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Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All
The first book by the reclusive inventor of the world’s most iconic puzzle THE RUBIK’S CUBE. Erno Rubik inspires us with what he’s learned in a lifetime of creating, curiosity, and discovery.
Erno Rubik was a child when he first became obsessed with puzzles of all kinds. “Puzzles,” he writes, “bring out important qualities in each of concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution.” To Rubik puzzles aren’t just games―they’re creativity machines. He encourages us to embrace our inner curiosity and find the puzzles that surround us in our everyday lives. “If you are determined, you will solve them,” he writes. Rubik’s own puzzle, the Cube, went on to be solved by millions worldwide for over forty years, become one of the bestselling toys of all time, and to be featured as a global symbol of intelligence and ingenuity.
In Cubed , Rubik covers more than just his journey to inventing his eponymous cube. He makes a case for always being an amateur―something he has always considered himself to be. He discusses the inevitability of problems during any act of invention. He reveals what it was like to experience the astonishing worldwide success of an object he made purely for his own play. And he offers what he thinks it means to be a true creator ( anyone can do it). Steeped in the wisdom and also the humility of a born inventor, Cubed offers a unique look at the imperfect science of creation.
Erno Rubik was a child when he first became obsessed with puzzles of all kinds. “Puzzles,” he writes, “bring out important qualities in each of concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution.” To Rubik puzzles aren’t just games―they’re creativity machines. He encourages us to embrace our inner curiosity and find the puzzles that surround us in our everyday lives. “If you are determined, you will solve them,” he writes. Rubik’s own puzzle, the Cube, went on to be solved by millions worldwide for over forty years, become one of the bestselling toys of all time, and to be featured as a global symbol of intelligence and ingenuity.
In Cubed , Rubik covers more than just his journey to inventing his eponymous cube. He makes a case for always being an amateur―something he has always considered himself to be. He discusses the inevitability of problems during any act of invention. He reveals what it was like to experience the astonishing worldwide success of an object he made purely for his own play. And he offers what he thinks it means to be a true creator ( anyone can do it). Steeped in the wisdom and also the humility of a born inventor, Cubed offers a unique look at the imperfect science of creation.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published September 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
October 10, 2020
Q:
This book will touch upon many things: creativity, symmetry, education, architecture, questions, playfulness, contradictions, beauty. But at its core, this book is about puzzles. It is about the puzzle of myself. It is about the puzzle of this strange object I discovered almost fifty years ago. And it is about the puzzle of us all. (c)
A panoramic exploration of a plethora of concepts: mind, intuition, entertainment, curiosity, writing, learning, curiousity, growth, color, design and life itself with bits of anthropological and psychological insights. An unexpectedly multifaceted read!
So, the guy who invented one of the most popular toys around, Rubik's Cube, is out with his impressions about his craze-generating prodigy kiddo invention. BTW, the RC's the inventor's techy son.
Q:
The Cube has been a toy for children, an intensely competitive sport, and a vehicle for high-tech explorations and discoveries in artificial intelligence and bewildering mathematics. (c) And a lot of fun! Even before speedcubing was a thing.
Add in a mediative state of sorts while we are at it:
Q:
They are suspended within a rare moment of peaceful coexistence between order and chaos. (c)
Q:
Intuition is a force that doesn’t push you but instead pulls you, draws you toward something singularly important. You can call it inspiration, you can call it anticipation, you can call it a kind of epiphany. An almost mystical state of mind. ...
For me, intuition is the process of noticing something and seeing its significance beyond the phenomenon. The experience is one of not knowing but feeling some power that pulls you. (c)
A great intro to how visual effects, simplicity, heuristics and inner beauty are the imprtant component of the best puzzles.
Some very novel ideas on writing (only an architect would put them like that!):
Q:
My more pressing question with writing is abstract: How can we possibly capture in words all the dimensions of our lives? (c)
Q:
Simple and complex. Moving and stable. Hidden and exposed. I believe contradictions are not opposites to be resolved, but counterpoints to be embraced. Rather than becoming frustrated by what seems irreconcilable in a contradiction, the better option is to appreciate that a contradiction helps us make connections we may never have considered. One can never fully capture three dimensions on a page. And yet, framing the many themes in my work and in my life in terms of contradictions could add dimensions that may make it easier for me to write. (c)
A great take on how puzzles can be educative. If one goes deeper, this topic borders on how education gets most educative: no supervision, no grading, no possibility to fail and no external assignment are the best environment under which one learns.
Q:
I liked different puzzles for different reasons and their different capacities. I liked some because of their flexibility and capacity for change. I liked others because their ideas were expressed with such simplicity. I liked still others because they provided the framework for improvisation. I liked difficult puzzles more than easy ones. I remember the curiosity, focus, periods of disorientation and frustration, some excitement when crucial connections were made, and then the sense of accomplishment when arriving at the solution. (c)
Q:
PLAYING WITH PUZZLES when I was a child trained my mind. I became familiar with the nature of their questions and answering them. I was not assigned these puzzles, was not graded on my performance, nor was anyone observing whether I solved them or not. If I failed or had trouble with one, I could start again on it the next day. This entertainment was solitary. Without an opponent, I was always the winner—not that I really thought that way. What most captured me was that I could use these puzzles as a starting point to discover something else.
Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution. These are the very same qualities that form the bedrock for all human creativity. Puzzles are not just entertainment or devices for killing time. For us, as for our ancestors, they help point the way to our creative potential. If you are curious, you will find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them. (c)
Love the free-defining thing:
Q:
I am an amateur at everything, including being an inventor. No one taught me how to learn, especially not my teachers. (c) So, restricting oneself to just one professional role is not Erno's thing! Good for us.
Q:
If one has the ability to connect the distant points, chaos is the most inspiring challenge in the world. (c)
Translational uses of puzzle-loving:
Q:
There is a huge difference between defining the problem and solving it. Most of the time, situations emerge from a kind of chaotic state, and most of the time it is counterproductive to be systematic about even beginning to solve these strong dilemmas. But our whole life is about problem-solving: One problem solved, and another pops up. No matter how disorganized they may appear to be, the first step is to find some small fixed point in the chaos, to get a foothold and create some almost imperceptibly small foundation of an order where we can begin to address the whole. (c)
Q:
In Hungarian, we have a term to describe someone who has a very unconventional way of thinking: a “Csavaroseszű,” which literally translates into “screwminded.” But in fact, it has a positive connotation, suggesting someone who is not just clever, but whose thinking is very original, departing from the predictable to come up with surprising connections. (c)
Design & marketing. Motion & antropomorphising & naming as drivers for emotions & attachments:
Q:
Weight is another factor that affects the impression of solidity. Things that are as light as breeze do not evoke a feeling of solidity or stability in us. That is how the human psyche and perception work. But clearly it needed to be light enough so that it was easy to play with no matter how young or old the cuber might be. (c)
Q:
We have all sorts of expectations of what something will feel like when we look at it—its appearance and our experience of objects made of similar material will make us believe that we have a good sense of what it will be like when we pick it up. (c)
Q:
The small flaws may be hidden, but if the object is not perfect, it cries out, and sooner or later external flaws can modify the inner image of the thing. The inside must be handled with the same scrupulous aesthetic care as the outside. (c)
Q:
It turns out they underestimated the desire for both children and their parents to be challenged. And they didn’t realize how addictive it was. (c)
Q:
The singularity, the ability to appeal to people across generations and cultures, was certainly important. (c)
Q:
I remember reading once about motivation and a concept called intrinsic motivation. Some psychologists divided this kind of motivation into three aspects: motivation toward knowledge, toward accomplishment, and toward stimulation. It seems that when faced with a Cube, all three of these traits are present. (c)
Q:
... it is important that the product has some durability and stays with the consumer for a reasonable time—although single-use products sometimes do change the course of history with some eminently essential functionality, such as certain medicines or contraceptives. Most prominently, however, consumer products of cultural value must capture and express some rather specific meaning, unique to them that anyone can appreciate pretty much immediately. (c)
Media communications strategy (quite a popular one!:
Q:
My English was not very good at the time—I still wish it was better—so being surrounded by that language and doing interviews both with the media and with the businesspeople attending the fair was not at all simple. I solved the problem by answering questions I thought they should have asked, instead of the ones that they actually did, or I spoke freely about what I thought was important no matter the subject they might have raised. Even after my English improved a little, this remained a winning strategy. (c)
Other nifty tidbits:
Q:
There are some languages that have genders, and in these languages the word “cube” is almost always masculine—le cube in French, or der Würfel in German, for example—so when I refer to the Cube, I will use that distinction. (c)
Q:
From my perspective, a well-founded system of life encompasses a catalog of things laid out clearly, but still, one that has the capacity to gaze fearlessly into the eyes of chaos and accept the fact that not all things make sense all of the time. (c)
Q:
I didn’t use purple, because, for me, it did not fit with the Cube’s masculine character. (c)
Q:
If we refuse to accept the fact that we are lost, we become even more confused as we venture further and further from the point where we began. (c)
Q:
... a fundamental experience: Constructing something often starts with destroying something else. (c)
Q:
The door that seemed open was locked with a rusty key that someone had thrown away a long time ago. Or rather, the key was thrown away into the future. (c)
Q:
The moment of helplessness is the first moment of creation. (c)
Q:
This state of being lost usually has one cause: We don’t have a clear view of the whole terrain. In the forest, the trees obstruct our perspective. You don’t see the forest for the trees, as the old saying goes. In a city, some buildings often prevent us from seeing where we need to go. In our personal lives, a painful problem may fill up our entire field of vision, blocking out perspective and broader context. (c)
Q:
... there it is, lurking in the distance, like an unseen animal behind the rustling leaves, or is it the wind? Maybe there it is, in the twilight. We are heartened by the certainty that there is a way to crack this riddle. (c)
Q:
To contrive your personal approach to things, a measure of patience, perseverance, and curiosity is essential. (c)
Q:
As lost as I was in figuring out how to bring order into the chaos I had created, I also experience great joy, almost a kind of trance while working with my hands, actually shaping things, handling materials, creating tactile forms, experiencing the process of discerning beauty that is locked in difficulties. (c)
Q:
What is so beautiful is that there isn’t a single answer—which is true about so many or all things in life—but an inherently rich, cascading series of moves that are interdependent with other moves. (c)
Q:
We need the patience and persistence to give our creation room to hibernate and revive, for there to be new potential for it to be discovered again, a fresh chance, and for the “zeitgeist” to shift. Time is not something we have to pick a fight with. Time is something we must put to use, the same way as we breathe air. It is part of us, not our enemy. (c)
Q:
There is nothing more instructive in life than failure, and in many ways even more so than success. One must be brave enough to make mistakes, because without making mistakes, it is impossible to do everything really well. You can’t do anything perfectly the first time. In my view, the key is to view failure as part of the creative adventure and to seek to understand its components. This becomes much simpler if the process is viewed incrementally, which means not setting our sights in a single-minded way on some specific goal, but shifting our focus and curiosity on each step of the way, each element of our progress. (c)
Q:
...in that moment when all the pieces locked into place, when I’d restored order to this scrambled shape, my mind was clear for a moment. Instead of the regular worries of the day, I was filled with a sense of endless potential.” (c)
Q:
All children are wonderfully motivated, and there’s really nothing like playful curiosity for learning. In their natural habitat, lions have little to fear. Sure enough, adult males typically spend their days dozing in the shade, using precious energy only if there’s some food available (brought home by the female hunter) or they are driven to mate or fight for status with competing males. But just look at the lion cub that still has to learn everything in order to rule his animal kingdom when he is grown! The cubs play tirelessly with no regard to heat or hunger. This is how they acquire both the knowledge and the skills that will ensure their survival when they grow up. Humans, fortunately, do not have to save all their energy for later. They can afford the luxury of remaining playful and curious all their lives. (c)
Q:
I NEVER WANTED TO become an inventor. I never “wanted” to become anything, really. I had no vision about my personal future; my present occupied me.
