1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,279 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's me Josh and for this week's select 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: I've chosen our August two thousand nineteen episode I'm one 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: of the best selling toys of all time, the Rubik's Cube. 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: It's an engaging episode on an unlikely global trend sprung 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: from a Hungarian architects beautiful mind. So enjoy. Welcome to 6 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: Stuff you should know, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: you're welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, and there's 8 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: Charles W. Chuck Bryant, Jerry's over there, and we're cubing 9 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: it up with Rubic the Cube. Did you see um 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:48,559 Speaker 1: that cartoon, Rubic the Amazing Cube? Did you come across that? And? Okay, 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: I I feel like we are um well within our 12 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: rights as far as fair use goes, since we are 13 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: talking about this, to at least play the highly disturbing 14 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: but also st hugely cute voice of Rubic the Amazing Cube. 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: Can I play this real quick? Sure? Okay? That is it? 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: It is awfully unusual, especially when you see this cube 17 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: they just basically took do you remember the goblin face 18 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: on maximum overdrive on that on the front of that 19 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: semi sort of it's kind of like a cuter version 20 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: of that that they put onto a Rubik's Cube, put 21 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: some feet on it, and then gave it superpowers. That's 22 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: Rubic the Amazing Cube. So back to Rubic, Chuck. Yeah, 23 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: it was kind of hard to believe that it took 24 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: until two thousand fourteen for this thing to be granted 25 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: National Toy Hall of Fame inductee status. Uh. It seems 26 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: like it would have been much sooner than that because 27 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: they have sold hundreds and hundreds of millions of Rubik's 28 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: Cube since I had one. I still have one. I 29 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: could do it at one point. Oh really, Yeah, I 30 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: could do it in a couple of minutes. Wow, Chuck, 31 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: I'm impressed. I had no idea. Yeah, I can still do. 32 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: I can still do one side and like the top 33 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: row surrounding that side on all sides, and that's where 34 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: I completely forget. Oh, I see, So you couldn't do 35 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: it in a couple of minutes now you just have 36 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: you could in the past. Yeah when I was nine. Okay, Um, 37 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: I'm impressed. I've never been able to solve a Rubik's Cube. 38 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: I've never been sucked in enough to um like, really 39 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: spend a significant amount of time. But um I was 40 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: playing with my niece's Rubik's Cube the other day studying 41 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: for this, and um I was like, yeah, I could 42 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: see how somebody would become obsessed with this kind of 43 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: thing for sure. Yeah, it was fun and it was 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 1: you know, to call it all the rage as an understatement. 45 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: It was one of the most popular toys of all time, 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: and then in by a math enthusiast in Hungary, an 47 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: architect professor named er No Rubik. Appropriately enough, they named 48 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: him after the cube. That's right. And if you don't 49 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: know what we're talking about, it seems weird to describe 50 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: a Rubik's Cube, but we'll probably be taking a task 51 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: if we do not. I would say, just come out 52 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: from under the rock that you've been living under. But 53 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: we may have some young listeners who don't even know 54 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: what this thing is, this piece of eighties ephemera, even 55 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: though it's not ephemera because they're still pretty popular. But 56 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: it is a cube made up of twenty six little 57 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: mini cubes called cubs, which is kind of a cute 58 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: little name. I think. So you're not as cute as 59 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: Rubic the Amazing Cube, but yeah, little cubs and they're 60 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: in a three inch by three inch by three inch 61 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: well that's not quite true, a three by three by 62 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: three grid, eventually creating a cube that measures two point 63 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: two five inches or five point seven centimeters per side. Right, 64 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: And so what there's six six cube faces because it's 65 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: a cube, and each face has a different color. There's orange, blue, green, yellow, white, 66 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: and red and um. When you when you mix these 67 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: things up, it's just a jumble, a riot of different 68 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: colors like you've never seen your life. But the point 69 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: is to move these cubes around through the eighteen different 70 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: ways you can move any given cube, um, so that 71 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: all of the colors are lined up, all the colored 72 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: cubes are all the same on each face. And it 73 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: sounds easy, friends, it is not easy, not at all. 74 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: Like maybe for some people it's easy, but for the 75 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: rest of us, normal focus normis, it is not easy 76 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: in any way, shape or form. No, it is not. 77 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: Uh And in fact, they even suggest that you read 78 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: about how to solve the Rubik's cube. It is the 79 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: very rare individual that can literally just figure here it 80 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: out without any help at all. Um, that's really tough 81 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: to do. So it's not like you're not a cheat. 82 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: If you look at like how to solve the Rubik's 83 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: cube and then memorize these patterns and practice them. That's 84 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: sort of the point, right, Yeah, like go look it 85 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: up like it's fine. No one will will get mad 86 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: at you for that, because it's no fun to never 87 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: solve a puzzle. Well, that's why I think I've never 88 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: gotten sucked in. I was like, I'm not even there's 89 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: no way I'm gonna possibly stumble across this, and I 90 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: just don't think like this. My spatial reasoning is terrible. 91 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: I'm not great at math. I'm color blind. Everything just 92 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: looks white. You. No, it's really not. I can't discern 93 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: squares from from circles. It's just I'm off. So um. Originally, 94 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: the Rubik's cube was called the magic cube, and it 95 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: was invented, like you said, by Erno Rubik, who was Hungarian. 96 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: So it was originally called the Beavish Kotzka, which is 97 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: magic cube, and the Hungarian means butt head. I believe 98 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: it does. The magic butt head was Bevish and butt head. 99 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: All right, nice man, It's like, where's he going with 100 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: this after all these years? It's good. No, I didn't, 101 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: but I was like, I'm I'm going with this, Chuck. 102 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: I trust him and I paid off. So Mr Rubik 103 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: got his Hungarian patent on the mechanical design of this 104 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: in nine and it was in Hungary only for a while. Uh, 105 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: and it did pretty well and hungry. Um, but that's 106 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: kind of where it stayed. It was. Uh. It was 107 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: because of the politics of the time and the fact 108 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,600 Speaker 1: that it was hungry. It was not super easy to 109 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: get a an American patent or to bring it over 110 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: and market it here in the West, so it was 111 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: pretty much a Hungarian local sensation for it's early like 112 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: probably first year. Yeah, he had like a Hungarian toy 113 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: manufacturer make like ten thousand of them, but he wasn't 114 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:01,799 Speaker 1: happy with him, so he cut the runoff at five thousand. 