Rather than bump a thread that is miles down the list, I thought I'd just start this one. Feel free to merge them if you feel it's necessary.

OK. I was wondering if anyone has heard any info about the shipping of the puzzles from the Jade Club?

I pmed Rox about this a few days ago and am waiting to see what she says. I think that Rox will have the most information about this.

Alex

Several weeks ago, Roxanne wrote that we should expect 3 months for the Jade puzzles.
The website hasn't changed at all.
So, I think all we can do is to wait patiently.

Yes, I'm pretty sure they'll be out shortly. Also, does anyone know what that cube thing is? I didn't buy it, but I think I may regret that, depending on what it is. Is there anyway for me to get the cube? I only bought the Pyraminx.

I think it's a Jade 3x3x3. I can barely afford one puzzle, never mind 2. I just got the Pyraminx as I don't even have a normal one, but I have a couple of 3x3x3s. Come to think of it, I can't even really afford the VIP. I hope VIP pays off though!

Alex

I'll answer this quickly and with no information. I haven't seen Uwe in about 2 weeks now. It's my fault, no time. I'm so busy with my research I simply don't have the time.

Last time we spoke, we looked at the design of the "third puzzle" (No other hints than that) I'll call him next week and hope we can get together over Easter so I can give you something more concrete.

He did say around 3 months for shipping of the first puzzles though. Sorry guys, no better answer than that from me right now.


Back to writing! I got shot down on Thursday and need to revise by Easter Monday!

I thinki it would have been fair to make the Jade Club public, the registration or at least the payment after the production of the puzzles.

I've just saved enough money for 2, now there's another?!

Update email recieved this morning:



Subject: Jade Club News as of March 27, 2010 - Welcome as a JadeClub Member

Hi All,

As you know, JadeClub was conceived as a worldwide fellowship of people who share an interest in Mind Puzzles and want to see the hobby flourish. Its members enjoy mental challenges and like to stay in touch with others who share their interests. Membership is by invitation only, so, to help the club grow more quickly, please invite three friends now and ask them to also invite three of their friends. If the friends you invite are already members you may invite others until you have reached your three-invitation quota. Your help in this regard is highly appreciated.

2010 is a milestone year for the puzzle community. It is forty years since the conception of the Meffert's Pyraminx, and thirty years since the worldwide launch of Ernö Rubik's Cube by Ideal Toys. And the rest is history, as they say...

More than 500 million of these mind-twisters have since found their way into homes worldwide, and an estimated two billion-plus people have actually held one of these puzzles and tested their skills with them. That's almost one-third of the world’s population. You could say that cubic puzzles are perfect world “ambassadors,” reaching across cultural and intellectual borders and creating close fellowship.

But there is much more ahead of us. We have barely scratched the surface. There are many puzzlers out there—including who-knows-how-many geniuses--who would like to communicate with fellow puzzlers. And there are many more who have yet to discover the pleasure of stimulating their minds by solving Mind Puzzles, helping them to lead a well-balanced life. These are people we want to join us as JadeClub members.

Now, news about your free Jade-P or Jade-C puzzle (or both, depending on which membership category you have chosen). The extremely complex tooling has been completed and we are now waiting for the custom RFID chips, which have a relatively long lead time. We expect to ship the first Jade puzzles by mid-April. Trust me, it will be worth the extra wait as these are the most beautiful (and also the most expensive and difficult to produce!) puzzles I have made to date.

We had some substantial delays in creating our website (which is par for the course, I guess) and had to change it from the initial Flash site to a .NET aspx format to allow us to provide all the features we want to bring to our members.

To all those who had offered to help translate our website into as many languages as possible, now is the time to get started on that as well. Please let me know at Uwe@jadeclub.org which language you can translate for us, along with an estimate of the time youÂ’ll need to complete the task, and I will send you all the relevant English text.

Membership Benefits and Fees
The one-time fee for VIP Members is US$27; for regular JadeClub Members US$18. (These may change due to fluctuating currency values.) New members in both categories will receive free a unique Jade Wisdom-Stone three-dimension Mind Puzzle in the form of a Pyraminx or a Cube (which we’ll call just “Jade-P” and “Jade-C”). Members can get both puzzles by adding $18 to the basic membership fee. To do this, choose either the VIP+ ($45) or JadeClub+ ($36) option when joining. Free airmail shipping is included to anyplace in the world that has a post office. These puzzles are exclusively for JadeClub Members and cannot be purchased by non-members. Each is one-of-a-kind and will have its own unique RFID code that will identify the owner and keep a record of solving times in puzzle competitions.