It never even occurred to me that being an inventor actually was a profession. I was interested in math but knew I would never become a mathematician. I liked mechanics, creating instruments, taking apart and putting things together. But I knew that I didn’t want to become a mechanical engineer. I didn’t want to have any single profession; I wanted to have all of them. And probably that desire is what led me to architecture. (c)
Q:
AI is interesting and important and dangerous. The danger is not in the technology, but inside us. We should first look in the mirror. (c)
This book will touch upon many things: creativity, symmetry, education, architecture, questions, playfulness, contradictions, beauty. But at its core, this book is about puzzles. It is about the puzzle of myself. It is about the puzzle of this strange object I discovered almost fifty years ago. And it is about the puzzle of us all. (c)
A panoramic exploration of a plethora of concepts: mind, intuition, entertainment, curiosity, writing, learning, curiousity, growth, color, design and life itself with bits of anthropological and psychological insights. An unexpectedly multifaceted read!
So, the guy who invented one of the most popular toys around, Rubik's Cube, is out with his impressions about his craze-generating prodigy kiddo invention. BTW, the RC's the inventor's techy son.
Q:
The Cube has been a toy for children, an intensely competitive sport, and a vehicle for high-tech explorations and discoveries in artificial intelligence and bewildering mathematics. (c) And a lot of fun! Even before speedcubing was a thing.
Add in a mediative state of sorts while we are at it:
Q:
They are suspended within a rare moment of peaceful coexistence between order and chaos. (c)
Q:
Intuition is a force that doesn’t push you but instead pulls you, draws you toward something singularly important. You can call it inspiration, you can call it anticipation, you can call it a kind of epiphany. An almost mystical state of mind. ...
For me, intuition is the process of noticing something and seeing its significance beyond the phenomenon. The experience is one of not knowing but feeling some power that pulls you. (c)
A great intro to how visual effects, simplicity, heuristics and inner beauty are the imprtant component of the best puzzles.
Some very novel ideas on writing (only an architect would put them like that!):
Q:
My more pressing question with writing is abstract: How can we possibly capture in words all the dimensions of our lives? (c)
Q:
Simple and complex. Moving and stable. Hidden and exposed. I believe contradictions are not opposites to be resolved, but counterpoints to be embraced. Rather than becoming frustrated by what seems irreconcilable in a contradiction, the better option is to appreciate that a contradiction helps us make connections we may never have considered. One can never fully capture three dimensions on a page. And yet, framing the many themes in my work and in my life in terms of contradictions could add dimensions that may make it easier for me to write. (c)
A great take on how puzzles can be educative. If one goes deeper, this topic borders on how education gets most educative: no supervision, no grading, no possibility to fail and no external assignment are the best environment under which one learns.
Q:
I liked different puzzles for different reasons and their different capacities. I liked some because of their flexibility and capacity for change. I liked others because their ideas were expressed with such simplicity. I liked still others because they provided the framework for improvisation. I liked difficult puzzles more than easy ones. I remember the curiosity, focus, periods of disorientation and frustration, some excitement when crucial connections were made, and then the sense of accomplishment when arriving at the solution. (c)
Q:
PLAYING WITH PUZZLES when I was a child trained my mind. I became familiar with the nature of their questions and answering them. I was not assigned these puzzles, was not graded on my performance, nor was anyone observing whether I solved them or not. If I failed or had trouble with one, I could start again on it the next day. This entertainment was solitary. Without an opponent, I was always the winner—not that I really thought that way. What most captured me was that I could use these puzzles as a starting point to discover something else.
Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution. These are the very same qualities that form the bedrock for all human creativity. Puzzles are not just entertainment or devices for killing time. For us, as for our ancestors, they help point the way to our creative potential. If you are curious, you will find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them. (c)
Love the free-defining thing:
Q:
I am an amateur at everything, including being an inventor. No one taught me how to learn, especially not my teachers. (c) So, restricting oneself to just one professional role is not Erno's thing! Good for us.
Q:
If one has the ability to connect the distant points, chaos is the most inspiring challenge in the world. (c)
Translational uses of puzzle-loving:
Q:
There is a huge difference between defining the problem and solving it. Most of the time, situations emerge from a kind of chaotic state, and most of the time it is counterproductive to be systematic about even beginning to solve these strong dilemmas. But our whole life is about problem-solving: One problem solved, and another pops up. No matter how disorganized they may appear to be, the first step is to find some small fixed point in the chaos, to get a foothold and create some almost imperceptibly small foundation of an order where we can begin to address the whole. (c)
Q:
In Hungarian, we have a term to describe someone who has a very unconventional way of thinking: a “Csavaroseszű,” which literally translates into “screwminded.” But in fact, it has a positive connotation, suggesting someone who is not just clever, but whose thinking is very original, departing from the predictable to come up with surprising connections. (c)
Design & marketing. Motion & antropomorphising & naming as drivers for emotions & attachments:
Q:
Weight is another factor that affects the impression of solidity. Things that are as light as breeze do not evoke a feeling of solidity or stability in us. That is how the human psyche and perception work. But clearly it needed to be light enough so that it was easy to play with no matter how young or old the cuber might be. (c)
Q:
We have all sorts of expectations of what something will feel like when we look at it—its appearance and our experience of objects made of similar material will make us believe that we have a good sense of what it will be like when we pick it up. (c)
Q:
The small flaws may be hidden, but if the object is not perfect, it cries out, and sooner or later external flaws can modify the inner image of the thing. The inside must be handled with the same scrupulous aesthetic care as the outside. (c)
Q:
It turns out they underestimated the desire for both children and their parents to be challenged. And they didn’t realize how addictive it was. (c)
Q:
The singularity, the ability to appeal to people across generations and cultures, was certainly important. (c)
Q:
I remember reading once about motivation and a concept called intrinsic motivation. Some psychologists divided this kind of motivation into three aspects: motivation toward knowledge, toward accomplishment, and toward stimulation. It seems that when faced with a Cube, all three of these traits are present. (c)
Q:
... it is important that the product has some durability and stays with the consumer for a reasonable time—although single-use products sometimes do change the course of history with some eminently essential functionality, such as certain medicines or contraceptives. Most prominently, however, consumer products of cultural value must capture and express some rather specific meaning, unique to them that anyone can appreciate pretty much immediately. (c)
Media communications strategy (quite a popular one!:
Q:
My English was not very good at the time—I still wish it was better—so being surrounded by that language and doing interviews both with the media and with the businesspeople attending the fair was not at all simple. I solved the problem by answering questions I thought they should have asked, instead of the ones that they actually did, or I spoke freely about what I thought was important no matter the subject they might have raised. Even after my English improved a little, this remained a winning strategy. (c)
Other nifty tidbits:
Q:
There are some languages that have genders, and in these languages the word “cube” is almost always masculine—le cube in French, or der Würfel in German, for example—so when I refer to the Cube, I will use that distinction. (c)
Q:
From my perspective, a well-founded system of life encompasses a catalog of things laid out clearly, but still, one that has the capacity to gaze fearlessly into the eyes of chaos and accept the fact that not all things make sense all of the time. (c)
Q:
I didn’t use purple, because, for me, it did not fit with the Cube’s masculine character. (c)
Q:
If we refuse to accept the fact that we are lost, we become even more confused as we venture further and further from the point where we began. (c)
Q:
... a fundamental experience: Constructing something often starts with destroying something else. (c)
Q:
The door that seemed open was locked with a rusty key that someone had thrown away a long time ago. Or rather, the key was thrown away into the future. (c)
Q:
The moment of helplessness is the first moment of creation. (c)
Q:
This state of being lost usually has one cause: We don’t have a clear view of the whole terrain. In the forest, the trees obstruct our perspective. You don’t see the forest for the trees, as the old saying goes. In a city, some buildings often prevent us from seeing where we need to go. In our personal lives, a painful problem may fill up our entire field of vision, blocking out perspective and broader context. (c)
Q:
... there it is, lurking in the distance, like an unseen animal behind the rustling leaves, or is it the wind? Maybe there it is, in the twilight. We are heartened by the certainty that there is a way to crack this riddle. (c)
