Hi from Nottingham

[MichaelErskine]

Hi people,
I've found myself unexpectedly drawn into the world of cubing and I must say what a fascinating world it is! On Fathers' Day this year (05/06/08) my wife and children presented me with a 3x3x3 cube and I decided to learn how to solve it.

A little about me: I live in Sherwood, Nottingham, UK, married with 2 daughters (8 & 11 yrs old), software engineer by day, organiser for the Nottingham GNU/Linux Users Group, skateboarder since '77 (member of Middle Age Shred), amateur tattoo artist, beard enthusiast, and arcade game archivist.

Back in the early '80s when the Rubiks Cube became a fixture in the childhoods of so many, my elder brother owned one, but I regret that I didn't take the time to learn a solution although I could solve the first two layers by intuition and a simple algorithm respectively.

Well, the resources available for learning new skills have certainly become more accessible! With the masses of tutorials and beautifully crafted pages on the net I was able to find some memorable beginners algorithms from the "cubing for lazy people" type tutorials and within a couple of weeks I had achieved my initial goal and I could impress my children with a solve in about 3 minutes (they're easily impressed by their dad ).

Of course I couldn't help being amazed by the YouTube footage of speedcubers and in that context my achievement seems laudable! However, I like to view myself as a happy lifelong learner and I embrace the absurdity of my feeble efforts: I'm proud of this little goal!

After a couple of weeks I found that my cube was getting a bit loose and was locking up in annoying ways. This cube was an unbranded clone from a gift shop costing £5 and it felt pretty shoddy so I started looking out for a genuine Rubik's Cube. I found one for £10 in a toy shop whilst shopping in Nottingham and the difference was amazing: no lock ups, smooth and quick movement, a delight to handle.

Well, I fear I'm rambling -- to summarise: it still takes me 2 mins to solve the 3x3x3 (Cross + F2L + then PLL before OLL - bad habit I guess) but I'm in no hurry! I now have an EastSheen 4x4x4 (5 mins? I don't really time myself) and I've had a V-Cube 7 for a few weeks (an absolute delight) which I solve in about 35 mins. I plan to attend the Manchester Open this year to try and learn more. I'm always looking out for new puzzles and teaching others the basics.
Bye!
Michael Erskine.
http://www.tecspy.com/

 

[Faz]

wow - v7!

best intro ever.

 

[Swoncen]

Hello! I really like it, that you allways trying to get better although your improvement is slow. I'm in the same situation, because I don't have so much time, but like you I will improve and some day I will be sub 15 or sub 20 for sure. Take your time and have fun!

 

[cookingfat]

Hi Michael. Good luck with your cubing, remember it only matters that you are happy with your achievement.

And what's a beard enthusiast? I assume that you have a beard, but how do you get enthusiastic about it? Beard Conventions?

 

[Mike Hughey]

Hi, Michael - welcome!

It sounds like we have some things in common - I have 3 daughters (age 9, 7, and 3), I'm a software engineer, and I was the originator of the KLOV (www.klov.com - although I had nothing to do with that website, I was the person who started the original list).

You say you like teaching others - have you tried teaching your daughters? My 9 and 7 year olds go to competitions with me, and it's lots of fun!

 

[Garmon]

The more UK cubers the better!
I am going to Manchester too.

 

[Kolraz]

Hiya, Michael. I'm also from UK, in the Durham area. You'll find that you'll quickly progress with all of the endless information on youtube and such, and soon find yourself solving it faster everyday.

I'm also going to the UK Open in Manchester, as well as a few other people from here I think.

 

[nitrocan]

PLL before OLL? Then do you orient the pieces using the BLD orientation algorithms?

 

[joey]

UK cuber :O

 

[PCwizCube]

PLL before OLL? Then do you orient the pieces using the BLD orientation algorithms?

He probably is talking about the last layer of the beginner method Dan Knights made up. (People call it the "Dan Brown" method.)

-Orient Edges
-Permute Edges
-Permute Corners
-Orient Corners

 

[nitrocan]

Dan Brown was the inspiration for me as well (he won the 2007 Youtube "HowTo" Award I think)
I was so scared after learning his (or is this Dan Knight's Beginner method?) method though. I wanted to go faster but all the other people were doing the last layer in much more convenient ways. I thought I wouldn't be able to switch lol. The method is just getting what you want with least logic and algorithms as possible (for example, while doing the FL, he does R' D' R D until the corner is in place)
He's probably one of the reasons for people to start cubing, and then eventually quit (or just stay slow)

 

[DavidWoner]

you are very eloquent. thats all i really wanted to say besides welcome to the forums, and good luck!

 

[Odin]

welcome to the forums !

 

[waffle=ijm]

hi!
remember to search before you post!

 

[MichaelErskine]

Wow! what a cool friendly welcome from so many people - I feel slightly overwhelmed!

Hi Michael. Good luck with your cubing, remember it only matters that you are happy with your achievement.

Thanks, this is my outlook on a lot of the amazing things life has to offer: I know for sure that I'm rather unlikely to be the professional skateboarder, accomplished musician, world champion breakdancer, gymnast, martial artist, or astronaut ( ) that I wanted to be as a youngster, but I think I've come to terms with all that!

