Knowledge Cubed

Have you ever heard of Feliks Zembdegs, Nipat Charoenpholphant, or Che-Ting Chu? Well you should have because they are currently the top 3 ranked Rubik’s cube solvers in the world. 5.66 seconds sounds pretty intense, right? And so this is the tale of my quest to solve a Rubik’s cube.

This may not sound like folk knowledge, but you haven’t met my extended family. I’ve never been to many family reunions, but one stands out in particular. It was then, at only 11, that I was exposed to Crazy Uncle Mark. Among his many eccentricities, he was obsessed with the Rubik’s cube. He told us when he was younger, he would sit under a tree and make one move at a time, recording every move he made in a notebook. After a year, he had mastered the cube. But his interest didn’t stop there. He went on, learning how to solve the cube blindfolded, behind his back, and even with one hand. This fixation was eventually handed down to his children, two twin boys and a girl. Throughout the entire reunion, the twins would race each other, even though they were full-grown adults in their 40’s. This seemingly useless skill has actually been passed down through 3 generations now, connecting them together. Now although this oddity at the reunion intrigued me, I never pursued the Rubik’s cube as a hobby. Thankfully, my sister learned the ways of the cube from Uncle Mark and was able to teach me the traditions of my own family.

Let me say that this is not an easy skill either! I am by no means perfect, but with a lot of help and memorization, I got it! If you want detailed moves, I can tell you later, but basically you want to get all one side the same color and then work on each other side after that. It’s definitely a game that twists your mind. We so often think two-dimensionally, but Rubik’s cubes require you to think in three dimensions. You have to get one piece twisted around to fit on its opposite side. I am still baffled by how logical yet tricky the Rubik's cube can be, but this is what is so engaging, making it a fun entertaining tradition. This kind of folk knowledge may not necessarily be useful, but I think that it helps to stretch your mind and bring friends and family closer together.