[Member Intro] Hello SpeedSolving.com

GaBeech

GaBeech

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Joined
Nov 17, 2014
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0
Location
Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom
Hello SpeedSolving,

My name is Gavin, I'm new to Cubing.
Rubik's Cubes have always been around, but I've never really tried to solve. I've never even completed a 'peel and reapply' solve.

My interest came about when two cubes were brought into the house. One is an original '4th Dimension' cube with box. I thought it had suffered the stickers having been removed and reapplied, due to White being opposite Blue and Yellow opposite Green. Apparently there were original Rubik's Cubes sold with this layout between 1986 and 1990. I left that cube alone and had a fair few twists of the other cube.

I knew there must be algorithms, set methods to solving. I had a look on YouTube and came across videos posted by 'asmallkitten', covering the 'ZZ' method of speed cubing. I was amazed and inspired.

I then came across a book; Adventures in Group Theory by David Joyner, which interested me because I'm aware of set theory.

I'm no mathematician and don't have the time to either; apply my own logic and discover my own method or read about and learn group theory.

I would of loved to claim I'd figured the cube out all by myself, but I've already spoilt that by learning how to solve the 'F2L' by reading and watching.
I'm intersted in Group Theory, but amazing speed solves are not done on paper or with a calculator.
So, I'm going to learn to solve and will remain interested with a combination of the things I've mentioned and improving my solve time and knowledge.

---------

I've bought 'Speedsolving The Cube by Dan Harris'
I understand there are print errors in the book; could anybody, maybe even Dan himself, help me find the errata for this publication?
 
And so are you going to learn ZZ or CFOP ?
Personally I solve using CFOP just because I can't get edge oriented in good times, but one day I'll improve that and switch to ZZ because it's so much fun !
 
FMC may interest me in the future. At the moment I can complete a basic F2L in an amazing 2 minute average. I'm only an OLL and a PLL away from my first independent solve.
--------
I think that I will learn the techniques/methods from Dan Harris' book; seeing as I'm a blank canvas so to speak and as exciting as the ZZ method appears, the edge recognition makes sense to learn, but I think I need to start with something that is in print and widely used.

Get my money's worth from book too.
 
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Thank you.
I may need to learn OH ZZ to be able to keep my paperback open whilst I learn from Dan Harris...

Joking aside; I think I'll learn to solve from the book I've bought and tie that in with what I can soak up from the community/internet.
 
@STOCKY7
Yeah; I'm brand new to this arena and was lucky enough to hit upon what I see as some of the best sources of information right from the off:

I fell into being interested in the 3x3 cube by chance, then landed on asmallkitten's YouTube page, signed up here, pretty much instantly bought Dan Harris' book off Amazon...

While waiting for the book to arrive; I read a little deeper into the reviews on Amazon. Most were very good reviews; there was one I remember that seemed like it was written by somebody who knew how to use language and was using his skill to pick fault with the book. I ignored the tone in which he typed, but took note of the mention of errors in the book. I used Amazon UK and it was there I read of errors in the book, I looked on Amazon.com and found mention there of errors too. On Amazon.com there is a link to what seems like a dead site, that just display a grey screen for me and mention that the errata is also listed on Dan Harris' website (defunct). I searched the web and did not get too many hits; yet the one hit I got was a thread on SpeedSolving.com that, although not directly talking about the book, had a post right at the end from Dan Harris' explaining that the errors were created in the processes after editorial/proof reading by himself and another I believe.

I get hints that most of the errors may be in sections covering other cubes as apposed to the 3x3x3. Yet, I'm unsure: the thread which Dan Harris posted in was mainly cycling around talk of a '1' in algorithms being a misprint of '+' or 'l' and I'm sure I remember mention of two mislabeled tables.

Sorry for filling the end of this with loads of maybes, but I just locked onto the possibility of print errors in a book that will need reading letter to letter on a lot of pages. Deducing that the errors are there and may affect a novice such as myself, I thought it best to fish for the corrections to apply before I get into the book.

(And if the book is still selling, it would be good to have the errata/corrections in the cloud somewhere like this forum.)
 
So people; Only being able to complete F2L in a basic fashion using techniques from the basic Rubik's guide and having a book that teaches CFOP, I think CFOP is the method I'm going to learn to begin with.
 
STOCKY7
Yeah; I'm brand new to this arena and was lucky enough to hit upon what I see as some of the best sources of information right from the off:

I fell into being interested in the 3x3 cube by chance, then landed on asmallkitten's YouTube page, signed up here, pretty much instantly bought Dan Harris' book off Amazon...

While waiting for the book to arrive; I read a little deeper into the reviews on Amazon. Most were very good reviews; there was one I remember that seemed like it was written by somebody who knew how to use language and was using his skill to pick fault with the book. I ignored the tone in which he typed, but took note of the mention of errors in the book. I used Amazon.co.uk and it was there I read of errors in the book, I looked on Amazon.com and found mention there of errors too. On Amazon.com there is a link to what seems like a dead site, that just display a grey screen for me and mention that the errata is also listed on Dan Harris' website (defunct). I searched the web and did not get too many hits; yet the one hit I got was a thread on SpeedSolving.com that, although not directly talking about the book, had a post right at the end from Dan Harris' explaining that the errors were created in the processes after editorial/proof reading by himself and another I believe.

