Older cubers discussions

[h2f]

Hi R86. Good luck in learning new stuff.

 

[moralsh]

I use the same as mafergut but I'm not happy with them. Others looks much better. Thanks guys I'll check them.

On the other hand - I just did a one attempt for weekly comp - Im too tired for more. It would be a success but I've memoed a flipped edge wrong. I thought it was fillped, so I've flipped it but it wasnt. So I've finished with two flipped edges. Memo was extra safe (12 minutes). Execution too - I hate my ss and I cant wait I will fix my broken Aochuang. Better next time.

My today attempt

 

[muchacho]

Welcome R86! If you don't want to learn many algs you can try Roux, it's fun and 9 algs are enough to be almost fast.

 

[h2f]

My today attempt

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160126/2e2d548ab8be52e99885ecce74fdf5d2.jpg

Centers are fine. Better next time. In big blindes even if you dnfed you're closer to a success next time.

 

[mafergut]

Sorry to interrupt, but I'm just checking in here after being referred over from my intro thread. I'm newly back into Rubik's cubes but am old enough to remember the original ones from the early 1980s. I loved those things! So I just had to go and buy a couple. I don't have much confidence that I will ever be particularly fast at solving them, but I do find it fun and relaxing to do so.

The first hurdle is going to be memorizing even the beginners' algorithms. I can tell that it needs to go into muscle memory as opposed to "memorizing letters" if that makes any sense. I've been solving the top layer by inspection for both 2x2 and 3x3, without using any algorithms per se, which may or may not be a good idea.

Anyway, I'll keep lurking here as I enjoy reading your discussions, insofar as I can understand them.

Welcome to this thread! I think everyone of us started more or less the same and then we all wanted to get just a bit faster... and faster. Same with buying cubes, I just wanted to try a new one, and another one... Only counting 3x3s I think I have more than 15 different speedcubes, plus 3 2x2s, a couple 4x4... a skewb, a pyraminx, a megaminx... and some non-WCA puzzles as well

Regarding the method, even though I'm a CFOP solver, if I were you I would also try Roux early on. It's a lot of fun and it requires very few algs, as muchacho has already told you. I would not start with ZZ, though, as the edge orientation thing is a bit difficult to grasp until you have a little more control on how a 3x3 works.

I barely missed graduation from the race to sub 25 (had two weeks under and got 25.02 this week). I wanted to graduate, but this will give me some more time before jumping in the race to sub 20!

I posted a comment for you in the RTS30-25 thread but I hope you don't mind me talking about it too on this one. What a pity! It was the exact same .02 from graduating I had on RTS20 and I thought exactly the same: It will just give me some more time to get a bit better and be successful next time around. I will have to graduate this week from the sub-25 race and I plan on recording a video of the Ao12, as the rules recommend you do as an option / bonus. Maybe my camera nerves will kick in big time and I will also fail to graduate from sub-25, who knows

 

[muchacho]

Oh, so I have a (very very small) chance of graduating in the race to sub-25 before you Jason? I'm not gonna make it (I'm at 26-27 seconds), but I'll try, hope you don't mind

Once I graduate I'll also try to race to sub-30 / sub-25 not using blue-white for my first block, it will be a good motivation to practice other blocks.

 

[Jason Green]

I didn't know you had a .02 miss also. That's crazy. When I graduated sub 30 I was averaging 27 probably. Right now I'm barely under 25 so I still get a fair amount of ao12s that go over.

I don't mind if you beat me muchacho. It's good to have someone close to catch/try to stay ahead of.

 

[mafergut]

I didn't know you had a .02 miss also. That's crazy. When I graduated sub 30 I was averaging 27 probably. Right now I'm barely under 25 so I still get a fair amount of ao12s that go over.

I don't mind if you beat me muchacho. It's good to have someone close to catch/try to stay ahead of.

Just got a very nice 18.80 Ao12 in my Race to Sub-20 with a 13.25 PLL skip, which is in my top 10. And without the need to use a Thunderclap, just my old Chilong

 

[muchacho]

Congrats, 2 out of 3 like in sub-25 race, right? Just don't try to record also the sub-20 ao12 attempt, for me recording adds like 1 second and DNFs are much more frequent.

 

[mafergut]

Congrats, 2 out of 3 like in sub-25 race, right? Just don't try to record also the sub-20 ao12 attempt, for me recording adds like 1 second and DNFs are much more frequent.

Thanks! Yes, it's 2 out of three already. I definitely don't plan on recording the 3rd attempt. As you say, that would be to call for total failure of the average and I don't want to spoil graduation a second time. For the sub-25 race I think I have margin enough that I can record it and still pull it off, even if with a bit worse times.

 

[ryuusei86]

Thanks for the support, everyone! I've been checking out the Roux and (as I think you call it) Friedrich methods, and while I think the Roux method has a lot going for it (elegance and logic being foremost), I think it's just a bridge too far for me at this point. What I think I'll do is practice the beginners' method for now, with the plan being to learn how to solve the middle layer and lower edges at the same time in the short run, and learning to solve the upper layer more quickly in the long run. To me, this sounds a lot like learning to draw: one has to draw about 1000 terrible pictures before being able to draw anything decent, but there is no way to skip drawing those 1000 terrible pictures.