115 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: So there were five thousands of these things floating around 116 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: Budapest and and maybe Hungry in general. And it was 117 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: just total serendipity that there was a guy named Tibor Laxi. 118 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: And I'm quite sure that's not exactly how you say 119 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: his last name, but that's how it's how it spelled. 120 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: It's probably like Lucia or something like that. But um, 121 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: t Bor, I'm I just love that name. It's a 122 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: great name. Um. He was an entrepreneur who had left 123 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: Hungry and moved to Austria, so he had really developed 124 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,239 Speaker 1: a taste for capitalism. While he happened to be visiting 125 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: back home in Budapest when he was at a restaurant 126 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: and he noticed a waiter playing with the Beavish kotska, 127 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: the magic cube, and um, he said, you there, what 128 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: is that? And uh, he said, well, it's the Beavish kotzka. 129 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: How about I sell it to you for a dollar? 130 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: And I believe he bought that for a dollar, played 131 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: around with it for a minute. It was like this 132 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: could be big. So he found out who invented it, 133 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: and he scheduled a meeting with Erno Rubic. Yeah, and 134 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: he would later on that he that Erno Rubik had 135 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: a lot to do with why he decided to get 136 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: into business with him. Here's his quote. He said, when 137 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: Rubik first walked into the room, I felt like giving 138 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: him some money. He looked like a beggar. He was 139 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: terribly dressed. You gotta remember this guy's a professor, so 140 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: they're not known for their sharp attire. He was terribly 141 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: dressed and he had a cheap Hungarian cigarette hanging out 142 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: of his mouth. But I knew I had a genius 143 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: on my hands, and I told him we could sell millions. 144 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,719 Speaker 1: Yeah he was right. Oh man, was he ever right? 145 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: He understated it? Actually, um the t Boar, I'm just 146 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 1: gonna call him t Boar. He took this magic cube 147 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: and he started going to toy fairs. Uh, And I 148 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: think he struck out at a few of them. But 149 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: he really hit it out of the park at the 150 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: Nuremberg Toy Fair when he met a toy expert who 151 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: had connections with Ideal Toy company. Remember Ideal back in 152 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: the day. I think I do for sure. I'm pretty 153 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: sure they made that um the the uh what was 154 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: the daredevil's name, Evil kin? I think they made the 155 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: Evil kinevil stunt bike. You know what's funny is um 156 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: they make those now for other they have there's like 157 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: an incredible stunt bike with plastic girl. It's the same 158 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: exact function. We have one in our house and you 159 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: load it up and crank it and there she goes. 160 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: Is it the exact same mold? They just put like 161 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: different pain on it or something like that knockoff toys? Man, 162 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: it's slightly different. Uh, in its design, but it's clearly 163 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 1: like the same exact toy. So at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, Uh, 164 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: Tibor runs into the guy from Ideal and they end 165 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: up purchasing it. They purchased the rights to this, the 166 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: global rights, and they they they basically sign up to 167 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: create a million Rubik's cubes. Yeah, also we should say 168 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: it this toy fair. He did a pretty smart thing. 169 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: Instead of like buying a booth, he just came and 170 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: worked the floor with Rubik's cubes and got this like 171 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: ground buzz going by walking around and giving these things 172 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: to people, and like that's genius. Like for something like this, 173 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: that's the perfect way to pique someone's curiosity is not 174 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: to have some flashy uh like spinning giant Rubik's cube, 175 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: is to actually get in the hands of people walking 176 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: around the floor. Especially if you say, I'm Tibor, let's party. 177 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: Should I bet you want to call it t boards Cube? 178 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: It's pretty good name. He probably did, although he was 179 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: smart because I remember originally it was called the Magic Cube. 180 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: At some point. If it wasn't t Boor, it was 181 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: Ideal who said we're gonna rename this the Rubik's Cube. 182 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: And I'm sure erno Rubik was like, oh, okay, I 183 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: guess if you insist. I wonder if he was into 184 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: it or not, or if he pushed forward, or if 185 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: he was like, I'm not really into that, but if 186 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: you think it'll sell cubes, That's what I'm guessing he 187 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: probably did. I don't think he was going to stand 188 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: in the way of it, but he was not like 189 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:02,719 Speaker 1: vying for or by any means. That's my impression. But 190 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: I'm just totally making that up, but that I have 191 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: the same impression, which means that if you put our 192 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: two in persons together, it equals fact. So Ideal sells 193 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: one hundred million Rubik's cubes in the first two years. 194 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: They just signed up to sell one million. They sold 195 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: a hundred million in two years. Yeah, I mean, I'm 196 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: sure they had problems keeping up with production. Uh. Some 197 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 1: of the accolades and eight and eighty one at won 198 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: the UK's Toy the Year Award two years running. Um 199 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: In eighty two, there were five books about solving it 200 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 1: on the New York Times bestseller list, one of which 201 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: I owned. I owned the classic The Simple Solution to 202 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,559 Speaker 1: the Rubik's Cube by James G. Norris. He was a 203 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: chemistry student at Stanford And get this, dude, this book 204 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: was the number one best selling book of nine one period. 205 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: He sold six point seven million books and it is 206 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: still the fasting selling book in the history of Bantam Books. 207 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: Is that right? Can you believe that out of all 208 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: the books that year, that was the number one? I can, 209 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: because that really kind of underscores just how nuts the 210 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: not just America, the world went for Rubik's Cube, that 211 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 1: the number one selling book was a book about solving 212 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: the toy. That that that was it. Yeah, they had 213 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: sold five hundred million of them by the time rolled around. 214 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: So so talking about the books though for another second. 