From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Thu Apr 22 11:18:36 1999 Return-Path: Received: from sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil (sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil [132.250.84.38]) by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.1-mod) with SMTP id LAA14447 for ; Thu, 22 Apr 1999 11:18:36 -0400 (EDT) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu From: WaVeReBeL@webtv.net Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 16:30:06 -0700 (PDT) To: Cube-Lovers@ai.mit.edu Cc: loewens@okanagan.net Subject: Re: Rubiks Cube, Megaminx and Square-1 Message-Id: <8843-371BBC7E-10617@postoffice-123.bryant.webtv.net> In-Reply-To: karen loewen 's message of Sat, 17 Apr 1999 00:07:29 -0800 Hi, I think it's great that you learned to do the cube all by yourself. I give much respect to anyone who solved any of these twisty puzzles. Very few people have the ability and the time to figure them out. I'm curious if you are willing to share your methods? I personally learned from a book. Afterwards, I kind of wished I hadn't. Since then, I promised myself not to look at any more solutions for any new puzzles I encounter. So far, all I've managed to solve on my own is the pyraminx. (very easy compared to the cube) I can see how you might feel a little disgruntled about others achieving quick solving times with aid from outside resources. I am an example of that. In about 4 months I achieved a 36 second average after scouring the net for every bit of information I could find. You shouldn't think it makes you look bad. If anything, I feel bad knowing that people like you must put a lot of hard work into it, while I had a much easier time. It still takes a lot of hard physical and mental work on my part to achieve a fast average, but a lot of the mental work was already done for me. As far as cheating is concerned, in my and many others' defense, I must respond, as the majority of people in this group have referred to outside information at one point or another. Consider speed cubing as a sport just like any other in the Olympics. Everyone is going to use every resource available to win. No one in the Olympics is going to try and win (or succeed for that matter) all by themselves w/out any help or coaching at all. The use of outside help brings those who use it to a higher level playing field. These people are in an equal playing field among themselves having access to the same resources. If people choose to learn on their own, it is only fair to put them in a different group rather than lumping everyone in the same group. But just because people have accessed other resources, doesn't mean they will all of a sudden reach less than a minute averages, it still takes a lot of hard work to get there. I know your average is still better than a lot of people who got help. On the other hand, getting help on learning how to solve the cube might be considered cheating just as it would be when one gets hints to a riddle or looks in the back of the book for all the answers. I don't think there is anything wrong with help at all, unless your goal is to do it all on your own without any help. You said that you don't believe that you will ever get much faster. If your skill level plateaus, I don't see anything wrong with using any resources available to exceed your limits. That's what help is for! You can still be proud of your accomplishments, but everyone has their limits. There are very few people who have achieved what you have. -Alex Montilla-