Here are the results of the CUBE-POLL.

DATE      AVG.   WORK    WHEN  #   #
REPLY AGE SOLVE  TIME    GOT   OWN DIED   OCCUPATION
          (MINS)
------------------------------------------------------------
8/28  15  --     --      4/81  1   0      STUDENT
9/7   16  --     --      9/81  1   0      STUDENT
9/8   18  3-3:15 1.5-2m  9/80  2   .75    STUDENT
9/24  19  1:40   <10h    7/80  0   0      UG-ENG
8/17  20  4      1w      12/79 1   0      UG-CS/EE
8/29  20  1:50   1w      7/81  2   0      UG
8/25  22  1:30   ?       6/80  7   0      COMP. ANALYST
8/19  22  10 unreliably  7/81  2   0      HACKER
8/15  24  4      2d      1/80  1   0      PROGRAMMER/GRAD-CS
8/17  25  2      40h     6/80  4   0      PROGRAMMER/GRAD-PHYS
8/17  27  4      2-3w late78/79 2  0      HACKER/RECENT G.-CS
8/15  28  10-15  30h since start 2 0      PROGRAMMER
8/17  30  10     ?       5/80  1   0      TEACH/PROGRAMMER
9/11  30  5-10   50-60h  12/80 1   0      TEACHER-CS
8/15  31  2:15   8d      2/80  4   0      HACKER
8/18  31  5      2w      5/80  2   0      COMP. SCIENTIST
8/24  38  2      100h    5/80  4   3      PROFFESSOR
8/31  39  3      3d    fall80  1   0      ROBOTICS RESEARCH
8/24  41  3      ?    early79  24  0      COMP. ANALYST
(the 24 cubes owned is mostly non-standard ones)

DEAD CUBES:
Many people replied that none of their cubes have died on them
though some admit that some of their cubes are in pretty bad
shape, or they have gotten additional cubes to keep their old
ones from dying.
One person reported that he has a cube which still works, even
though it got left in a hot car, and got partially melted
so is now some what surrealistically distorted.
(I wonder what the temperature was)

METHODS (INDEXED BY AGE(DATE-REPLIED)):
18.    CORNERS,"MIDDLE-RING",TOP-SIDES,BOTTOM(MAY MESS UP
       TOP),?
19.    TIME-EFFICIENT:
        U-EDGES,U-CORNERS,MIDDLE-SIDES,D-EDGES-ORIENTED,
        D-EDGES-POSITIONED,D-CORNERS-POSITIONED,
        D-CORNERS-ORIENTED
       MOVE-EFFICIENT
        U-EDGES   20
        U-CORNERS 28
        MIDDLE-SIDES    46 (primary target for improvement)
        D-SIDES   14
        D-CORNERS 20
           TOTAL=128qtw
20.(8/17)
       2 METHODS
        BOTTOM,MIDDLE,TOP SLICES
        4-CORNERS,8-CORNERS,BOTTOM,TOP,MIDDLE
20.(8/29)
       SOLVE GREEN FACE,OPPOSITE CORNERSIN CORRECT ORIENTATION
       OPPOSITE CORNERS IN CORRECT POSITIONS,OPPOSITE SIDES IN

