Older cubers discussions

[One Wheel]

Big jumps are exciting: Just smashed my 7x7 single. Was 6:03.31, got a 5:45.67. Didn't feel nearly as good as the solve a couple prior that the timer failed to start :-(.

 

[SpartanSailor]

Question about comms:
I know what pieces this is referring to, but I don’t understand the notation. Can someone translate this into actual moves for me?

UF>UR>DB: [R': [M2, U' R U]]

 

[SpartanSailor]

Big jumps are exciting: Just smashed my 7x7 single. Was 6:03.31, got a 5:45.67. Didn't feel nearly as good as the solve a couple prior that the timer failed to start :-(.

That’s a great 7x7 single. Well done

 

[pglewis]

Question about comms:
I know what pieces this is referring to, but I don’t understand the notation. Can someone translate this into actual moves for me?

UF>UR>DB: [R': [M2, U' R U]]

https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Commutators_and_Conjugates

I tend to think of the portion before the colon (conjugate) as the setup/restore move so that part breaks down to: R' [M2, U' R U] R
The comma is the notation for the commutator itself ([A, B] = A B A' B'), so the whole thing then becomes: R' (M2) (U' R U) (M2) (U' R' U) R

 

[SpartanSailor]

https://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Commutators_and_Conjugates

I tend to think of the portion before the colon (conjugate) as the setup/restore move so that part breaks down to: R' [M2, U' R U] R
The comma is the notation for the commutator itself ([A, B] = A B A' B'), so the whole thing then becomes: R' (M2) (U' R U) (M2) (U' R' U) R

Thanks!

 

[pglewis]

Also, if you didn't already know, https://alg.cubing.net/ is awesome and fully supports the notation.

I found comms really fun to play with, being intuitive (of course I've just dabbled and experimented thus far)

 

[h2f]

Question about comms:
I know what pieces this is referring to, but I don’t understand the notation. Can someone translate this into actual moves for me?

UF>UR>DB: [R': [M2, U' R U]]

R' is a setup to other case. Next you do the comm. M2 is a first move next U' R U as written. Than undo M2 (the same move this time) and undo U' R U doing an inverse U R' U. Undo setup.

 

[openseas]

Question about comms:
I know what pieces this is referring to, but I don’t understand the notation. Can someone translate this into actual moves for me?

UF>UR>DB: [R': [M2, U' R U]]

[S: [A, B]]

S is setup, A is insert, B is interchange or vice versa.
Actual moves are, S A B A’ B’ S’

So, R’ : setup, M2: interchange, U’ R U: insert
R’ setup moves UR to FR position. So, now, your comm is UF - FR - DB: [M2, U’ R U]

M2 is swapping UF with DB, U’ R U is inserting FR into UF position.

If you do reverse order, [U’ R U, M2], then it becomes UF - DB - FR.

Easier way to understand is:

your M2 method, imagine first target as UB, then 2nd target as FR.
You do M2 first for UB target, then you do U R U’ M2 U R’ U’ for the 2nd target (FR).
If you do this together, it becomes M2 U R U’ M2 U R’ U’ = [M2, U R U’], basically a commutator of DF-UB-FR
Please note that I used DF buffer example to compare with your M2 method.

 

[SpartanSailor]

thanks! I’m going to play with it a little for awhile. I think I’ll play with corners first and see how that goes.

 

[One Wheel]

I was just trying to time some 5x5 splits and ended up with this:
Total - F2C - 4C - F8E - L4E - Cross+F2L - LL
1. 2:27.82 - 14.71 - 22.83 - 40.33 - 40.94 - 23.19 - 5.79 (Last split is just PLL)
2. 2:35.63 - 14.69 - 24.09 - 1:00.64 - 15.48 - 28.80 - 11.91
3. 2:14.24 - 20.52 - 25.89 - 39.76 - 19.62 - 17.16 - 11.27
4. 2:05.94 - 14.90 - 26.91 - 42.54 - 11.61 - 21.19 - 8.76
5. 2:00.66 - 18.94 - 16.84 - 45.94 - 14.33 - 16.99 - 7.59

The last two are overall PB singles, last 3 beat Mo3 by 9 seconds, Ao5 by 2.64 seconds. Not sure how that happens: stopping the timer more times should take longer.

 

[SpartanSailor]

I was just trying to time some 5x5 splits and ended up with this:
Total - F2C - 4C - F8E - L4E - Cross+F2L - LL
1. 2:27.82 - 14.71 - 22.83 - 40.33 - 40.94 - 23.19 - 5.79 (Last split is just PLL)
2. 2:35.63 - 14.69 - 24.09 - 1:00.64 - 15.48 - 28.80 - 11.91
3. 2:14.24 - 20.52 - 25.89 - 39.76 - 19.62 - 17.16 - 11.27
4. 2:05.94 - 14.90 - 26.91 - 42.54 - 11.61 - 21.19 - 8.76
5. 2:00.66 - 18.94 - 16.84 - 45.94 - 14.33 - 16.99 - 7.59

The last two are overall PB singles, last 3 beat Mo3 by 9 seconds, Ao5 by 2.64 seconds. Not sure how that happens: stopping the timer more times should take longer.

That’s fantastic!

 

[SpartanSailor]

On my quest to an official sub-3 time for 3BLD... last nite was not bad. I did several untimed successful solves to work on edge flips and corner twists. Then, as soon as I started timing... the DNF train pulled into the station. But, not until after a 2:56 and a 3:08.... then, it was 5 DNFs in a row for simple errors like not seeing the flipped edge or twisting a corner the wrong way. Nevertheless, I feel like my memo is coming along from all the recent attention/practice. Of course, ALL my other events are slowing down. But, that’s going to happen so I can get the improvements I want in 3BLD. I’m pretty sure my untimed ones are in that same time range, so I’m encouraged.

