was a different even. - It was a bit lucky, but not too much, as he is still quite fast. It was actually a PLL skip (permutating all the pieces of the top layer) Yes, the cubes are at random states, no, you can't peel the stickers off, yes, he has done times near this before that wern't lucky. I'm a speedcuber, I average about 23 seconds and I've solved it fastest in 17.78, non-lucky. You're gonna wanna visit speedcubing.com for more info.

    1. Re:Bah by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      Why don't we give the award to the people who came up with the twist pattern/algorithm to solve this at light speed. Really, doesn't everybody else just have fast hands.

  10. Rubric's Cube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've seen people who were good at solving a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, but I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to solve a 3x3 rubric's cube.

  11. Beauty and the Geek by starlabs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you go to the link and RTFA, you'll see a picture of Tyson Mao. Interestingly enough he's not mentioned in the article (nor was he the winner).

    But he is a contestant on this season's Beauty and the Geek ;)

    1. Re:Beauty and the Geek by cadaeibfed · · Score: 1

      Well, Tyson did organize this competition, and he was a judge, so I think having a picture of him is valid.

  12. The search is over. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a 3x3 cube, or: (3x3)x(3x3)x(3x3).

    I can't even visualize what that would look like, let alone how to complete it.

    He did it blindfolded too?

    The search is over, we've found "The One".

    1. Re:The search is over. by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      I can't even visualize what that would look like, let alone how to complete it.

      He did it blindfolded too?

      He had to be blindfolded, the mere sight of a six-dimensional Rubik's "Cube" is enough to make a man go insane.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  13. Yes, there are other than 3x3 rubiks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There indeed other Rubiks (or Rubiks) like cubes out there that are not 3x3. I've seen a 4x4x4 cube, as well as one that is polygonal in nature.

    1. Re:Yes, there are other than 3x3 rubiks by stupid_is · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yup - go to Rubiks site and buy a 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4 or even (The Professor) 5x5x5 (although they refer to them as nxn too!)

      --
      -- Intelligence is soluble in alcohol
    2. Re:Yes, there are other than 3x3 rubiks by Teddy+Beartuzzi · · Score: 1
      So which is more fun, the 4x4 or the 5x5, for someone who long ago solved the 3x3?

      Well, I didn't really solve it myself, there was that hint book, but this time...

    3. Re:Yes, there are other than 3x3 rubiks by br0ck · · Score: 1

      How about solving the 20x20 cube, like this guy?

  14. What the cube has taught me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I spent a lot of time in high school getting good at the cube. I was never in the range of these guys, but I could do it in about a minute and a half. What did I learn?

    -- Rubix Cube skills transfer to absolutely nothing
    -- In no manner whatsoever does it impress members of the opposite sex

    1. Re:What the cube has taught me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yes, but it builds up your right-hand finger muscles, which has certain additional self-recreational utility.

    2. Re:What the cube has taught me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...You use your right hand? That's cheating!

      And, yes. No way can you pick up chicks.
      Amen.

  15. Re:well that's just stupid... by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

    Whenever I disassembled and reassembled a rubiks cube, I just put it back together "solved": no flicking required.

    Some people just lack common sense!

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All