Okay, I'm laying down the gauntlet (for myself). I've decided I'm going to solve Rubik's Cube. Before you ask, "Why are you telling me this?", I'll tell you. I want to announce it semi-publicly so that it gives me motivation to finish it. If I have to announce in a couple of weeks that I couldn't do it, it will be very embarassing and I'll be castigated and ridiculed by my peers. First, I'll give you some background. When I was twelve years old, I could solve it, but I did it by memorizing patterns and moves from a book. I think my best time was 40 seconds. Anyway, doing Rubik's cube with someone else's solution is like being a programmer that doesn't design his/her own code. It doesn't prove anything, except that you can follow a recipe. One of my strengths during my career was my problem solving ability. Although my skills are not quite what they were, I'm sure I can develop my own algorithm. These are my constraints: I am not looking at other solutions/algorithms first. I don't want to be influenced by other people's solutions. I am not using other people's notations. In my opinion, the notation is part of the solution and I'd like to develop it myself. Since my hands get tired quickly, most of my practice will be executing moves in my head or written notes on my computer. Since I can't concentrate deeply for long periods of time, I will probably do it for half an hour a day. My basic approach is to treat it as if an alien dropped it off on my doorstep and the future of our civilization depends on solving it. Wish me luck. I hope that I won't have to announce in a couple of weeks that I couldn't do it. Submitted 3/28/2010 10:46:28 AMComments (3)