CORRECT POSITIONS,MIDDLE LAYER
ABOUT 150qtw MAX.
22.(8/25)
TOP 4 CORNERS,BOTTOM 4 CORNERS PLACED, ..ORIENTED
EDGES PUT INTO PLACE IN PAIRS
22.(8/19)
TOP(EDGES THEN CORNERS),MIDDLE,BOTTOM
24. MOVE AND TIME EFFICIENT:
TOP CORNERS 22
BOTTOM CORNERS POSITION 26
" " ORIENTATION 24
TOP EDGES 40
BOTTOM EDGES 68
CENTERS 8 (initial posn of corners is by convenience)
MIDDLE EDGES POSITION 20
" " 24
TOTAL=232qtw
25. TOP,MIDDLE,BOTTOM CORNER ORIENTATION,BOTTOM EDGE
ORIENTATION,BOTTOM CORNER POSITION,BOTTOM EDGE POSITION
27. TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,3 MIDDLE EDGES(POSITION,POSSIBLY
ORIENTATION),POSITION OTHER CORNERS,ORIENT OTHER
CORNERS,POSITION OTHER EDGES,ORIENT OTHER EDGES
28. BOTTOM LAYER,MIDDLE SIDES,ORIENT TOP SIDES,TOP CORNER
POSITION, ..ORIENTATION,POSITION TOP SIDES
30.(8/17)
SOLVE TWO LAYERS SIMULTANEOUSLY, THEN THIRD
30.(9/11)
UPPER FACE EXCEPT ONE EDGE,LOWER CORNERS POSITIONED,
..ORIENTED,LOWER EDGES,LAST UPPER EDGE,MIDDLE
POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED
31.(8/15)
TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,BOTTOM CORNERS ORIENTED,
..POSITIONED,BOTTOM EDGES,MIDDLE POSITIONED,
..ORIENTED
31.(8/18)
TOP CORNERS,TOP EDGES,(TURN CUBE OVER),TOP CORNERS
POSITIONED, ..ORIENTED,REMAINING EDGES POSITION,
..ORIENTED
38. 2-METHODS
3 CONSECUTIVE LAYERS
CORNERS FIRST (FOR SPEED)
ONE OF THESE IS 120qtw
39. TIME
CORNERS,BOTTOM,MIDDLE,TOP
MOVE
CORNERS,EDGES IN RANDOM ORDER
AVERAGES 75qtw <WORST CASES WERE NOT MENTIONED>
41. 2 METHODS
UPPER EDGES,UPPER CORNERS,(TURN OVER),MIDDLE,
ORIENT EDGES,ORIENT CORNERS,PLACE CORNERS,PLACE
EDGES
UPPER EDGES,3 UPPER CORNERS,3 MIDDLE EDGES
LAST UPPER CORNER,LAST MIDDLE EDGE,(TURN OVER)
ORIENT EDGES,ORIENT CORNERS,PLACE CORNERS,PLACE
EDGES

As far as I can tell no two people who reported in detail
solve the cube in quite the same way.

INTRESTS IN THE CUBE:
investigation of identities to calculate GOD's number
application to the teaching of group theory
training of mind and logic, something to do
variations (tetrahedron, 10-sided, interesting faces)
what different solving methods are
analogy with quark confinement
Combinatorial algorithims
introducing others to the cube
how people learn to solve cubes (AI)
pretty patterns, cube graphics(for fun)
determining GOD's number
Showmanship, flaming about cubes in public
cubing to attract or repel people
analytic, as opposed to heuristic or exhaustive aids to
solve the cube

NON-CUBING INTRESTS OF PEOPLE:
almost any types of puzzles, science fiction
COMPUTERS!!!, ADVENTURE <Computerized Fantasy Simulation)
soccer, electronics, Folk dancing, juggling, Chess
hiking, hacking, biking, photography
collecting/studying/sometimes even solve puzzles
Lewis Carroll, archeolgy, linguistics, magic
recreational math, D&D, wine-tasting
SEX an DRUGS an ROCK an ROLL
ANSWERING SILLY QUESTIONS ON QUESTIONAIRES
guitar, various aspects of Computer Science
mathematical logic, set theory, topology
food, the investigation of earth people
musician, GO
computer programs for GO/chess/othello/similar 2-player games
computer assisted or mediated simulation games

RANDOM COMMENTS:
Some people felt that the reason I might not have gotten
many responses was because of the tediousnes and difficulty
of entering a detailed description of their algorithm and
also transformations they know of.
One person suggested that lack of responses may have been
due to the fact that it is summer, and some people would not
have been at school.
This is the results(or most of them anyway) of the poll up to
this point, but I feel that this should by no means be
considered the end of the poll, please mail any new responses
addition to old responses, or updates of old responses to
CUBE-POLL@MIT-MC. If you need to know the questions, the
POLL is in the archives dated 14 AUG.,3:12EDT, or you could
probably get a copy by asking CUBE-MAIL-REQUEST.
Also feel free to enter any new poll questions into the
discussion by announcing them on CUBE-LOVERS.
I personally will probably be unable to do anything about
new responses until Christmas, but don't let this stop you
from sending them in.

I hope that i have not grossly misrepresented anybody
because of my abbreviations of the results.

Chris Worrell - ZILCH@MIT-MC