Kirjava
Colourful
Not quite sure why I'm doing this.
I remember playing with a cube at two separate times at unspecified points in my childhood. One when I was especially young, and was playing with an 80s cube in the car. That's all I can recall. The other, I was playing with the cube with my brother, and we were racing each other to make a side.
My parents got me a Pyraminx for Christmas 2004. I had no idea that it existed previously to this, and was fascinated how twistypuzzles similar to the rubiks cube existed. I saw someone solve a cube in 33 seconds on the internet some time after this and was amazed. A few months later (possibly when I had managed to acquire some money from my birthday in march), I went out and bought a cube from a store. (I had destroyed the 80s cube with WD-40. Gotta love my naiveté). I remember buying it from someone I knew, and him giving me a discount. I played with it on and off for a few months, I recall solving it with this the first time (omg im so hardcore), but I couldn't do it on my own yet. This changed when I stumbled across the Petrus method online. I remember going through all the steps and being at about 5 mins the first few times I solved it. At this point I was fully colour neutral.
It was at some point in 2005 where I started lurking in #rubik. Towards the end of 2005, I was at about 50 seconds with Petrus and was starting to get interested in speedcubing. Before this, I was content with being able to do it and wasn't massively interested with the cube (I was 16 and horny). My pb at this point was 44 something seconds. Learning petrus had given me a nice intuitive understanding of the cube, but I had inherited bad habits with this method, that I was too used to to change. I decided to switch methods so I had a clean slate to work from. I toyed with learning L2L4, but documentation was poor. For some reason, the Roux method appealed to me and I switched to it in early 2006. My times went back to about 70 seconds! I wasn't put off though, and 3 (I think) months later I knew full CMLL and was averaging about 20 seconds. However, I was no longer colour neutral and limited to a choice of two blocks. I knew little of how much of an impact I'd have on my own solving style and other cuber's styles in the future.
For a long time, I greatly disliked solving a 4x4x4 cube. I ignored the reduction method entirely at first, and opted to learn cage because of how bad slice turns were to perform on the cubes of that era (I was using an eastsheen). At first, I was using some beginner cage-like solution. Eventually, I got talking to Per and he was teaching me optimisations and commutators. I was starting to enjoy doing it, but still greatly disliked the centres stage.
Mid-2006, and I'd never been to a comp. However, there was a cubing meetup in London at Paul Nixon's house. I somehow managed to get down there and enjoyed competing and talking with other cubers. At the unofficial competition, I was using the cage method for 4x4x4. Afterwards, I'd decided to switch to reduction because I disliked solving centres so much. I was solving the 3x3x3 phase with what I now call FreeFOP, and had pretty much given up at getting 'serious' about 4x4x4 at that point. However, on the car ride home, I started playing about with the 4x4x4 and trying out different things. I liked the direct solving aspects of cage, but parts of the method had annoying execution. I took my favourite parts from reduction and cage and filled in the blanks to create something I was happy using. I did a writeup of the method and uploaded it when I got home from the meetup. By the time I got to UK Open 2006, I was using K4. The method went through a few redevelopments before I settled on a formula I was content with. The last layer technique I use is something produced from lots of discussions with other direct solvers, maybe this is where my love of discussing various advanced tricks with like minded people comes from.
I wouldn't say I stopped cubing at this point, but my interest in cubing faded in and out for the next few years. I didn't do anything particularly interesting development wise, aside from some K4 stuff. It was mostly just practise and learning. I read a lot of stuff. Method theory has always fascinated me, as have various algorithms and how they work. I acquired a lot of knowledge that was scattered around. A lot of it doesn't even exist anymore. I still attended comps, but cubing wasn't in focus for a long time. I was at university, and you can guess the rest.
