# Cubing in public when being megaslow; do or don't?



## Eleredo (Jun 28, 2010)

So I am going to have to take the train next week which'll take a couple of hours, and I'll be bored as hell unless I take my cube. I've never cubed in public cause I am really slow (50 s - 1 min avg), which makes me feel kind of embarassed. 

Would you care or not?


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## brunson (Jun 28, 2010)

When I'm going hella slow to practice look ahead it takes me about 60 seconds to solve. Most people are still amazed. You have to remember that the majority people have never seen someone solve a cube except on television, so they're either impressed or don't care no matter how fast you are.


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## bluecloe45 (Jun 28, 2010)

i am a genius for posting under eric


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## Edward (Jun 28, 2010)

bluecloe45 said:


> i am a genius for posting under eric


:fp

OP: Just do it. No one cares about your speed. Just being able to solve it is good enough.


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## Feryll (Jun 28, 2010)

People are impressed no matter your time when you first begin. You'll actually be surprised what they regard you as. My friend who is at around 70 seconds seems to get roughly the same treatment I do when he cubes in public  But after a month or so people will begin to stop caring no matter your speed, so it seems. I don't know if this holds true for record holders and the such, but whatever. People even seem to bore of BLD after a while. I've gotta get my 4bld better for the upcoming school year...


If you're going to be on a train where everyone is sub-30 though, you'll be embarrassed.


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## Carrot (Jun 28, 2010)

Don't do it!! People will laugh at you and say "HAHA!!! That nerd is the worst nerd, I have ever seen... PHAIL-NERD!!!"


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## Zarlor (Jun 28, 2010)

Odder said:


> Don't do it!! People will laugh at you and say "HAHA!!! That nerd is the worst nerd, I have ever seen... PHAIL-NERD!!!"





That is funny! It's every cuber's worst fear probably. Pestvic made that video where is is cubing outside everywhere and I wondered if he hides the cube when random people walk by. I like to cube a little on my walk from the parking lot into work, but I hide my cube in my hand if someone else is walking by. I guess I worry people will snicker to themselves about it. I'm also 36 years old and I guess I'm also thinking about that.


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## iChanZer0 (Jun 28, 2010)

I do it and people usually just watch and say nothing.


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## JeffDelucia (Jun 28, 2010)

I don't average a minute (20 seconds) but I don't like cubing in public unless I'm with other cubers. Otherwise I feel like people think I'm awkward...


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## TheMachanga (Jun 28, 2010)

You look like a noob when you cube in public when slow. It's safe to cube in public when you can tell them you have a WR is something.


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## CubesOfTheWorld (Jun 28, 2010)

brunson said:


> When I'm going hella slow to practice look ahead it takes me about 60 seconds to solve. Most people are still amazed. You have to remember that the majority people have never seen someone solve a cube except on television, so they're either impressed or don't care no matter how fast you are.



+45


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## Sa967St (Jun 28, 2010)

I cube on train/bus/subway rides all the time, and not many people say anything. Just do it.


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## JeffDelucia (Jun 28, 2010)

Sa967St said:


> I cube on train/bus/subway rides all the time, and not many people say anything. Just do it.



Thats just because you live in Canada.. People are weird there.


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## waffle=ijm (Jun 28, 2010)

JeffDelucia said:


> Sa967St said:
> 
> 
> > I cube on train/bus/subway rides all the time, and not many people say anything. Just do it.
> ...



synonyms?


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## TheMachanga (Jun 28, 2010)

JeffDelucia said:


> Sa967St said:
> 
> 
> > I cube on train/bus/subway rides all the time, and not many people say anything. Just do it.
> ...



I heard they ride polar bears to school. Weird right?


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## CubesOfTheWorld (Jun 28, 2010)

waffle=ijm said:


> JeffDelucia said:
> 
> 
> > Sa967St said:
> ...



My encyclopedia says they're synonyms.


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## Samania (Jun 28, 2010)

People won't care if it's a long trip. I mean they'll probably allbe sleeping. Nut it doesn't matter, just solving it is impressive



TheMachanga said:


> Thats just because you live in Canada.. People are weird there.



I heard they ride polar bears to school. Weird right?[/QUOTE]

I ride narwhals to school.


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## riffz (Jun 28, 2010)

Who cares what others think?


