2x2x2 Cube

I bought this cube to practice with before tackling the Roulette Wheel IQ Cube I received for my birthday. It's small, but mighty.

Roulette Wheel IQ Cube

This was the birthday present my wife bought for me this year. Looking at it online, I thought I'd figured out a way to solve it, but I failed to take into consideration two things: 1) it's a 2x2x2 cube, which I haven't attempted yet, and 2) those dials are way more diabolical than I'd anticipated. We'll see how long it takes me. :)

3x3x3 Rubik's Void Cube

This is my newest puzzle cube.  Just from looking at it, though it claims to be "a 'hole' new challenge," I think it's actually going to have a lot in common with the 4x4x4 cubes.  I think the primary difference between this puzzle and a regular 3x3x3 is this one doesn't have any set centers (as evidenced by the holes there, of course).  That's the same issue with any cube that has an even number of rows and columns (4x4x4 or 6x6x6).  The main thing you need to ensure when solving one of those cubes is that, when forming your base, you ensure that the four sides that are adjacent to that base are in the correct order.  Time will tell if that's the case, or not, with this cube.

3x3x3 Offset Mirrored Cube (Pt 2)

These are the pictures of the rest of the solution for this cube.  Due to the nature of this cube, there probably won't be many more pictures of it.  I can't really make designs in this one as I do with the others.  The first time I solved it, I ended up doing so by getting the skinniest side first, but this time, for the sake of the photos, I began with one of the more substantial sides. (originally solved on 8 June 2012, this solution on 10 June 2012)

3x3x3 Offset Mirrored Cube (Pt 1)

I was correct that the algorithms for solving this cube are the same as for solving any other 3x3x3 cube, but the devil is certainly in the details for this one.  The start is the hardest part, but the more steps you complete, the easier the remaining steps become.  It's a confusing mess at the beginning.  The pictures in these posts are from the second time I solve the cube.  The first time I did, I had a couple of the centers that were facing the wrong way.  If you look at the second and third photos in this post, you can see what I'm talking about.  The grains of the stickers in the center go perpendicular to the grains in the four points of the cross.  The next two pics after that, and the remaining pictures taken of this solution are after I fixed the points of the cross to ensure the grains all pointed in the same direction.

4x4x4 Cube

This cube had a twist I hadn't expected (though perhaps I should have).  Since it has an even number of blocks on each face, there are no set centers, hence, when I first attempted to solve it, as you can see in the second and third pictures, some of my corners were off because I didn't think to ensure that the color centers were placed appropriately.  Once I fixed that, it was easy to solve the rest.

I think that the fact the centers aren't constrained to a specific order (though the respective corners are) will allow for the possibility of some interesting designs in the future.  We'll see what I can come up with :) (originally solved, with all solid sides, on 10 June 2012)

New Cubes!!!

I got my new cubes yesterday (7 June)!  Pretty excited about it, if you couldn't tell :)

I got the 4x4x4 because though I'm able to solve a much larger cube quite easily now, I've never solved a cube with an even number of blocks in each row, always just 3, 5, or 7.  I also look forward to seeing what unusual designs I can come up with once I do solve it.

I got the 5x5x5 because I haven't played around with it much.  I basically moved right from it to the 7x7x7 during my last deployment, and then stayed there.  I want to see what sorts of designs I can make on this one.  Probably not much more than smaller ones versions of the ones I've already made on the larger cube, but we'll see.

The 3x3x3 mirrored cube is just an oddity that I don't think will take much effort to solve, but look forward to finding out for certain.  I like that instead of mixing up the colors it mixes up the shape.  It may provide a different set of difficulties, though I would be surprised if the algorithms are different than for the other cubes.

#1

I'd call this one "The Original" but I already used that for the first design I made with a 7x7x7 cube.  So I'll call this one "#1".  It's the first design I made on any cube, long before I ever was able to solve a 7x7x7 cube at all, much less make designs in one.  I thought I'd already posted pictures of this solve, but I guess I hadn't, so here you go.  I've tried some other designs on the small cube since, but it's only served to show me just how little flexibility there is in this cube.

Peace

this one was a challenge from one of the other Marines I've been working with, and is my first design that isn't completely (horizontally, vertically, & diagonally) symmetrical.  It actually came together easier than I'd expected it to, and it's one of my two or three favorite designs so far. (originally solved on 24 July 2011)

Ringed Diamonds

I did this one on the spur of a moment...I think it came out kinda cool. (originally solved on 23 July 2011)

Crushed Corners

I like how this one came out, sorta like a box with the corners crushed in...yet another very different design with only small changes from some of my previous ones. (originally solved on 22 July 2011)

Departing Strike-fighters

another design with no real purpose beyond passing the time and seeing what making small changes to the layout would look like as a whole. (originally solved on 22 July 2011)

Heavy 'Bells

another modification of my "Loaded Dumbbells" design...it was a slow day at work, and an easy modification. (originally solved on 21 July 2011)