Older cubers discussions

[newtonbase]

Nice looking timer @JohnnyReggae. Well done.

At my 4th attempt doing quicker 4 cube MBLD and I finally got more than 1 cube solved. Also fastest by far. 3/4 in 17:55. 2 different errors made but both on cube 3. Much happier with this.

 

[openseas]

I built my own Stackmat timer display ... @Jayanth .... posted a tutorial for a DIY timer display on the forums a while back. I figured, why not give it a go.

https://jayanth-rajakumar.github.io/ledmat/

Wow, awesome!
I guess the next step will be using Bluetooth to transfer the data into the phone?

 

[JanW]

It also shows some great potential in the making, I'm a little jealous. I've kinda given up on full CN, though I will still go opposite neutral once in a blue moon if white looks annoying.

Thanks! Why given up? I was absolutely hopeless at anything but a white cross 6 months ago. Like really, would have taken me on average at least twice as long to solve on blue or green. That was before I had solved at all with the other crosses. I can't see how you could be in any worse position than I was back then. Once I started solving other crosses, it took quite a while to get used to it, but it seems doable.

Same conclusions here, from the moment I got a GTS2M it's been hard to go back to a non magnetic cube, doubly so for blind.

I ordered my first magnetic cube last week, a GTS2M. I'm carefully hoping I would get it in time for Christmas, but not counting on it. I've never tried a magnetized cube yet, let's see if it also instantly obsoletes all my other dear cubes.

 

[pglewis]

A classic example of regression to the mean! (Although with cubing I usually find that it's an issue with maintaining concentration rather than luckiness/unluckiness

I love that I sometimes still think I can "cherry pick" for a good average even though I should know better

Thanks! Why given up? I was absolutely hopeless at anything but a white cross 6 months ago. Like really, would have taken me on average at least twice as long to solve on blue or green. That was before I had solved at all with the other crosses. I can't see how you could be in any worse position than I was back then. Once I started solving other crosses, it took quite a while to get used to it, but it seems doable.

I'm sure I could eventually get used to it with lots of practice but it's more a "bang for the buck" thing. I'm already okay with opposite neutral-- probably 3-5 seconds slower on yellow but that could easily improve with focused attention-- and that improves my chances of a better cross quite a bit. The bottleneck for me is inspection time, if I could evaluate up to 6 crosses I'd probably rather put that effort into looking deeper into inspection for x-cross and practice tracking first pair.

 

[muchacho]

Reached 60000 timed solves, if I've improved it must be like 0.1 or 0.2 seconds at most.


OH on the other hand bring better news, new PB single: 17.984 (was 18.920 from a few weeks ago)

9089 08-dic-2017 14:52:08 00:17.984 R2 B2 L2 D2 R2 L2 U R2 F2 U' F2 R' U R U2 F' L' F' U2 F D
z2
Lw' B L' U L' z2
Lw M U' M' Lw' U' Lw U M Lw U Lw'
U2 L' U2 y R U2 R' U2 R' U2 y R
M U M' U M' U2 M2 U' M' U2 M' U2
39 STM
2.17 TPS

 

[mark49152]

Grzegorz, I see you registered at GLS Final but no results?

 

[pglewis]

I ordered my first magnetic cube last week, a GTS2M. I'm carefully hoping I would get it in time for Christmas, but not counting on it. I've never tried a magnetized cube yet, let's see if it also instantly obsoletes all my other dear cubes.

I have a pair I try to keep setup close to the same, this is the longest I've stuck to one "main". It's still the only magnetic 3x3 I've used but I haven't had much urge to go experimenting. I think I'd like slightly weaker magnets for my taste but when they're clean and DNM-37'd they suit me well.

QC on magnet adhesive may be a bit dodgy from the reports but it's not completely chronic. I stackmat and drop 'em on my mat as a matter of course and both have taken tumbles I had to watch in slow motion horror, but not a loose magnet yet and I probably deserve to have a rattle by now.

TANSTAAFL: Slices are out of balance with other face turns, with more magnets resisting and less magnet mass. It's not awful and the added stability still far outweighs this downside for me. But it is the single thing I DO like when I pick up a non-magnetic one now.

 

[JanW]

I very much look forward to receiving my first magnetized cube. Trying not to push my expectations too high though, which I assume could easily happen given how much they have been hyped around here the past year.

Today I again felt like I need something new to fiddle with and ordered a stickerless QiYi WuJi. Don't know much about larger cubes, but it seemed like a decent choice. Hope I don't regret it. I also considered getting a Megaminx, but about those I really don't know anything. If I want one, what would be a good choice for first Megaminx?

 

[Shaky Hands]

I also considered getting a Megaminx, but about those I really don't know anything. If I want one, what would be a good choice for first Megaminx?

X-Man Galaxy. Well worth a try. A lot of good solvers use this and it's not significantly more expensive than less popular models.

 

[JanW]

X-Man Galaxy. Well worth a try. A lot of good solvers use this and it's not significantly more expensive than less popular models.

I see a QiYi Galaxy. Is it the same puzzle?

 

[Shaky Hands]

@JanW - yes.

 

[pglewis]

3x3: I'm down to 5 OLLs I haven't selected algs for: 3 dots and 2 I's. A good half-dozen are still new, slow, and have a recall delay and there are another 4 or 5 where the execution is reasonably solid but recog and AUF still needs work. I switched two G-perms to RUD versions and those are starting to come around now. I definitely prefer them execution-wise, just need to finish breaking my old AUF and recall habits. I did the same thing with one of my R-perms a few months back and it's one of my fastest PLLs now. I shaved a half second off my best Ao12 in a session last week but overall averages are still wildly all over the map, of course. My best singles, however... got another mid 19 last night, 17.72 the night before. Sub 20 singles aren't quite a daily occurrence just yet but may be close. A year ago it was a similar story, just move the barrier to 30 seconds, so I'm hoping a year from now sup-20s are a disappointment.

