The Joy of Cubing

High on my hobbies list is "cubing." This means solving any puzzle of the Rubik's Cube variety. It is a misnomer, because it includes puzzles in the shape of non-cubes, like tetrahedrons, dodecahedrons, and various box shapes. At first I was content to just do cube shapes. I had puzzles from the 2x2x2 up to the 13x13x13.

However, when I was in Barcelona there was a game/puzzle store near my hotel that had a whole host of puzzles in other shapes. Good quality and reasonably priced too. So, I loaded up. I noticed lots of other such shops in Paris. Never once have I seen a store with a respectable variety in this country, which I think says something.

As you know, I've started a new project called the Wizard of Odds Academy, which will be mainly on how to analyze casino games. However, it will also includes other math-geek kind of topics. One of them will be how to solve as many such kind of these puzzles as I can.

I've started out with the Holy Grail -- the Rubik's Cube. Once you can do that, the same methods can be used to solve or mostly solve so many other puzzles.

These videos were not easy to make. There are hours of outtakes. I experimented with different cameras, rooms, camera angles, and certainly methods of explaining it. It is not easy because I go on muscle memory so I had to struggle to go slow and say the moves as I did them. As you'll see, sometimes I said the wrong move, but the notations are hopefully all correct.

Enough with the introduction. Here is part one of my three-part series on solving the Rubik's Cube. I already did the other two parts and am in the process of uploading them, which takes hours. Enjoy!


Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI1aVc41Hwc

The question for the poll is what do you think of these first three videos?

You and I have different definitions
of the word 'joy'. Running over a
Rubik's Cube for humiliating me,
that's real joy.

Quote: EvenBob

You and I have different definitions
of the word 'joy'. Running over a
Rubik's Cube for humiliating me,
that's real joy.

I must say, that is one your most humorous posts ever.

I actually liked the first video of this. I could not find links to the 2nd and 3rd videos.

This is a far better subject than Excel modeling of probabilities. The Rubic's Cube is colorful, three dimensional and it moves (rotates.) Also, I personally do not know how to solve a Rubics cube, so I had more interest in this topic..

Doing the narration as a free stream of chatter is VERY challenging. You do an above-average job, but it is still a bit distracting at times. Consider taping your video as you have done this one, and then write your narration (whatever you said) out as a script without all the Umms, etc., and make an audio recording of yourself reading the script -and then lay that audio track onto the video as a replacement for the spontaneous chatter.

I know you will be revulsed by this suggestion but: next time get your wife to show you how to apply makeup to your hands ( a simple base of the appropriate color would work) so that we don't have to look at all the blemishes and veins in your hands for 30 minutes. No make-up on your fingers, naturally -just on the back and sides of your hands.

Quote: Wizard

I must say, that is one your most humorous posts ever.

That's irony for you. I was serious.
The last cube I had, I beat it to
death with a ball peen hammer,
that's how I won. When you hit
them they break apart good. Real
good.

Quote: gordonm888

I actually liked the first video of this. I could not find links to the 2nd and 3rd videos.

Here is part 2. Part 3 will be up in about six hours. I'll comment on the rest of your comments separately.


Direct link: https://youtu.be/TVmh7YIElfI

Can you recommend a high quality cube?

I hear the actual Rubiks brand is garbage.

Quote: gordonm888

Doing the narration as a free stream of chatter is VERY challenging. You do an above-average job, but it is still a bit distracting at times. Consider taping your video as you have done this one, and then write your narration (whatever you said) out as a script without all the Umms, etc., and make an audio recording of yourself reading the script -and then lay that audio track onto the video as a replacement for the spontaneous chatter.

Yes, it is challenging. A script would be almost impossible with a Rubik's Cube video because you have to address the cube in its current state. Part 2 is actually somewhat scripted. Nothing was put in writing but I carefully broke down the situations you will encounter in that part of the solve. Hopefully you'll find it a slight improvement. If you think this one was bad, you should see all the outtakes. For what little it's worth, I do plan to redo these videos down the road. Practice makes perfect. I'm still learning here.

Quote:

I know you will be revulsed by this suggestion but: next time get your wife to show you how to apply makeup to your hands ( a simple base of the appropriate color would work) so that we don't have to look at all the blemishes and veins in your hands for 30 minutes. No make-up on your fingers, naturally -just on the back and sides of your hands.

I had no idea my hands were so ugly. You should see them in the winter. My eczema is so bad my hands and feet actually bleed from the skin cracking. So, I should try to make as many cubing videos as I can before it gets cold again. But make up now? I'd like to think I'm not that vain. As to the hands being vascular, that should be a good thing, showing I have a healthy body weight.

I finally got around to learning how to solve the the Rubik's cube about 2 months ago.

Quote: gamerfreak

Can you recommend a high quality cube?

I hear the actual Rubiks brand is garbage.

The 3x3 Rubik's is still very good, even today. I prefer it over the V-cube in 3x3. The Rubik's 4x4 is garbage. Definitely go with a V-Cube, or a ShengShou there.