And what's a beard enthusiast? I assume that you have a beard, but how do you get enthusiastic about it? Beard Conventions?

It's a whole 'nother bizarre online community! I started "growing" this year and so missed my chance to attend the World Beard and Moustache Championships (http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/) when it was here in the UK. Just like the tattoo conventions I attend it's a microcosm of fringe society. I seem to be quite adept at growing facial hair - and it requires no practice other than resisting the social pressure to shave!

It sounds like we have some things in common - I have 3 daughters (age 9, 7, and 3), I'm a software engineer, and I was the originator of the KLOV (www.klov.com - although I had nothing to do with that website, I was the person who started the original list).

The Killer List Of Videogames is quite a piece of work - hats off to you!

You say you like teaching others - have you tried teaching your daughters? My 9 and 7 year olds go to competitions with me, and it's lots of fun!

My youngest is interested in making patterns but not in developing any methods. My eldest is learning some beginners' techniques somewhat faster than I can teach her

PLL before OLL? Then do you orient the pieces using the BLD orientation algorithms?

He probably is talking about the last layer of the beginner method Dan Knights made up. (People call it the "Dan Brown" method.)

-Orient Edges
-Permute Edges
-Permute Corners
-Orient Corners

Yes, that's exactly the method I've ended up with although I took some parts from the little booklet that comes packaged with a Rubik's Cube. There's so few algorithms I was able to learn it pretty quickly. Then I looked into Fridrich OLL and PLL and my brain said "Whoa now!"

(for example, while doing the FL, he does R' D' R D until the corner is in place)
He's probably one of the reasons for people to start cubing, and then eventually quit (or just stay slow)

Hehehe - I think that's a major part of my slow progress: at first I just wanted to achieve a solve and that achieved I have a bit of inertia in moving on. I learned F2L without algorithms from YouTube videos which helped immensely and I'm currently working on the 2 look OLL and PLL tutorials by badmephisto (http://uk.youtube.com/user/badmephisto) which will hopefully get me out of my last layer bad habits!

Again, I seem to be rambling on! I guess I'll find out now if there's any limit to post size!

 

[Odin]

Wow!!!!! how long did it take you to type all of that!?! also it seems you like you like to get better and better so (well dont we all?) i look forward to racing you soon

 

[cookingfat]

(for example, while doing the FL, he does R' D' R D until the corner is in place)
He's probably one of the reasons for people to start cubing, and then eventually quit (or just stay slow)

Hehehe - I think that's a major part of my slow progress: at first I just wanted to achieve a solve and that achieved I have a bit of inertia in moving on. I learned F2L without algorithms from YouTube videos which helped immensely and I'm currently working on the 2 look OLL and PLL tutorials by badmephisto (http://uk.youtube.com/user/badmephisto) which will hopefully get me out of my last layer bad habits!

I actually did my first solve using Dan Brown's video, but after only 2 days and seeing other videos with better LL methods, I realised that it was a very slow way of solving the cube, so I switched to fridrich f2l, OLL, PLL before I got into bad habits. I also used badmephisto as my teacher, his videos are great. I'm having loads of fun learning the cube, I learn something new everyday, I'm sure you'll have fun too.

I'll check out that beard website too, lol.

 

[CharlieCooper]

excellent, a new uk cuber! very much look forward to seeing you at the uk open! good luck for the comp and aim for sub 1 3x3 at least

 

[MichaelErskine]

excellent, a new uk cuber! very much look forward to seeing you at the uk open! good luck for the comp and aim for sub 1 3x3 at least

I doubt I'll get sub-one-minute in the next couple of months -- for example, last night's solves (whilst learning 2-look OLL and PLL using my badly-hand-written notes, in conjunction with trying not to solve the cross on top or rotate during F2L) took between 2 and 5 minutes! It's early days and lots of practice is required before I can beat my beginners' method times of 1.5 - 2 mins and I very much doubt I'd be allowed to refer to notes in competition

The Manchester Open will, for me at least, be a fact-finding, friend-forging, and fun-founding mission.

 

[AvGalen]

excellent, a new uk cuber! very much look forward to seeing you at the uk open! good luck for the comp and aim for sub 1 3x3 at least

I doubt I'll get sub-one-minute in the next couple of months -- for example, last night's solves (whilst learning 2-look OLL and PLL using my badly-hand-written notes, in conjunction with trying not to solve the cross on top or rotate during F2L) took between 2 and 5 minutes! It's early days and lots of practice is required before I can beat my beginners' method times of 1.5 - 2 mins and I very much doubt I'd be allowed to refer to notes in competition

The Manchester Open will, for me at least, be a fact-finding, friend-forging, and fun-founding mission.

Welcome to this forum and thanks for single-handedly restoring the average quality of "newbee-posts" to an acceptable level.

Switching methods is a painfull process and should be done as soon as possible. After 2.5 years of speedcubing I am still using a beginners method and although I try switching every once in a while I am just to fast with the beginner method and to slow with the more advanced method to really switch.

You are also correct about the "no notes allowed in competition" . If this is going to be your first competition you will be much more relaxed if you prepare yourself by reading http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/ and if you would come to the pre-competition-meeting on fridaynight (there is always one somewhere) so you can already meet other speedcubers. I am sure you will have a great time