 

[pglewis]

On my quest to an official sub-3 time for 3BLD... last nite was not bad. I did several untimed successful solves to work on edge flips and corner twists. Then, as soon as I started timing... the DNF train pulled into the station. But, not until after a 2:56 and a 3:08.... then, it was 5 DNFs in a row for simple errors like not seeing the flipped edge or twisting a corner the wrong way. Nevertheless, I feel like my memo is coming along from all the recent attention/practice. Of course, ALL my other events are slowing down. But, that’s going to happen so I can get the improvements I want in 3BLD. I’m pretty sure my untimed ones are in that same time range, so I’m encouraged.

Hammer on that memo and you'll be where you want in no time! Might even be worth a day or two of memo-only runs.

I'm doing the same thing with singular focus but on 3x3 still. I'll plateau again eventually and return to brushing up my blind solving but I want to keep pushing this while excellent progress is going on.

 

[SpartanSailor]

Hammer on that memo and you'll be where you want in no time! Might even be worth a day or two of memo-only runs.

I'm doing the same thing with singular focus but on 3x3 still. I'll plateau again eventually and return to brushing up my blind solving but I want to keep pushing this while excellent progress is going on.

Good to focus when you’re hot! I’ll get back to focusing on 3x3 and 4x4 when I get this sub-3 3BLD. For now, though, I’m enjoying the focused attention on one event.

 

[h2f]

I did one of my fastest 3bld solves with TPS 4. Time was 38.56 [15.64] Scramble: D2 F2 L2 D U R2 D' L2 U F D' R' B2 R2 B' D L2 F' D' Fw' Uw2. 9 algs and 92 moves. Buffer is DF again

 

[One Wheel]

Sorry to keep posting mundane speedsolving stuff, but I’ve been chasing the elusive sub-1:00 4x4 single today. It still eludes me. I keep getting really smooth to f2l and think “this is surely it” and then get double parity and a G-perm and finish in 1:10-1:15, or get a really bad solve but decent LL and end up at 1:12. I just can’t seem to string all the good parts together in one solve. Someday.

 

[Mike Hughey]

Sorry to keep posting mundane speedsolving stuff, but I’ve been chasing the elusive sub-1:00 4x4 single today. It still eludes me. I keep getting really smooth to f2l and think “this is surely it” and then get double parity and a G-perm and finish in 1:10-1:15, or get a really bad solve but decent LL and end up at 1:12. I just can’t seem to string all the good parts together in one solve. Someday.

I haven't tried this for several months, but I always experienced the same thing. So I totally empathize!

 

[SpartanSailor]

Sorry to keep posting mundane speedsolving stuff, but I’ve been chasing the elusive sub-1:00 4x4 single today. It still eludes me. I keep getting really smooth to f2l and think “this is surely it” and then get double parity and a G-perm and finish in 1:10-1:15, or get a really bad solve but decent LL and end up at 1:12. I just can’t seem to string all the good parts together in one solve. Someday.

Seriously, I can relate. More than you know... It’s a true frustration for me. Meanwhile, I go to comps and I see everyone around me dropping tikes and getting into the 50s all the time, but 2 months ago they could barely get sub-2. How did they improve SO much while I have seriously not improved in almost a year. I get a few lucky streaks occasionally, but those only get me around 1:10 averages with an super rare 1:05 or something.


I’ve shifted my focus to 3BLD for a bit to work toward that sub-3 US Nationals qualifier.... and I have to admit last week I was feeling good but I’m working an a DNF streak over 20 attempts now. The past couple days have just been awful—lots of missed flipped edges or just plain memo failures. I feel like all my event are stagnating and I don’t know how to change up my practice to get off this plateau.

 

[pglewis]

Seriously, I can relate. More than you know... It’s a true frustration for me. Meanwhile, I go to comps and I see everyone around me dropping tikes and getting into the 50s all the time, but 2 months ago they could barely get sub-2. How did they improve SO much while I have seriously not improved in almost a year. I get a few lucky streaks occasionally, but those only get me around 1:10 averages with an super rare 1:05 or something.


I’ve shifted my focus to 3BLD for a bit to work toward that sub-3 US Nationals qualifier.... and I have to admit last week I was feeling good but I’m working an a DNF streak over 20 attempts now. The past couple days have just been awful—lots of missed flipped edges or just plain memo failures. I feel like all my event are stagnating and I don’t know how to change up my practice to get off this plateau.

Even at my peak with 3bld I needed to be in a good concentration mode while sighted solves are far less taxing. Sometimes with 3x3 it seems like a few days off can get me out of a funk when I return, especially if I've been working on a lot of new things. It's like my brain is still processing and absorbing the information without solving. Blind DNF streaks all I can really do is commiserate but at least the law of averages says you're due for a hot streak.

 

[SpartanSailor]

Even at my peak with 3bld I needed to be in a good concentration mode while sighted solves are far less taxing. Sometimes with 3x3 it seems like a few days off can get me out of a funk when I return, especially if I've been working on a lot of new things. It's like my brain is still processing and absorbing the information without solving. Blind DNF streaks all I can really do is commiserate but at least the law of averages says you're due for a hot streak.

I definitely feel like I’m improving overall, but the past couple days have been a bad luck streak. It’ll come together and when it does, I’ll forget all about this little bump in the road. Or at least won’t be bothered by it;-)