Cracking the Cube: Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.75 (533 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1501121936 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-12-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"A brilliant journey into that magical toy that took over our lives, set world records and continues to fascinate kids and adults the world over. We've all had one. We've all played with one. Finally there's a book that explains 'why'." – Morgan Spurlock
As Scheffler learns from the many gurus who cross his path, from pint-sized kids to engineering professors, it’s not just about memorizing algorithms or even solving all six sides—it’s about discovering how to solve yourself.. Along with participating in speedcubing competitions—from the World Championship to local tournaments—and interviewing key figures from the Cube’s history, he journeys to Budapest to seek a meeting with the legendary and notoriously reclusive Rubik, who is still tinkering away with puzzles in his seventies.Getting sucked into the competitive circuit himself, Scheffler becomes engrossed in solving Rubik’s Cube in under twenty seconds, the quasi-mystical barrier known as “sub-20,” which is to cubing what four minutes is to the mile: the difference between the best and everyone else. Ian Scheffler, journalist and aspiring “speedcuber,” attempts to break into the international phenomenon of speedsolving the Rubik’s Cube—think chess played at the speed of Ping-Pong—while exploring the greater lessons that can be learned through solving it.When Hungarian professor Ern Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube (or, rather, his Cube) in 1974 out of wooden blocks, rubber bands, and paper clips, he didn’t even know if it could be solved, let alone that it would become the world’s most popular puzzle. S
Story, not a manual. Dale This is a great book about a guy's cubing adventures. It is not a "How to solve the cube" instruction manual.. and then to learn that the best can do it so much faster It's hard to overstate how exciting it is to follow young Mr. Scheffler on his quest to crack 20 seconds on the cube. Before reading this book I never thought that was possible, and then to learn that the best can do it so much faster.WOW! It blew my mind. As someone who long ago gave up hope of ever solving a rubiks cube, this book gave me the vicarious thrill of the solve and made me w. In the Zone said Great recreational read. Great recreational read. You don't need to be a "cuber" (I've never solved the cube even once in my life) to enjoy this. I met the young author at a book-signing and found him to be intelligent, genuine and friendly. I bought a book for myself and for other family members as gifts. Buy this book and support the up-and-coming authors like him!
Ian Scheffler has written for The New Yorker, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. He holds a degree in English from Columbia University, where he co-edited the Columbia Review. . Cracking the Cube is his first book