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## cubedude7 (Jun 28, 2010)

I was also cubing at school when I was averaging about 50 sec and people where still like: 'Wow, that's amazing!'. 
They have never seen someone cubing before, so they don't know what's fast and slow.


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## souljahsu (Jun 28, 2010)

I live in Canada too!

I average around 47 seconds and I cube all the time


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## Novriil (Jun 28, 2010)

When you'd go on TV then I'd say that you must think about it. But 50s-1min isn't THAT slow. Many people can't solve it at all and they think that you are genius and those who solve slower than you think the same. Even faster people will respect you for even solving it.


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## Chapuunka (Jun 28, 2010)

It's all about how you present yourself. During the school year, me and my friend (who I was about 20 seconds faster than) shared a couple of classes. He would always brag and everything, making himself sound really good, while I just said what I averaged, etc. Everyone assumed he was faster though, since he used crazy fingertricks (that I still don't understand) and talked about it constantly.


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## souljahsu (Jun 28, 2010)

me too.... I can easily beat my friend but he kept using cool tricks so everyone thought he was faster...:fp


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## Carrot (Jun 28, 2010)

people goes like (when I do pyraminx) "ohh, you are good!.. you might be able to get the danish record soon" and smiles.... then I laugh xD


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## Forte (Jun 28, 2010)

you care too much about what other people think of youuuuuuu


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## StachuK1992 (Jun 28, 2010)

I personally do BLD solves when in public, because it's less noise (I take long time to memo ).
That or if on a plane, FMC. 

As for you, just go for it; perhaps someone will even be interested (cute girl?  )


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## RyanReese09 (Jun 28, 2010)

Girls love a guy with fast hands ...


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## Chrish (Jun 28, 2010)

I was doing a blindfold solve for my friends at the airport a month ago, I failed, I had like 3 edges and 2 corners wrong. But people were still impressed. 

I don't like to cube in public unless it's around people I mostly know, because I don't like being starred at.. but you I don't think you shouldn't bring it on the train if you're afraid of being embarrassed. Because you'll quickly find out there's no reason to -- you'll likely be the only person on there that can solve it at all.


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## Ranzha (Jun 28, 2010)

Chrish said:


> I was doing a blindfold solve for my friends at the airport a month ago, I failed, I had like *3 edges and 2 corners wrong*. But people were still impressed.
> 
> I don't like to cube in public unless it's around people I mostly know, because I don't like being starred at.. but you I don't think you shouldn't bring it on the train if you're afraid of being embarrassed. Because you'll quickly find out there's no reason to -- you'll likely be the only person on there that can solve it at all.



What the FUUUUUUUU-
-explosion.-


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## Erdos (Jun 28, 2010)

Don't do it. Everyone's gonna laugh at you and say, "OMG you did a 35s F2L? that's disgusting".

that was a joke btw


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## miniGOINGS (Jun 28, 2010)

Samania said:


> I ride narwhals to school.



Mine got caught in a snowstorm and died.


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## Feryll (Jun 28, 2010)

Ranzha V. Emodrach said:


> Chrish said:
> 
> 
> > I was doing a blindfold solve for my friends at the airport a month ago, I failed, I had like *3 edges and 2 corners wrong*. But people were still impressed.
> ...



Um, 2 corners incorrectly oriented and a 3 edge cycle?


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## Erdos (Jun 28, 2010)

It was an estimate (from the word "like). Leave the guy alone haha.


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## Dene (Jun 29, 2010)

Eleredo said:


> So I am going to have to take the train next week which'll take a couple of hours, and I'll be bored as hell unless I take my cube. I've never cubed in public cause I am really slow (50 s - 1 min avg), which makes me feel kind of embarassed.
> 
> Would you care or not?



But why would you bother to play with your cube? You'd be practising, which clearly isn't going to help your times improve.


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## Senkoy (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm an even bigger n00b, i can barely get sub 2 minutes (started using Fridrich F2L 2 days ago and switched to badmephisto's LL beginner method from pogobat's) and the few the say anything are still impressed. Really, just being able to solve it is impressive. And who cares anyway? Play with it because you like it not because you want to impress people or afraid someone will look down on you.


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## rubiknewbie (Jun 29, 2010)

Are you putting up a show on the train? If not, why does it matter what you do, it's your business.

I say if you are 50s and you are practising on the train, do it, but if you are 50s and you are going to demo speedcubing on the Oprah Winfrey show, don't do it.