Q:
To contrive your personal approach to things, a measure of patience, perseverance, and curiosity is essential. (c)
Q:
As lost as I was in figuring out how to bring order into the chaos I had created, I also experience great joy, almost a kind of trance while working with my hands, actually shaping things, handling materials, creating tactile forms, experiencing the process of discerning beauty that is locked in difficulties. (c)
Q:
What is so beautiful is that there isn’t a single answer—which is true about so many or all things in life—but an inherently rich, cascading series of moves that are interdependent with other moves. (c)
Q:
We need the patience and persistence to give our creation room to hibernate and revive, for there to be new potential for it to be discovered again, a fresh chance, and for the “zeitgeist” to shift. Time is not something we have to pick a fight with. Time is something we must put to use, the same way as we breathe air. It is part of us, not our enemy. (c)
Q:
There is nothing more instructive in life than failure, and in many ways even more so than success. One must be brave enough to make mistakes, because without making mistakes, it is impossible to do everything really well. You can’t do anything perfectly the first time. In my view, the key is to view failure as part of the creative adventure and to seek to understand its components. This becomes much simpler if the process is viewed incrementally, which means not setting our sights in a single-minded way on some specific goal, but shifting our focus and curiosity on each step of the way, each element of our progress. (c)
Q:
...in that moment when all the pieces locked into place, when I’d restored order to this scrambled shape, my mind was clear for a moment. Instead of the regular worries of the day, I was filled with a sense of endless potential.” (c)
Q:
All children are wonderfully motivated, and there’s really nothing like playful curiosity for learning. In their natural habitat, lions have little to fear. Sure enough, adult males typically spend their days dozing in the shade, using precious energy only if there’s some food available (brought home by the female hunter) or they are driven to mate or fight for status with competing males. But just look at the lion cub that still has to learn everything in order to rule his animal kingdom when he is grown! The cubs play tirelessly with no regard to heat or hunger. This is how they acquire both the knowledge and the skills that will ensure their survival when they grow up. Humans, fortunately, do not have to save all their energy for later. They can afford the luxury of remaining playful and curious all their lives. (c)
Q:
I NEVER WANTED TO become an inventor. I never “wanted” to become anything, really. I had no vision about my personal future; my present occupied me.
It never even occurred to me that being an inventor actually was a profession. I was interested in math but knew I would never become a mathematician. I liked mechanics, creating instruments, taking apart and putting things together. But I knew that I didn’t want to become a mechanical engineer. I didn’t want to have any single profession; I wanted to have all of them. And probably that desire is what led me to architecture. (c)
Q:
AI is interesting and important and dangerous. The danger is not in the technology, but inside us. We should first look in the mirror. (c)
October 8, 2020
One part memoir, one part philosophy of puzzle design, and in between some reflections on life itself, Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All by Erno Rubik is an inspiring look at the author's life spent in curiosity and creation. It is also one of my favorite non fiction books of this year.
The author talks about how he built, improved and perfected the famous Rubik's cube, while also talking about his childhood, career and life in general. I enjoyed his humble narration, occasional humor and philosophy on work and life. I read (and re-read) his detailed design descriptions, thought process and problem solving approach and learned aplenty.
If you're a fan of the Rubik's cube, this one is not to be missed.
** A free ALC was provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
The author talks about how he built, improved and perfected the famous Rubik's cube, while also talking about his childhood, career and life in general. I enjoyed his humble narration, occasional humor and philosophy on work and life. I read (and re-read) his detailed design descriptions, thought process and problem solving approach and learned aplenty.
If you're a fan of the Rubik's cube, this one is not to be missed.
** A free ALC was provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
September 23, 2020
The Rubik cube is an amazing puzzle and the inventor tells its story as well as his story, philosophy of design, view on life and how the cube reflects more than just a puzzle.
It is less personal and more philosophical and if you are into engineering, design or the Rubik Cube then this book is a gem.
1 in 7 humans on this orb apparently has touched the cube and once you finished, unlike most puzzles, your really only just starting the journey.
It is less personal and more philosophical and if you are into engineering, design or the Rubik Cube then this book is a gem.
1 in 7 humans on this orb apparently has touched the cube and once you finished, unlike most puzzles, your really only just starting the journey.
September 20, 2020
Унгарският изобретател и дизайнер Ерно Рубик е все още жив и дори е написал книга. В нея споделя не само историята на неговия куб, но и интимни размисли за креативността, успеха и бъдещето.
Кубът на Рубик е културен феномен. Всеки седми човек на планетата се е опитвал да го подреди. Крайната цел на пъзела е лесна за разбиране, но безумно сложна за изпълнение без да видите алгоритми за решение в някой клип. Магията на куба е трудна за описване. Трябва да опитате, за да разберете. Аз имам куб вкъщи, но вече съм забравил стъпките за подреждане. Изглежда трябва да си ги припомня.
Кубът на Рубик е културен феномен. Всеки седми човек на планетата се е опитвал да го подреди. Крайната цел на пъзела е лесна за разбиране, но безумно сложна за изпълнение без да видите алгоритми за решение в някой клип. Магията на куба е трудна за описване. Трябва да опитате, за да разберете. Аз имам куб вкъщи, но вече съм забравил стъпките за подреждане. Изглежда трябва да си ги припомня.
February 5, 2021
Summary: A memoir that explores both the role of puzzles in our life, and the creation and afterlife of the eponymous cube that bears the author’s name.
You’ve probably tried to or even succeeded in solving the Cube. I remember when one of these turned up as a Christmas gift to my nephew. He was about the only one who didn’t get much chance to try to solve it that Christmas day. We all took a turn at it, but the real challenge was getting it away from my brother, the logical one in our family. I don’t think any of us solved it that day.
This is the story not only of how this puzzle came into existence, but also on the value of puzzles in our lives. Along the way, we learn a bit about the puzzle’s creator. Ernö Rubik. Rubik is a Hungarian architect who always has loved puzzles from the time he received a 15 puzzle as a child. Not surprisingly for an architect, geometric puzzles always fascinated him.
Rubik believes puzzles are far more than mere diversions:
“Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution. These are the very same qualities that form the bedrock for all human creativity. Puzzles are not just entertainment or devices for killing time. For us, as for our ancestors, they help point the way to our creative potential. If you are curious, you will find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them.”
Rubik talks about his fascination with the nature of the cube, and his movement from a 2x2x2 to a 3x3x3 cube. His account made me think about how the thing works. How is it constructed? How can you turn sides or layers on different axes?. After all that twisting, why doesn’t the whole thing fall apart? Actually early versions using rubber bands did. The main hint Rubik gives us is the cube none of us see in the center. He leaves most of the rest to us.
For a period, the Cube became wildly successful, not only in Hungary but globally. One has the sense that he was blindsided by all the fame. More than that, he discovers that the Cube is something of an altar ego, a “he” with its own existence. He recounts the fascination of children, the gratitude of adults, and the incredible cult of gamers, some who are able to solve it in under five seconds–something Rubik has never been able to do.
He rhapsodizes on the form and functions and colors of the Cube:
“Some objects at first sight are as baffling as assembly directions in Japanese (for those who do not read Japanese), but the Cube in its calm state is dramatically simple. When all the colors are in place, it suggests peace, a sense of order and security. The regularity of its shape, the recurrence of identical forms, the tranquility of the planes, the compactness of the closed form are in sharp contrast to all it means once it is brought to life, when it is in motion and changes.”
Rubik awakens us to not only the joy of puzzles, but also the wonder of the shapes around us. We see them all around us. Rubik reminds us to really look at them, and what it is about us that so fascinates us when we notice the intrigue of the world’s puzzles around us.
You’ve probably tried to or even succeeded in solving the Cube. I remember when one of these turned up as a Christmas gift to my nephew. He was about the only one who didn’t get much chance to try to solve it that Christmas day. We all took a turn at it, but the real challenge was getting it away from my brother, the logical one in our family. I don’t think any of us solved it that day.
This is the story not only of how this puzzle came into existence, but also on the value of puzzles in our lives. Along the way, we learn a bit about the puzzle’s creator. Ernö Rubik. Rubik is a Hungarian architect who always has loved puzzles from the time he received a 15 puzzle as a child. Not surprisingly for an architect, geometric puzzles always fascinated him.
