Older cubers discussions

[EngiNerdBrian]

How old is really a relative question, ask a 15 year old and they will tell you are old, I'm 49 and you are young. I think the important thing is at age 29 you are still very capable to learn and get good at things quicker than someone in their 60's. Elegant/efficient solves are not to be undervalued, watching someone smoothly solve a 3x3 in the low 20's without a rotation or pause is a thing of beauty.
What's the J perm clip you refer to, I would like to see it?

I agree it's relative, i was just collecting opinions on what this community considers "old." From a general life perspective i still feel very young at 29 but in this community it feels old. Below is the J-Perm video i was talking about, i think it was discussed a few pages back right as i was beginning to be active on the forum again.

Also, i ditched Facebook a few months ago and i love it. I take issue with how social media has impacted the human condition over the last decade and I'm happy to be breaking free from that environment and internet habits. I do enjoy forums still, the OG social media! I do hope we can keep up some discussion in this thread as an community of older cubers.

 

[pglewis]

[...] I do hope we can keep up some discussion in this thread as an community of older cubers.

The discovery of this thread was an oasis for me when I was just getting started and it'll always have a place in my heart. I still keep an eye on the activity here and plan to continue to do so.

 

[openseas]

I agree it's relative, i was just collecting opinions on what this community considers "old." From a general life perspective i still feel very young at 29 but in this community it feels old. Below is the J-Perm video i was talking about, i think it was discussed a few pages back right as i was beginning to be active on the forum again.

Also, i ditched Facebook a few months ago and i love it. I take issue with how social media has impacted the human condition over the last decade and I'm happy to be breaking free from that environment and internet habits. I do enjoy forums still, the OG social media! I do hope we can keep up some discussion in this thread as an community of older cubers.

I suspected old cubers from J-perm's video (old vs young) were more like 20-30-ish old not senior old since most of us here didn't agree with him. Looks like that is the case.

 

[Oldmancfop]

Out of curiosity why do other older cubers solve?
I was an original 80's cuber, I remember seeing a clip of the first world championships on the news and being astounded by a 22 second solve! When my son turned 12 one of his gifts was a genuine Rubiks cube, I found some clips online of speedcubers to show him and could not believe what I was seeing, 5 seconds, WHAT! I had a fond sense of nostalgia toward the cube and was curious of the method used by the young speedcubers so set my self the challenge, would I be able to properly learn cfop at 50. No expectations beyond learning the method and perhaps breaking a minute. In the process I discovered that cubing is hugely satisfying and addictive. Now I can't put it down, ridiculous really, age 50 and devoting far too much time to a children's toy.
I would be curious to to hear the stories of other older cubers.

 

[bossel]

Similar here, I learnt the cube back in the 80's on the school yard. Then it got somehow forgotten in a vitrine, and only last June I started looking into it again. Learnt CFOP, knowing all the algs by now, although a misturn can happen here and there... I wouldn't say it's a childrens toy, although you can use it as one. For me it's a portable brain and finger trainer

 

[Oldmancfop]

I wouldn't say it's a childrens toy, although you can use it as one. For me it's a portable brain and finger trainer

Nice a brainger trainer!

 

[Old Tom]

The discovery of this thread was an oasis for me when I was just getting started and it'll always have a place in my heart. I still keep an eye on the activity here and plan to continue to do so.

This thread was astonishingly helpful for me when I stumbled on it about three years ago. Until that I had been just a lone LBL solver, since way back in the 80s. I was nudged by many in this group to do F2L, and then, huge step, blind solving. Had almost daily advice for a month while I learned that. Also "Spartan Sailor" mentored me at a comp in Fredericksburg, VA, and I got an official (but dreadfully slow) average on the 3x3. Had an unplanned and forced break for a year, but now back at it. I'm 81, so forget "relatively", I am old.

 

[Old Tom]

Also, so far the FB group is mainly about "accomplishments", which is ok. This group was always more about nurturing, helping each other out.

