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"Wow, that's totally cool," I said to myself after watching a robot solve a Rubik's Cube in 6 seconds. I had been on NASA's website quenching my thirst for the latest space exploration news when I started clicking on other topics and finally saw the headline about the Cube and robot. But the next video I watched really impressed me: "speed Cubing" teenagers solving the Cube almost as fast as the robot. At that moment I declared, "I've got to learn how to do that!"
I never fooled with the Rubik's Cube when I was younger, but now I wanted to be as impressive as those teenagers. Internet sites showed various strategies for solving the Cube, and I chose a seven-step method. I intently watched each step, frequently backing up the video to understand the directions. I didn't touch the Cube at this point but simply analyzed the complete process. I ended up writing four pages of notes and diagrams to help me remember all seven steps-some of which have up to nine moves. At first I thought I would never be able to memorize all of the information. But my curiosity and desire to learn a new skill...