Suddenly, new special interests.

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So, there's always alot of talk about special interests on here, for obvious reasons, but something that I find kinda interesting is that sometimes these can happen really abruptly. Like, one day, maybe you dont even know about it, but then you find it.... and instant obsession, even if you dont know why. Though, some may come on slower, but for me, if I take an interest in something, it's usually very sudden. It doesnt replace my main interest, but is now a second one.

How about some of you guys? Have you had this happen much? Did it replace your old special interest, or is it now an added one? What is your newest interest, and how did you find it, why did you latch onto it?

Partly I"m posting this topic to see what people's answers to those questions are, and partly I figured a topic just to talk about said interests might be fun, because who on here DOESNT like to talk about their special interest?


For me, I suddenly got into what seems to be called "cubing". Think of something like a Rubik's Cube, right? Well, it turns out there's this whole huge hobby & community around these things, including lots of people that learn to solve the cubes REALLY REALLY FAST. Some others are more into it for the mental challenge, figuring out each individual move themselves, instead of using memorized algorithms (which is how the speed method works). Turns out there are ALOT of these things. A bazillion versions of the basic 3x3x3 cube, a huge number of other sizes of the thing (the biggest one that's mass-produced is 13x13x13), and then other.... things. These range from fairly simple, to pretty difficult, to "what in the hell IS that thing?". There's TONS of them. People that have been into the hobby for awhile can often have collections that are a couple hundred in count.

Me, I'm more into the "figure it out" method. After learning from a few tutorials about how things work and how concepts are applied to it, I can solve the basic cube without much trouble and have done it a bunch of times now. Same with the two others I started with, which are a 2x2x2, and a funky thing called a Pyramorphix, which is basically a pyramid-like thing that changes shape as you rotate parts of it. That one seemed like a confusing mess when I first got it, but it is easier than it looks and takes the least time of the three.

I got my four new ones in today, which are ones I chose that'll give me a little more challenge. Got a 4x4x4, a 5x5x5, a "Megaminx" which is hard to explain but is DEFINITELY not cube shaped (and has about 12 seperate faces... not nearly as hard as it looks though), and then this one called a Windmill Cube. The Windmill one is the one I'm currently trying to solve... it's tougher than my previous ones. Definitely tougher. At least for now.

It looks like this:



which seems at least relatively normal, I mean, it's a cube shape, but it's like a Rubik's Cube if that cube had been designed by a maniac.

It DOES this:



Needless to say, that's mildly confusing.

It, too, isnt quite as hard as it looks... the trick is orienting the blasted pieces, but it otherwise functions similarly to the basic cube. It just.... isnt actually a cube anymore once it's been scrambled. Right now I can solve the top layer. Mostly. Bloody center pieces end up rotated wrong. I have a bit more to learn, but I dont think it'll take all that long to grasp and solve it for the first time.

The whole hobby is something I'm finding very fun. I dont remember HOW I stumbled on these, except that it happened on Youtube (where there is, it turns out, MANY channels dedicated to this sort of thing), and for whatever reason, it was instantly fascinating. I just HAD to try it and I knew right away that it was going to be an obsession. I was correct in thinking so.

It's nice to have a second interest though.... more variety in what I can do with my time, which keeps me in a better mood than I was before.


But what about you guys? Talk about any new interests YOU might have found! I find it interesting to see what others on here are interested in.

Yes, I occasionally get brand new obsessions out of the blue. My current one is Casinos and more specifically Blackjack Strategy: I am obsessed with not only memorizing the strategy card but why it is the way it is. I also lose interests suddenly: last hockey game I was at I was yawning uncontrollably. It was a weird feeling: it has been my longest and most normal obsession for a long time (hence the username).

Wow that is cool! What a crazy cube... I have low spatial IQ and couldn't possibly figure that out!

I'm between special interests at the moment (which is why I'm hanging out here lately, instead of off obsessing over something else!) Hopefully something will spark my interest soon... Like you said, I don't seem to really have any control over it, it just happens!

Like the original Rubik's Cube, it's not as hard as it looks, despite it doing.... that. As long as you find the right resources/tutorials that teach you the concepts and strategies for solving them, these cubes are always doable, though the difficulty varies, and there's plenty that dont even start out cube shaped. No, the HARD ones though make that thing look totally sane.

But anyway, good luck with finding something new! I found mine mostly by just randomly roaming around Youtube... maybe the internet as a whole can help you in the same way. Just roaming around until something catches your eye. Who knows, that might do it, maybe...