Rubik believes puzzles are far more than mere diversions:
“Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution. These are the very same qualities that form the bedrock for all human creativity. Puzzles are not just entertainment or devices for killing time. For us, as for our ancestors, they help point the way to our creative potential. If you are curious, you will find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them.”
Rubik talks about his fascination with the nature of the cube, and his movement from a 2x2x2 to a 3x3x3 cube. His account made me think about how the thing works. How is it constructed? How can you turn sides or layers on different axes?. After all that twisting, why doesn’t the whole thing fall apart? Actually early versions using rubber bands did. The main hint Rubik gives us is the cube none of us see in the center. He leaves most of the rest to us.
For a period, the Cube became wildly successful, not only in Hungary but globally. One has the sense that he was blindsided by all the fame. More than that, he discovers that the Cube is something of an altar ego, a “he” with its own existence. He recounts the fascination of children, the gratitude of adults, and the incredible cult of gamers, some who are able to solve it in under five seconds–something Rubik has never been able to do.
He rhapsodizes on the form and functions and colors of the Cube:
“Some objects at first sight are as baffling as assembly directions in Japanese (for those who do not read Japanese), but the Cube in its calm state is dramatically simple. When all the colors are in place, it suggests peace, a sense of order and security. The regularity of its shape, the recurrence of identical forms, the tranquility of the planes, the compactness of the closed form are in sharp contrast to all it means once it is brought to life, when it is in motion and changes.”
Rubik awakens us to not only the joy of puzzles, but also the wonder of the shapes around us. We see them all around us. Rubik reminds us to really look at them, and what it is about us that so fascinates us when we notice the intrigue of the world’s puzzles around us.
November 28, 2020
Ve lo devo dire, il signor Ernö è proprio un tipo simpatico! 😄
.
Questo 2020 nefasto, nonostante tutto è stato portatore di alcune piccole gioie, una fra queste è che quest'anno il cubo di Rubik compie ben 40 anni!
.
La seconda gioia è che il signor Ernö, proprio in occasione di quest'anniversario, ha deciso di pubblicare questa chicca che non saprei bene come collocare.
.
È un testo che è sia l'autobiografia di Ernö Rubik, sia la biografia del suo cubo omonimo e al contempo un saggio storico, un libro self-help, una guida al marketing, una puntata di Super Quark sull'intelligenza artificiale, un percorso per incanalare il processo creativo, matematica, design, architettura...
.
Proprio come indicato sulla quarta di copertina è "un racconto che non segue tanto la cronologia, quanto la struttura prismatica e sfaccettata della sua mente".
.
Non posso che consigliarlo a tutti gli amanti del cubetto più famoso del mondo e a tutti coloro che vorrebbero risolverlo almeno una volta nella vita! 😄
.
Questo 2020 nefasto, nonostante tutto è stato portatore di alcune piccole gioie, una fra queste è che quest'anno il cubo di Rubik compie ben 40 anni!
.
La seconda gioia è che il signor Ernö, proprio in occasione di quest'anniversario, ha deciso di pubblicare questa chicca che non saprei bene come collocare.
.
È un testo che è sia l'autobiografia di Ernö Rubik, sia la biografia del suo cubo omonimo e al contempo un saggio storico, un libro self-help, una guida al marketing, una puntata di Super Quark sull'intelligenza artificiale, un percorso per incanalare il processo creativo, matematica, design, architettura...
.
Proprio come indicato sulla quarta di copertina è "un racconto che non segue tanto la cronologia, quanto la struttura prismatica e sfaccettata della sua mente".
.
Non posso che consigliarlo a tutti gli amanti del cubetto più famoso del mondo e a tutti coloro che vorrebbero risolverlo almeno una volta nella vita! 😄
January 13, 2022
I now have a newfound appreciation for the Rubik’s Cube..perhaps I’ll finally get around to trying to solve one.
January 22, 2021
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by Jonathan Ball Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
♣ PUBLISHED: October 2020 ♣ PAGES: 190 ♣ GENRE: Puzzle, Biography, Self-help ♣ Hardcover
The Rubik's Cube has been a mystery to many people including myself. I have an unsolved Cube on my desk but after reading Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All I have found a new determination to solve it. At first glance you might think this book is just about puzzles, centering around The Cube (which is the main character of this story), but the author introduces us to new topics including architecture, design and geometry.
"Curiosity is the flame that can ignite creativity." - Ernő Rubik
In 1974 The Cube is born and since then it has captured the attention of many people across the world. The author takes us back in time to a place where he discovered The Cube, all the trials and errors in creating the design and choosing the colors. The author mentions in his book that it took him a full month to solve The Cube the first time. That in itself motivates beginners to never give up on solving The Cube. One of my favourite quotes are: "Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution." For me, this highlights the importance of puzzles. Puzzles aren't only designed to keep us busy, but to stimulate our brains and unlock new qualities. After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on puzzles and in particular The Cube. It's not just a toy, there's more to it.
The author gives some advice for beginners on how to solve The Cube which I found really helpful even though my Cube is not at the starting point. But throughout the book he shares some tips which are helpful when your Cube is unsolved. This book makes us aware of new qualities being developed in us like perseverance, patience and understanding.
I found the little cubes at the bottom of each page entertaining. If you flip through the book the cubes move and it's as if the essence of The Cube is breathed throughout each page. While others might see a toy, the curious people will see a world of endless possibilities. I definitely recommend this book to everyone, because almost everyone has a Cube, solved or unsolved and perhaps tucked away in a closet or a drawer. Go and get your Cube and be reintroduced to a puzzle that will leave a lasting impression on your life.
Fans of books like Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions by Robert Winston or The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, this book will be a fantastic read!
THIS REVIEW IS POSTED ON MY BLOG: https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.c...
♣ PUBLISHED: October 2020 ♣ PAGES: 190 ♣ GENRE: Puzzle, Biography, Self-help ♣ Hardcover
The Rubik's Cube has been a mystery to many people including myself. I have an unsolved Cube on my desk but after reading Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All I have found a new determination to solve it. At first glance you might think this book is just about puzzles, centering around The Cube (which is the main character of this story), but the author introduces us to new topics including architecture, design and geometry.
"Curiosity is the flame that can ignite creativity." - Ernő Rubik
In 1974 The Cube is born and since then it has captured the attention of many people across the world. The author takes us back in time to a place where he discovered The Cube, all the trials and errors in creating the design and choosing the colors. The author mentions in his book that it took him a full month to solve The Cube the first time. That in itself motivates beginners to never give up on solving The Cube. One of my favourite quotes are: "Puzzles bring out important qualities in each of us: concentration, curiosity, a sense of play, the eagerness to discover a solution." For me, this highlights the importance of puzzles. Puzzles aren't only designed to keep us busy, but to stimulate our brains and unlock new qualities. After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on puzzles and in particular The Cube. It's not just a toy, there's more to it.
The author gives some advice for beginners on how to solve The Cube which I found really helpful even though my Cube is not at the starting point. But throughout the book he shares some tips which are helpful when your Cube is unsolved. This book makes us aware of new qualities being developed in us like perseverance, patience and understanding.
I found the little cubes at the bottom of each page entertaining. If you flip through the book the cubes move and it's as if the essence of The Cube is breathed throughout each page. While others might see a toy, the curious people will see a world of endless possibilities. I definitely recommend this book to everyone, because almost everyone has a Cube, solved or unsolved and perhaps tucked away in a closet or a drawer. Go and get your Cube and be reintroduced to a puzzle that will leave a lasting impression on your life.
Fans of books like Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions by Robert Winston or The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, this book will be a fantastic read!
THIS REVIEW IS POSTED ON MY BLOG: https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.c...
February 23, 2021
I was interested in knowing more about the mind that created this unique puzzle/toy/tool. Unfortunately I learnt more about this topic watching on YouTube a couple of short interviews with Erno Rubik than with this book (a good hint on its level of shallowness).
There is not much about his personal life, his creative process or his other inventions (he mentions briefly the Snake and Rubik’s Tangle). Is he a one-hit wonder or did he create other interesting stuff? Maybe mentioning some of the creations of all the inventors and designers that he has supported since the ‘80 with his charity foundation would be something interesting.
The text is dull, without structure, with some random and unnecessary quotes from classics or known authors (Heraclitus, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). The writing feels generic: pages and pages on esoteric and metaphysical thoughts on the cube and its mechanics but very little on other aspects (probably another ghost-writer could have done a better job exploring deeper on Rubik’s mind).
Ridiculously, the book starts with a prologue written by the cube and finishes with an interview with Erno Rubik and the cube again. At the end Rubik says that, being the one who created it, probably he was the least capable person to write about it. I agree on that to the extent that there are a lot of professional writers that could have done a much better job and the key thing here was to know more directly from the creator himself (he only tell us that he is a wonderful human being who is not interested in money -not what I heard from other sources- and that he is an amateur toy inventor who has a charitable foundation for inventors and designers).
It happened the same when I read Mandelbrot’s The Fractalist so I guess it may be something related with the culture of that region of Europe (less intimate than on West Europe or America). Also I got a similar feeling with Kasparov’s books in which instead of just writing about chess he continually tries to extrapolate learnings for business and life.
Having said that, I still found a couple of interesting paragraphs: his definition of amateur and professional, learning that he is left handed and that his father was an inventor too; that he built his own houses (I will take a look online!), a brief history of puzzles (Pentomino, Soma Cube, MacMahon’s cube) and why Rubik was a perfect brand name (despite it wasn’t his idea but his American distributor who proposed it).
