Older cubers discussions

[newtonbase]

That's impressive! He could be very fast one day!

As long as he doesn't lose interest. Hopefully cubing has enough depth to keep challenging him. I've pointed him at F2L and suggested he learn more than 2 PLLs. Also, Ortega.

 

[Jason Green]

As long as he doesn't lose interest. Hopefully cubing has enough depth to keep challenging him. I've pointed him at F2L and suggested he learn more than 2 PLLs. Also, Ortega.

Really awesome I hope I have some kids like him in the club!

 

[newtonbase]

Really awesome I hope I have some kids like him in the club!

I'm working on my son too with my eye on Chan Hong Lik's little sister's record. He's got a year to beat her but I think he's more likely to become an MMA star.

 

[Selkie]

Spoke to my nephew on Skype this afternoon. After 5 days of 3x3 and 1 day of 2x2 he has PBs of 36s and 15s respectively. 3x3 global is 1:01. He was saying he can't find enough practice time due to swimming, football, cubs and karate!

Wow he really is improving quickly especially with the low alg count known. I will await updates with interest :tu

@Megaminx Race

An average of 5 on film for your valued critique 3:47.11:-

-------------

Also have another Cubicle unboxing uploading now guys

 

[mafergut]

@Chris: Nice average. You are catching up so fast!!! From the video the Dayan looks like very stable while, at the same time a bit more forgiving that my unmodded SS. Looking forward to getting mine in the mail.

I decided to make a quick video on the nice 5th 2x2 scramble from this weekly comp. Not super easy, no OLL or PBL skips but very nice. Don't watch it if you have not done your 2x2 this week yet. I also added as a bonus my finger trick for the upside-down T-perm PBL that I had promised some time ago. As always my POV is motion sickness inducing and my fingertricks are all locky due to camera panic Hope you enjoy... and critique it.

 

[muchacho]

An average of 5 on film for your valued critique 3:47.11:-

That's fast and the Dayan looks good, are you on PB times already after years of no practice?

Last layear seems a bit long in some solves, are you learning algs for it?


I learned how to scramble the megaminx but I always handscramble it, I hope I have not forgot it.

__
I've rolled yesterday's PB mo100 to 23.840

 

[Selkie]

@miguel

I think the top comment was for me not Marcel? If so thank you very much, really enjoying megaminx. If it in fact was not for me ... ignore me

Great video too. Shows I do not plan enough in 2x2 inspection. Will try better so as I average a pitiful 8-8.5 on 2x2 and I like the upside down T-perm. I must learn more ortega algs and I do an x2 then solve!

My ridged megaminx arrived and I believe this is the version you are waiting for so I have done an unboxing of it here:-

This was my second unboxing of the way with a nice order coming from Cubicle this morning

 

[mafergut]

@Miguel

I think the top comment was for me not Marcel? If so thank you very much, really enjoying megaminx. If it in fact was not for me ... ignore me

Great video too. Shows I do not plan enough in 2x2 inspection. Will try better so as I average a pitiful 8-8.5 on 2x2 and I like the upside down T-perm. I must learn more ortega algs and I do an x2 then solve!

My ridged megaminx arrived and I believe this is the version you are waiting for so I have done an unboxing of it here:-

Of course the comment was for you I just made a mistake. Already edited my post to change that. Thanks for pointing it out. I cannot watch your unboxing now but I'll do it later. I'm expectant to see how the Dayan behaves. I hope it will be my new main and, from what I've seen on your average with the normal one, it might well be. The shades are nice enough and the color scheme is the same as the SS, just the shades are a little bit different, so I won't have to learn a new scheme to solve it.

Thanks for your comments on the 2x2 video. Yes, there's a lot that can be planned in inspection in 2x2, where every tenth counts. My problem is that unless it's an easy face like in this case, I cannot really predict OLL that often, much less PBL (which I couldn't in this case either). If you are good at tracing moves in your head and you know the CP case of all your OLLs you could, in theory, even predict PBL in many cases. That's my aim but my cubing to do list is too long right now Might as well learn CLL and EG so one looking is much easier.

