Sometime last January, there was one day where I bit off more than I could chew. I didn’t know what kind of trouble I had gotten myself into that day when I clicked on the finalize button for eBay and ordered another puzzle. This time, the puzzle in question is called a Square 1. It also goes by other names, such as Cube 21 and Irregular IQ Cube (link to ThinkGeek.com). However, I have another name for it: Geometric Mindbender!

As you can see in the first two pictures, it looks like a normal cube puzzle… except for the angular cuts. Quite different from the garden-variety Rubik’s-type cube. It even has less pieces than that famous puzzle, which is very misleading as one may calculate that less pieces equals less combinations equals easier-to-solve, right? Wrong! Just try mixing it up, and this is what you may end up with:

Whereas a Rubik’s cube is more of an exercise in recreational mathematics, the Square 1 throws in a good dose of geometry! It’s very true that there’s less combinations of permutations in the puzzle, but that is not to say that it’s any easier to solve. Indeed, after watching various videos of seasoned cubers messing around with one of these, I’ve come to the conclusion that any puzzlemeister will have a harder time with this cube than any regular NxNxN cube. Even browsing the puzzle forums, most people on them agreed that this is one of the hardest ones to solve.

After mastering the 2×2, 3×3, 4×4 and 5×5 cubes, not to mention solving a 7×7x7 cube and also solving a Megaminx with little effort and no help, I thought I was ready for this. Boy, was I wrong! After a couple of days of working out most of the puzzle, I got stuck on how to do some of the switching of corners and edges, so I sought help online. Getting the Square 1 back into cube shape, and then having the top and bottom showing the same colors took some time, but I got those parts done without help. However, putting the final pieces in place is a great challenge, not made any easier by the fact that you may encounter parity issues which require “polarization” of the puzzle (BTW, that involves a complete shape morph!!).

All in all, if you love puzzles and you feel the need for a new challenge, Square 1 will not disappoint when it comes to brain-wracking aggravation and satisfaction!

Cheers… and happy puzzling!

Update!: More fooling around with the Square 1 today yielded some amusing results. I managed to make a couple of animal shapes; one bears a passing resemblance to a rhino! I’ll post a pic in my Hobbies album in the Photo Gallery, ASAP!

Well, here’s another general update, in the form of a video blog entry. You’ll notice some lag in the video/sound timing; that’s because I was running too many applications on the computer. Also, the CamTwist app that I use for some effects is an unbelievable resource hog! Hopefully I’ll make more vids soon! (Side note: I may have to expand/organize my video section of this site!!)

Cheers!

Sorry to all of you for not writing lately. I’ve been both lazy and busy… figure that one out! I guess I should tell you all about some of the happenings in my life lately, as well as plans I have in general and with this blog.

First, I’ve been having fun with the new Megaminx puzzle. When I first started solving it, it took a couple of hours at a time. Just trying to get used to all the faces while looking for all the pieces can be a real challenge! Now, I think I can solve it in around thirty minutes. I also took some time on friday to go to a hardware store for some silicone lubricant. This is recommended for twisty puzzles like Rubik’s and Meffert’s brand, among others. Now, the minx and all three of my 3×3x3 cubes turn very well; no stiffness!

On that note, I also had a good run on Stickam.com yesterday. It seems that Thommen and I had become very popular that day, as I had a highest count of 40 or so people looking at my cam pages! I got to meet a few cool new people, while in my live cam room, and reconnect with one friend in particular. I even looked in the chat rooms and found a room called “Cubing”. This I had to see! It turns out, while talking to the guys in there, I got to meet one of the world record holders for the Megaminx, at under a minute and 13 seconds! I can’t even begin to spell Erik’s surname, but he’s listed in the Wikipedia entry on the puzzle. Watching the guy on cam with a cube was just amazing.

I’ve also been having fun, with Christine, watching the Doctor Who box set. We still have a few episodes to watch, so I’ll list my favorites here when we’re done. I’m ripping “The Impossible Planet” for iPod use as I type this! I haven’t forgotten to do a review on Lunatica’s “Fables & Dreams”, so I’ll do that as soon as I can. I also acquired DragonForce’s “Inhuman Rampage” album… I’m still recovering from one of the songs on there, so watch for a review on that one after I’ve scraped my brains off of the ceiling…

One more thing. I’ve found a good way to post some of the things in my internet (and real) life… stuff that may be too short for the blog and too long for a Twitter update. It’s called a Tumblelog! It’s kind of an internet scrapbook where you can throw a bunch of miscellaneous stuff for quick reference and communication. You can check out mine at http://chrisw357.tumblr.com/. I have it integrated into a blog page… kind of… it’s got a date bug, but it’s functional, and you can check that out over here (http://esoterik72.net/esoblog/tumblelog/). When I get the date bug fixed, I’ll make a button for it on the horizontal navbar at the top of this blog.

Well, thanks for reading up on everything that’s going on. Email me… or message me… or whatever… if any of you want to talk more. And comment here, too, if you want to; your comments are very welcome! Cheers!

Hello to all of you and I hope you had a great New Year’s celebration!

For this first blog entry of 2008, I (surprisingly) do not have any new games. Well, aside from a Sonic the Hedgehog iPod game. It’s not worth really going in great detail about; I just got it for the nostalgia. However, I did get a new puzzle from the mail yesterday. I had to order it through eBay from PuzzlePros. Take a look at the pictures below:

It’s a Megaminx! This puzzle comes in a couple different color schemes and variations, along with different kinds of tiles depending on when it was manufactured. I must say that whoever manufactured this one did a decent job. It is lightweight, but it feels sturdy (and a little stiff) when turning the faces. The pieces come together almost seamlessly, with very little gapping in some areas. The tiles seem permanent enough, but only time and good use will tell just how good the quality is. It’s certainly different, and bigger (!), than the Mefferts version (I know the Mefferts version is smaller from watching YouTube’s vids on them).

This thing looks like a monster to solve, doesn’t it? My wife even said that it looks evil, due to it’s pentagram-ic stylings! It’s a 12-sided dodecahedron that is layered in such a way that any of the faces can turn freely. Due to the way it turns, the cuts form a star pattern, with which only the center piece is stationary (similar to the Rubik’s Cube’s centers). Because of this, it is possible to use the techniques learned in solving the Rubik’s Cube and adapt them for use in solving the Megaminx. Be ware of thinking that it’s really simple; compared to the Cube, the extra side on each face can really make things confusing. However, I did solve it this morning after mixing it up last night. The only help I had was advice, found on the web, on starting points and finishing points and nothing else…

… so I kinda ruined my fun in solving it so soon. However… that does not mean that the Megaminx is easy! This is a real brainbuster that any twisty-puzzle fan will get a kick out of, even solving it repeated times like I will.

I’ll update this entry If I find any really glaring flaws in the construction, but so far it twists and turns like a champ. I’ll need to see about lubing it to make it turn better. I also want to work with it more to come up with a good beginner’s solution, just to help out other people who may need advice. Everywhere I went on the internet, I only found sites that essentially said “work it like a regular 3×3 cube” and complicated algorithms for every single last-layer permutation case, none of which I’ve used in solving it! I want to, someday soon, help others by showing how to solve it without learning algs for every case. It can be done and I know I can find the optimal beginner’s solution.

All in all this is a gem in my puzzle collection. At least until I get the real Mefferts version! (supposedly the best one)

Ok. I know what most of you will think.

I. Have. No. Life.