Writing Article on the Rubik's Cube. Need All Your Help!

[Slowpoke22]

Tyler, 25, San Diego

How long have you been cubing and how long did it take to solve your first cube?

Since summer of 2003. I spent a little over a week learning a basic LBL method, and my first solve took like 5-10 minutes.

Can you describe the setting, emotions, and thoughts at the moment you solved your first cube?

I was with my mom and brother at Jack in the Box waiting for my food. I remember PLL was lucky in some way, and the cube ended up solved without me expecting it. I was super excited, but I didn't make a big scene about it or anything. It was at that moment I knew there would be many, many more solves to come.

How do you challenge yourself to become a better solver?

Initially I kept myself updated on the 2003 world championship and watched videos by Dan Knights, Macky, Fridrich, etc. Knowing that ~20 sec was possible really motivated me to be sub-1 and faster. I have a very addictive personality, and since the cube is plastic crack it was easy to become hooked. The past few years, though, I haven't been cubing seriously at all. I still follow the speedcubing community very closely though.

Most memorable cube solving experience?

Probably when I went to U.S. Nationals 2009, where I finally got a sub-20 3x3 avg.

Can you attempt to sum up what it means to be a solver? Be as logical or abstract as your mind wants to be.

I guess a "solver" is just someone who enjoys solving things - puzzles, math problems, anything that requires a solution. "Speedcuber" = someone who solves the cube and other twisty puzzles from memory as quickly as possible.

[CubicNL]

Bram de Wilde, 15, Zutpen, Netherlands

I have been cubing since january 2010, so that means that I have been cubing approximately 2 years now.
I first learned the basic method from a little booklet that came with my standard rubik's cube.
The method taught you how to solve the cube in 7 steps, just following those steps I solved the cube easily.
After a few days of practise, I was able to solve it on my own.

When I first solved the cube without aid of a booklet I mainly felt huge accomplishment.
I probably stared at the solved cube for a few seconds thinking: "Yes! I did it!"
After that moment of euphorism I immediately tried it again, because I wanted to see whether I could solve it another time.

I do not really feel like I need to be challenged to get better; I just like cubing and improvement follows automatically.
I sometimes, however, set a certain goal for myself (e.g. learn 20 algorithms, get below 15 seconds) just because I like to see whether I can get it or not.
So I like challenges, but I do not feel like they are necessary for me to improve.

There are two memorable moments:
Firstly, it's the moment when I got my first speedcube (a cube built to be solved fast).
It was very memorable, because my times suddenly made a leap of more than five seconds.
I improved that much just by getting a new/better cube.
Secondly, it's a much more recent moment.
It's my first single under 10 seconds.
10 seconds was for me maybe the hardest milestone to get; I had been close to it several times.
And the feeling of accomplishment was big, I finally got it.

It's difficult to say what it means to be a cuber..
One thing that goes up for almost all of us is that we have fun solving cubes.
That is also what makes me continue cubing.
Other than that there's nothing I can come up with.

[Dacuba]

Name: Erik Strub
Age: 18
Country: Germany

How long have you been cubing and how long did it take to solve your first cube?

I started Speedcubing on April 2010. It took me about 30 minutes with the help of a youtube tutorial to solve my first cube. After that solve I saw some really fast solves, which seemed impossible to me. I actually just wanted to do some research about that skill, but then I got somehow dedicated to trying it by myself.
When I got near the 1 minute barrier, there was first the feeling, that I really want to reach the best times I can do. I expected to get stuck just under 1 minute, but not on the corner to sub14 seconds

Can you describe the setting, emotions, and thoughts at the moment you solved your first cube?

Well I always thought, I would never solve a Rubik's cube. So it was a huge winning moment, and I got excited. I was like "Look, mom, dad, I solved it!". I was fascinated, how the blocks formed themself and I had no idea how it worked.

How do you challenge yourself to become a better solver?