In late 2008, the UK Open boosted my interest again. I started to hang out with Joey from time to time, which is always epic fun. 2009, and I'm starting to get involved more seriously. I changed my cubing style yet again, but this time I was sticking with the same method. I started using four blocks instead of two, and I started using pesudoblocks. (A technique I'd played about with in 2006, but hadn't found usable until this point) I also started changing my bad CMLLs and learning multiple algs for cases, a precursor to KCLL. Mid 2009, and Joey started going to University in the town where I live. We started hanging out nearly every weekend, and cubing lots ^_^. This is about the time when I started posting on speedsolving.com a lot more. Coincidence? For sure! I started going further with Roux development. I was finding <RrMU> based solutions to LSE cases that were faster than their <MU> counterparts, and other optimisations. 2010 and I start learning/using KCLL and the various techniques/algs required to take advantage of it. It's around this time when I learned algs for using FreeFOP efficiently for whatever reason.
For the same reason that I didn't use redux for 4x4x4, I never used Roux for OH. Instead, I opted to use FreeFOP. Actually, this is a lie. The competition before I switched to Roux for OH, I intentionally used a different method for each solve. I think one of them was Waterman XD. Between this competition and the next, I found that using the table to assist in the solve was allowed. I'd wondered if this could be useful in the past, but never bothered with it as it wasn't competition legal. I played with using it a bit, but I never really liked OH - I didn't think it should be an event (still don't). Next competition and I use to table to achieve similar results to how I did using FreeFOP. At some point there was a debate in #rubik about my technique, and I started to seriously practise it and exploit the use of it. (I remember doing 100 something OH solves one day) I adjusted a cube specifically to use for it, and discovered that the technique is /extremely/ useful - my times dropped like crazy. I think Roux is great for OH.
I went to a lot more competitions in 2009 and 2010. This is mostly because there actually were more competitions in the UK these years
. Meeting people I've spoken to online after so many years is great. Discussing techniques and generally having fun. I've made lots of friends online and in real life through cubing. I'd like to go to more competitions, hopefully somewhere other than in England next time.
Feel free to ask me questions. I've missed out a lot of stuff - random inventions (RouxZZ, KCO, 4D, L2Lite, stuff I don't even have names for), meeting up with people, forum drama (loltwisty), trolling and loling (I like that competitions aren't always about cubing. Getting intoxicated in car parks and student accommodation is also important).
TL;DR - I love cubing.
I remember playing with a cube at two separate times at unspecified points in my childhood. One when I was especially young, and was playing with an 80s cube in the car. That's all I can recall. The other, I was playing with the cube with my brother, and we were racing each other to make a side.
My parents got me a Pyraminx for Christmas 2004. I had no idea that it existed previously to this, and was fascinated how twistypuzzles similar to the rubiks cube existed. I saw someone solve a cube in 33 seconds on the internet some time after this and was amazed. A few months later (possibly when I had managed to acquire some money from my birthday in march), I went out and bought a cube from a store. (I had destroyed the 80s cube with WD-40. Gotta love my naiveté). I remember buying it from someone I knew, and him giving me a discount. I played with it on and off for a few months, I recall solving it with this the first time (omg im so hardcore), but I couldn't do it on my own yet. This changed when I stumbled across the Petrus method online. I remember going through all the steps and being at about 5 mins the first few times I solved it. At this point I was fully colour neutral.
It was at some point in 2005 where I started lurking in #rubik. Towards the end of 2005, I was at about 50 seconds with Petrus and was starting to get interested in speedcubing. Before this, I was content with being able to do it and wasn't massively interested with the cube (I was 16 and horny). My pb at this point was 44 something seconds. Learning petrus had given me a nice intuitive understanding of the cube, but I had inherited bad habits with this method, that I was too used to to change. I decided to switch methods so I had a clean slate to work from. I toyed with learning L2L4, but documentation was poor. For some reason, the Roux method appealed to me and I switched to it in early 2006. My times went back to about 70 seconds! I wasn't put off though, and 3 (I think) months later I knew full CMLL and was averaging about 20 seconds. However, I was no longer colour neutral and limited to a choice of two blocks. I knew little of how much of an impact I'd have on my own solving style and other cuber's styles in the future.
For a long time, I greatly disliked solving a 4x4x4 cube. I ignored the reduction method entirely at first, and opted to learn cage because of how bad slice turns were to perform on the cubes of that era (I was using an eastsheen). At first, I was using some beginner cage-like solution. Eventually, I got talking to Per and he was teaching me optimisations and commutators. I was starting to enjoy doing it, but still greatly disliked the centres stage.
