How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube: Learn the Fundamentals of Cubing!

WIRED’s Robbie Gonzalez learned to solve a Rubik’s cube from Tyson Mao, one of the co-founders of the World Cube Association. In two weeks, Robbie got his solve time down from 45 minutes with Tyson, to 20 minutes on his own, to under a minute on average. Learn his 8-step method here.

STEP-BY-STEP:

00:00 (Introduction)
03:06: Step 1: Make the Daisy
04:47: Step 2: Create the White Cross
06:32; (How to Hold the Cube)
08:10; Step 3: Solve the Bottom Layer
12:20; Step 4: Solve the Second Layer
14:57: Step 5: Create the Yellow Cross
15:06: (Cube Notation)
17:35: Step 6: Solve the Yellow Face
19:10; Step 7: Position the Corners
21:46: Step 8: Position the Edges

[Wired]


Listen to Wikipedia as it’s Being Edited

No matter what time it is, there are people all over the world joining, contributing, and editing Wikipedia. At 4AM local time, there were 49 edits per minute. Listen to Wikipedia monitors that activity and renders it as a data visualization with sound.

Listen to the sound of Wikipedia’s recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell. You can welcome him or her by clicking the blue banner and adding a note on their talk page.

Click on the circles as they appear to go to the page that are being edited and see what changes are being made. You can also scroll down on the page to filter the data by type or by language. Even if you aren’t sucked into exploring the world of Wikipedia edits, the plucks and chimes are quite soothing to listen to as you do something else.

[via Metafilter]

Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard’s “Make It Soap” Mini Soap

Introducing the Star Trek “Make it Soap” mini soap! Are you ready to boldly clean where you should have cleaned before? I was about to write “where no one has cleaned before” but it sounded a little wrong. If you like the smell of Earl Grey tea, this soap is for you!

The Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard’s Make It Soap Mini Soap Bar is there to help you boldly clean where you should have cleaned before. Seize the time to lather, rinse, and repeat. This soap bar is an engaging addition to any bathroom decor. Make now the most precious time and add one to your bathroom today.

[Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard’s Make It Soap Mini Soap]