3:17 For though the fig tree doesn’t flourish,

nor fruit be in the vines;

the labor of the olive fails,

the fields yield no food;

the flocks are cut off from the fold,

and there is no herd in the stalls:

3:18 yet I will rejoice in Yahweh.

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

3:19 Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength.

He makes my feet like deer’s feet,

and enables me to go in high places.

The MoveOn the Jing's Pyraminx (JP) there is a 4 move sequence that can be used to do a variety of useful things. For example, if you hold it so you are looking over a ridge and do The Move, it swaps the top 2 corners with each other and the bottom 2 corners with each other. It also cycles 3 edges, but if you want to solve the corners before you solve the edges that is no biggie. But if you want to swap the corners as stated without affecting edges do The Move 3 times in a row.

Another example. If you hold the JP as above and do The Move twice in a row it twists the 2 corners on top anti-clockwise and the 2 on the bottom clockwise. Again edges are cycled.

What if you have the corners all solved and you just need to cycle edges into place? Again you can use The Move, only this time hold the JP so you are looking along a ridge. Doing The Move once swaps the top 2 centers with one another and the bottom 2 centers with one another. It also cycles 3 edges.

Doing The Move 2 times in a row this way has no overall effect on the centers since they get swapped back on the second round, but still does an edge 3-cycle.

Doing The Move 3 times in a row cycles the edges back to where they started on the third round, and leaves the centers swapped.

To sum up, The Move can be used to swap centers, swap pairs of corners, twist all 4 corners, and cycle edges. I've also discovered that The Move with a slight modification can be used to twist just 2 corners.

Flipping Edges
One thing I can not figure out how to do using The Move is flip edges on the JP. But guess what? Tonight I figured out how to flip 2 edges on a 3x3x3 cube using The Move! Do a Right-handed Move on the Right followed by a Left-handed Move on the Front. This flips the front-right edge and the front-top edge. If it is so simple to flip 2 edges of a cube, why do I usually use more involved techniques? Because this technique also moves some corners around. So if you want to flip edges and maintain the corners, you have to use a more involved technique. But if you want to flip 2 edges and you haven't solved the corners yet, this is a nice way.

Through the process of reconstructing and restructuring the blog I have rediscovered how much I like my Edges First Method. I would not by any means recommend that anyone try to figure out Philip Marshall's tutorial entitled The Ultimate Solution. For one thing, it is very wordy. I know, you are laughing at me because I am too wordy myself. But also it is illustrated with diagrams that do not match the sticker orientation of most cubes today. For another thing, he puts way too much emphasis on what he calls the Edge Piece Series. And I have a corner cycling commutator that I prefer to the one he teaches. But what can I say? I probably wouldn't have developed my own Edges First Method had it not been for the things I learned in his. I wonder if I could easily put together an explanation of the process involved...

Lately I have been using an Edges First approach to solving the Megaminx. When I get to the last layer edges I use a couple algorithms I learned early on when learning to solve the cube one layer at a time. It seemed to be an easier way to get the last layer edges that using a commutator. But come to think of it, there is another option. I can approach the last layer edges of the Megaminx like the last layer edges of the cube using the Edges First techniques.

My Edges First Approach to Solving the Cube
Get the 4 white edges.
Get any 3 of the middle layer edges, and a top layer edge in the last middle layer edge spot.
Replace top edges with the one in the middle layer until 3 top edges are yellow-up.
Complete the edges.
Use setup moves and a commutator to 3-cycle corners into place. 

The following steps assume that you have not memorized the cube. You are figuring it out based on the orientation of the numbers on the pieces. So one of the first things you need to determine is what is the difference between top corners and bottom corners. And what sets apart the middle edges? Things like that. OK, let's go.

1. Get the bottom corners bottom side down on the bottom. This corresponds to getting the white X in the Adam Cheyer Corners First Method.
2. Get the top corners top side up on the top. This corresponds to getting the yellow X in the Corners First Method.
3. Get all the top corners in the correct places relative to each other and the bottom corners in the correct corners relative to each other. This corresponds to getting all the X's in the Corners First Method.
   
4. Orient the top and bottom centers.
   
5. Get the bottom and top edges that go in the left and right faces. There is only one piece that can go in each of these locations due to the orientation of the numbers on the pieces. Steps 5 and 6 correspond to getting 3 top and 3 bottom edges in the Corners First Method.
6. Get the bottom and top edges that go in the back face. This is the first time you need to pay attention to the 1 through 9 on each side rule. Put them in so they are consistent with the pieces already in place.
7. Get the last two top and bottom edges. Make sure the numbers are consistent with the pieces that have already been put in place. This corresponds to getting the last two top and bottom edges in the Corners First Method. 
8. Get the top and bottom layers consistent with each other Sudoku-wise. Get the middle layer centers, making sure the centers are consistent with the numbers around the sides on both top and bottom. 
9. 3-cycle the middle layer edges into place. Use the up-replace-down 3-cycle. The Corners First Method 3-cycle can be used, but then you may have to flip edges. If you think about it, you can flip edges if necessary with the URD 3-cycle.
10. Get the middle layer centers oriented correctly. 

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I tried to change the look of the site a little and ended up losing much of the info I had. Links. All the links are gone. When I tried to restore to a previous layout I lost even more. Oh well.