I get hints that most of the errors may be in sections covering other cubes as apposed to the 3x3x3. Yet, I'm unsure: the thread which Dan Harris posted in was mainly cycling around talk of a '1' in algorithms being a misprint of '+' or 'l' and I'm sure I remember mention of two mislabeled tables.

Sorry for filling the end of this with loads of maybes, but I just locked onto the possibility of print errors in a book that will need reading letter to letter on a lot of pages. Deducing that the errors are there and may affect a novice such as myself, I thought it best to fish for the corrections to apply before I get into the book.
 
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GaBeech said:
STOCKY7
Yeah; I'm brand new to this arena and was lucky enough to hit upon what I see as some of the best sources of information right from the off:

I fell into being interested in the 3x3 cube by chance, then landed on asmallkitten's YouTube page, signed up here, pretty much instantly bought Dan Harris' book off Amazon...

While waiting for the book to arrive; I read a little deeper into the reviews on Amazon. Most were very good reviews; there was one I remember that seemed like it was written by somebody who knew how to use language and was using his skill to pick fault with the book. I ignored the tone in which he typed, but took note of the mention of errors in the book. I used Amazon UK and it was there I read of errors in the book, I looked on Amazon.com and found mention there of errors too. On Amazon.com there is a link to what seems like a dead site, that just display a grey screen for me and mention that the errata is also listed on Dan Harris' website (defunct). I searched the web and did not get too many hits; yet the one hit I got was a thread on SpeedSolving.com that, although not directly talking about the book, had a post right at the end from Dan Harris' explaining that the errors were created in the processes after editorial/proof reading by himself and another I believe.

I get hints that most of the errors may be in sections covering other cubes as apposed to the 3x3x3. Yet, I'm unsure: the thread which Dan Harris posted in was mainly cycling around talk of a '1' in algorithms being a misprint of '+' or 'l' and I'm sure I remember mention of two mislabeled tables.

Sorry for filling the end of this with loads of maybes, but I just locked onto the possibility of print errors in a book that will need reading letter to letter on a lot of pages. Deducing that the errors are there and may affect a novice such as myself, I thought it best to fish for the corrections to apply before I get into the book.
Click to expand...

Wow - good research! Yeah the book is ace. Best of luck bro, I'm sure you''ll smash through those time barriers!
 
Let's hope I become as skilful at solving 3x3x3's as I am at picking up on the important bits of Amazon reviews.

I've not read much of the book yet, just a few pages. I noticed a little miss wording on a diagram explaining notation regarding x, y, z cube rotation. That does not bother me, it's when I get into reading and relating algorithms to my cube that I want to be sure I have the correct text in front of me.

I aim to get hold of the errata for the book, print and apply neat correction stickers to my book.

What am I like...
 
I don't know too many modern day cubers who learn how to solve the cube from a book. I think it's so much faster to just watch a video and not have to interpret diagrams and things like that. But if it works for you...

Plus, youtube is free.
 
sneaklyfox said:
I don't know too many modern day cubers who learn how to solve the cube from a book. I think it's so much faster to just watch a video and not have to interpret diagrams and things like that. But if it works for you...

Plus, youtube is free.
Click to expand...

Most of the following is wrote in hindsight:

I learnt a little from the Rubik's online guide videos/PDF solving guide, I favoured the PDF.

I think I need some of my learning material to be static and think it will help me imagining a cube rotation before actually seeing it.
For example and I'm not picking fault with the book I bought, just an example of how mentally digesting something commits it to my memory: 'z2 means rotate the cube 180 degrees clockwise so the U-face becomes the D-face and the R-face stays the same.'
I read, processed and understood; I think the L-face becomes the R-face. Either way, I'll remember my lowercase 'z'.

I 'want' to learn the cube; I could of used the cubes that were brought into the house. One of them performs like a speed cube now I've broke it in and lubed it; just without corner cutting, which may of been a good thing for perfecting the finger tricks I hope to learn.
But; I spent what non-cubers would see as a lot of money on plastic toys: £17 for Rubik's SpeedCube and then I bought a Dayan ZhanChi v5... All this before I could even solve... I think subconsciously I knew my own subconscious well enough to know that if I invested, I stood more chance of becoming a cuber.

I think I will learn many things from YouTube; but also from the text below YouTube videos, this forum, books I've bought, books I've borrowed, people's websites, etc...
 
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STOCKY7 said:
Printing errors? I was not aware of any.

I learned from the book and got a long fine, so I'm sure you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Little update:

The thread I mentioned that had a post from Dan Harris at the end, has a list of corrections for the book earlier in the thread posted by another forum user.

It was late when I was looking and I think seeing a post from the author of the book right at the end of the thread was the only thing that stuck in my mind before bed.

Here's a link to the thread:

https://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?5769-Very-very-quick-question-from-a-beginner
 
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