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No, I really can't 'Do The Cube'

29 years ago, a Hungarian inventor thought up an iconic puzzle that to this day has my brain hurting within a few minutes of picking the darn thing up.

Click, Click. Nope, then I mess this color up. Click. No wait. Unclick. Son of a...!

You guessed it: The Rubik's Cube. My dreaded nemesis for as long as I can remember. So, why are we talking about such a demonic piece of bewildering plastic?

Because the company that owns the Rubik's Cube has launched a teaching program for kids to get them excited about math, the main teaching implement not being a book but a cube.

Directly form the press release: "Holding the Rubik's Cube, twisting and turning the parts, can help children of all ages grasp important math concepts including area, perimeter, volume, angles, algorithms and enumeration, among many other geometric, algebraic and general math topics. Some could use it to teach life lessons and 21st century skills such as focus, following directions, memorization, sequencing, problem solving, critical thinking and perseverance."

Wait, hold up. You think you can teach a school-aged kid how to do the Rubik's Cube using algebra? I rocked algebra, and I aced geometry with a solid and earned A+ -- what the heck have I been doing wrong all these years? (And, side note, since when are all of those '21st century' skills not applicable throughout history??)

So, dastardly cube in hand, I shuffled all the matched sides and began.

We all know how this ends -- I followed the tricks manual, the 'how to' guide to the letter and the only info I gleaned from both is that the center pieces are all different colors and don't move. This is how you're supposed to line up the colors. After a half hour, I still wasn't holding the stupid thing correctly, let alone past the 'Getting Started' intro to the guide.

My own ineptitude aside, this is a pretty awesome idea. Can you imagine how psyched a little kid would be to show his mom he solved a Rubik's Cube? I would have a party and bake a cake (see right -- I did not bake this cake, though) for who ever I knew that could actually do it!

If you want more info (or tips on how to tackle the dreaded Cube to impress people), visit http://www.youcandothecube.com/.

C'mon geeks, fess up: How many of you can 'Do The Cube'??










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“No, I really can't 'Do The Cube'”