Mid-2006, and I'd never been to a comp. However, there was a cubing meetup in London at Paul Nixon's house. I somehow managed to get down there and enjoyed competing and talking with other cubers. At the unofficial competition, I was using the cage method for 4x4x4. Afterwards, I'd decided to switch to reduction because I disliked solving centres so much. I was solving the 3x3x3 phase with what I now call FreeFOP, and had pretty much given up at getting 'serious' about 4x4x4 at that point. However, on the car ride home, I started playing about with the 4x4x4 and trying out different things. I liked the direct solving aspects of cage, but parts of the method had annoying execution. I took my favourite parts from reduction and cage and filled in the blanks to create something I was happy using. I did a writeup of the method and uploaded it when I got home from the meetup. By the time I got to UK Open 2006, I was using K4. The method went through a few redevelopments before I settled on a formula I was content with. The last layer technique I use is something produced from lots of discussions with other direct solvers, maybe this is where my love of discussing various advanced tricks with like minded people comes from.
I wouldn't say I stopped cubing at this point, but my interest in cubing faded in and out for the next few years. I didn't do anything particularly interesting development wise, aside from some K4 stuff. It was mostly just practise and learning. I read a lot of stuff. Method theory has always fascinated me, as have various algorithms and how they work. I acquired a lot of knowledge that was scattered around. A lot of it doesn't even exist anymore. I still attended comps, but cubing wasn't in focus for a long time. I was at university, and you can guess the rest.
In late 2008, the UK Open boosted my interest again. I started to hang out with Joey from time to time, which is always epic fun. 2009, and I'm starting to get involved more seriously. I changed my cubing style yet again, but this time I was sticking with the same method. I started using four blocks instead of two, and I started using pesudoblocks. (A technique I'd played about with in 2006, but hadn't found usable until this point) I also started changing my bad CMLLs and learning multiple algs for cases, a precursor to KCLL. Mid 2009, and Joey started going to University in the town where I live. We started hanging out nearly every weekend, and cubing lots ^_^. This is about the time when I started posting on speedsolving.com a lot more. Coincidence? For sure! I started going further with Roux development. I was finding <RrMU> based solutions to LSE cases that were faster than their <MU> counterparts, and other optimisations. 2010 and I start learning/using KCLL and the various techniques/algs required to take advantage of it. It's around this time when I learned algs for using FreeFOP efficiently for whatever reason.
For the same reason that I didn't use redux for 4x4x4, I never used Roux for OH. Instead, I opted to use FreeFOP. Actually, this is a lie. The competition before I switched to Roux for OH, I intentionally used a different method for each solve. I think one of them was Waterman XD. Between this competition and the next, I found that using the table to assist in the solve was allowed. I'd wondered if this could be useful in the past, but never bothered with it as it wasn't competition legal. I played with using it a bit, but I never really liked OH - I didn't think it should be an event (still don't). Next competition and I use to table to achieve similar results to how I did using FreeFOP. At some point there was a debate in #rubik about my technique, and I started to seriously practise it and exploit the use of it. (I remember doing 100 something OH solves one day) I adjusted a cube specifically to use for it, and discovered that the technique is /extremely/ useful - my times dropped like crazy. I think Roux is great for OH.
I went to a lot more competitions in 2009 and 2010. This is mostly because there actually were more competitions in the UK these years
. Meeting people I've spoken to online after so many years is great. Discussing techniques and generally having fun. I've made lots of friends online and in real life through cubing. I'd like to go to more competitions, hopefully somewhere other than in England next time. Feel free to ask me questions. I've missed out a lot of stuff - random inventions (RouxZZ, KCO, 4D, L2Lite, stuff I don't even have names for), meeting up with people, forum drama (loltwisty), trolling and loling (I like that competitions aren't always about cubing. Getting intoxicated in car parks and student accommodation is also important).
TL;DR - I love cubing.
I like it.
Awesome read. It wasn't mentioned in there, but I would be interested in hearing about Roux2.0.