There is not much about his personal life, his creative process or his other inventions (he mentions briefly the Snake and Rubik’s Tangle). Is he a one-hit wonder or did he create other interesting stuff? Maybe mentioning some of the creations of all the inventors and designers that he has supported since the ‘80 with his charity foundation would be something interesting.
The text is dull, without structure, with some random and unnecessary quotes from classics or known authors (Heraclitus, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). The writing feels generic: pages and pages on esoteric and metaphysical thoughts on the cube and its mechanics but very little on other aspects (probably another ghost-writer could have done a better job exploring deeper on Rubik’s mind).
Ridiculously, the book starts with a prologue written by the cube and finishes with an interview with Erno Rubik and the cube again. At the end Rubik says that, being the one who created it, probably he was the least capable person to write about it. I agree on that to the extent that there are a lot of professional writers that could have done a much better job and the key thing here was to know more directly from the creator himself (he only tell us that he is a wonderful human being who is not interested in money -not what I heard from other sources- and that he is an amateur toy inventor who has a charitable foundation for inventors and designers).
It happened the same when I read Mandelbrot’s The Fractalist so I guess it may be something related with the culture of that region of Europe (less intimate than on West Europe or America). Also I got a similar feeling with Kasparov’s books in which instead of just writing about chess he continually tries to extrapolate learnings for business and life.
Having said that, I still found a couple of interesting paragraphs: his definition of amateur and professional, learning that he is left handed and that his father was an inventor too; that he built his own houses (I will take a look online!), a brief history of puzzles (Pentomino, Soma Cube, MacMahon’s cube) and why Rubik was a perfect brand name (despite it wasn’t his idea but his American distributor who proposed it).
February 15, 2021
Eww, ouch, and uggghhh!!! That was torturous! The first two chapters are awful! There are portions that read as if they were obviously composed by someone speaking English as a second language. The most accurate summary of those two chapters is best summarized by the author himself. He states--four times in those two chapters--that Erno hates to write. Fine! Then TELL your story to someone who likes to write and then have that person write the book!
The book tries to redeem itself in the middle by describing the creation, development, evolution, and finalizing of the cube. That was decent and good to read.
The book then concludes with the grandiose, profound, far-reaching, and earth-shattering nature and reach of the cube. In a context, that can be perceived as true. But it is easier to understand this context in terms of a parent writing the biography of his/her child--very much what the cube is to Erno. A parent sees his/her child as the greatest, most amazing being--literally an extension of that parent. Yet I quickly quit caring about neighbor Jones' kid after 3 pages! Erno's descriptions come across as just too much from the overreaching, strained, labored composition of the subject matter preceding the conclusion of the book.
The book tries to redeem itself in the middle by describing the creation, development, evolution, and finalizing of the cube. That was decent and good to read.
The book then concludes with the grandiose, profound, far-reaching, and earth-shattering nature and reach of the cube. In a context, that can be perceived as true. But it is easier to understand this context in terms of a parent writing the biography of his/her child--very much what the cube is to Erno. A parent sees his/her child as the greatest, most amazing being--literally an extension of that parent. Yet I quickly quit caring about neighbor Jones' kid after 3 pages! Erno's descriptions come across as just too much from the overreaching, strained, labored composition of the subject matter preceding the conclusion of the book.
Read
October 27, 2020Биография Эрнё Рубика, изобретателя Кубика, змейки и других мудреных игрушек, коротка и представляет собой больше философско-практические рассуждения 76-летнего венгра. В чем негаснущая привлекательность Кубика? Что такое образование (детское)? Что такое креативность? Что такое слава? Что дают деньги? Как бы сложилась его жизнь, не обрети Кубик мировой популярности? И так далее. Плюс, конечно, собственная биография, история появления Кубика и его дорога к мировому признанию. В общем и целом приятное чтение для тех, кто не прочь пофилософствовать.
July 4, 2021
Fascinating history of the Rubik’s Cube. My favorite part was right after he had got it to work and put colors on all the sides. A few turns, he didn’t know how to get it back to the starting point. It took him a month to solve it! Really great story about imagination and ingenuity.
March 28, 2024
Hermoso leer la historia del juguete más famoso del mundo en manos de su autor. No es una biografía nivel
Isaacson. Es una historia sencilla, sin pretensiones pero es muy sencilla y muy interesante, especialmente para nerds.
Isaacson. Es una historia sencilla, sin pretensiones pero es muy sencilla y muy interesante, especialmente para nerds.
November 29, 2020
This little volume by the creator of his eponymous Rubik’s Cube perfectly embodies the Hungarian word csavaroseszu (“screwminded… not just clever, but is very original, departing from the predicable to come up with surprising connections.”). Highly recommended not just to anyone who’s ever been “cubed,” but also to those who’re looking for a unifying message on our shared human condition in a divided world.
I reluctantly took off one star, because I wished Professor Rubik, being an architect by trade, had included some illustrations, especially in the early chapters when he was describing other cube precursors as well as his actual design process for the Cube. Perhaps Professor Rubik didn’t want to install a canonical way of visual thinking, which might inadvertently undermine the Cube’s universal and yet manifold appeal.
“We often do things really well only when we do them playfully.”
“What is hidden in the Cube can be found in each of us: the capacity to be independent and connected all at the same time. The capacity to still feel a childlike sense of discovery, of wonder, of a kind of innocent pride, no matter how old, or even jaded, we may be.”
I reluctantly took off one star, because I wished Professor Rubik, being an architect by trade, had included some illustrations, especially in the early chapters when he was describing other cube precursors as well as his actual design process for the Cube. Perhaps Professor Rubik didn’t want to install a canonical way of visual thinking, which might inadvertently undermine the Cube’s universal and yet manifold appeal.
“We often do things really well only when we do them playfully.”
“What is hidden in the Cube can be found in each of us: the capacity to be independent and connected all at the same time. The capacity to still feel a childlike sense of discovery, of wonder, of a kind of innocent pride, no matter how old, or even jaded, we may be.”
September 26, 2020
Wenn jemand gesteht, dass er nicht gut im Schreiben ist, sollte er oder sie es vielleicht lassen. Aber Bücher schreiben ist in. Kann ja nicht so schwer sein.
Aber vielleicht sehe auch nur ich das so. Auf jeden Fall war das Buch leider absolut nicht meins, und das obwohl es von einem Ungarn geschrieben wurde und sich um einen Ungarn dreht. Wobei... worum es in diesem Werk nun eigentlich geht, kann ich gar nicht so richtig sagen.
Ich dachte, es geht um den Rubikwürfel. Tut es auch. Irgendwie. Dann geht es auch noch irgendwie um Rubik selber. Und ein bisschen um Wissenschaft und Mathematik. Hier liegt für mich das Problem. Das Buch ist ein bisschen alles und genau deswegen eigentlich nichts.
Der Autor spricht mal von seinen Eltern, dann von irgendwelchen Events, dann wieder davon, wie er am Würfel arbeitet. Mit etwas mehr Aufbau, etwas mehr Durchdachtheit des Ganzen, hätte es durchaus interessant werden können. Aber so ist ein zähes und für mich leider auch langweiliges Buch geworden, von dem ich eigentlich absolut nichts mitnehmen kann.
Schade um die Lesezeit.
Aber vielleicht sehe auch nur ich das so. Auf jeden Fall war das Buch leider absolut nicht meins, und das obwohl es von einem Ungarn geschrieben wurde und sich um einen Ungarn dreht. Wobei... worum es in diesem Werk nun eigentlich geht, kann ich gar nicht so richtig sagen.
Ich dachte, es geht um den Rubikwürfel. Tut es auch. Irgendwie. Dann geht es auch noch irgendwie um Rubik selber. Und ein bisschen um Wissenschaft und Mathematik. Hier liegt für mich das Problem. Das Buch ist ein bisschen alles und genau deswegen eigentlich nichts.
Der Autor spricht mal von seinen Eltern, dann von irgendwelchen Events, dann wieder davon, wie er am Würfel arbeitet. Mit etwas mehr Aufbau, etwas mehr Durchdachtheit des Ganzen, hätte es durchaus interessant werden können. Aber so ist ein zähes und für mich leider auch langweiliges Buch geworden, von dem ich eigentlich absolut nichts mitnehmen kann.
Schade um die Lesezeit.
May 3, 2021
A slim volume in which the author recounts his childhood fascination with various puzzles, his development of the Cube, and how his invention took on a life of its own. Interspersed with all this are remarks about his family history, his thoughts on his work as an architect, elements of the mathematical and structural properties of the Cube, the various types of motivation that people are driven by, and many other things. There are no diagrams, and at one point, in order to really understand what the author was saying, I had to get out my Cube and look at it. If you like puzzles, or if you were witness to or participant in the great Rubik's Cube craze of the 1980s, you will probably enjoy this book.
October 8, 2022
"Bir fikir ilk başta saçma gelmiyorsa ondan umut yok demektir" ile başlayan kitap aslında neyden bahsedeceğini o kadar güzel özetliyor ki bize de bu saçma fikri dinlemek, çocukluğumuzun bir parçası olan sihirli küpün hikâyesine kulak vermek kalıyor. Bu yazıya çokça alıntıyla devam edeceğim çünkü fikirleri Rubik'in kendisinden daha iyi ifade edebileceğimi düşünmüyorum. Yine Einstein'dan bir alıntı: "Zekânın gerçek göstergesi bilgi değil hayal gücüdür."