215 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,680 Speaker 1: At one point the number one, two, and four positions 216 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: on the New York Times bestseller list where all Rubik's 217 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: Cube Solution books. Three he was probably Stephen King or 218 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: something probably, and one of those books was written by 219 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,319 Speaker 1: a twelve year old named Patrick Bossart called You Can 220 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: Do the Cube, which is pretty adorable if you think 221 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: about it, and Christians later made a movie called Gleaming 222 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: the Cube, one of my all time favorites, which had 223 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 1: nothing to do with Rubik's Cubes. As it turns out, 224 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: it was about skateboarding. That's right. Um, So there's a 225 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: just a craze going on around the world, like everyone 226 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: is into the Rubik's cube. Everyone's buying one. They sold 227 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: like I've seen anywhere from three hundred and fifty million. 228 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: The highest I've seen is six hundred million. They sold 229 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: a ton of these things, hundreds and hundreds of millions 230 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: of them. Are those are the official too? There were 231 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: plenty of knockoffs. Sure, there was books on the New 232 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: York Times bestseller list about this. It was featured in Times, Scientific, 233 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: American News, Scientists. Um. There was a paper that was 234 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: printed in the New England Journal of Medicine that talked 235 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: about cubists thumb, which is a real thing. It's a 236 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: type of tendonitis in your thumb that you get in 237 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: your non dominant hand because that's the hand that you 238 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: used to stabilize the Rubik's cube. And so the edge 239 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:54,959 Speaker 1: of the cube pressing into the heel of your thumb 240 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,839 Speaker 1: where it meets the rest of your thumb um, that 241 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: could create tendonitis. For people who were staying up for 242 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: days on end just playing with this thing, trying to 243 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 1: beat this puzzle. There was a craze like like no other. 244 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: I say, we take a break, okay, uh, and we 245 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,079 Speaker 1: come back and we talk about uh Mr Rubick, or 246 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: maybe he's a doctor. I'm gonna call him Dr Rubik, 247 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: and how he created the mechanics of this puzzle. Alright, 248 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: So supposedly Dr Rubik, surely he's a doctor. I would 249 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: let's call him Professor Ruby because he was definitely an 250 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: architecture professor in a math genius. Actually though, I'm I'm 251 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: with you, he's got to be doctor, all right, Professor 252 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: Dr Rubik. Uh supposedly was not even trying to create 253 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: this puzzle in I'm sorry seventy four when he first 254 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: started out um, as legend has it, he was trying 255 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: to create a mathematical model for three D design class, 256 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: which makes sense considering his job. Other people say, no, 257 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: he was just really kind of guy to like to tinker. 258 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: He was fascinated by geometry and shapes, and he was 259 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: trying to just solve a problem of mechanics in three dimensions. 260 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: But according to the Toy Hall of Fame, he was 261 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: very much trying to invent a puzzle. Uh. And that 262 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: may just be folklore. Yeah, he he knew what he wanted. 263 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: He wanted to make this three by three cube that 264 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: was made up of smaller cubes that could all like 265 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: interact and twister around like he had the idea for 266 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: the Rubik's cube, which was step one, but step two 267 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: was a doozy, and that was figuring out how to 268 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: invent a mechanical solution to make this thing work the 269 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: way he wanted it to, and apparently was um. There 270 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: was a pretty good article on mental floss by a 271 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: guy named Noah Davis who recounted that um. One day, 272 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: Rubic was walking down the Danube alongside the Danube in 273 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: Budapest and looked down and noticed that there was just 274 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: a pile of nice, polished rounded river rocks and thought, 275 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: I've got it. I've been thinking about a cube. Everything's 276 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,480 Speaker 1: got to be a cube. But what if I added 277 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: a sphere to the mix two and that these things 278 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: rotated around usphere. That would give the freedom of motion 279 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: that I need to make this thing work. And that 280 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: was that That that that was the solution to the puzzle, 281 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: as it were. Yeah, I mean, if you're like me 282 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: and probably lots of other kids in the early eighties, 283 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: you took your Rubik's cube apart at some point, did you. 284 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: I never I never saw one, and lots of video 285 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: on this. Yeah, oh yeah, I've got a screw driver 286 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 1: out in pretty short order and put those things apart. Uh. 287 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: And it's kind of cool when you look at the 288 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: you know, when you take all those cubs out, you 289 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: get down to the center and the three x s 290 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: um and they have each one is tipped with two 291 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: opposing center cubis. It's kind of cool looking. And then 292 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,919 Speaker 1: it makes sense how all these things fit together and 293 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 1: how it works. Yeah, another way to think about it 294 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,919 Speaker 1: is just think about like a sphere a ball, and 295 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: then you've got six arms sticking out in in um 296 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: at right angles from it, so that it forms a 297 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: three dimensional plus side plus signed and at the end 298 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: of each one of these arms is a cube, a 299 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: colored cube. And though that's the skeleton of the thing. 300 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: And then what what Erno Rubik figured out was that 301 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: that's all that needed to be attached to the center. 302 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: You could make the other cubes attached to those those 303 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: face cubes a center cubes qubis um. You could make 304 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: some cubes qubs attached to those cubs, and then other 305 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: cubs attached to the other cubs, and then they will 306 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 1: all kind of rotate around each other, but they're all 307 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: really rotating on three different axis coming out of that sphere. 308 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 1: It's a gene like this guy has gotten like if 309 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: he started a craze and is you know, kind of 310 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:10,880 Speaker 1: viewed as this great inventor for the toy like math, physics, architecture, 311 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: um like in the in a number of different fields. 312 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: He's ugansical engineering for sure. Yeah, he's viewed as just 313 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: a god in some senses for for cracking this this 314 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 1: problem and creating this three dimensional structure that actually works 315 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: in in reality that people can learn and study from. 316 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 1: That's right. So he's figured out this the mechanics of 317 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 1: it all, but it's still not a puzzle yet until 318 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: he applies these colors. That's what makes it a puzzle, because, 319 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 1: like we said at the beginning, the idea is that 320 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: you have all the colors on each side matching one another. 