I think I should do pretty much the same as what I see others doing around here, which is as many 3x3 solves per day as I can, even keeping track of my times. I see nothing wrong with learning just how bad my times are. Eventually I'll memorize the beginners' algorithms and, so I hope, over time begin to understand WHY they work. My job as an educator teaches me that there is no hope of memorizing those 40-odd F2L algorithms without understanding how and why they work.

Eventually, I'll be in a place where I can decide better whether the Roux method is for me or not. I will try to keep an open mind as much as possible in the meantime though.

 

[moralsh]

Centers are fine. Better next time. In big blindes even if you dnfed you're closer to a success next time.

Yeah, felt like a success Problem was wings execution most probably, memo was solid. I'll keep practicing after this weekend comp. Maybe I should join Blind WC to force myself to practice a bit more.

@ryuusei86 Welcome! start learning F2L whenever you feel like it, I never did any sub 2 with beginners because I started learning F2L right away after my first few successes. learn the easy cases (R U R' and the like and how to set up to that case, you'll be slower for a little while, but it kicks in really fast.

 

[h2f]

Yeah, felt like a success Problem was wings execution most probably, memo was solid. I'll keep practicing after this weekend comp. Maybe I should join Blind WC to force myself to practice a bit more.

It helps a lot to do WC. I like doing 4bld but 5bld is much harder. If didnt take part in WC I would never practice 5bld. I mean 3 solves per week is a kind of practice. After a year with it I feel much comfortable with 5bld. That's why Im going to start 6bld in WC - just to start regular tries of solves.

 

[SenorJuan]

Quote:R86:".... there is no hope of memorizing those 40-odd F2L algorithms without understanding how and why they work."
You may be surprised how easy they can be learnt - some have a nice order and symmetrical feel to them, some are fairly intuitive, which, as you say, does help; some are dead easy (4 of them, especially), and of course many are reflectional mirrors of another move, so learning one may help learn the other.
One downside is they only solve for the one 'slot', so you've got to rotate the cube a lot, or learn every algorithm in it's 'opposite corner' variant, too.
And they don't make use of empty slots, and they don't cater for situations where one of the pair is on the last (top) layer and the other is in a different slot. So you would need to know some of the sub-algs to sort out those cases. Which brings up 'intuitive' solving, where you will end up knowing lots of sub-algs, which you can combine to give some very flexible solutions, low in move-count, with few cube rotations.
I think knowing 'intuitive' slot-solving well, combined with some algorithms for difficult cases and clever tricks will be the ultimate slot-solving arsenal.

 

[Jason Green]

Question on thecubicle.us... have any of you had any extra slow orders, or any tips getting them moving? I placed my first order on the 19th. I asked a question about changing the order on the 20th via the webform, and never got a reply. The order went into preparing for shipment on the 22nd, but it has been there since. The website says orders that have been more than 3 days will have a "Bump" button, but I do not have one. I have also sent two follow up emails with the order number, but have not received a reply.

I know this is a great website and I really love it, but I'm experiencing some disappointment with my first order after being used to Amazon Prime! When I decided to order my stackmat I had it the next day with free delivery.

 

[Lid]

Did a semi-big Sq-1 session today:
number of times: 58/58
best time: 12.13, worst time: 28.41

best avg5: 17.46 (σ = 1.54) : 17.34, 15.99, (15.64), 19.06, (19.92)
best avg12: 18.95 (σ = 2.22) : 15.38, 19.41, 21.74[p], (22.64), 22.43[p], 20.41[p], 16.23, 19.21, 18.47[p], (12.13), 18.48, 17.71[p]
best avg50: 20.41 (σ = 2.21)
session avg: 20.52 (σ = 2.21)

27 were sub20 & 27 had parity. (12: 1, 15: 3, 16: 2, 17: 4, 18: 5, 19: 12, 20: 7, 21: 6, 22: 9, 23: 3, 24: 1, 25: 2, 26: 2, 28: 1, so all over but most 19s)

The 12.13 only had a CO skip, (3, -4) / (4, -2) / (2, -1) / (-5, -5) / (-3, 0) / (6, -1) / (-3, -3) / (-1, -4) / (4, 0) / (-4, 0) /

edit: on the cubicle, they seem have way too much to do atm, I suggest you try another store if you can, cubedepot is also good.

 

[h2f]

Lid, how fast can one be with this set of algs? http://www.kungfoomanchu.com/guides/andy-klise-square-1.pdf

 

[Jason Green]

Thanks Lid, I guess since I can't get a response to change the orders I'll just have to wait. Back in the 80's I think we called it patience or something... Not sure I never found it that useful.[emoji14]

 

[newtonbase]

2x2 AO12 PB 10.33. Was close to doing the same on 3x3 as well but I lost all ability to find pieces about 3 solves from the end. Pretty sure I spend around 10s looking for an edge piece on one solve.

 

[mark49152]

2x2 AO12 PB 10.33. Was close to doing the same on 3x3 as well but I lost all ability to find pieces about 3 solves from the end. Pretty sure I spend around 10s looking for an edge piece on one solve.

Do you have goals for Manchester?