Claude Shannon was a great enthusiast of Rubik’s cube — he designed the “manipulator” above, which now resides in the MIT muse

“A Rubric on Rubik Cubics”

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2024-11-24 17:00:05

Claude Shannon was a great enthusiast of Rubik’s cube — he designed the “manipulator” above, which now resides in the MIT museum.

In a 1981 letter to Scientific American editor Dennis Flanagan, Shannon included this poem, to be sung to the tune of “Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay”:

Strange imports come from Hungary: Count Dracula, and ZsaZsa G., Now Erno Rubik’s Magic Cube For PhD or country rube. This fiendish clever engineer Entrapped the music of the sphere. It’s sphere on sphere in all 3D — A kinematic symphony!

Forty-three quintillion plus Problems Rubik posed for us. Numbers of this awesome kind Boggle even Sagan’s mind. Out with sex and violence, In with calm intelligence. Kubrick’s “Clockwork Orange” — no! Rubik’s Magic Cube — Jawohl!

Respect your cube and keep it clean. Lube your cube with Vaseline. Beware the dreaded cubist’s thumb, The callused hand and fingers numb. No borrower nor lender be. Rude folks might switch two tabs on thee, The most unkindest switch of all, Into insolubility.