321 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: He applies these colored stickers all over, mixes and twisted 322 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: up a little bit, and he's like, I've invented the cube. 323 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,239 Speaker 1: And he's like, wait a minute, I don't know how 324 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 1: to solve the puzzle. So he actually had built this thing, 325 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,399 Speaker 1: stickered it up and looked at it, I imagine, with 326 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: some level of accomplishment, and then realized that the biggest, 327 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: probably uh, the hardest thing to do in this whole 328 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,120 Speaker 1: process still lay in front of him, which was because 329 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: there were no books out at this point. Right. He 330 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,919 Speaker 1: invented it. So he had to figure out how to 331 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,639 Speaker 1: solve his own puzzle. And it took him a while. 332 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 1: It took him a month from what I saw, Yeah, 333 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,679 Speaker 1: and I imagine he worked on this pretty much NonStop 334 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: to figure this thing out. He he did, and he 335 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:34,879 Speaker 1: would like write down like the different different moves, combination 336 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,439 Speaker 1: of moves which now they're called algorithms. Um, it's just 337 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: types of moves that if you do them in a 338 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: specific sequence, will solve a specific jumbled Rubik's cube. Right, Um, 339 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: So he wrote them down. He kind of kept track 340 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: of it, and that was like the first the first, um, 341 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 1: first time anyone had kind of applied analysis to this. 342 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: But it would not be the last. Obviously. He's the 343 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: New York Times bestseller. His shows by the reason why 344 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: it's so difficult to solve a Rubik's cube just by 345 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: happenstance is that just the sheer number of possible configurations 346 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: of the cube. Right, each face has nine cubs, and 347 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: there's six um faces, so there's fifty four cubs, but 348 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: they all relate to one another, and so if you 349 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: move one, that's one configuration. If you move it another direction, 350 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,239 Speaker 1: that's another configuration, and so on and so on, and 351 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: so with these fifty four cubs, Chuck, are you ready 352 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: for this? Yes? The possible number of configurations is forty 353 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: three quintillion, two hundred and fifty two quadrillion, three trillion, 354 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,640 Speaker 1: two hundred and seventy four billion, four hundred and eighty 355 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:50,439 Speaker 1: nine million, eight hundred and fifty six thousand possible configurations 356 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: of a Rubik's cube. And one of them one is 357 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: the right one where all six faces are all the 358 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: same color. Ubi's just one. So just doing it accidentally, 359 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: your chances are one in about forty three trillion that 360 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: you're going to stumble upon that right combination that's right, 361 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: which is pretty amazing, don't you think. Yes? And by 362 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 1: the way, I think I said in their fifty four 363 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: there's twenty cubes. I believe there's fifty four faces. Yeah, 364 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: I mean that's a deal. Each QB has three sides 365 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,119 Speaker 1: or two sides, depending on if it's a corner or 366 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: an edge or one if it's in the center right, 367 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: So it's kind of confusing. But but nine times six, 368 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: so nine nine squares or nine different colors squares times 369 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: six faces is fifty four I think fifty four faces 370 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: something qubis This is how good at Matthew Man. It's 371 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 1: it's really because it's so funny, because it's such a 372 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 1: simple little thing. But once you start really breaking it down, 373 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 1: you're like, we could make this super confusing if we 374 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,400 Speaker 1: dried hard, for sure. But what people have figured out 375 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: is that they're they're like, you may have like a 376 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: one and forty three quintillion chance of stumbling across the 377 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: right configuration by accident. But what people have figured out 378 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: is that there are combination of moves like you know, 379 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 1: um uh front right up, up twice and then down. 380 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: That's that's an algorithm. And if you apply that to 381 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: a certain kind of scrambled a certain configuration of a 382 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: scrambled Rubik's cube, it will bring it back to solved. 383 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: And so people have spent a lot of time developing algorithms. 384 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 1: And that's why erno Rubik was originally doing when he 385 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,199 Speaker 1: was like, oh, if I do this this and this, 386 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: it will make it solved. And he wrote that down 387 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 1: that's what's called an algorithm. Yeah, and I remember in 388 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: the book, like each book had their own little shorthand, 389 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,120 Speaker 1: I guess, but I remember the one that I had. 390 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,199 Speaker 1: It definitely had the algorithms all spelled out with like 391 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: shorthand for what each move was called. So it would 392 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: sort of look like a math problem made out of letters, right, 393 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: like I saw you for up and D for down. 394 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: Makes a lot of sense. But then also, um, you 395 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: can you know there you can move something to the right. 396 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: You can twist one of the rows of cubes to 397 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,119 Speaker 1: the right, but you can also twist it to the 398 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 1: left too, So I saw an apostrophe after like l 399 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 1: apostrophe would be counterclockwise left, and then you can add 400 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: a number two, so you do that twice, which is 401 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: really a d eighty degree counterclockwise turn. So interesting, it 402 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: really is kind of interesting. It like at first, you know, 403 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,400 Speaker 1: when I first um went over this article the first time, 404 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,120 Speaker 1: just taking it in, it's like, how this is pretty neat. 405 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: But the Rubik's cube I found has many many layers 406 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,359 Speaker 1: to it, and you can really keep going deeply into it. Well, 407 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: beyond just playing with the cube and trying to solve it. Like, 408 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,119 Speaker 1: there's a lot of math involved. There's a lot of 409 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 1: physics and mechanics involved. You. I mean, you can get 410 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: us sucked into it as you like, Buddy, just try 411 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 1: not to go insane like Erno Rubik did. He did 412 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: not when he set that that building on fire. He uh. 413 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:04,680 Speaker 1: It's interesting though, how big of a hit this became. 414 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: Sort of it flew in the face of a lot 415 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: of um like sort of rules of the toy industry 416 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 1: and that it didn't make sounds um It didn't have 417 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: interchangeable parts. It didn't have things that you could sell 418 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: along with it, like, you know, clothing. You couldn't. I 419 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: guess you could dress your little Rubik's cube, but then 420 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: you have a special relationship with it, I guess, so 421 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: you could dress it up and be like him Ruby. 422 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: It didn't have batteries. It was never like well, I 423 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,159 Speaker 1: guess it appeared on a TV show. Was that a 424 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,160 Speaker 1: TV show? Yeah it was. It was a Saturday morning 425 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: cartoon that came on right before pac Man, which was 426 00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: honestly one of the all time great cartoons. Ever. Yeah, 427 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: it just it wasn't marketable though. Like you would think 428 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,919 Speaker 1: a toy would be. The reason that it appealed and 429 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:52,639 Speaker 1: endured is because it is a real challenge and you 430 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: get a real sense of reward once you've done it right, 431 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: and that really hooks people. It really does hook people. 