Çocukluğum, herkesin herşeyi merak ettiğini varsayarak geçti. Bir bilim insanı olmanın birinci koşulu meraklı olmaktır dendiğinde, bunu neden belirtiyorlar ki zaten herkes merak etmiyor mu, diyordum kendi kendime. Seneler içerisinde düşüncelerimde yanıldığımı farkettim. Küp'ün ortaya çıkışını sağlayan en önemli şey merak olsa da onu çözmek bundan da fazlasını talep ediyor.
"Eğer meraklıysanız çevrenizdeki bulmacaları bulursunuz. Eğer azimliyseniz bu bulmacaları çözersiniz."
Kitap, yetişkin olmaya başladıkça oyun oynamaktan ne denli uzaklaştığımızı bize sıkça hatırlatıyor. Bir şairin belki dizelerle bir fizikçinin denklemlerle oynaması da bu oyun oynayan insan güdülenmesiyle gerçekleşiyor ancak iki yerde uzun uzun amatör ruhla iş yapan ve bir işi profesyonel olarak, para için yapan insanlar arasındaki farkı belirtiyor.
Karl Popper'den yaptığı alıntı ise sadece bilim ve felsefeye giden yol değil aslında meraklı bir insanın hayat amacını -belki- bulmasını sağlayacak yol olarak karşımıza çıkıyor.
"[B]ilime ve hatta felsefeye giden tek bir yol vardır: bir problemle karşılaşmak, onun güzelliğini görüp ona aşık olmak; onunla evlenmek ve çok daha büyüleyici başka bir problemle karşılaşmadığınız ya da çözümünü bulmadığınız takdirde ölüm sizi ayırana kadar onunla birlikte mutlu bir hayat sürmek. Ancak bir çözüm bulsanız bile daah sonra büyük bir keyifle, belki zor olsalar bile büyüleyici problemlerden oluşan kocaman bir ailenin varlığını keşfedebilirve onların mutluluğunu amaç edinerek son gününüze kadar gayretle çalışabilirsiniz."
Kierkegaard: "Hayat sadece geriye bakarak anlaşılır ancak ileri doğru yaşanmalıdır."
Başarı üzerine düşündüğü bölümleri de beğendim. En öz tanımı şu bence de: "Başarı, yapmaya çalıştığınız bir şeyi sonunda elde etmektir."
"Çoğu durumda başarısızlığa yol açma ihtimali olan tek bir değişkeni diğerlerinden ayırmak olanaksızdır. Herhangi bir şey yaratmanın birçok bileşeni vardır. Geriye dönüp bakıldığında bir şeyin neden başarısız olduğunu anlamak, bir şeyin neden ve nasıl başarılı olduğunu anlamaktan çok daha kolaydır. Bunun basit nedenlerinden biri de şudur: Bir başarının bileşenleri ne kdar bilimsel biçimde hesaplanırsa hesaplansın, asıl gerçeklerden biri de şanstır. Neden başarısız olduğunuzu tam olarak anlarsanız bu öğreti yanlış yaptığınız şeyleri düzeltmenize katkı sağlar ancak bu gelecekte başarısız olmayacağınızın sigortası değildir.
Sonra parayla kurduğumuz ilişkiye değinmesi, bir akademisyen olarak küp ile kazandığı ün sonrasında hayatının değişmesi belli ki Erno Rubik'e çok kez yaptığı şeyi, üretmeyi, yaşamayı ve para kazanmayı sorgulatmış.
Farklı ulusların dillerinde parayla olan ilişkileri farklı şekillerde dile getirilir: Fransızlar parayı "kazanır" (gagner), İngilizler "hak eder" (earn), Amerikalılar "yapar" (make), Ruslar onu elde etmek için "çalışır" (работать) ve biz Macarlar onu "umarız" (keres). Eğer insan paranın, her şeyin değerini belirlemenin en iyi yolu olduğunu kabul ederse, para kolayca kendi yolunu bulmasını sağlayan bir pusula olabilir. Bu işe yarayan bir şey olmakla beraber tehlikeli ve yanıltıcıdır.
Bir keresinde motivasyon ve içsel motivasyon kavramı hakkında bir yazı okumuştum. Bazı psikologlar bu içse lmotivasyonu üç başlık altında inceliyordu: bilgiye yönelik motivasyon, başarıya yönelik motivasyon ve uyarıma yönelik motivasyon. Görünüşe bakılırsa küple yüz yüze gelen birinde bunların hepsi aynı anda mevcut oluyor.
Küp'Ün hakkında yazılmış bir kitaba dair notları paylaştığımın ama hiç küpten bahsetmediğimin farkındayım. Bu sebeple biraz daha bahsetmeyerek notlarımı sonlandıracağım.
Hayatta birçok şeye dair bilimsel açıklamalarımız var. Oluşların bilimsel olarak nasıl gerçekleştiğini biliyoruz ancak neyi deneyimlediğimizi hâlâ tanımlayamıyoruz. Aynaya baktığımızda gördüklerimiz, yağmurun nasıl yağdığını bilmemize rağmen yine de yağmur altında yürürken ya da onu seyrederken hissettiklerimiz gibi. Örnekler çoğaltılabilir.
Bu bir kısır döngüye benzer. Doğal veya insan yapımı bir olgu hakkında ne kadar çok bilgi edinirsek, o olgu o kadar gizemli bir şey olmaktan çıkıp "karmaşık" bir şeye dönüşür. Sonra biz onun basitliğinin unsurlarını irdeleyip sorgulayana kadar basit bir şeye dönüşür ve daha sonra bir kez daha gizemler dünyasında yerini alır. Genellikle bir şeyi anlamadığımız zaman onun "karmaşık" olduğunu söyleriz. Karmaşıklık keni içinde gizem değildir.
Bazı şeyler ilk bakışta son derece karmaşık gibi görünür. Bunların inanılmaz derecede zor olduklarını ve bizim kavrama yeteneğimizin ötesinde, güç algılanan sayısız yönleri olduğunu derhal görürüz. Bu olumlu bir şey.; bir şeyi değerli olduğunu ve anlaşılmayı beklediğini gösterdiği gibi yeni ve gizli kalmış başka değerlerin keşfedilebileceği anlamına gelir.
Basitlik karmaşıklıktan çok daha gizemlidir çünkü bilmeniz gereken her şeyin gözünüzün önünde olduğu izlenimini verir. Oysa hiç de öyle değildir. Sonra çok basit olduklarını düşündüğümüz şeylerin aslında son derece karmaşık olduklarını anlamaya başlarız. Sorular sormaya da o zaman başlayabiliriz.
-Bu notları yazarken farkettim ki çevirmen çok da başarılı olmayan bir iş çıkarmış.-
Çocukluğum, herkesin herşeyi merak ettiğini varsayarak geçti. Bir bilim insanı olmanın birinci koşulu meraklı olmaktır dendiğinde, bunu neden belirtiyorlar ki zaten herkes merak etmiyor mu, diyordum kendi kendime. Seneler içerisinde düşüncelerimde yanıldığımı farkettim. Küp'ün ortaya çıkışını sağlayan en önemli şey merak olsa da onu çözmek bundan da fazlasını talep ediyor.
"Eğer meraklıysanız çevrenizdeki bulmacaları bulursunuz. Eğer azimliyseniz bu bulmacaları çözersiniz."
Kitap, yetişkin olmaya başladıkça oyun oynamaktan ne denli uzaklaştığımızı bize sıkça hatırlatıyor. Bir şairin belki dizelerle bir fizikçinin denklemlerle oynaması da bu oyun oynayan insan güdülenmesiyle gerçekleşiyor ancak iki yerde uzun uzun amatör ruhla iş yapan ve bir işi profesyonel olarak, para için yapan insanlar arasındaki farkı belirtiyor.
Karl Popper'den yaptığı alıntı ise sadece bilim ve felsefeye giden yol değil aslında meraklı bir insanın hayat amacını -belki- bulmasını sağlayacak yol olarak karşımıza çıkıyor.
"[B]ilime ve hatta felsefeye giden tek bir yol vardır: bir problemle karşılaşmak, onun güzelliğini görüp ona aşık olmak; onunla evlenmek ve çok daha büyüleyici başka bir problemle karşılaşmadığınız ya da çözümünü bulmadığınız takdirde ölüm sizi ayırana kadar onunla birlikte mutlu bir hayat sürmek. Ancak bir çözüm bulsanız bile daah sonra büyük bir keyifle, belki zor olsalar bile büyüleyici problemlerden oluşan kocaman bir ailenin varlığını keşfedebilirve onların mutluluğunu amaç edinerek son gününüze kadar gayretle çalışabilirsiniz."
Kierkegaard: "Hayat sadece geriye bakarak anlaşılır ancak ileri doğru yaşanmalıdır."
Başarı üzerine düşündüğü bölümleri de beğendim. En öz tanımı şu bence de: "Başarı, yapmaya çalıştığınız bir şeyi sonunda elde etmektir."
"Çoğu durumda başarısızlığa yol açma ihtimali olan tek bir değişkeni diğerlerinden ayırmak olanaksızdır. Herhangi bir şey yaratmanın birçok bileşeni vardır. Geriye dönüp bakıldığında bir şeyin neden başarısız olduğunu anlamak, bir şeyin neden ve nasıl başarılı olduğunu anlamaktan çok daha kolaydır. Bunun basit nedenlerinden biri de şudur: Bir başarının bileşenleri ne kdar bilimsel biçimde hesaplanırsa hesaplansın, asıl gerçeklerden biri de şanstır. Neden başarısız olduğunuzu tam olarak anlarsanız bu öğreti yanlış yaptığınız şeyleri düzeltmenize katkı sağlar ancak bu gelecekte başarısız olmayacağınızın sigortası değildir.
