InventorSpot

Rubik's Cube... you dont have to be Borg to love it!

Remember the Rubik's Cube? The fiendishly frustrating creation of Hungarian mathematician Erno Rubik was an Eighties phenomenon that rivaled the Pet Rock. Most people who bought one (and most people did) soon got bored and consigned it to a corner of the bookshelf to collect dust - much like the Pet Rock.

A small minority, however, found in Rubik's Cube a unique combination of challenge and delight. The original 3x3 cube begat various variations in the form of a pentagon, a dodecahedron, a cute 2x2, an intimidating 4x4 and a nightmarish 5x5 that I wouldn't even touch with YOUR hands!

But I digress... we're here to talk about Speed Cubing, where times are measured in milliseconds and competitions feature one-handed solving and - wait for it - cube-solving using one's feet. Yes, feet... in under a minute, no less.


Here's a video of young Shotaro Makisumi setting the world speed-cubing record of 12.11 seconds exactly FOUR YEARS AGO...

So, if you're a serious Cuber (not that there's anything wrong with that), you want to have every possible advantage on your side. How else are you going to beat the current world record of 9.18 seconds? That's where the Speed Cubing Kit from MegaHouse of Japan comes in. The kit includes a couple of specialized tools with which the cube's screws can be loosened, a tube'o'lube, an instruction manual (in Japanese, but illustrated) and even a 3x3 Rubik's Cube to go all Dr.Frankenstein-like on.

You can order the Speed Cubing Kit online from the Official Rubik's Cube website - hey, ol' Erno isn't resting on his laurels, y'know - where incidentally you'll find a host of other puzzling puzzles developed by the Mad Hungarian. As for me, my cubing days have long passed. After solving the 3x3 after months of trying, I figured I'd quit while I was ahead and consigned the solved cube to the corner of my bookcase... alongside my Pet Rock. (via Tokyomango)