 

[GAN 356 X]

This thread was astonishingly helpful for me when I stumbled on it about three years ago. Until that I had been just a lone LBL solver, since way back in the 80s. I was nudged by many in this group to do F2L, and then, huge step, blind solving. Had almost daily advice for a month while I learned that. Also "Spartan Sailor" mentored me at a comp in Fredericksburg, VA, and I got an official (but dreadfully slow) average on the 3x3. Had an unplanned and forced break for a year, but now back at it. I'm 81, so forget "relatively", I am old.

Wow, I am 13 and haven't learnt blind because I don't have the commitment to do so!

 

[Oldmancfop]

Attempting 3x3 blind solving is tempting, I have looked into it briefly before, there were lots of T perms and alphabetic labelling of the cube. Are there various methods for blind solving and if so what is the most popular/fastest?

 

[EngiNerdBrian]

Attempting 3x3 blind solving is tempting, I have looked into it briefly before, there were lots of T perms and alphabetic labelling of the cube. Are there various methods for blind solving and if so what is the most popular/fastest?

Hey Tom, the “Old Pochmann” method is what I first used and sounds like the method you may have come across before which utilizes lots of T perms. I’d recommend that Method to first time blind solvers.

Keep in mind you can name the stickers in the cube anything you like and I definitely did that when I first started, for some reason I didn’t want to have corners and edges with the same letter so I came up with my own more intuitive naming convention. I will switch to a different naming convention as i return to blind solving however.

 

[openseas]

Attempting 3x3 blind solving is tempting, I have looked into it briefly before, there were lots of T perms and alphabetic labelling of the cube. Are there various methods for blind solving and if so what is the most popular/fastest?

Most popular
in terms of speed : 3 style
in terms of easiness: OP
Intermediate: M2/OP, eka, Orozoco

 

[One Wheel]

Attempting 3x3 blind solving is tempting, I have looked into it briefly before, there were lots of T perms and alphabetic labelling of the cube. Are there various methods for blind solving and if so what is the most popular/fastest?

I personally recommend M2/OP. OP is a modified Y-perm for corners, M2 is much faster than OP edges and with the exception of M-slice targets entirely intuitive.

 

[Old Tom]

Attempting 3x3 blind solving is tempting, I have looked into it briefly before, there were lots of T perms and alphabetic labelling of the cube. Are there various methods for blind solving and if so what is the most popular/fastest?

I can tell you what’s the easiest: the Old Pochman method, but it is slow. However, you only need five algorithms to do it. Three actually, but five is more efficient. It is a piece by piece method which is why it is slow, but also why it is relatively easy.

 

[AbsoRuud]

I can tell you what’s the easiest: the Old Pochman method, but it is slow. However, you only need five algorithms to do it. Three actually, but five is more efficient. It is a piece by piece method which is why it is slow, but also why it is relatively easy.

Which 5 do you use? I only need 4.

 

[openseas]

Which 5 do you use? I only need 4.

Only 1 alg will work, too.

You can use T perm for both corner & edge, and swap UL/UR if there is a parity.
Same logic can be used for J perm, Y perm. Setup will be slightly more complicated, though.

 

[PetrusQuber]

I can tell you what’s the easiest: the Old Pochman method, but it is slow. However, you only need five algorithms to do it. Three actually, but five is more efficient. It is a piece by piece method which is why it is slow, but also why it is relatively easy.

Which 5 do you use? I only need 4.

Isn’t it just T, Y, Ja and Jb?

 

[narusite]

When I learned OP, I think I used T for edges, Y for corner, and a parity algorithm (?) Yes, Ja/Jb may help you, but if you want a "minimum" of speed, you won't use that. Anyway, here is the reference link.
Once you get the gist, you should go to M2/OP.

 

[One Wheel]

Isn’t it just T, Y, Ja and Jb?

When I was using OP edges I used an R-perm for parity.

 

[PetrusQuber]

Ah yes, I’d forgotten about parity.