Sonra parayla kurduğumuz ilişkiye değinmesi, bir akademisyen olarak küp ile kazandığı ün sonrasında hayatının değişmesi belli ki Erno Rubik'e çok kez yaptığı şeyi, üretmeyi, yaşamayı ve para kazanmayı sorgulatmış.
Farklı ulusların dillerinde parayla olan ilişkileri farklı şekillerde dile getirilir: Fransızlar parayı "kazanır" (gagner), İngilizler "hak eder" (earn), Amerikalılar "yapar" (make), Ruslar onu elde etmek için "çalışır" (работать) ve biz Macarlar onu "umarız" (keres). Eğer insan paranın, her şeyin değerini belirlemenin en iyi yolu olduğunu kabul ederse, para kolayca kendi yolunu bulmasını sağlayan bir pusula olabilir. Bu işe yarayan bir şey olmakla beraber tehlikeli ve yanıltıcıdır.
Bir keresinde motivasyon ve içsel motivasyon kavramı hakkında bir yazı okumuştum. Bazı psikologlar bu içse lmotivasyonu üç başlık altında inceliyordu: bilgiye yönelik motivasyon, başarıya yönelik motivasyon ve uyarıma yönelik motivasyon. Görünüşe bakılırsa küple yüz yüze gelen birinde bunların hepsi aynı anda mevcut oluyor.
Küp'Ün hakkında yazılmış bir kitaba dair notları paylaştığımın ama hiç küpten bahsetmediğimin farkındayım. Bu sebeple biraz daha bahsetmeyerek notlarımı sonlandıracağım.
Hayatta birçok şeye dair bilimsel açıklamalarımız var. Oluşların bilimsel olarak nasıl gerçekleştiğini biliyoruz ancak neyi deneyimlediğimizi hâlâ tanımlayamıyoruz. Aynaya baktığımızda gördüklerimiz, yağmurun nasıl yağdığını bilmemize rağmen yine de yağmur altında yürürken ya da onu seyrederken hissettiklerimiz gibi. Örnekler çoğaltılabilir.
Bu bir kısır döngüye benzer. Doğal veya insan yapımı bir olgu hakkında ne kadar çok bilgi edinirsek, o olgu o kadar gizemli bir şey olmaktan çıkıp "karmaşık" bir şeye dönüşür. Sonra biz onun basitliğinin unsurlarını irdeleyip sorgulayana kadar basit bir şeye dönüşür ve daha sonra bir kez daha gizemler dünyasında yerini alır. Genellikle bir şeyi anlamadığımız zaman onun "karmaşık" olduğunu söyleriz. Karmaşıklık keni içinde gizem değildir.
Bazı şeyler ilk bakışta son derece karmaşık gibi görünür. Bunların inanılmaz derecede zor olduklarını ve bizim kavrama yeteneğimizin ötesinde, güç algılanan sayısız yönleri olduğunu derhal görürüz. Bu olumlu bir şey.; bir şeyi değerli olduğunu ve anlaşılmayı beklediğini gösterdiği gibi yeni ve gizli kalmış başka değerlerin keşfedilebileceği anlamına gelir.
Basitlik karmaşıklıktan çok daha gizemlidir çünkü bilmeniz gereken her şeyin gözünüzün önünde olduğu izlenimini verir. Oysa hiç de öyle değildir. Sonra çok basit olduklarını düşündüğümüz şeylerin aslında son derece karmaşık olduklarını anlamaya başlarız. Sorular sormaya da o zaman başlayabiliriz.
-Bu notları yazarken farkettim ki çevirmen çok da başarılı olmayan bir iş çıkarmış.-
December 28, 2020
This isn't a linear history of creating the Cube and eventually discovering that it could be solved, though those parts of Rubik's life are discussed at various points throughout. Instead, this is more like a peak into the mind that brought us the Cube, giving us the chance to see his creation through his own eyes.
Even as somebody who had recently put in the time and effort into solving the Cube, I was unaware of the lessons to be learned from it, the universals that make the Cube work, and the continued importance of the Cube in fields like artificial intelligence.
Even as somebody who had recently put in the time and effort into solving the Cube, I was unaware of the lessons to be learned from it, the universals that make the Cube work, and the continued importance of the Cube in fields like artificial intelligence.
January 10, 2021
A very insightful book
The creator of the Cube writes from a very wise perspective and covers many brilliant aspects of what the Cube embodies. I loved reading about his creative process too.
The creator of the Cube writes from a very wise perspective and covers many brilliant aspects of what the Cube embodies. I loved reading about his creative process too.
February 4, 2021
Fascinating ode to the Cube and insights into the author's life from his own hand.
"What is so beautiful is that there isn't a single answer - which is true about so many or all things in life - but an inherently rich, cascading series of movies that are interdependent with other moves."
"What is so beautiful is that there isn't a single answer - which is true about so many or all things in life - but an inherently rich, cascading series of movies that are interdependent with other moves."
January 12, 2024
Rubik Küpü'nün geçmişi, şimdisi ve geleceği ile ilgili her şeyi bu kadar kısa ve etkin şekilde anlatmayı başarmış bir kitap. Akıyor gidiyor, okumaktan keyif aldığım bir kitap oldu gerçekten de. Bu fenomen oyuncağın tarihini bizzat yaratıcısından öğrenmek isterseniz bu tam size göre.
September 29, 2020
Humble, challenging, and enlightening...just like a Rubik’s Cube.
December 14, 2020
It's a quirky and enlightening read. Professor Rubik has an interesting outlook and a sense of play that shines through in his writing.
October 29, 2020
Adorably nerdy, with fascinating insight.
October 31, 2020
Enjoyable insight into the mind behind the greatest puzzle ever made.
November 13, 2020
Interesting little book written by the creator of the Cube.
April 25, 2021
Fun little book. Ernö Rubik comes across as exactly the kind of modest, self-effacing guy I expected. Be like Ernö.
March 10, 2023
I’ve been collecting twisty puzzles for 13 years so my review may be slightly biased.
The opening chapter had me concerned, as the author (and inventor) states the three most common questions he hates being asked about the cube and his generic answers to those questions. I was worried that maybe Rubik was one of those creatives that felt pigeonholed by their creation in the way that bands feel forced to play “that song” at every concert. Thankfully that was not the case and Rubik has a wonderfully complex relationship with his invention.
Ironically, Rubik mentions something that to me rings so true, in that the Cube does feel like some primordial object that seems like it existed forever and just happened to blink into material being in the 80s (I compare it to something like a cuckoo clock or a rotary phone). Most people don’t even realize the Rubik in Rubik’s Cube is a name and that he is still in good health and completely alive. Or that the Cube needed to be “invented”. It’s just always been right? What’s great is that Rubik understands this strange phenomenon and is intrigued by it, yet he also understands the Cube on a seemingly anatomical level sociologically and can explain why it has become the de facto image of a decade that is now visually recognizable universally. There are multiple passages in which Rubik writes “as” the Cube in first person, further showing it seems to have a life outside of him.
He delves into the cubes influence on so many topics, like: architecture; pop culture; mathematics; education; art; politics, etc; while also explaining how those influences led to the creation of this toy. You also get the behind the scenes stories of its mass production, promotion, and Rubik’s personal life and how these events reflected it. I would almost put this book in the Art/Design section of a bookstore, not the Bio section. Rubik reminds me much of Ingvar Kamprad and I think any artist/architect/teacher/student could benefit from many of the passages herein. And while this book is breezy to read, if one made a reading list of all the books he directly quotes you could make a Phil 200 syllabus from it.
To end my review, I’ll just post my favorite factoids from the book: 1. NYT published an obituary in 1984 to signal the end of the cubing craze, but Rubik points out that the craze only died because literally anyone that wanted a cube had already bought it. One in seven people in the world at the time either owned one or had played with one, within THREE years of its release. Once enough time had passed that a new generation had grown up enough to be the correct age for solving, sales spiked again. 2. The Hungarian Mint in 2002 released a legal tender square coin with a Rubik’s cube on it. 3. Autistic people, young children, and teenagers are provably more adept at solving it than adults, which Rubik credits to imagination. 4. There were rumors for decades that the inventor of the Cube was either dead broke or unimaginably rich (The Coen Bros originally wrote The Dude as being the heir to the Rubik’s Cube fortune thus explaining his lack of need to work). The actual answer is he’s richer than most people in Hungary but not as rich as people believe, but also wealth is less important in Hungary (according to Rubik) so he doesn’t stand out whatsoever amongst his neighbors.
The opening chapter had me concerned, as the author (and inventor) states the three most common questions he hates being asked about the cube and his generic answers to those questions. I was worried that maybe Rubik was one of those creatives that felt pigeonholed by their creation in the way that bands feel forced to play “that song” at every concert. Thankfully that was not the case and Rubik has a wonderfully complex relationship with his invention.
Ironically, Rubik mentions something that to me rings so true, in that the Cube does feel like some primordial object that seems like it existed forever and just happened to blink into material being in the 80s (I compare it to something like a cuckoo clock or a rotary phone). Most people don’t even realize the Rubik in Rubik’s Cube is a name and that he is still in good health and completely alive. Or that the Cube needed to be “invented”. It’s just always been right? What’s great is that Rubik understands this strange phenomenon and is intrigued by it, yet he also understands the Cube on a seemingly anatomical level sociologically and can explain why it has become the de facto image of a decade that is now visually recognizable universally. There are multiple passages in which Rubik writes “as” the Cube in first person, further showing it seems to have a life outside of him.
