Why did YOU start cubing?

A few weeks ago I was cleaning out the attic again and found this old cube. I put it back, then took it out again, somehow suddenly determined on learning to solve it. It had never been scrambled in its life.

Sat down at the computer, youtube'd my way around, and found the guts to get the first scramble going. Slowly I found methods that worked for me, then saw how a cube COULD turn (mine was like cement) and bought the Dayan. Then learned advanced white cross and F2L from Crazybadcuber's channel and that is where I am at, roughly about to get into the 2-look OLL now.

I used to have old puzzles, ones that I regret were ever tossed (they are RARE now!), and this one was the only one to make it from my childhood into my late thirties :D So.. had I not kept that one cheapo 3x3 over the years I would not even be here!



Charlemagne: wow and kudos to you!
 
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I knew how to solve the cube using RUR'U' and RU'R'U only. I figured this out on my own back in the 1970s. So I had some old cubes and every couple of years I pull one out, scramble it and prove I could still do it (though I would be shaky on 4x4x4 parity until I thought it through). It was only after I ordered a speed cube, held it in my hands and felt it corner cut that I decided to go for speed. (Cheaper than golf!) I particularly enjoy modifying the cubes.

Reading how slow some of the guys here were in their first few months gives me a better feeling about my 70 second solves. I'll get faster. I've been practicing since May 15th. I already switched from my really crappy algorithm to F2L / orient sides, permute sides, permute corners, orient corners (all inefficiently). Now I'm learning the algorithms for 2LOLL, 2LPLL. This is a natural step because I only had to learn one algorithm to be able to do it with extraordinary inefficiency. As I learn the other algorithms the efficiency will improve.
 
Why and how did you start cubing?

I found a Rubiks Brand at my friends house and needed to learn more. I started with a cheap and horrible cube that was some sort of party favor or something.
 
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Last year I remember seeing Erik Akkersdijk's videos and a few days later i saw a cube at barnes and nobles, after i first solved it, I fell in love.
 
There was a 3x3x3 cube in my classroom in the checker pattern and I figured out how to solve it from there and then my teacher told me I should take the plunge and learn the whole thing =) and I did (duh)
 
found it at my grandpa's basement a few years back. (It was called the magic cube when he bought it a long time ago)
i took it home, spent about 2 days trying to figure it out. No luck.
two years later... i found it in a box full of old books and toys. i tried to solve it kinda roux style. i had like 4 edges not orientated or permuted.
i found bob burtons site and learned from there. few years later, i am sub 30
 
I was walking through walgreens and saw a rubik's cube in the isle. I decided I wanted to learn how to solve one finally because I never could before. After learning how to I watched a few videos of speedsolving and decided I wanted to learn how to do that.
 
I was amazed by the Babylon Tower, I figured out a solution by myself. After a while, I get bored with it, and I came up with the idea that a Rubik's Cube is similar. Sort of. My very first method was a beginner LBL, which some guy taught me - but he didn't have time to show the whole solution. I was so proud when I figured out the algorithms for the last 2 steps by myself.
 
I was in sixth grade, I had a holiday, and I was very bored. That is until my mom told me to solve one of the rubiks cubes! She bought me one, and after an hour of no success, I went on youtube and learned the beginners method. Then, I got a 4x4, a 2x2, a 5x5, learned CFOP and so on and so forth
 
This year I brought an old Rubiks cube to work. A colleague at work (member here in the name of guusr) showed me a few solves. I was really suprised by the fact that he could solve a cube and even more in the amazing speed. Right now I am pretty much hooked on cubing.
 
More than two and a half decades ago, my dad liked to play with Rubik's cube. We had a couple of them at home and I liked to twist them as a kid and play with them. Then my dad taught me how to solve one using some beginner's LBL method. I could consistently solve the cube in a little less than 2 minutes. Kids and teachers at school were always impressed and I taught a lot of people on the school bus and to field trips. Then sometime in transition to middle school I didn't play with it so much. Only on long road trips and things like that. Then I think they all broke (we were using Vaseline). Years passed and one day I decided I would like a Rubik's cube again so I bought one. It was expensive and turned terribly. Still, it was the only one I had then so I played with it on occasion but rarely. Then a couple years ago, a friend of mine bought me another storebought but it was a pretty good storebought and allowed me to do fingertricks. I played with it but only to feel satisfied that I still remembered how to solve one. Then sometime I happened to watch a youtube video. It looked really amazing and I watched more youtube videos. I discovered that there were so many people who could do it so much faster than I could! (By then I was averaging a little over a minute with beginner's method and no fingertricks.) So I decided that I could certainly learn to do the same on the storebought because I knew it would let me learn fingertricks. I knew for certain I could get sub-30. A couple months after I learned CFOP I wanted a real speedcube. I got my Guhong. Now I am just sub-20. Hooked.
 
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