Message #3623

From: Melinda Green <melinda@superliminal.com>
Subject: Re: [MC4D] Remembering Andrey Astrelin
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2017 15:39:44 -0800

This is very sad news indeed and I’ve been slow to respond because of how deeply it has affected me. I am still very depressed about this.

Andrey was hugely inspirational to our group. I don’t think that anyone will consider it an exaggeration to say that he was the biggest brain among this crazy group of brainiacs. Like Roice said, MHT633 <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/mht633/> is probably also the most mind-bending puzzle I’ve ever seen, and Andrey is the only person to have solved the 8-color version. Philip Strimpel solved the 52 color version, and all of the other versions remain unsolved though I expect Roice to solve the 12 color version before too long and I really look forward to his report.

As Nan pointed out, he wrote the 7-dimensional cube puzzle using an extremely clever UI that allows an additional three dimensions to be added to our familiar 4D projection. Nan’s text formatting got lost in the email, so if you were confused, MC7D <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/mc7d/> includes the 12 puzzles from 3x3x3x3 through 5x5x5x5x5x5x5. Amazing, right? And his MPU <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/mpu/> puzzle contains MC4D, with a UI that some solvers prefer, along with the amazing 24-Cell, 600-Cell and other difficult puzzles. Congratulations to Nan for solving its 48-cell FT Mirror Z. What a wonderful way to honor Andrey!

He even created a 5D version of Pac Man <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/pacman5d/>. and Hyperburg <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/hyperburg/> which is a multi-player 3D game, and even a 4D car <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/4D_Cubing/conversations/messages/1781> that can be driven with the keyboard! It’s too bad he never finished implementing his "steering sphere". What a mind!

I have created an on-line memorial for Andrey here <http://superliminal.com/andrey/> which includes an archive of all of his wonderful programs except for the car. (Did he release it?) This includes the latest version of MPU <http://www.superliminal.com/andrey/mpu/> (v1.55) that he referenced in his final message to us so be sure you have the latest. Please let me know if I don’t have the latest versions of everything else, and also alert me privately to any bad links or typos that you find. I tried to improve his English in many cases but have not done as careful a job as I would have liked, so I’m sure there are many problems.

Most importantly, I would really appreciate it if you would help me to contact his family so that I might be able to archive his source code. I am not on Facebook, so for anyone who is, please let them know what I want to do and why it is important. It is OK to publicly post my email address there or use the MagicCube4D@superliminal.com which I use for accepting solution files. It’s OK if more than one person mentions this to them because it will show our level of interest in preserving his life’s work.

-Melinda

On 1/13/2017 1:25 PM, Roice Nelson roice3@gmail.com [4D_Cubing] wrote:
> Thank you for letting the group know Nan. Andrey influenced me so much,
> and this news is very sad. I will miss him.
>
> I have many memories of Andrey, but thought I would share a few of my
> favorites…
>
> When he released MHT633, Andrey did not even tell us what it was - he let
> us guess! That was a fun way to announce it, and I still recall the
> excitement and joy investigating that amazing puzzle abstraction. The
> surprises were wonderful. It introduced me to exotic hyperbolic honeycombs
> for the first time, which have held my interest ever since, and he
> subsequently shared many further insights about them with me. To date, his
> MHT633 is still the coolest puzzle in my mind, abstracting so many
> different features of the original Rubik’s cube. I like the way Andrey
> would blow my mind by conjuring up something way beyond my current thinking.
>
> I loved reading Andrey’s emails for all their insights. Often I would need
> to read them a number of times. When he turned his attention to MagicTile,
> he noticed all sorts of things I hadn’t considered. He pointed out how one
> of the {8,3} 6C puzzles was combinatorially the Rubik’s cube in disguise.
> He had thoughts on what colorings would work and helped me map out
> identifications for the {8,3} 24C. He appreciated the beauty of certain
> puzzles and encouraged their creation - for example, he requested the
> hemi-Megaminx and knew it would be a special puzzle. He ended up digging
> into the configuration files and building some of his own. He had a great
> mind.
>
> For those who were friends with Andrey on facebook, folks are leaving
> messages on his page here
> <https://www.facebook.com/astr0073/posts/1650043985296523>.
>
> Roice
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 10:24 AM,mananself@gmail.com [4D_Cubing] <
> 4D_Cubing@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
>> I was so saddened to hear the tragic news that the member of our group,
>> the creator of many high dimensional puzzles, lost his battle to cancer. It
>> is a huge loss to his family and our little community.
>>
>> Andrey is the most creative, productive, talented, and passionate person I
>> know in this group. Many of us played the puzzles he created and are
>> inspired by them. Snippets from the MC4D website:
>>
>> "In 2010, Andrey Astrelin joined our community and immediately broke
>> several of our most cherished records. Not satisfied, he then wrote and
>> released his own seven dimensional version! MagicCube7D solves the problem
>> of visualizing such a high-dimensional object by starting with our
>> now-familiar 4D projection and then partially unrolling the last three
>> dimensions using a clever fractal-like design. Not just one puzzle this
>> amazing piece of code supports all 12 cubes from 3^4 through 5^7. Oh and then
>> he went and solved the 3^7."
>>
>> "Magic Puzzle Ultimate also from Andrey is his version of MagicCube4D. The
>> user interface is quite different and some experienced users prefer it. It
>> includes some unique and special puzzles such as the much desired and very
>> difficult 24-cell, the 48-cell, the 600-cell along with deep-cut truncated,
>> runcinated, rectified, and snub versions of many of these plus some 5D and
>> 6D puzzles."
>>
>> "Magic Hyperbolic Tile {6,3,3} from Andrey is the 3D version of Roice’s
>> MagicTile because it lives in a hyperbolic 3-space. This puzzle turns out
>> to be devilishly hard but also gloriously beautiful to behold."
>>
>> I enjoyed discussing geometry and puzzles with Andrey in this group. His
>> great ideas and deep understandings enlightened us.
>>
>> Andrey loved puzzles so much. His family told me, that "he deals with
>> puzzles till the last days."
>>
>> Let’s take a moment to remember Andrey. To me, Andrey moved to higher
>> dimensions. I’m sending my deepest condolences to his family.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Nan Ma
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>