He delves into the cubes influence on so many topics, like: architecture; pop culture; mathematics; education; art; politics, etc; while also explaining how those influences led to the creation of this toy. You also get the behind the scenes stories of its mass production, promotion, and Rubik’s personal life and how these events reflected it. I would almost put this book in the Art/Design section of a bookstore, not the Bio section. Rubik reminds me much of Ingvar Kamprad and I think any artist/architect/teacher/student could benefit from many of the passages herein. And while this book is breezy to read, if one made a reading list of all the books he directly quotes you could make a Phil 200 syllabus from it.
To end my review, I’ll just post my favorite factoids from the book: 1. NYT published an obituary in 1984 to signal the end of the cubing craze, but Rubik points out that the craze only died because literally anyone that wanted a cube had already bought it. One in seven people in the world at the time either owned one or had played with one, within THREE years of its release. Once enough time had passed that a new generation had grown up enough to be the correct age for solving, sales spiked again. 2. The Hungarian Mint in 2002 released a legal tender square coin with a Rubik’s cube on it. 3. Autistic people, young children, and teenagers are provably more adept at solving it than adults, which Rubik credits to imagination. 4. There were rumors for decades that the inventor of the Cube was either dead broke or unimaginably rich (The Coen Bros originally wrote The Dude as being the heir to the Rubik’s Cube fortune thus explaining his lack of need to work). The actual answer is he’s richer than most people in Hungary but not as rich as people believe, but also wealth is less important in Hungary (according to Rubik) so he doesn’t stand out whatsoever amongst his neighbors.
May 3, 2021
I asked for a Rubik's cube for my 15th birthday. I had gone camping with a friend and she had had one, and I had watched, rapt, as she mangled and then fixed the colors over, and over, and over. This book made me seek out the Cube, and put it on my desk at home, so now it's there for me to play with anytime.
So why such a low rating? Well. Rubik, while being a very interesting man, and someone who I would love to potentially sit down to dinner with, is not a writer, and I'm judging the book as a book, not as his life story. By his own admission, he is not much of a writer. He tells you from the get-go that this isn't going to be a typical book: How can we possibly capture in words all the dimensions of our lives?
Rubik, to me, seems to be the character in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. He has created something that has a life of its own now (so much so that there is an interview with both Rubik AND the Cube at the end. It's quirky, and a little silly, but that's who Rubik is: unconstrained.)
Because Rubik is an architect, and created the Cube to visualize a math problem, there are concepts in this book that are just too far into the abstract for me to understand. This is a me problem, not a Rubik or book problem. But as an example, Rubik explains that there are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible positions for the Cube to be in, then tries to explain how they found "God's Number," which is how few turns it takes to get from one position to another. I still do not understand this.
But, I would still say that I enjoyed the book, because I learned so much about the creation and distribution of the Cube. Like the fact that they only made 5,000 Cubes to begin with. (But once it partnered with a toy company and there was a craze, it had sold 100 million. Or the ASTOUNDING fact that one in seven people has handled a Cube. (That is 14% of the world's population.)
There are passages about chaos, about his life, about work. He reflects that a professional and an amateur are just as invested in their work: It is fitting that the etymology of the word "amateur" comes from the Latin word for "lover," which is amatore.
He posits on the fact that we are many things, just like the Cube is many things:
In all, I'm glad I read it, and I would probably recommend it to anyone who was particularly interested in Rubik's life. It certainly gave me a new appreciation for the little colored block.
So why such a low rating? Well. Rubik, while being a very interesting man, and someone who I would love to potentially sit down to dinner with, is not a writer, and I'm judging the book as a book, not as his life story. By his own admission, he is not much of a writer. He tells you from the get-go that this isn't going to be a typical book: How can we possibly capture in words all the dimensions of our lives?
Rubik, to me, seems to be the character in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. He has created something that has a life of its own now (so much so that there is an interview with both Rubik AND the Cube at the end. It's quirky, and a little silly, but that's who Rubik is: unconstrained.)
Because Rubik is an architect, and created the Cube to visualize a math problem, there are concepts in this book that are just too far into the abstract for me to understand. This is a me problem, not a Rubik or book problem. But as an example, Rubik explains that there are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible positions for the Cube to be in, then tries to explain how they found "God's Number," which is how few turns it takes to get from one position to another. I still do not understand this.
But, I would still say that I enjoyed the book, because I learned so much about the creation and distribution of the Cube. Like the fact that they only made 5,000 Cubes to begin with. (But once it partnered with a toy company and there was a craze, it had sold 100 million. Or the ASTOUNDING fact that one in seven people has handled a Cube. (That is 14% of the world's population.)
There are passages about chaos, about his life, about work. He reflects that a professional and an amateur are just as invested in their work: It is fitting that the etymology of the word "amateur" comes from the Latin word for "lover," which is amatore.
He posits on the fact that we are many things, just like the Cube is many things:
Who am I? There are so many possibilities: inventor, professor, architect, designer sculptor, lecturer, editor, husband, father, grandfather, businessman, manager, writer (why not?), and so on.... How do I choose? I could say that I am all of these things, all at once, all the time, but with a different emphasis according to the situation, the task, or the activity.
There is a much longer list of who I am not.
In all, I'm glad I read it, and I would probably recommend it to anyone who was particularly interested in Rubik's life. It certainly gave me a new appreciation for the little colored block.
August 16, 2023
The book "Rubik: The Fascinating History of the World's Most Famous Puzzle" by Ernö Rubik is an extraordinary journey through the world of the mysterious and iconic Rubik's Cube. Thanks to Muza Publishing, we are given a book that opens the doors to the creator's mind and a deeper understanding of the phenomenon that captivates millions of people around the globe.
Ernö Rubik, the creator of the Rubik's Cube, invites us into the realm of his captivating creativity. The autobiographical narrative takes us through the stages of Rubik's life - from his childhood, which shaped his passion for logical puzzles, to the invention of one of the most famous logic games in history. Rubik emphasizes that puzzles like the Rubik's Cube are tools that shape important human qualities: concentration, creative thinking, and perseverance in solving problems.
The book not only focuses on describing the cube itself and its arrangement but also on uncovering the psychological aspects related to the game. Rubik analyzes why self-taught individuals and dissatisfied children of typical education often become puzzle masters. In a fascinating manner, the author reveals that the Rubik's Cube is more than just a game - it's a tool for developing cognitive skills and curiosity.
One of the main strengths of this book is not only the description of the cube itself but also the elaborate history of Rubik himself and the journey he took from idea to success. From the moment he first conceived of this geometric puzzle to the official patent, the author immerses the reader in the creative process, showcasing the determination and passion that drove him. The text also includes an interview with the Rubik's Cube itself, adding humor and human character to the work. It's an excellent addition that injects a bit of humor and conveys the idea that learning and fun can go hand in hand.
Rubik's language is approachable and casual, as if the reader were reading the creator's memoir. Quotes at the beginning of chapters add depth and inspiration, further enriching the content. The book doesn't focus on cube-solving algorithms or instructions but rather on the history, motivations, and values that this iconic logic game carries with it.
In summary, "Rubik: The Fascinating History of the World's Most Famous Puzzle" is a thoughtful and engaging biography of the creator of the Rubik's Cube. It delves into the history of its creation and its impact on human creativity and thinking. This book will undoubtedly captivate both Rubik's Cube enthusiasts and those interested in the creative process and psychological aspects of logic games. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to uncover the secrets and inspirations of the creator of this remarkable toy that continues to captivate and evoke emotions worldwide.
Ernö Rubik, the creator of the Rubik's Cube, invites us into the realm of his captivating creativity. The autobiographical narrative takes us through the stages of Rubik's life - from his childhood, which shaped his passion for logical puzzles, to the invention of one of the most famous logic games in history. Rubik emphasizes that puzzles like the Rubik's Cube are tools that shape important human qualities: concentration, creative thinking, and perseverance in solving problems.
The book not only focuses on describing the cube itself and its arrangement but also on uncovering the psychological aspects related to the game. Rubik analyzes why self-taught individuals and dissatisfied children of typical education often become puzzle masters. In a fascinating manner, the author reveals that the Rubik's Cube is more than just a game - it's a tool for developing cognitive skills and curiosity.
One of the main strengths of this book is not only the description of the cube itself but also the elaborate history of Rubik himself and the journey he took from idea to success. From the moment he first conceived of this geometric puzzle to the official patent, the author immerses the reader in the creative process, showcasing the determination and passion that drove him. The text also includes an interview with the Rubik's Cube itself, adding humor and human character to the work. It's an excellent addition that injects a bit of humor and conveys the idea that learning and fun can go hand in hand.
Rubik's language is approachable and casual, as if the reader were reading the creator's memoir. Quotes at the beginning of chapters add depth and inspiration, further enriching the content. The book doesn't focus on cube-solving algorithms or instructions but rather on the history, motivations, and values that this iconic logic game carries with it.
In summary, "Rubik: The Fascinating History of the World's Most Famous Puzzle" is a thoughtful and engaging biography of the creator of the Rubik's Cube. It delves into the history of its creation and its impact on human creativity and thinking. This book will undoubtedly captivate both Rubik's Cube enthusiasts and those interested in the creative process and psychological aspects of logic games. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to uncover the secrets and inspirations of the creator of this remarkable toy that continues to captivate and evoke emotions worldwide.
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