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## hagendaasmaser (Jun 29, 2010)

Dene said:


> But why would you bother to play with your cube? You'd be practising, which clearly isn't going to help your times improve.



+1


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## Nestor (Jun 29, 2010)

I cube all the time?: while driving.. while walking in the street... I still suck though (42" avg, 32" pb)

People seem to be amazed but afew do make some remarks about me being a nerd, which I simply ignore.


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## Enter (Jun 29, 2010)

RyanReese09 said:


> Girls love a guy with fast hands ...


:fp


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## Lorenzo (Jun 29, 2010)

If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.

But yea, rarely anyone openly cares about your cubing. They might be impressed but probably would keep it to themselves. Also, its fun to cube in trains, cars, buses, taxis, rollercoasters, trams, airplanes, and such.

One piece of advice:
MAKE SURE YOUR CUBE CAN'T POP. It only gets embarrassing if you have to pick up pieces from a "broken cube" in public.


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## addicted_to_roux (Jun 29, 2010)

Lorenzo said:


> If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.
> 
> But yea, rarely anyone openly cares about your cubing. They might be impressed but probably would keep it to themselves. Also, its fun to cube in trains, cars, buses, taxis, rollercoasters, trams, airplanes, and such.
> 
> ...



Oh were you that guy


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## Gurplex2 (Jun 29, 2010)

riffz said:


> Who cares what others think?



+♪


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## cuberkid10 (Jun 29, 2010)

I remeber solving the cube at school. I was around 2 min, and everybody thought my hands would catch on fire becuase I was "going so fast"


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## Slowpoke (Jun 29, 2010)

UnAbusador said:


> I cube all the time?: while driving..



One Handed solves while holding the steering wheel with the other hand... eek!


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## riffz (Jun 29, 2010)

Ranzha V. Emodrach said:


> Chrish said:
> 
> 
> > I was doing a blindfold solve for my friends at the airport a month ago, I failed, I had like *3 edges and 2 corners wrong*. But people were still impressed.
> ...



Maybe they were twisted?


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## Chris griffin (Jun 29, 2010)

I used to cube a lot in Madrid's metro with my headphones, but without any music playing. you can't believe what people can say, and you can meet some "interesting" girls/boys, so, yes, practise on that train, I'm also going on a long travel on train and I will be cubing almost all the time


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## uberCuber (Jun 29, 2010)

Chris griffin said:


> I used to cube a lot in Madrid's metro with my headphones, but without any music playing. you can't believe what people can say, and you can meet some "interesting" girls/boys, so, yes, practise on that train, I'm also going on a long travel on train and I will be cubing almost all the time



lol headphones with no music i love it why didn't i think of that


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## rubiknewbie (Jun 30, 2010)

Lorenzo said:


> If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.
> 
> But yea, rarely anyone openly cares about your cubing. They might be impressed but probably would keep it to themselves. Also, its fun to cube in trains, cars, buses, taxis, rollercoasters, trams, airplanes, and such.
> 
> ...



Popping 1 or 2 pieces is ok. Don't bring a cube that pops 9 pieces, like Edison cube.


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## Senkoy (Jun 30, 2010)

Lorenzo said:


> If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.
> 
> But yea, rarely anyone openly cares about your cubing. They might be impressed but probably would keep it to themselves. Also, its fun to cube in trains, cars, buses, taxis, rollercoasters, trams, airplanes, and such.
> 
> ...



How do you even blow up a Rubik's brand cube? I can't even pull mine apart. Maybe if i forced it but with with a decent amount of force i cant take out that center piece i easily can with the F-II, and even that's never popped on me.


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## RyanO (Jun 30, 2010)

It really doesn't matter if you are slow. When I cubed in public averaging 40+ seconds I got the same reactions I get now at sub 20. A bunch of us cubers were cubing together at a restaraunt after the Oklahoma Open and when we were leaving one of the employees asked us how many minutes it took us to solve the cube. We had been there solving for 2 hours and most of us were sub 20. Non cubers really have no concept of what fast is. To be honest, if I'm not paying close attention I can't even tell that someone else is way faster than me if I don't see their times.


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## addicted_to_roux (Jun 30, 2010)

Senkoy said:


> Lorenzo said:
> 
> 
> > If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.
> ...



