Message #59

From: Matt Young <indigowombat@indigowombat.com>
Subject: Fw: Solved it!
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 14:33:35 -0800

Hi! Latest solver of MagicCube4D, the 3x3x3x3 version, here. Name’s Matt
Young, 30 years old, from California. Since most of the info Melinda Green
asked me to post as my intro is included in my original email to her
notifying her that I’d solved the puzzle, I thought I’d just forward that
message along to the group. Also, I uploaded my solution log to the
appropriate folder of the "Files" section. Happy to be a part of this elite
group!

–Matt

—– Original Message —–
From: Matt Young
To: MagicCube4D@Superliminal.com
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 8:14 PM
Subject: Solved it!

Hi! I found your site through a link sent to me by a friend four days ago.
I have been interested in hypercubes and in Rubik’s Cube for many years, and
had long ago worked out mentally what the 4D analog of Rubik’s Cube would
be, and tried to model it with pen and paper. I had never managed to come
up with a workable computer simulation of this object, but I’d played with
my mental model of it for some time. Little did I know that someone else
had already implemented one years ago! When my friend saw your site, he
vaguely associated it with my ramblings on the subject, and I was ecstatic
when I saw the program (though a bit jealous that I didn’t implement it
first!). Finally, I could play with this object I’d envisioned years ago!

Since I had a head start on understanding the structure of a 4D Rubik’s
Cube, I was able to dive right in. I’ve been able to solve a standard 3D
Rubik’s Cube for some time, but using a different method than the one linked
to from your site… my method was from a book I’d read years ago, that
began with solving one side fully, then the edges in the center section, and
then the final face using some algorithms that I confess I didn’t fully
understand… I just knew that they worked. Sure enough, when I tried
adapting that method to the 4D cube, I was able to fully solve all but one
"face", and then was just stuck. I went ahead and read the "Ultimate
Solution" link from your site… the one for the standard 3D cube, not
Roice’s adaptation of it for the 4D object. I could immediately see how
much easier that would be to adapt, especially with the symmetries involved
in this method. And, after a bit of frustration and hair-pulling, I did it!
Now that I’ve solved it on my own, I’m looking forward to checking out
Roice’s solution method and comparing/contrasting. Thank you for creating
this wonderful implementation of something I’ve imagined for years. Cheers!

Matthew A. Young

(incidentally, I’m not the same "Matt Young" who has a link to some
4D-cube-related pages from your site. that’s just a bizarre coincidence.)