 

[h2f]

@Miguel - I cant watch your video. Havent done WC yet.

 

[Jason Green]

@Miguel - I cant watch your video. Havent done WC yet.

Me either maybe tonight. Need to enjoy a cigar and watch Chris's videos too!

Am I the only cigar smoker here?

 

[h2f]

@Jason I smoke a pipe sometimes. I must buy a tobacco.

 

[muchacho]

I decided to make a quick video on the nice 5th 2x2 scramble from this weekly comp. Not super easy, no OLL or PBL skips but very nice. Don't watch it if you have not done your 2x2 this week yet. I also added as a bonus my finger trick for the upside-down T-perm PBL that I had promised some time ago. As always my POV is motion sickness inducing and my fingertricks are all locky due to camera panic Hope you enjoy... and critique it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqzYSgHlCxs

WC done. It looks like I did the same solution for that scramble but with a y2 at the start (I did not think or predict much, I was just lucky). I got 4.87 in that 5th scramble of the WC. A 5.90 average, that's 1.5-2 seconds better than normal.

Spoiler

F' U2 R2 U' R U' F U

z y'
R' U' R'
F U R U' R' F'
R2 F2 R2
U

https://alg.cubing.net/?puzzle=2x2x..._R-_F- R2_F2_R2 U_&setup=F-_U2_R2_U-_R_U-_F_U

 

[mafergut]

WC done. It looks like I did the same solution for that scramble but with a y2 at the start (I did not think or predict much, I was just lucky). I got 4.87 in that 5th scramble of the WC. A 5.90 average, that's 1.5-2 seconds better than normal.

Spoiler

F' U2 R2 U' R U' F U

z y'
R' U' R'
F U R U' R' F'
R2 F2 R2
U

https://alg.cubing.net/?puzzle=2x2x..._R-_F- R2_F2_R2 U_&setup=F-_U2_R2_U-_R_U-_F_U

That's a nice option but, for some reason, I am slower at F inverse-sexy F' than at F sexy F', to the point that I prefer to either do it with my left or just do a U2 F sexy F'. But if I can predict it during inspection I at least know what I'm gonna do and, as the diag swap on the bottom can be oriented in any way for PBL I decided to just do the face with my left. I think I should practise more for U2 versions of all my OLLs, like F URU'R'F'. I'm kind of starting to do that, e.g. with sune from the back (L U L' U L U2 L') but I'm still slower at all those than just U2 + regular alg.

But, even if I could do both algs at same speed, certainly OLL prediction saves me at least 3-4 tenths in recognition.

Congrats on your good results this week at WC. I also got a result much better than average.

 

[muchacho]

I know I should be able to predict the OLL in easy scrambles like this, did you practiced with unlimited inspection time or that ability just came with time?

 

[mafergut]

I know I should be able to predict the OLL in easy scrambles like this, did you practiced with unlimited inspection time or that ability just came with time?

Of course I practise with unlimited inspection most of the time but I try not to spend A LOT more than I would have in comp. It's no use to be able to predict PBL if it takes 2 minutes. Let's say I don't activate csTimer 15 second timer but most my inspections don't go over 30 seconds I'd say, unless I see an interesting case I want to learn something from.

It does help a lot but, anyway, don't get me wrong, I'm not able to predict OLL unless the face is 3-4 moves like this one. You have to admit that this one was kind of easy to predict. Other OLLs with no adjacent stickers can be a bit trickier. In particular I tend to predict wrong sune/antisune, mistaking one for the other, because I don't identify correctly whether the sticker close to the one on the U face is to its right or its left. To be honest I don't know how people that does CLL/EG can one-look 80% their solves. I think it's just practise but young minds are better at spatial reasoning, I guess.