432 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: And again there's like not there's no shame in going 433 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:07,719 Speaker 1: and looking up algorithms to solve UM Rubik's cubes, like 434 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,640 Speaker 1: just processes. And in fact, if you start doing any 435 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: kind of research on rub excutes, you'll find like there's 436 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 1: actually specific UM methods of attack that people suggest for 437 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: for beginners to start with. There's one called the White 438 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: Cross method classic, which is um entails eating a handful 439 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,120 Speaker 1: of white Cross gas station speed staying up for four 440 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:33,239 Speaker 1: days until you until you get done. It's actually you 441 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: start with the edge pieces and then you move to 442 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: the corner pieces, putting them all in place, and then 443 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 1: you um go on from there starting with the white 444 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: face of the cube. That's right, And uh, this toy 445 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: was a big hit anyway, but it it is endured, 446 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: Uh not because of stocking stuffers or nostalgia, but it 447 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 1: is endured all these years later because of competition. Yeah, 448 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: so let's take a break now and we'll talk about 449 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: speed cubing right after this. Well, now we're on the 450 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: road driving in your truck. Want to learn a thing 451 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: or two from Josh Man. Chuck gets stuff you should know, 452 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: all right, Okay, So the Rubik's Cube comes out in 453 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: the world basically in night and the next year, the 454 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: very next year, countries around the world we're holding national 455 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,399 Speaker 1: championships for um solving Rubik's cubes as fast as you 456 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: possibly could. It's called speed cubing. Yes. And then a 457 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: year after that they all got together, all the champions 458 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: of the countries for the very first Rubik's Cube World 459 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: Championship in the best which is kind of cool. UM. 460 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 1: And that's what has kept people going for so long, 461 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 1: because there there's people are still trying to beat these records. 462 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,520 Speaker 1: I saw a kid and it's kind of hard to 463 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: tell what the top times because they list the top 464 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: times in these competitions, but I saw a kid on 465 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: YouTube do it in like six seconds or four or 466 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: five seconds. I saw one do it in three point 467 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: four seven. Yeah, I don't know how like how it's 468 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: officially judged though. There's a timer UM and one of 469 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: those there's one of those mats that you keep your 470 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: hands on. But like, why does it say that that 471 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:43,719 Speaker 1: those aren't world records? Then I don't know. That's what 472 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: I saw was the world record was in two thousand eighteen. 473 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: It was three point four seven seconds by U shang 474 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: Yu shang Do sorry of China. So you've seen other 475 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: things listed. I just don't know if there's like the 476 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: bodies aren't speaking to one another or what. Maybe it's 477 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: that was a a non championship uh time, or even 478 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: even maybe it was a qualifier or something like that. 479 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 1: So it doesn't count as the world record unless you 480 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:16,480 Speaker 1: get whatever time is done at the world championship that's 481 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: considered the world record. Who knows. It's crazy to see 482 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: how fast these kids and it's usually kids that win 483 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 1: um I guess with their little nimble fingers and brain sponges. Uh, 484 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:31,120 Speaker 1: it's crazy how fast they're doing. It doesn't look real. 485 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: It looks like some sort of weird faked video. Yeah. 486 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: And here's the other thing too. I'm glad you mentioned 487 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: brain sponges because it is like a um an intellectual pursuit, 488 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: like from the beginning of this this toys release in 489 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: like they win a different route, like you're saying it 490 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: doesn't require batteries. It was you know, um, it doesn't 491 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: make a noise or anything like that. So they went 492 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: a different route in advertising it and said this is 493 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 1: an intelligent game, like I'm sure Isaac Newton discovered gravity, 494 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: but could he solve a Rubik's cube? You know, So 495 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: they really kind of play that up, and it's true 496 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: because these kids who are solving or people who are 497 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: solving Rubik's cubes super fast. It's not just like look 498 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: or their fingers are just moving forward them. They have 499 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: memorized hundreds, if not thousands, of these algorithms and have 500 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: gotten to the point where they can look at a 501 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: cube and figure out which algorithm is going to solve 502 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: it the fastest, and then when the time starts, they 503 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: can also move their fingers really really quick. And that's 504 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: how they're getting these amazing times. It's not just speed 505 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: and dexterity, it's also knowing what algorithm is going to 506 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: work best. Yeah, for sure, you know, it died out 507 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: pretty quickly. Like most fad toys, Um, once you sell 508 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 1: a lot of these, you don't need another one unless 509 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: you break yours or something. So it's kind of one 510 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: of those things where, and which is again why it 511 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: flew in the face of the toy industry because they 512 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 1: couldn't sell ancillary products alongside it. But uh, you know, 513 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: it died out pretty quickly and the champion and ship 514 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: uh two was the last one for about twenty years 515 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,000 Speaker 1: until the Internet comes along and all of a sudden 516 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 1: there are people posting faster times than ever before than 517 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: twenty years earlier. And in two thousand three UM in Canada, 518 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: there was a speed cuber named Dan Gosby who organized 519 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: a competition in Toronto, and this is where they're getting 520 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,959 Speaker 1: it down to, like twenty seconds, and they have different 521 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: categories like blindfolded, fewest moves, one handed, feet feet feet dude. 522 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 1: Last year someone did it in twenty three seconds by foot, 523 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: which was about the quickest time by hand at the 524 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: first competition. Yes, and it took them longer to figure 525 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: out that they had solved it than it did to 526 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: actually solve it because they had to use a stick 527 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: to turn the Rubik's cube over because they had used 528 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: their feet to solve it. And I think, uh, when 529 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: you participate, it didn't pay off as well as I 530 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 1: thought it would sorright, Uh, you get fifteen seconds to 531 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: look at the cube over. Um they are all started, uh, 532 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: like the cubes are all started the same with like 533 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:11,120 Speaker 1: a computer generated random scramble. It's just fair. You get 534 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 1: that fifteen seconds, you check it out, you set it 535 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: on your mat, and then you go And it's just 536 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: like I said, it's amazing to see these things done 537 