Memo, Sleep, Solve!

[fanwuq]

I remember seeing Joey and Mike Hughey doing this a while ago. I just go into it 2 nights ago. I memorized right before sleep and then solved it when I woke up in the morning.

It's a quite fun activity, what's the longest time anyone delayed a solve?

Right now, I'm in the middle of another attempt. I memorized it at 9:40 PM last night for about 1min 25seconds (it's actually the first BLD scramble for the week 50's contest). I planned on actually doing a real attempt, but right before I began my execution, my parents interrupted me, so I thought I might as well as delay the execution. Right now, it's been 14+ hours and I still remember the memo clearly.
Shall I execute it tonight or wait until tomorrow, or be crazy and hope that I still remember it next week?

 

[Ville Seppänen]

If you don't need to use that cube, you might as well wait a week or something. I have done this once, memoed before going to bed and solved it when I woke up, it took something like 10-11 hours. I'll probably try a week soon.

I don't think it is hard, as long as you memo correctly. You can go through the memo so many times, it will just get stuck in your head. The important part is not to memo wrong when you first memo the cube.

 

[fanwuq]

I hope I memoed correctly!

If I take another look, it would restart the time, right?

Does it affect you if you do lots of other BLDs afterwards?
I have no worries about that cube since I have 2 cubes.

EDIT:

You know what would be interesting?
I should memo another cube and do that cube too! It would be my first multiBLD!

 

[cookingfat]

I might try this. I assume that in the morning you can't inspect the cube again?

 

[joey]

I might try this. I assume that in the morning you can't inspect the cube again?

No
(blargh)

 

[LarsN]

Sounds fun, but I won't try it.

Sometimes I can't fall asleep because I think of cubes. If I tried this I would never fall asleep

 

[Mike Hughey]

I think the reason I've never particularly enjoyed doing this is that it feels like cheating when you think about the memorization after you've stopped memorizing. I can't help thinking through the whole memorization while going to sleep (it's actually a pretty good way to put myself to sleep, actually), and then by morning, it just plain feels like cheating because the memorization is so outrageously secure (much more secure than for a normal solve).

I think I would enjoy this more if you could actually require not thinking about the memorization in between the memorization phase and the solving phase. But that's pretty difficult to do, and difficult to enforce, even for yourself. If one of your images comes up in conversation, and you think of the things it interacts with in your memorization by accident, would it invalidate the solve?

I think it might be interesting to try a week delay, though, since then there's opportunity for the memorization to get garbled. Maybe we should all plan to do one at approximately the same time? Use a specific scramble, everyone memorizes on the same day, then everyone solves on the same day a week later. Just a thought...

 

[jcuber]

What about doing a BLD marathon the week between memo and execution? I wonder if that would mess you up?

 

[Mike Hughey]

What about doing a BLD marathon the week between memo and execution? I wonder if that would mess you up?

If I did this, I would use one of my Roman Rooms to store the cube, and I wouldn't reuse it for any other solves. So then it should remain fairly safe there. As long as I would refresh it every day by thinking through it again, it should be no problem, even though I always do a minimum of 3 2x2x2's, 3 3x3x3's plus one multi-3x3x3, 3 4x4x4's, 3 5x5x5's, a 6x6x6, a 7x7x7, and now a megaminx BLD every week. (Now that I'm actually typing it out, I guess I must admit that it is a rather ridiculous schedule, isn't it?)

 

[Brett]

Who cares about preserving that cube? Just use it, and rescramble it again when you feel like the time is right to finally execute your memorization.

 

[fanwuq]

Who cares about preserving that cube? Just use it, and rescramble it again when you feel like the time is right to finally execute your memorization.

Agreed, but I kept mine the way it is anyway. I still haven't done it yet. In the mean time, I did several more regular BLDs and they didn't seem to interfere, which is good. Guess I'm ready for a multi attempt?

Mike,
I don't know if I can just not think about it, it is ridiculous to enforce. I went through the memo 3 times so far today in my head. I didn't affect my sleep at all.
Week delay competition sounds interesting! Although I probably would do it because it would drive me crazy during class, so I can't focus on my classwork. For an one attempt, it's not so bad, especially today was a half day anyway.

 

[Kyle Barry]

I wouldn't expect this to be too difficult. I had a bit of a Pi phase and I memorized the first 50 numbers fairly quickly, and when I woke up I was quite literally reciting them and I've remembered them for over a year now, and I'm sure you crazy BLDers have a much better memory than me. So, I agree with Mike, the only way for it to be challenging is not going over it, but that may be hard. And I know for a fact sleeping helps you retain information a lot better, at least from experience, and I've heard something like 20% better.

 

[EmersonHerrmann]

Can't wait to a see some crazy 5 year attempt...with a DNF XD

 

[shelley]

In addition to the "longest time between memo and solving" challenge, you could also do "most BLD solves between memo and solving" as a separate/additional challenge!

And I know for a fact sleeping helps you retain information a lot better, at least from experience, and I've heard something like 20% better.

That may be true for long term memory. My strategy when I do BLD solving though is cramming everything in short term working memory and completing the solve before I forget everything. I tried a delayed BLD solve once and failed quite miserably.

I do have one particular scramble pretty securely in long term memory, though I've practiced it (both memo and execution) many times.

 

[Hadley4000]

I always do a minimum of 3 2x2x2's, 3 3x3x3's plus one multi-3x3x3, 3 4x4x4's, 3 5x5x5's, a 6x6x6, a 7x7x7, and now a megaminx BLD every week.

DUDE! You are insane.Try doing all of those at once.

Better yet, try a megaminx multi!

 

[shafiqdms1]

Sorry to be a little off topic but Hadley, your quote is kind of messed up....just to let ya know...

 

[waffle=ijm]

i've tried a bunch of sleep delay BLDs before. I've attempted a 2-4 sleep delay BLD and failed. my best was a 2/3 multiBLD.

the sad part...all visual memo which took forever

 

[fanwuq]

1. Memo: 1:25
Rest: 25hours 20 minutes
Execution: 1:28.43 DNF
Forgot to execute the last corner flip!!!!
I was trying to get it on video and I was too excited to finish that I forgot the last part.
Oh, and I have the video! My mom came in during the middle and distracted me.

 

[fanwuq]

No blindfold, just used my towel.

 

[cuBerBruce]

I tried this overnight. I was successful! I didn't measure the time, though.

I've also tried a "minor" variation of this a few times. Memo, solve, sleep. More specifically:

1. Memorize cube.
2. Turn off lights. (too dark to see cube)
3. Solve cube.
4. Sleep.
5. Wake up in the morning. (now enough light to see cube)
6. Check that cube is actually solved.

Yeah, it's pretty much like an ordinary BLD solve, but you go to sleep in suspense.