The Jade-P and Jade-C Mind Puzzles for VIP Members are produced in a beautiful first-of-its-kind Imperial White Jade-like material decorated with simulated natural gemstone colors on the tops of the engravings. These represent the six basic elements--Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Metal and UE (Universal Energy). VIP Members also enjoy other benefits, including a special VIP website with free access to many interesting topics, both puzzle and non-puzzle related, such as speed reading, memory training, and health-related subjects, include a 12-page summary of the world bestseller
The Wonder Weeks, which teaches parents how to understand their babyÂ’s crying-language.

VIP Members will also receive free a limited-edition Jade book, How to Live your Life, with extracts from the book NatureÂ’s Greatest Miracle, Me! They will also be able to purchase at factory cost a special RFID puzzle reader that will automatically communicate with the unique RFID chip inside every Jade puzzle, identifying the owner and recording a playerÂ’s best times
and post them to the Web. Other special limited edition puzzle offers and benefits will be made
to VIP Members from time to time, many of them free of charge.





The Jade-P and Jade-C Mind Puzzles for Regular Members are made of the same beautiful Imperial White Jade-like material but do not have the gemstone colors added to the tops of the engravings. However, for all Regular Memberships that are finalized by March 31st. we will
send the gemstone color-tipped versions.





I must apologize for the poor photography which failed completely in capturing
the Jade puzzlesÂ’ real beauty.

While Jade puzzles are limited to one of each type per Member, as a special benefit, VIP Member collectors will be able to purchase one set of the Imperial White Jade puzzles (without the special color tipping) at US$36 per Collectors Set by submitting their order through the VIP Collectors Special shopping cart and including their registered email address.

If a person is invited to join but cannot afford to pay the one-time full membership joining fee, he or she can still have Basic JadeClub Membership privileges and will enjoy certain free features of JadeClub which will be announced from time to time in the JadeClub Newsletter. This will include the privilege of inviting three friends to become members but will not include a free Jade-P or Jade-C Mind-Puzzle or free puzzles subsequently offered to Regular and VIP members. Basic Members also will not have access to the online VIP Lounge with its special features and privileges and advance new puzzles release notification. However, a Regular Jade Member or Basic Jade Member may upgrade to VIP or Regular Membership status at any time by paying the appropriate one-time joining fee for that particular membership category.

As a JadeClub Member you will be among the first to learn of new developments in the Mind Puzzle community and will receive advance notice of new puzzle releases so that you can place a reserve order online before they are offered to the general public. You will be able to take part in discussions with the people who created this hobby back in the 1960s and '70s. And as already mentioned, as a member you can invite three other people who share our common interests in puzzling to become members, thus broadening and strengthening our JadeClub community.

GOALS OF THE JADE CLUB

First, this is what the JadeClub is: It is a meeting place where people who enjoy Mind Puzzles
and topics related to a healthy well-balanced life can come together and discuss matters of mutual interest. It is a place for learning about new puzzles and new developments in our fascinating
hobby and other subjects that can enlighten us. It is a cyberspace forum where puzzle designers
and marketers and ordinary puzzle players can exchange ideas and discuss the future of our hobby. In short, it is the place for all news and ideas about this avocation that occupies so much of our
time. It is a place where there are no barriers of language, culture or nationality.

This is what the JadeClub is not: It is not a political organization, not a pressure group, definitely not a cult. And while I personally have concerns about the fate of our planet and consider it my duty to do my part to preserve what is left, I realize that each person has a unique view of the problem. If you share my view, fine; if not, well, let's discuss puzzles and other topics that
interest us!

It is my hope that JadeClub can apply innovative concepts to expand our worldwide network of puzzlers far beyond its present size. Is it a wild dream to imagine that we can have 500 million members within the next seven years? Maybe so, but that's my dream.