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,959 Speaker 1: in like sub four seconds. Yeah, because they're they're i mean, 538 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: their hands actually do kind of blur, like you can't 539 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: really follow where their hands are at any given time. 540 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 1: They barely touch the rubrics cube. And they're using to 541 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: be fair, they're using specialized speed cubes. They're not just 542 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: using like off the shelf rubrics cubes. We'll talk about those, 543 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: go ahead, talk about them. Sure. Yeah. So so people 544 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 1: go to the trouble of getting a speed cube. It's like, 545 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: you know, you can get one for you can get 546 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 1: a good one from what I understand, for about seventies 547 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: seventy five bucks. And these things are literally well oiled 548 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: machines that are just super fast. Some of them use 549 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: magnets so that you can tell when they're snapped into place, 550 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: and um, they move a lot more easily and quickly. Um. 551 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: There you can just look at and be like, that's 552 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: a high end Rubik's cube right there. Yeah, Like you 553 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: can pay to get your cube serviced, uh and checked 554 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: out at speed cube shop. So someone will take it apart, 555 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,960 Speaker 1: a technician and they will look at each of those 556 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: little cubs for defects and like, has it got a 557 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: little bump here that will slow it down? They'll smooth 558 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: that out, like you said, sometimes they use magnets, um. 559 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: And one of the reasons for the magnets is it 560 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: creates that snap when a turn is completed. Because if 561 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: you want to move these things really fast, you don't 562 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: want it to be you know, even if it's an 563 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: eighth of an inch out of whack, you're not gonna 564 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: be able to turn it the other way. So you 565 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: wanted to snap and lock into place. Uh, you know 566 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:52,520 Speaker 1: you want. It's just amazing how how engineered these things 567 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: have become. What in these speed cubing competitions, right well, 568 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 1: I mean just to keep up, you've gotta you've gotta 569 00:32:58,000 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: get yourself a speed cube. If you showed up, like 570 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: to an actual competition with just a regular Rubik's cubeb 571 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: I don't know if you'd be laughed out of place, 572 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: but they would they would certainly feel bad for you. 573 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: You know what they should do is like because you know, 574 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: I remember them loosening up really well and getting faster 575 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: just because you played with it more. Instead of giving 576 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: everyone speed cubes and trying to get this ultra red 577 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: Bull record, which they sponsored the events now by the way, Uh, 578 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 1: they should give everyone like out of the package. Make 579 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: it as hard as possible. I agree. I think that 580 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 1: there would be some um, you know, preteens who are 581 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: really high strung that would cry if they were confronted 582 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: with that challenge, if they had to put their speed 583 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: cube down. Yeah, they'd be like, this is not fair. 584 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: No one prepared me in my life for this. I 585 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: did mention Red Bull because it was kind of controversial 586 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: for many years. Uh. The Rubics World Championships uh were 587 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: co hosted by the World Cube Association with the support 588 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: of the brand. But then clearly some money changed hands 589 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. That was the Red Bull 590 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:09,360 Speaker 1: Rubik's Cube World Championship. Uh. You know, red Bull got involved, 591 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,439 Speaker 1: the brand, Rubic got involved, which means there was money 592 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: changing hands. You're really fascinated with that money changing hands, 593 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 1: aren't too well? I mean sure, because it was I 594 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:20,400 Speaker 1: think everyone saw it as for what it was, which was, 595 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, there's a corporate sponsor attached to it. Yeah, 596 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 1: and that that is like a pretty important point because 597 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 1: like this was there was already a World Championship and 598 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,799 Speaker 1: it was like a grassroots organization that had grown up 599 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: since two thousand and three and they were doing really well, 600 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, fifteen years later, red 601 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: Bull comes along attached to the Rubik's Brain is like, 602 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,760 Speaker 1: out of the way, nerds, this is the real one. 603 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,400 Speaker 1: And so apparently, Um, it was a there was a 604 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 1: lot of controversy, like you were saying, but um, now 605 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:50,840 Speaker 1: they kind of coexist and the Red Bull Rubics sponsored 606 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,360 Speaker 1: one changed their name from World Championship to World Cup 607 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: so that they don't step on each other's feet at all. 608 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 1: But if you think about it, that's a pretty big 609 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: win for this grassroots world cubing association to to be 610 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: able to keep their original name and not have to 611 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 1: change their name. You know, Hats off to them. Hats 612 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:14,560 Speaker 1: off indeed. So um, one of the uh, the the 613 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 1: things that I said about the Rubik's Cube Chuck is 614 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,360 Speaker 1: that it's it's got a lot of layers too, and 615 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,320 Speaker 1: there's a lot of surprising math involved. Specifically, there is 616 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:28,760 Speaker 1: a kind of algebra called um group theory, and um 617 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 1: one of the one of the things that has long 618 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: kind of fascinated mathematicians is that there is somewhere in 619 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: there a number of moves. There's an algorithm that has 620 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:43,839 Speaker 1: or there's a number of moves associated with any number 621 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 1: of algorithms. Man, I'm making this way harder than it 622 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 1: actually is. Where it represents the maximum number of moves 623 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: you would need to use to solve any configuration, any 624 00:35:55,719 --> 00:35:59,920 Speaker 1: of the forty three quintillion configurations of a Rubics cube. 625 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,360 Speaker 1: And some people figured out that this number must exist, 626 00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: and brother, they got obsessed with it. From two thousand ten, 627 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: some people almost set a building full of Rubik's cubes 628 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,800 Speaker 1: on fire. Yeah, I mean they've really researched this stuff 629 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 1: to the point where, uh, like computer scientists are looking 630 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: into this. There was a guy named Thomas rakiki Um 631 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,840 Speaker 1: who got that the upper limit down to twenty two moves, 632 00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 1: and this is like Google is helping him out with 633 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:34,839 Speaker 1: the processing power, so they call it God's algorithm. Uh. 634 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 1: I mean, in the case of Rubik's cube. Um they 635 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: got down to twenty is where they landed, right, Yeah, 636 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: But God's algorithm can be used for any puzzle really, 637 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 1: uh you know? And that is and why do they 638 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,080 Speaker 1: call it God's algorithm. It's what how God would solve 639 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,440 Speaker 1: the puzzle. So from what I saw is God's God's 640 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: number is that the maximum number of moves that God 641 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:04,440 Speaker 1: would require to solve any configuration of the puzzle. Got 642 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 1: a little confusing in this article because it's a bit 643 00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 1: of a brain trick. It's like the fewest moves, but 644 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 1: it's a maximum number of moves right right exactly. It's 645 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: it's hard to wrap your mind around. And then there's 646 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 1: actually fewer moves for other algorithms. So I saw God's 647 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,880 Speaker 1: number is actually probably more like somewhere between nineteen and twenty. 