FAQ
GUIDE
CROSS
F2L
OLL
PLL
BEGINNER'sFrequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of questions that I get asked ALL the time, and I get a little tired of answering:
Beginners
Q: I'm a newbie. Where do I learn to solve Rubik's cube?
A: Follow the Guide (also link on left) I put together. It orders all of my YouTube videos in the sequence I think they should be watched.
Q: Where should I get a cube?
A: It's alright to get started with an ordinary cube from a store, but I would encourage you to order a professional Rubik's Cube online fast, as it makes a very large difference and really speeds you up. For example, any of these cubes will be much better than anything you can buy in store and only cost about $12.
Q: Cool, then what?
A: Download my iPhone/Android app called "badmephisto", which gives a nice on-the-go cheat sheet for the algorithms you will need to remember. And if you find this stuff useful, you can stay in touch and show your support on my Facebook!. I like hearing from my students.
Cubing
Q: I've been cubing for X months, and my average is Y. Is this good? (X and Y are numbers)
A: This question has no good answer. It depends primarily on how much practice you had, and even if you tell me, I won't be able to say. Here is a graph of my personal progress. As you can see, while I practiced, I was getting better. But of course once you stop practicing, you will level off, or even increase in times. Good news is that at least from my experience, it is pretty easy to regain your old skill.
Q: I'm doing method X right now, but when should I move on to (more advanced) method Y?
A: As fast as you can or want. It's not like you must master one phase to get to another. As soon as you understand what the next phase is about, there is no harm starting to experiment with it.
Q: What does X mean? (where X is some kind of a word or piece of notation)
A: If X is a move, check some notation page. If X is anything else, please refer to the glossary. Another website to use for help is the Rubik's Cube Wiki. If all else fails, use this page.
Q: What do the brackets mean in algorithms?
A: They are there to make the algorithm look nicer, or make it more easy to remember by grouping common parts.
Q: When should I learn X (where X is some stage of the Fridrich method)?
A: Watch my "How to become a speedcuber" video. Go down the list in the video description. If you get to parts that you feel completely lost in, you are going too fast.
Q: I can execute F2L algorithms quickly, but it takes me very long to find the pairs!
A: You are not special at all, sorry. This exact same problem haunts every single person that tried to get into F2L, and I received at least 100 messages about it. After some practice, you will learn to completely ignore all pieces that have yellow on them, and all you will see are the F2L corners and edges. Just let the brain do the work, there is nothing you can do to speed this up, except for more practice.
Q: Wait a minute... but isnt u the same as D?
A: No its not. In double layer turns you move the center. So actually there is a hidden cube rotation in there. In the above example, u = D y
Q: OMG BUT BADMEFISTO THER IZ LIEK 60 OLLS I CANT DO IT LOL!!!1
A: If you cant even spell, then there is a high chance that you indeed cant.
YouTube
Q: I Added you as a friend but you didn't accept. WHY DO YOU HATE ME?
A: I dont accept any friend invites. But maybe I still hate you, who knows?
Q: I wrote you a message and you never replied! You're mean!
A: I'm sorry, YouTube message interface is terrible and I don't go there anymore. Best place to reach me is my Facebook page, I check that from time to time.
Q: Where is the camera?
A: Its on my head, trapped between my head and my giant headphones. (see picture on right). It actually works out very nicely and allows me to completely ignore the camera most of the time and just concentrate on the cube stuff. I occasionally glance at the computer monitor to see if everything is still in view, and adjust my head slightly as needed. The camera that I use is Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000
Q: How did you come about making the vids?
A: Back when I was starting out there was no such thing as a useful tutorial for anything really concerning the Rubik's cube.
After going through all algorithms for F2L and trying to memorize them, I discovered patterns and then one day it finally all 'clicked'. In that same day, I just right away took the camera, and in my frustration of there not being any video on this on YouTube, I just recorded the entire first F2L video on spot, and then it got really popular somehow. That was the start. The rest happened because I enjoy teaching and I also really like making and editing videos.
Q: What programs do you use to make your vids?
A: For video editing: Sony Vegas. For screen capture: CamStudio.
Q: YO, BAdmehisto, Ill sub u if u sub me! BTW check out my awesome videos and comment PLEEEASE!!!!!1thx
A: (no answer)
Personal
Q: Your cube is sooo smooooth what cube do you use? ?
A: Please note that I am NOT a good person to ask about cubes. Other people on the forums know MUCH more about cubes and the different mods you can do, and building different hybrids, etc, whatever is "in" these days... But I use DIY cubes from www.cube4you.com. I used type A speedcubes, the first, original (not type II or III or whatever else they have). Now I use the new SE F-II speedcubes and they are gooooood!
Q: How long did it take you to learn all OLLs/PLLs ?
A: About 3-4 months, i took it slow without any rush. I learned roughly 1 a day.
Q: What lubricant do you use?
A: I use Jig-a-loo. You have to be careful on how you use it though-- you can't apply too much of it at the same time, or it can melt your cube. Otherwise its great! :) See this thread for details.
Q: Can you solve big cubes?
A: Yes I own a 2x2,4x4,5x5,7x7 and I can solve all of them, but I don't usually like to.
Q: Can you solve blindfolded? What method do you use?
A: Yes I can, in terrible times because I don't practice it, almost ever. I just use simple Pochmann method.
Q: What does your name (badmephisto) mean?
A: I've had this name for a really long time. I used to be a big fan of Diablo2, so when I had to create my email address username on hotmail, i decided to use Mephisto as my username. But of course Mephisto was already taken, so I tried Mephisto1, Mephisto2, all the way up to about 9, and all was taken.
So then I thought... "hmmm, what kind of chracteristic does Mephisto posess?" Now keep in mind that this was about 10 years ago, and my English language dictionary composed of about 20 words. One of them was the word 'bad'. Since Mephisto (the brother of Diablo) was certainly pretty bad, I punched in badmephisto and that worked. Had I known more words it probably would have ended up being evilmephisto or something :p