To make it become reality it will need a super effort from all of us. Let us spread the word and make our kind of puzzles once again everyday entertainment! Please share with me any thoughts you may have about additional features you would like to see incorporated in JadeClub to make it as attractive and beneficial as possible for members.



Thanks for your contribution and
Happy Puzzling

Uwe Meffert



Email:- Uwe@jadeclub.org


So I take it that the Regular membership I bought will get me the coloured one because I ordered it before the end of the month. Correct me if I'm wrong...

From What I understand, you are right. I spoke to him briefly on the phone the other day so I don't have full details either. Something to do with members complaining about not being able to tell the difference between VIP and regular membership.

I think it's fair that original signups get the coloured puzzles regardless of membership type, as there were no announcements about uncoloured ones for non-VIP members when I joined.

I've been reassured that anyone who joined before March 31st gets the painted puzzles. Other details, I'm not so sure about.

I'm sorry guys, right now I'm not much of a help. I'm not much of a puzzler, a friend, or a mom. I'm working full out on this PhD thing. My professor won't let me start until the full lit review is done and I'm ready to start the clinical studies. He's a perfectionist (as he should be) and doesn't want me and my silly ideas to sully his good name Fair enough, but I have to get all of it done by 1 May so my current boss will sign off on the University Funding. My understanding is my new boss and my professor parted company on not so good terms and I've been told the new guy holds a grudge, I'm not sure if that would carry over to me, but when I was asked by a coworker......I was typical Rox. Him or GOD? Hm NOT A CHANCE IN HADES! I don't think they liked that too much At any rate, I don't want to take a chance.

So I'm here if you really need me, but if it's not a pressing problem, could we wait til the end of April. I'll try to get answers for everything after I get this thing done.

And yes, I still read TP. It's always running in the background anyway, but mostly I read when my brain is dead or it's at 6 am (I set my alarm early so I can read the forum) or after 12 when I can't really focus anymore.

I haven't join yet..... Can I join later and can I get the puzzles later too?

Rox, I've already ordered the Jade Pyraminx, but looking at it, I'd like to have the Jade Cube too. Is there anyway to get the cube as well?

This.

There's no way I can afford the cube and everything else I want (including the wooden cube) but I need to get the (painted) Jade cube!

Alex

Wow, another question to ask. I'll shoot off another email tomorrow or Tuesday. I would say your best bet right now would be to sent an email to
Uwe@jadeclub.org or jades@jadeclub.org

I just reread the newsletter and looked at the photos. He's right, the camera didn't do these puzzles justice They really are pretty.

I have a question, but I haven't the patience to look through the entire other Jade Club thread for the answer. Sorry.

I digress; I log in and I'm told I am a VIP Jade Club member, however it says I haven't paid my enrolment fee. I remember paying for it. Is this just a mistake, am I required to pay again, or is the website still being worked on?

Thanks.

I have just made a login and it says Status: VIP+ Jade Club Member
I have no comment about having paid or not (But I have proof from Paypal that I have.)

3 months now since I ordered 2 puzzles as a "VIP" and still nothing - no news, no feedback, no explanation, nada. I'd hate to see how non-VIPs are treated!

UPDATE: my own personal issues with the Jade Club have now been resolved.

I seem to remember someone saying something about them shipping towards the end of April, although I can't remember where...

Any truth here? Anyone know if they're being shipped now, or got any updates on shipping at all?

ta.

I just got a Jade Club email telling me that I can reserve a Gear-Cube (designed my Oskar!), so I logged in and did so. They say that it should be available towards the end of next week!

awesome, mass produced caution cube must buy

sneak preview-no these aren't the stickers-we changed them. these didn't look good.

That looks cool! I'd love to have! But man, there are so many other puzzles I want to get too...

Hm, this. Well, I don't remember if it was VIP or not, but I do have Paypal proof, even if the site seems to say I haven't ordered anything. What I do know is that I haven't received any puzzles or anything saying "we will get you the puzzles by <date>".

I've tried to contact Mefferts about this but have received no reply. My address has actually changed since I ordered the puzzles, and I sent a notification to Mefferts, but I don't even know if they have received it. My mail will only be forwarded for so long so I really wish Mefferts would tell me what's up... I will consider it their fault if I don't eventually end up with the puzzles I ordered in my hands.


