h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

45 seconds was my record (although it was a slight accident - normally I did it in 3 minutes).

Funnily enough I did not have as much success with boys as I did with the cube. But that's another story.

Good entry, btw. I've got a half-finished cube lying around the house at the moment which needs the bottom layer fixing, might manage to do it now. Cannot believe you are suggesting dismantling a cube as an acceptable method for solving it. They get really clunky and awkward to move after somebody's done that to them, and it's not as much fun making the pretty patterns (chequers was my favourite, but squares was good too).

I never, ever understood the mathematics of them (so thank you for explaining that) - just liked tidying them up!

I'd like to point out that One of the world's foremost cubists is a woman, namely Jessica Friedrich. Although not the champion, she did invent/organize the method of solving used by Dan Knights, the current official record-holder.