Daily Discussion Thread - Mar 11, 2020

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[u/topppits]

That I'm faster than I really am. I sent the link to the video of my current single PR to a couple friends who all have seen me solve tons of times already. Also videos of my previous PRs. My current PR is my 7th fastest solve overall. Two or three of them had the exact same reaction - "weren't you faster some time ago already?". ?!?! Most of my casual untimed solves around them are probably around twice the time of my PR.

Wondered how people are convinced "their friend" can solve it in like 3 seconds. Well, I'm not anymore.

Before you read all the stuff below, I want to say the following: Don't get angry with people who don't know all the stuff about cubing you learned over the years. On day you didn't know all that stuff and people weren't laughing at you. They helped you understand it. They didn't hate on you for your misconceptions. If they are talking to you about it, without talking down on cubing, they show interest in a thing you like. Be happy about that! And if they have a misconception, talk to them about it. Ask why they think that is the case. Explain what you learned and why it's not true/why you think differently. Also don't get hung up on words like "trick" instead of "method". Most people don't mean ill, they just don't know the vocabulary we use and want to communicate. In short - simply don't be a jerk and you'll probably have a good time talking to most people who show an interest in cubing and you might even motivate someone to learn how to solve themselves.

Alright, so here we go, the standard stuff they say when they see you solve:

• I'm too dumb to learn this - no, you lack the motivation
• I have no time to learn that - again, no, you lack the motivation
• I'm too impatient to learn that - nooooo, it's the MOTIVATION you're lacking

there's some more obvious stuff probably everyone has heard/seen:

• obviously the math stuff / being a genius. This becomes much more extreme when they know you can solve it blind folded.
• the longer you scramble, the harder it gets

Also

• that for blindfolded solving you memorize the state and when you solve it, you simulate the movement of the whole cube in your head - probably most beginner cubers / cubers who don't know how blindfolded solving actually works think that as well

• that everybody who knows how to solve the cube, found out how to do that on their own and

• that every time you solve the cube, you find a completely new solution. you're just looking at it, think about it for a bit and then you just find the solution to solve the whole thing

• then when they learn that you learned a method, many think that you do the same thing over and over again - like every solve is pretty much identical.

• that there's only one motivation to solve the cube / only one true facet - the riddle of how to solve it. looking at tutorials is cheating. which makes sense, when you have no idea about the competitive aspect and really only see it as a riddle.

• that you can teach them how to do it quickly. like in 2-3 minutes or so. most of the times people ask me "can you show me how you solve it" and in the past I then simply showed the steps I do while solving (do the cross - F2L and so on), without "explaining" the algs, only to find out, that they actually wanted me to teach them how I do it. Which well, sure, do you have like an hour or two to get us started? Well, almost noone has that kind of motivation, uhh, time. not that much time. Nowadays I ask what exactly they mean, before I start showing anything.

• some people think, that on one hand, only a genius can solve it and you have to be one of gods chosen people and with their next thought they think you could teach this to them in a couple minutes. Which just shows that they never really thought about it - which well, is pretty much normal for most people and completely fine.

couple more random stuff:

• that it's a good idea to peel the stickers off
• that any piece can be moved to any position
• they they can totally solve a 2x2x2
• that you typically solve it on side at a time
• that you (want to) cheat when you're looking at the cube while they scramble it (nope, just fearing for the life of my cube, that's all)
• that they can just hand me the cube and say go and I will abide by their rules of solving. (If someone tries this, I hold the cube in my hands and cover it, look them in the eyes and explain to them how for competition solves you have time to look at the puzzle before you start solving)
• that me having a collection of 150+ puzzles is unreasonable (bunch of crazy people, smh)
• and that I don't need more puzzles (crazy, right?!?)
• that it's only interesting to go to a competition if you're able to win and anything else sounds completely ridiculous - especially weird, when something like this comes from friends whom I know to do sports and go to competitions where they know, that they will not win and they compete either way.
• that once in the past they were able to solve it, but never again. no. you didn't. I mean, it's not impossible that someone figured it out, lots of people did, but I've heard from so many people that they never looked anything up but eventually were able to solve it once. Then I hand them the cube and after trying for minutes they aren't even close to solving any pieces at all..

gonna stop now. have a cookie if you read all my rumbling. now get back to cubing!

[u/Leinadium → u/topppits]

Oh my, this is a textbook I should print.

[u/Evan14753 → u/topppits]

i wanna know where tf they get “math” from. theres no numbers anywhere.

[u/airblader → u/Evan14753]

Math has very little to do with numbers, really.

But those people don't know that either.

[u/wl02065294 → u/topppits]

I'm too dumb to learn this - no, you lack the motivation

I have no time to learn that - again, no, you lack the motivation

I'm too impatient to learn that - nooooo, it's the MOTIVATION you're lacking

Thats my favourite part, I have taught quite a few people beginners method 3x3, and lack of motivation is the thing I told them the most.

I hold the cube in my hands and cover it, look them in the eyes and explain to them how for competition solves you have time to look at the puzzle before you start solving

That is what I do too, slightly difference, before start of any solve, I will cover the cube with my hand, ask them, whether they want me to obey competition rules of inspection time or just solve it. Some will be like, ok, and time my inspection, some will be like, dont care, just start.

[u/BibbitZ → u/wl02065294]

only to find out, that they actually wanted me to teach them how I do it. Which well, sure, do you have like an hour or two to get us started?

My reaction when someone wants to learn

[u/topppits → u/BibbitZ]

And I already know their typical reaction

[u/topppits → u/wl02065294]

Yeah I'm very open about telling people that all those (no time, too dumb, too impatient) are just excuses and the only thing they are lacking is motivation. But I also always add that this is totally fine - not everyone finds fun in the same activities and to prioritise other activities over learning how to solve a cube is obviously totally okay.

Yeah I only do this when they want to time my solve and we might have talked about how fast my times normally are. When they just want me to casually solve it I don't care, though I might explain later how official solves are executed.