That comes from alone. There are so many goals I haven't archieved, but are very possible for me. But there are no "ending" goals, which would be my last motivation. It doesn't matter how fast you are, you always want to be faster.
Breaking own records is a huge motivation in every single hobby you can have So it doesn't get "boring", like a lot of people think, people playing darts also don't get bored. And that's (probaly) because it is more about than it seems to be.

Most memorable cube solving experience?

My first blindsolve. Blindsolving itself isn't that hard or special, and I knew it. It was exciting just because it stands for that impossible thing you never can imagine as a non-speedcuber. At this point I remembered how it seemed impossible to solve a Rubik's cube at the beginning.

Can you attempt to sum up what it means to be a solver?

Well you should be aware, that speedsolving is nothing to impress people. If you do it because of that, it isn't the right hobby for you. Noncubers don't care if you need 30 or 15 seconds, so you could just stop at 30 seconds. It is difficult for me to call such a person a "speedcuber". And other speedsolvers on competitions often are only interested in the results of the best or of their friends.

If you do it for yourself, to overcome yourself, to reach goals and to be excited about it, then you are a speedcuber, no matter how slow you are

[Vincents]

Background Information: Vincent Sheu, 21, from Saratoga, CA (currently reside in Berkeley, CA)

How long have you been cubing and how long did it take to solve your first cube? Learned in 2006; I believe it took me around 3 minutes.

Can you describe the setting, emotions, and thoughts at the moment you solved your first cube? "Wait, I forgot to time that! I'll never know exactly how long my first solve was!"

How do you challenge yourself to become a better solver? I don't in the usual way. I don't have some burning desire to be the fastest. I just happen to hang out with people who cube. I somehow get faster.

Most memorable cube solving experience? Stepping into a classroom last fall to teach a Rubik's Cube class at Berkeley, and seeing 700 people packed into a room holding 150, spilling into the aisles, standing up, and flowing out the door. Really gave me a sense of wonderment that so many people wanted to learn how to solve a cube.

Also, 2x2x2 0.96s. "Wait, what?"

Can you attempt to sum up what it means to be a solver? Be as logical or abstract as your mind wants to be. Carpal tunnel at age 30.

[sneaklyfox]

Ok, gotta reply to this one as I'm also from Ottawa!

Background Information:
Melody Wong, 31, Ottawa, Canada

How long have you been cubing and how long did it take to solve your first cube?
Dad taught me beginner's method way back when I was about 5 so yeah, you could say I've been cubing for longer than most people here have been alive. Once I learned the whole thing, it probably took me a little over 2 mins to solve it.

Can you describe the setting, emotions, and thoughts at the moment you solved your first cube?
Can't really remember that far back. Thought it was cool probably and just thought I'd go and show my dad that I had done it (and ask him to mix it up for me again).

How do you challenge yourself to become a better solver?
With that beginner's method, I got fast at it until I was probably averaging a little over a minute. For a couple decades, the only thing I did was I experimented a little with LL trying different moves. Improved what I already knew by just a bit. I cubed on and off but not seriously. Now with internet, anything is possible. Watched some YouTube videos and saw that so many people could do it so fast and thought I could do it too. I'm always setting goals for myself. When first speedcubing, I thought I could safely make a goal of sub-30s avg. Now that I've reached that and went beyond it, I'm on the way to reaching my next goal which is sub-20s avg.

Most memorable cube solving experience?
That will probably happen next week. (Read my new member intro... I'm about to have my 3rd kid so planning to speedcube during labour. Will share story afterwards.)

Can you attempt to sum up what it means to be a solver? Be as logical or abstract as your mind wants to be.
Always pushing to solve faster and faster, knowing you have potential and want to find where your limits are. But when not being very goal-oriented, I just find it relaxing to do something dextrous with my hands. Emotionally, it's relaxing because when I'm cubing, I can turn on my brainy self and leave the emotions somewhere else. Helps calm the mind and cool off (if that's needed). Maybe this is more applicable to women hehe.

[NikWilliamNovak]

haha. Any answer is the right answer.