I always thought they couldn't pop either, but mine popped yesterday for the first time. I should mention that it laid in 40°C / 104°F when I picked it up for a solve, though.


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## Reptile (Jun 30, 2010)

I picked up my GF by cubing (been over a year now). Public cubing helps for getting used to crowds for competitions but I do tend to choke when people film me. PB was on a bus in front of a bunch of school kids wanting to time me, heh.
Been training for the NZ competition less than 2 weeks away on the train to work (I owe Feliks a cheeseburger for every WR he breaks) and people keep asking if I'm entering (it's being advertised on TV).


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## Lorenzo (Jun 30, 2010)

Senkoy said:


> Lorenzo said:
> 
> 
> > If you want to know embarrassing, I didn't just pop, I *EXPLODED* a _Rubik's brand_ at Disneyland.
> ...



I HAVE NO IDEA! I was really surprised when that happened. The pieces flew all over the place and 2 or 3 people picked up pieces and gave them to me.
but seriously, A RUBIK'S BRAND!


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## Lorenzo (Jun 30, 2010)

Reptile said:


> I picked up my GF by cubing (been over a year now). Public cubing helps for getting used to crowds for competitions but I do tend to choke when people film me. PB was on a bus in front of a bunch of school kids wanting to time me, heh.
> Been training for the NZ competition less than 2 weeks away on the train to work (I owe Feliks a cheeseburger for every WR he breaks) and people keep asking if I'm entering (it's being advertised on TV).



AD! Is the ad on Youtube? Link?


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## aronpm (Jun 30, 2010)




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## Dene (Jun 30, 2010)

erm.


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## Akuma (Jun 30, 2010)

I cube slow with my 4x4 (I just got it barely a few days ago) and when I solve it it takes me over 5 minutes
People think I am slow because they think I am holding a 3x3 when in reality I am not.

So yeah, I really dont give a crap.
What I also like to bring on long trips is my netbook with CalCubeTimer installed on it so I casn speedsolev and time myself


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## Innocence (Jun 30, 2010)

aronpm said:


> youtube stuph



I had no idea that the cubing base in NZ was good enough that they could actually afford TV advertising.


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## Cubenovice (Jun 30, 2010)

Missed upportunity... The ad does not even show actual speedcubing.

If you want to create attention from non-cubers you should give an impression of speed and perhaps a little drama.
Some flashes of:
3x3x3
3x3x3 OH
BLD
7x7x7
And then concluding with a massive POP


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## TheCubeMaster5000 (Jun 30, 2010)

I love to solve in public. Even if you're just twisting it around randomly they'll probably conclude that you're solving it, which can give the allusion that you can solve it faster than you really can. In other words, I like to mess with people's minds...:fp


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## cincyaviation (Jun 30, 2010)

Reptile said:


> I picked up my GF by cubing (been over a year now). Public cubing helps for getting used to crowds for competitions but I do tend to choke when people film me. PB was on a bus in front of a bunch of school kids wanting to time me, heh.
> Been training for the NZ competition less than 2 weeks away on the train to work (I owe Feliks a cheeseburger for every WR he breaks) and people keep asking if I'm entering (it's being advertised on TV).





aronpm said:


>


needs faz
"10 seconds, tops..."


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## ThePuzzler96 (Jun 30, 2010)

I cube in public and just get strange looks. Most of the time, people just nudge their friend and whisper, "Whoa did you see that kid?" or they just stop, stare, and then look away after then make sure they imagined it.


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## souljahsu (Jun 30, 2010)

lol I was trying to impress this kid with my 48 second average when another kid came and said "It's not that impressive, lots of people can do it too!" :fp


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## Away (Jun 30, 2010)

So this guy in my school was solving it in 3 minutes and I happened to be standing nearby. Someone watching recognized me and said "Hey, it's that kid, he can solve it in 20~seconds!" and they all flock around me. I'm like what...?

I personally don't like the attention that I get from it. People who watch you everyday on the other hand, get bored of it. =/


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## Senkoy (Jul 1, 2010)

How old are you guys? I keep seeing the word kid get thrown around. I'm starting to feel old around here... >_>


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## theace (Jul 2, 2010)

Go do it. You'll be amazed at the way people go into shock after seeing someone cube. The best part is, that they might just ask you how you do it, and they seem to understand every word you say when you 'teach' them friedrich


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