Mr Rubik

Anyone remember these things?

I must have been about 10 years old and could nail this in a couple of minutes flat. Right now I haven't the slightest clue how I used to do it , so now struck with trying to impress my now similar aged nephews, I have been swotting up on this "skill".

And hell's teeth, not that I'm surprised, but a quick web trawl reveals that the craze didn't die in the 80's+ along with Andrew Ridgeley but that exists an entire subculture of Rubik speedsolvers, blindfolded solvers, one-handed solvers, world championships and a world record solving time of 10.36 seconds. etc.

Wikipedia has a good history of the cube including the comment that :

It has been suggested that the international appeal and export achievement of the Cube became one of the contributing factors in the reform and liberalization of the Hungarian economy between 1981 and 1985, which finally led to the move from communism to capitalism. Financially, the Cube was so successful that Rubik became the first self-made elite in a communist country.

+ Talking of the '80's: Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore's light-hearted movie romp "Music & Lyrics" is fun, sentimental ++ , has a great dig at the hair and style of that era and is worth a watch (on DVD). I often wonder what we will laugh uncontrollably at when we look back at the current decade?

++I must be the only bloke on earth who has shed a sentimental tear with every Hugh Grant film I've seen!

Jeez, we're a strange species!