648 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:31,600 Speaker 1: But because there are algorithms out there that have to 649 00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:35,399 Speaker 1: be done in no less than twenty moves, that's still 650 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 1: God's number. And there's also the Devil's number I saw 651 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,879 Speaker 1: it too, which is the number of moves in an 652 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: algorithm that it would take to go through all forty 653 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 1: three plus quintillion um configurations before you saw it, which 654 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 1: I think that's a pretty good name for that one. Yeah, 655 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,759 Speaker 1: now that's the one that they're on the trail of now. 656 00:37:57,120 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 1: But they're they're done at twenty, right they are. But 657 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 1: I think I think it's interesting that that we're not 658 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,560 Speaker 1: entirely certain. It's not like, okay, this has been proven, 659 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:09,640 Speaker 1: it's done. What the reason why they arrived at twenties 660 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,560 Speaker 1: because they actually built an algorithm to try to solve 661 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:16,239 Speaker 1: these algorithms. They taught an AI basically how to play 662 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,160 Speaker 1: Rubik's Cuba. They said, here's a Rubik's cubo teacherself and 663 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:24,640 Speaker 1: then they had it play just just some mind numbing 664 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 1: number of different Rubik's cubes hands trying to solve it, 665 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 1: and it kept coming up with twenty. And so it 666 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:33,799 Speaker 1: came up with twenty enough times that they're like, well, 667 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: our computer God has told us that twenty is the 668 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: is God's number. So there you have it. But we 669 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 1: no one, it wasn't proven, it wasn't solved. It was 670 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:44,759 Speaker 1: just like, this thing is so so smart that we're 671 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,239 Speaker 1: just gonna go with twenty. So someone still working on 672 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: it then, probably, I guess, But I think I get 673 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 1: the impression that they have moved on to the Devil's number. So, 674 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,040 Speaker 1: as you would imagine, with the toy of this caliber, 675 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,279 Speaker 1: they were bound to be other people saying they invented it, 676 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,799 Speaker 1: and battles would ensue. And of course this was the 677 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:06,319 Speaker 1: case with the Rubik's cube. UH in ninety seven, when 678 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,560 Speaker 1: Ruby got his Hungarian patent for the Magic Cube, there 679 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:14,440 Speaker 1: was another inventor named Larry Nichols who had already patented 680 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 1: something very similar in the US. Isn't that amazing? Yeah, 681 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,120 Speaker 1: this was in nineteen seventy two, but his was for 682 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 1: a two by two by two cube by three by 683 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:27,880 Speaker 1: three by three, still same concept. And at first he 684 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 1: was like this is this is hilarious. You know, I 685 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,320 Speaker 1: had the same idea, and now it's become a national craze. 686 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:34,680 Speaker 1: It's kind of satisfying. And somebody said, do you have 687 00:39:34,719 --> 00:39:37,200 Speaker 1: any idea how much money you are losing out on 688 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: right now? You should sue? He said, oh, my gosh, 689 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: you're right, I should sue. And I get the impression 690 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: that either the company he worked for or the company 691 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:47,520 Speaker 1: he sold the patent to really lead the charge in 692 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,520 Speaker 1: suing for this patent infringement. Um. But he had a 693 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,520 Speaker 1: pretty good case. I mean, he had invented it and 694 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: patented it years before. It was just the number of 695 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:00,279 Speaker 1: cubes involved was smaller. Yeah. I mean that was another 696 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:03,680 Speaker 1: guy too, a guy named Frank Frank Fox thinking seventy four. 697 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 1: He actually did the three by three by three, but 698 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 1: he let his patent laps, whereas Nichols did not. And 699 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:13,640 Speaker 1: those people like you were talking about that he that 700 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,120 Speaker 1: actually owned Nichols patent were called uh Molecular Research Corporation. 701 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,319 Speaker 1: That sounds scary, yeah, and litigious, yeah, yeah, they do. 702 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 1: So I want to point out, though, it's definitely worth 703 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,160 Speaker 1: saying out right, there is no evidence, and I don't 704 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:32,000 Speaker 1: think anyone's ever leveled in accusation that Erno Rubik stole 705 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:37,359 Speaker 1: this idea. It was just arrived at independently, and he 706 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:39,879 Speaker 1: was working behind the iron curtain at the time too, 707 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:43,400 Speaker 1: so the chances of any exposure are pretty low. It 708 00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:45,360 Speaker 1: was just some people kind of came up with the 709 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:48,400 Speaker 1: same idea at the same time, and Erno Rubis is 710 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:52,319 Speaker 1: the one that hit the trite. A federal district court 711 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,919 Speaker 1: ruled in favor of Moleculan, but then in eighty six 712 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 1: and appeals court overturned that, saying only that two by 713 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:02,880 Speaker 1: two by two, you uh Rubik's cube, because they started 714 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:05,960 Speaker 1: making different variations. Um, they made a smaller one that 715 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: they said in French. In fact, I remember now I 716 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:09,920 Speaker 1: had a little guy on a car key for a 717 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,920 Speaker 1: short time. Oh yeah, I remember that. I'm not mistaken. 718 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,680 Speaker 1: But then in nineteen nine, another appeals court upheld the 719 00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 1: previous appeals court decision. I should I should say. I 720 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:23,440 Speaker 1: read an article by that guy, uh Nichols who had 721 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,480 Speaker 1: the original patent, and they were like, you know you, 722 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:28,839 Speaker 1: I think they were suing for like fifty million or something, 723 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,920 Speaker 1: and there were you satisfied with the outcome? He said, yeah, 724 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 1: I was satisfied. He's like, I got enough to put 725 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:37,120 Speaker 1: both of my kids through Harvard, So I'm pretty happy 726 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:39,799 Speaker 1: with that. And um, you know, like he invented this 727 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:42,600 Speaker 1: thing that he was able to send his kid through 728 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:46,480 Speaker 1: Harvard with. You know, yeah, that's always interesting when someone 729 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:53,000 Speaker 1: wins something like that. But it wasn't like stolen from him, right, 730 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:56,080 Speaker 1: It was just he had the patent first and they agreed. 731 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:58,600 Speaker 1: You know What's what's even crazier that makes that story 732 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: just absolutely insane. He had approached Ideal Toys with and 733 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:04,960 Speaker 1: they had not bought it, and then they went on 734 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:11,120 Speaker 1: years later to buy um the the Erno Rubic version. Yeah, 735 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:13,680 Speaker 1: they put out a bunch of difference. They made big ones, 736 00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,200 Speaker 1: like the tiny ones I just talked about. I remember 737 00:42:16,239 --> 00:42:18,879 Speaker 1: I had a snake. I did too, and I had 738 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:20,480 Speaker 1: no idea what to do with that. I just played 739 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: with it like it was a snake. I did the 740 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 1: same thing. Yeah, I just twisted around stuff. I still 741 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:26,839 Speaker 1: don't know what you were supposed to do with that thing. 