EDIT: I forgot to comment it in the video, but here is my nice rule of thumb for predicting AUF on the double diag swap PBL with 2-side recognition, just in case you don't already do that (probably you do):
- If you have vertical bars, then no AUF,
- if checker pattern of opposites, then U2,
- in any other case, see what you would need to have bars (U/U') and do the opposite or just align the bars before doing the PBL, but I prefer to post-AUF as it gives me some time for my brain to process what I saw while I perform the PBL.

 

[Shaky Hands]

My ridged megaminx arrived and I believe this is the version you are waiting for so I have done an unboxing of it here:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m1RXuY46YU

This was my second unboxing of the way with a nice order coming from Cubicle this morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEC7H0jTyeU

Thanks, these unboxing vids are really informative. I even watched the whole Megaminx video when I've not even attempted to solve one yet. You've certainly made a big investment in this weekend's comp! Should be fun.

 

[Lid]

I'm still doin' square-1 ... new a5 PB today : 16.185 :: (11.486), (19.113[p]), 17.550, 17.297, 13.709 :: best a12 for the day: 18.426

And I'm also waiting for new stuff, ordered a SS Gigaminx + two 4x4 (GuanSu & CB G4). Still waiting for a non pink SL version of the AoShi 6x6 ...

 

[Selkie]

That's fast and the Dayan looks good, are you on PB times already after years of no practice?

Last layear seems a bit long in some solves, are you learning algs for it?


I learned how to scramble the megaminx but I always handscramble it, I hope I have not forgot it.

__
I've rolled yesterday's PB mo100 to 23.840

Yes luckily my times seem to be down to old times quite quickly after what is probably 60-70 solves since I found out my old megaminx a fortnight ago. I am surprised how quickly I have got down to PB times with a new colour scheme to be fair.

Me either maybe tonight. Need to enjoy a cigar and watch Chris's videos too!

Am I the only cigar smoker here?

Smoked cigarettes for best part of 30 years but following a health scare a few years ago it was time to change that. Did it with vaping and had my last cig July '14. Gradually cut down the nicotine content of the vape fluid and been on 0% for a few months. Its just the habit now. I did love a good cigar but fear if I had one Id crave the cigs again.

Thanks, these unboxing vids are really informative. I even watched the whole Megaminx video when I've not even attempted to solve one yet. You've certainly made a big investment in this weekend's comp! Should be fun.

Glad they were of some use. To be fair it is Marcel that motivated me to do them after requesting one for my large Cubicle order but I quite enjoy doing them so nice to hear if they are even of a little use

I'm still doin' square-1 ... new a5 PB today : 16.185 :: (11.486), (19.113[p]), 17.550, 17.297, 13.709 :: best a12 for the day: 18.426

And I'm also waiting for new stuff, ordered a SS Gigaminx + two 4x4 (GuanSu & CB G4). Still waiting for a non pink SL version of the AoShi 6x6 ...

Wow your Square 1 is awesome. I would have to say if you take a >40 year old solver and compare their PBs to WR, you have to be as close as anyone to the fastest possible times with your SQ1

 

[mark49152]

So practice time for Exeter is over, and tomorrow I travel. My 4x4 is plateaued at a fairly consistent 1:10-11, which is OK. Not too pleased with my 4BLD progress though - from a string of 8-9.xx solves a couple of weeks ago, I'm now back at consistently 10-11.xx. Don't know what went wrong there. And those are the only events I've practised. Still, any 4BLD success & PB would be worth 550 miles of driving, wouldn't it?

Here's my PB from a couple of weeks back:-

 

[h2f]

@Mark, Nice solve and reaction. Good luck! You got a very long road to drive.

My bld times are down too. I think it's due to I couldnt practice last week. I havent done ao100 for two weeks.

@Chris, I've seen your 5x5 ao5 - it's very nice, no pauses. I wonder how you do tredges after the cross. I used to use Uw R U R' F R' F' Uw and its variations to connect wings and midges but Im not happy with it. It looks like you do something else. I watched unboxing of megaminx and it's very nice. Maybe I'll do few solves?