Deepam Kapadia Week 1: More Than Plastic and Stickers
I got my first Rubik’s Cube when I was young, before I even understood how it functioned. As the years passed, more and more dust collected on the scrambled multicolor cube, until I decided to give it a try when I was 12 years old.
I struggled heavily during my first couple attempts, blindly following a tutorial without any understanding of how different moves could affect the cube as a whole. When I first solved it, the success I felt was immense, finally seeing the cube in its solved state. From there, my infatuation only grew, reducing my average time to solve from over three minutes to just under 14 seconds. Though this may sound impressive, it was far from my goal, with the room for optimization being essentially boundless. This was the factor which intrigued me the most, the endless room for improvement.
As all things do in life, my interest eventually waned, leading the cube, albeit now solved, to sit on my desk untouched. I enjoyed the brief time when I was enamored by the cube, but it became a hobby that I had moved on from.
About a week ago, my interest was reawakened when I saw someone on an Instagram reel solving a cube virtually, with their keyboard. Seeing someone solve the cube in a completely different medium reminded me of what originally fascinated me about it. I spent a painstaking amount of time searching the website where it was hosted. After taking some time to learn the controls (which were surprisingly intuitive) I found that this was even more enjoyable than what I pursued earlier, particularly due to the fact that the online environment gave me a much easier way to practice.
Woah I didn't think know that Rubik's cubes were so interesting and fascinating. Thank you for teaching me about your expertise in Rubik's-cube solving. I hope that I can achieve similar expertise in the subject as you have. I'm struggling though to see what this has to do with language.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you showed that cubing was a journey for you rather than just a pastime or a puzzle. Improving from 3 minutes to 14 seconds is amazing. I used to play with Rubik’s Cubes too, but the best time I got was just over 30 seconds. The reawakening of your interest in online form is relatable; I believe that interests and hobbies change over time, even shifting mediums. 14 seconds is a great time and you should be proud of yourself already. Keep cubing!
ReplyDeleteRubik’s cubes, oh good old Rubik’s cubes. I also had one at some point and left it to rot on my shelf, so I can relate. But searching up tutorials always seemed like so much work to me (even though pulling one up was just a click away), so I applaud your willingness to actually go through with the endeavor of solving one. Perhaps I will invest some time in doing so in the future when things settle down, but that is a thought I will revisit in due time. Regardless, I totally get that feeling that arises from completing something successfully for the very first time. Totally irreplaceable. In the same vein, I also sympathize with having your interest for a hobby dissipate after a while—it is only natural, of course, but I’m glad you regained that spark for solving Rubik’s cubes! Do you happen to still watch the content creator that got you back into cubing? Oh, and I wish you luck with beating your personal best time!
ReplyDeleteEver since I was a kid, I have been so envious of people who know how to solve Rubik’s Cubes, especially if they could do it quickly. To me, even a time of three minutes is extremely impressive; I could be given an hour and still have no idea how to start. It is unfortunately inevitable that childhood fixations fade with time, but I’m glad you were able to find your way back to your interests. I particularly liked that you described how you applied your knowledge from so many years ago to a different platform, playing into the idea that muscle memory never really goes away. Hopefully you are able to keep feeding your talents and passions!
ReplyDelete