I think you are the first person in the thread so far to mention a METHOD of solution --
My own engagements with the Rubik's Cube Puzzle favored something I should call the "Cornered-Layer" approach. As the name suggests, it is a combination of the
corners-first and
layer-by-layer approaches -- where one is simultaneoulsy gathering same colors at the 24 corners (4x6), but also treating as virtual layers the sections of pyramid (from tip down) at each of the 8 "Pyramid Corners". This requires layering down the pyramid as 1, 6, 10, 6, 1 (from tip to opposite tip). The geoemtry of the puzzle is really exceptional, allowing for a number of solution-strategies.
My very best time, 48 seconds.
There is some dispute about the world record, since "official" competitions take the average of 5 solutions as your score. In the "official" category, it's about 21 seconds. In the unofficial category, there are some credible claims for single-solution times as low as 12 seconds.
The world record for blind-folded is 5 minutes, 42 seconds.
Though pop culture has been too distracted to take due note of it, the Rubik's Cube (both as invention and as popular phenomenon) will someday take its place among the most unusual events of the 20th century. We were al kids when it came out, but think what it would take NOW for a PUZZLE to capture the attention of a PLANET for over a year.
j-