I like the idea of new puzzles, but can you PLEASE get the old ones out first? I'm not putting any more money into this "club" unless I know it's going to be worth it.

Well, you can login and change your user data, can't you?

Recollecting some recent posts from Roxanne, we can expect the Jade puzzles soon.
Obviously, it is a difficult process producing them.

Is this puzzle good for my health?

I haven´t security gloves and glasses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDVb9NExsA8

I'm definetly getting this, but I hope this isn't as dangerous as Oskar's one.

I really want this but I still have so many other things to buy.

Alex

meffert is going to brankrupt me again

How long will these be available? I haven't yet registered with the Jade Club because I haven't got the cash at the moment... I hope I didn't miss out permanently.

He is not your, he is our!!!

So wait, how much would it cost to join the Jade club AND get a caution cube?

looking at the photos on the website it looks like the white version of the puzzle has been photo-shopped. To me, it looks like the black puzzle is the full print in black, and the white version is a very poor attempt to make a white puzzle. That being said, I will most definitely by buying this puzzle. I'm posting this here because I don't feel like it deserves a new thread.

Strangely Roxanne, I like that color scheme

The pictures on the webpage are photoshopped. Yes, it is going to be available in black and white versions.

They should be coming up late next week. Jade club members get a heads up. Not sure why-Uwe's latest idea. Not bad if you think about it. I don't have to keep my mouth shut as long because someone is always bound to post

The first one Uwe printed DID hurt my fingers. The corners and edges were 'sharper', good though, by getting hurt-they got rounded off.

The colors look great, until you start to scramble-then they are difficult to distinguish even for me, and There is so much black on this puzzle that the colors just get lost in all that black. No, They had to be changed to bolder colors.

These are a typical "limited run" of a few thousand pieces-Jade club members are able to pre-order. If you order this way you are guaranteed one. If not a member-you can wait till they show up on his web page and take your chances like the rest of the world. I don't think he has this listed as a "Jade" puzzle. Those you will know by the body colors. There are 9 unique colors (I think-can't remember for sure) for those. So Black/White body=non-jade puzzle.

The Jade puzzle-I honestly don't know when they will be sent out. Something to do with the RFD chips inside. But they are getting closer. That is all I can really say.

Change your address within the Jade club website and they should get to you.

Kelvin, what am I? Sliced cheese? You get information here when I have it.

Oh man, my girlfriend is going to kill me, I'm preordering one of these pronto!

I still don't have my Jade Club invite. Something was up with the site and I don't know if Aleh has had time to try again. I still want to try and get one of these, though.

is the gear-cube going to be sold made out of the "normal" plastic we're used to seeing with rubik's cubes or is it more like something from Shapeways like a full-print type thing? The pictures look like the shapeways stuff...I'm unsure because I don't know how difficult it would be to "mold" something like that lol

I need about $10,000 extra to buy all the puzzles which have come out recently...

The pictures Rox posted look like "normal" plastic, only the pictures of the prototype look like 3D printed plastic.

Virgin ABS.


I can't believe I wrote that. Even funnier-I can't believe I know what it means!

Lucky you. My "ABs" are hidden behind a layer of belly fat!

The gear cubes are beautiful, I shall definitely get both. lol

And I can safely say after having the bug my ABS aren't virginal anymore!

Boy I go to bed and wake up to this. Gee that looks way cool and I am definately going to go broke. Can't decide white or black though. Thanks for the heads-up! I am so behind in all the puzzles I still have yet to buy.

I guess I'll have to take my chances and wait until I have enough money for one of these to buy one (I need a job ).

Alex

There's no way I can do that. I'll talk to my girlfriend about ordering two, and if she's okay with it just tell me what color you want.

I know I should ask katsmom in a PM but she's extremely busy and I don't want to make her mad at me. Does anybody know how to get your forgotten password back because I need to order 2 of the Danger cubes very soon(1 for me & 1 for a late mothers day gift).

How do I get the forgotten information back?

Please help I'm scared of missing out .

What email provider do you use? If it's gmail or something similar, do a search for JADE CLUB. the email would have come from JADES@JADE[spammymcspam]CLUB.ORG if you can sort by email.