(Click above to be taken directly to Cube Fact Bot's Twitter feed.)
In addition to being a defense reporter, Justin Katz is also a beginner level programmer focused on learning Python. He is the proud creator of @CubeFactBot, a Twitter bot dedicated to educating people about the world's most famous toy, the Rubik's Cube.
"Cube fact bot?" What cube? What facts? Aren't bots a bad thing?
Cube Fact Bot is a Twitter account that regularly tweets out interesting facts about the Rubik's Cube, will wish famous cubers a very happy birthday and occasionally say snarky things about Katz.
Ok. And why did Katz make a Twitter bot?
Cube Fact Bot is a fun side project Katz is using to learn more about coding and programming. CFB is programmed in Python, but Katz is interested in learning other languages after mastering Python.
How does it work?
CFB runs its script once per day. First, it checks today's date and references a hand-curated database of facts. If CFB finds today is a special day -- let's say Erno Rubik's birthday -- then it will select the appropriate tweet to wish Mr. Rubik a very happy birthday! If the current date does not match a predetermined "special date," then CFB will randomly pick a time-insensitive fact, such as letting you know the Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion different possible permutations.
Aren't bots against Twitter's terms of service?
Yes and no. Using a bot to interface with Twitter is not inherently a violation of the TOS. In fact, when you apply for a developer account, Twitter asks what you intend to do and making a bot is an acceptable response. The problematic bots you hear about on the news are ones that attempt to disguise themselves as real human users or engage in malicious activities. Given that CFB declared itself as a bot to Twitter, refrains from spamming the platform and only tweets innocuous facts about the Rubik's Cube, it should not fall afoul of Twitter's rules.e plat
Why the Rubik's Cube?
Katz really loves the Rubik's Cube! It is the world's most famous toy after all.
Alright, I get it, but the Rubik's Cube is not the world's most famous toy.
You're entitled to your wrong opinion.