742 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:29,600 Speaker 1: I think eventually the snake would be put together in 743 00:42:29,719 --> 00:42:32,359 Speaker 1: some sort of a three dimensional octagon or something if 744 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:36,399 Speaker 1: I remember, or hexagon. Yeah. I was way off, but yeah, 745 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: I didn't know how to I didn't even try to learn. 746 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:39,799 Speaker 1: I just kind of played with it. I taught mine 747 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:46,239 Speaker 1: did drink water. Mine drinks from a cup. It was 748 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 1: very rough. Wickham uh Erno Ruby is still alive and well. 749 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:54,600 Speaker 1: He lives in Hungary, still teaches architecture. Uh I imagine, 750 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:57,840 Speaker 1: has a boatload of money. So he's founded some multiple 751 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:02,319 Speaker 1: foundations for inventure. That's very cool. Yeah, he has a 752 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,200 Speaker 1: bowload of money, so much so that his success story 753 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:08,440 Speaker 1: is considered by some to have been the thing that 754 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:13,879 Speaker 1: opened the gates to capitalism in Hungary. Amazing. Um. They 755 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:19,160 Speaker 1: also made him the president of the Hungarian Engineering Academy 756 00:43:19,239 --> 00:43:21,320 Speaker 1: and he's still I think, shows up once in a 757 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:24,439 Speaker 1: while to the World Championships and maybe the World Cup. 758 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. He didn't seem like a very controversial type. 759 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:29,839 Speaker 1: Seems like a good guy. And if you really want 760 00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:32,280 Speaker 1: to go crazy, if you've solved a ton of Rubik's cubes, 761 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:34,040 Speaker 1: but this has kind of made your nostalgic to try 762 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:37,520 Speaker 1: something harder. They make a thirteen by thirteen by thirteen 763 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:41,240 Speaker 1: Rubik's Cube, and there's something else called the s Cube 764 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 1: as K E W B and it is I don't 765 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:47,279 Speaker 1: even know what you're supposed to do with it. It's 766 00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:50,239 Speaker 1: like the Snake times a trillion to make. And there's 767 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:55,879 Speaker 1: also a movie called Cube, which is like math oh 768 00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 1: I saw that, Yeah, yeah, has nothing to do with 769 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:02,400 Speaker 1: Rubik's cubes. And there is uh, The Pursuit of Happiness 770 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:06,400 Speaker 1: where Will Smith gets a job as a stockbroker because 771 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:09,399 Speaker 1: somebody sees him solve a Rubik's cuban something like two 772 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 1: minutes or less. And apparently while he was promoting that movie, 773 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:16,680 Speaker 1: he solved one in less than a minute himself in 774 00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:20,400 Speaker 1: real life. You mean the movie The Pursuit of Halfwayness. 775 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:24,680 Speaker 1: Did they explain that in the movie. I'm sure I 776 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:27,439 Speaker 1: never saw it. I just always called it Halpwitness. Did 777 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:29,440 Speaker 1: you ever see that one where he was like super 778 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:32,960 Speaker 1: depressed in his his colleagues at work, like just gaslight 779 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:37,840 Speaker 1: him into thinking he's being visited by angels? No? I didn't. 780 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,520 Speaker 1: Did you see the one where he went he was 781 00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:43,400 Speaker 1: from West Philadelphia and he went to live with his 782 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:48,840 Speaker 1: rich relatives. Yeah, I did, as he dressed very colorfully. 783 00:44:49,239 --> 00:44:53,160 Speaker 1: He was I think in bel Air. Uh well, was 784 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,160 Speaker 1: it Bell there? I think I was Santa Barbara? You're right, okay. 785 00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,040 Speaker 1: Uh well, if you want to know more about Will Smith, 786 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:01,400 Speaker 1: you can type his aim into the search bar at 787 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:04,920 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. And since I said Will Smith, 788 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:13,640 Speaker 1: it's time for listener mail. I've got a coconut tree correction. Hey, guys, 789 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 1: correction on something said during the episode The Cult of 790 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:22,880 Speaker 1: the Coconut when you guys talked about the culpa rishka. 791 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:27,000 Speaker 1: First of all, it's not pronounced that way. It is 792 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: pronounced culpa rushka. We were way off, all right, She says, 793 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:38,719 Speaker 1: uh rushka or rushka depending on transliteration. Simply means tree 794 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,799 Speaker 1: in Sanskrit, also always mispronounced by people in the West. 795 00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:45,200 Speaker 1: By the way, Oh well, I don't feel that bad. Yeah, 796 00:45:45,239 --> 00:45:50,719 Speaker 1: exactly correct pronunciation is uh sounds screwed. Now she's saying 797 00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:54,399 Speaker 1: sanscrit as always mispronounced. Oh oh, I see, so it's 798 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: sand screwed sounds crute. That sounds like a French persons 799 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,839 Speaker 1: best I can convey, that's what she says. Wow. Okay, yeah, 800 00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:05,680 Speaker 1: I've always said say script. This person is a real 801 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,480 Speaker 1: really into words though, and very smart. Uh. Second, the 802 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:12,480 Speaker 1: coconut tree is just one of the trees considered a 803 00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:17,360 Speaker 1: how do you pronounce it again, college called cold cold 804 00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:21,399 Speaker 1: cook scrow cock. There you getting, You nailed it. Not 805 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:24,440 Speaker 1: because it is all you need to survive, though, but 806 00:46:24,520 --> 00:46:26,800 Speaker 1: because every single part of the coconut tree is useful 807 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:29,640 Speaker 1: to humans, the bark, the leaves, the fibers, and of 808 00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:32,839 Speaker 1: course the coconuts in their entirety. This concept is tied 809 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:38,600 Speaker 1: closely with why Indians culturally revere certain animals e g. 810 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:44,320 Speaker 1: Cow and plants and trees e g. Banyan and coconut. Okay, 811 00:46:45,120 --> 00:46:46,840 Speaker 1: I've noticed on the podcast how you too often go 812 00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:49,680 Speaker 1: out of your way to correctly pronounce words or names 813 00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:53,799 Speaker 1: in foreign languages like which is something I appreciate as 814 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 1: a bicultural, uh penta lingual individual. Perhaps you could explain 815 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:01,600 Speaker 1: your efforts to include not just Western languages, but Eastern 816 00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:06,560 Speaker 1: languages too. After all, sal Screwed belongs to the same 817 00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:08,920 Speaker 1: language group as German. If you think about it, I 818 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,280 Speaker 1: think it would be true to the spirit of your show. Guys, 819 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,400 Speaker 1: keep up the good work. And that is from Ruta 820 00:47:14,719 --> 00:47:18,000 Speaker 1: our duty a did Ruta say, did she sign off 821 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:22,480 Speaker 1: with later lamos? No? Thanks a lot, Ruta. Yeah, it's 822 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:24,520 Speaker 1: not like we're like, oh, we'll only go to the 823 00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:27,560 Speaker 1: trouble of pronouncing something in German or French, which by 824 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:30,200 Speaker 1: the way, we don't very often, and we thought we 825 00:47:30,200 --> 00:47:34,600 Speaker 1: were pronouncing it correctly in the Eastern languages. So sorry, Ruda, 826 00:47:34,719 --> 00:47:37,480 Speaker 1: I didn't know what sand screwed. I had no idea, 827 00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:42,839 Speaker 1: not just us Chuck. Like a million people just learned that, Yeah, 828 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:47,400 Speaker 1: close to a million. I agree. Well, thanks a lot again, Ruta. 829 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 1: And if you want to get in touch with us, 830 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,960 Speaker 1: like Ruda did, you can go to stuff you Should 831 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:53,400 Speaker 1: Know dot com and check out our social links, or 832 00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:55,320 Speaker 1: you can send us a good old fashioned email to 833 00:47:55,840 --> 00:48:02,600 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast at iHeart radio dot com. Every radio Stuff 834 00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:04,640 Speaker 1: You Should Know is a production of I heart Radio. 835 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:07,640 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart 836 00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:10,600 Speaker 1: radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 837 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:14,239 Speaker 1: favorite shows. H