My brother's not Russian,
despite what some claim.
But we hail from Hungary,
you all know our name.My brother is older,
about seven years.
And while I am bigger,
please hold all your cheers.By how much am I bigger?
It's not clear to me.
By the main ratio,
of your modern TV?Or maybe you count him
with Z's down to A's.
While I'm a sixth pyramid,
or eight times the days.I have other siblings,
of various sizes.
They're mostly the same,
but some are surprises.If you want to be nice,
just do what you're told,
and bring me some ice;
I'm best when I'm cold.
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$\begingroup$ could the first be a White Russian? $\endgroup$– Nyk 232Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 18:59
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1$\begingroup$ Partially white, but it's not a drink. Between that and this? Not much of a link. $\endgroup$– Set Big OCommented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:02
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$\begingroup$ you're reply most amusing, I'll reconsider rusing. $\endgroup$– Nyk 232Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:07
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1$\begingroup$ Clarification: I'm an idiot, and no Russian is involved. A lifelong belief has proven untrue. $\endgroup$– Set Big OCommented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:43
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3$\begingroup$ Fun fact that led me down the wrong path: The number 56 (which is pointed at strongly in the fourth stanza) is very significant in Hungary, as it is tied to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956 As you might imagine, I struggled with this one for awhile before realizing it was a red herring of sorts. $\endgroup$– VictorHenryCommented Jul 15, 2015 at 8:54
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3 Answers
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10
My guess in combination with victorhenry is:
a 4x4x4 Rubik's Revenge Cube.
Here's why:
My brother's not Russian,
despite what some claim.
But we hail from Hungary,
you all know our name.
Rubik's cubes were invented by Ernő Rubik (Hungarian), but 7 years later by Péter Sebestényo who is most definitely not Russian, but I couldn't confirm he too was Hungarian (the patent can be found here and lists Hamburg, Germany)
My brother is older,
about seven years.
And while I am bigger,
please hold all your cheers.
As mentioned above, this cube is bigger than the traditional 3x3x3 cube that was invented 7 years earlier. However this cube doesn't have center pieces, and has some edge parities which makes it harder to solve.
By how much am I bigger?
It's not clear to me.
By the main ratio,
of your modern TV?
The 4x4x4 Rubiks cube has 16 pieces on each face, while the 3x3x3 cube has 9 pieces on each face. Modern TV aspect ratio's are 16:9, and the aspect ratio of slightly less modern TV's was 4:3.
Or maybe you count him
with Z's down to A's.
While I'm a sixth pyramid,
or eight times the days.
The 6th triangular pyramidal number is 56, which is also 7 days * 8, which is the number of pieces on a 4x4x4 cube (4*6 = 24 center pieces, 12*2 = 24 edge pieces, and 8*1= corner pieces).
I have other siblings,
of various sizes.
They're mostly the same,
but some are surprises.
Rubik's cubes can have many different shapes and sizes, but a majority of them operate with twisting in 1 of 3 directions, although there are pentagonal ones that have more axis of rotation.
If you want to be nice,
just do what you're told,
and bring me some ice;
I'm best when I'm cold.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Also probably a reference to speed cubing because Oliver Frost has the record for blindfolded 4x4x4 cubing.
If you want to watch some Rubik's Cube magic (albeit the 3x3x3), watch this!
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3$\begingroup$ Close to the mark, this answer has crept. Get closer still, and I will accept :D $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 1:14
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3$\begingroup$ Is it too much to ask, to solve the task. With what must I fiddle, to answer the riddle? $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 3:01
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3$\begingroup$ A ruler's not needed (the number's not bad). I'm named after Ernő, but he's not my dad. There are other verses that I did not say... but I'm pretty sure they'd give it away. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 3:34
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8$\begingroup$ I was tempted to write my own answer for this, but I never would have gotten close without qwertylpc's idea, so here are my suggestions. The answer is probably Rubik's Revenge, which is the 4x4x4 version of the Rubik's Cube, but was NOT invented by Ernő Rubik. It has 56 cubes in it, while the Rubik's Cube has 26 (Counting Z to A; 26 letters). Each face has 16 squares, Rubik's has 9 (HDTVs have a 16:9 ratio). Lastly, the world record for fastest time solving Rubik's Revenge blindfolded is held by Oliver Frost. The only issue is it was released in 1981, so I'm not sure about the seven years. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 4:41
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2$\begingroup$ Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik - wiki. There's your 7 years. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 7:15
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A very crude guess and I'll need to stretch the clues too much, but is it
The Russian drink vodka and it's Hungarian counterpart palinka
My brother is Russian;
a fairly known name.
But I hail from Hungary,
with not as much fame.
Vodka is famous all over the world whereas the palinka is not so popular.
My brother is older,
about seven years.
And while I am bigger,
please hold all your cheers.
Perhaps 7 year aged vodka is most commonly enjoyed. (A wild guess, I'm a teetotaler). The cheers is a reference to the common practice of clinking glasses before a round of drinking.
By how much am I bigger?
It's not clear to me.
By the main ratio,
of your modern TV?
It is not clear historically which drink has been around longer. The ratio perhaps hints at the alcohol percentages between the two?
Or maybe you count him
with Z's down to A's.
While I'm the sixth pyramid,
or eight times the days.
Not the slightest bit of thread for me to pull here...
I have other siblings,
of various sizes.
They're mostly the same,
but some are surprises.
There are many other alcoholic preparations, with varying alcohol contents. All of them get you drunk, but some are unusually potent, like absinthe which often causes hallucinations.
If you want to be nice,
just do what you're told,
and bring me some ice;
I'm best when I'm cold.
After getting drunk it's best to listen to the ones who are sober. And palinka probably tastes better when it's cold.
answered Jul 14, 2015 at 18:59
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$\begingroup$ Sorry, not the answer. I'm interested to see how close you can stretch it, though. It's nowhere near what I have in mind ;) $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:01
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1$\begingroup$ @Geobits: There you go. Very loosely fit. :-P $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:21
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I'll go with
Barium
My brother is older, about seven years. And while I am bigger, please hold all your cheers.
Elements further down the periodic table are bigger
Or maybe you count him with Z's down to A's. While I'm the sixth pyramid, or eight times the days.
The 56th element is in the 6th row of the periodic table.
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$\begingroup$ Interesting. I thought of using barium as a clue in one of those spots, but it's not the intended answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 14, 2015 at 19:24