3bld: Still haven't done a full blind attempt since Sept . I am doing sighted blind drills every few days so I don't let my execution and speffz recognition get rusty but I should get on a the ball with full attempts, 2018 is fast approaching and I plan to hit the first reasonably close comp that pops up holding 3bld. Primary goal of a PB is about as easy as it gets with my 9:45 out there lol. More aggressively I would kinda like to be flirting with under 5 mins consistently by then.

mbld: So far I've managed a 2/2 once and a 2/3 once, back when I was in regular practice. Very far from being in comp shape for an official attempt of any sort at the moment. Personal goal is an official 6 cube attempt by the end of next year, I have work to do.

 

[h2f]

Grzegorz, I see you registered at GLS Final but no results?

I had to stay at home. Although I've registered for big bldes I could be on Satruday and to these events. And yesterday it showed I have to stay home.

 

[pglewis]

My penchant for RUD algs reminded me of a finger-trick I've adopted that I don't think I've seen anywhere before. The one exception to flowing RUD algs for me is whenever there is a D2, I've never come up with a serviceable double-flick for D2. I've avoided algs with D2s where possible but still have a couple in my Ab alg, which I now execute with my left ring finger reaching across the back face to RBD and doing the U2 in one single motion, starting with the RBD corner in the crease of my ring finger's first knuckle and ending with my ring finger flat, fingernail side against the bottom of the L face and pointing at me.

It's a bit of a reach, which induces a delay, but easily beats all my attempts at double-flicks thus far. Obviously mirrors to the right ring finger reaching to LBD, I just use left for Ab because of how the grip works out. Also no reason it couldn't be done with index finger for U2 but I've never really employed it there. Counting the reach delay it probably works out the same as my double-flick U2 though the actual movement, once started that way, is a little quicker for me.

 

[Selkie]

Well my 3x3 PB average of 5 has held for over a year but a lot of concentrated practice on 3x3 since Weston-super-Mare Open. I think I might be able to call myself sub 15 which has been a life goal in cubing as most sessions in last couple of days are <15s and I guess globally I am about 14.8.

As for what I have been working on:-

• Cross to F2L transition - BLD cross practice, predicting corners and easier pairs
• Slower F2L - My F2L is a lot slower than it was 2 weeks ago but with fewer pauses and fewer U U U2 U!
• Solving to back slots first where possible

Helped with an easy X-Cross and a PLL skip but here is the PB average:-

Average of 5: 12.18
1. 11.31 F' L2 D2 U2 F D2 B' D2 F' D2 L' R F' D2 R U' L U B D2
2. (14.50) L' D2 F2 D2 L U2 L B2 L U2 L2 U' L B U L F2 D' L B F2
3. 13.09 U2 F2 U2 B2 R2 B2 D L2 B2 D' R' D' B' U B2 L D B R2 F R'
4. (10.55) R D2 R' B2 R B2 R' U2 B2 L R F L D L U' L U2 R2 D' F2
5. 12.14 U2 L2 B D2 B' R2 B' D2 U2 B R2 U L U2 F' U R B' L U

 

[One Wheel]

My penchant for RUD algs reminded me of a finger-trick I've adopted that I don't think I've seen anywhere before. The one exception to flowing RUD algs for me is whenever there is a D2, I've never come up with a serviceable double-flick for D2. I've avoided algs with D2s where possible but still have a couple in my Ab alg, which I now execute with my left ring finger reaching across the back face to RBD and doing the U2 in one single motion, starting with the RBD corner in the crease of my ring finger's first knuckle and ending with my ring finger flat, fingernail side against the bottom of the L face and pointing at me.

It's a bit of a reach, which induces a delay, but easily beats all my attempts at double-flicks thus far. Obviously mirrors to the right ring finger reaching to LBD, I just use left for Ab because of how the grip works out. Also no reason it couldn't be done with index finger for U2 but I've never really employed it there. Counting the reach delay it probably works out the same as my double-flick U2 though the actual movement, once started that way, is a little quicker for me.

I'll need to work on that. I've found myself doing the index finger U2 version of that since experimenting with ZZ, but my LL algs are in muscle memory with a double flick so I really only do it during F2L and AUF.

 

[Lid]

Got a random 4x4 a5 PB today 55.680, (50.553), 1:01.825, (1:09.820), 51.898 -> 56.468 (=-0.091)

3x3 is also getting better but no new PBs there. (And I'm still too lazy to film anything ;p)

 

[pglewis]

Well my 3x3 PB average of 5 has held for over a year but a lot of concentrated practice on 3x3 since Weston-super-Mare Open. I think I might be able to call myself sub 15 which has been a life goal in cubing as most sessions in last couple of days are <15s and I guess globally I am about 14.8.

You are among my top, great 3x3 hopes for the old men! Ron is still super active and Gilles made an appearance at World's this year. Never know when lightning might strike for @Lid, @Logiqx, @Jason Green, or @Brest just to name a few, too. Sub-10 or bust!

I'll need to work on that. I've found myself doing the index finger U2 version of that since experimenting with ZZ, but my LL algs are in muscle memory with a double flick so I really only do it during F2L and AUF.

Yeah, I have double-flick in muscle memory for U2 and I'm not sure the other way would be any faster. For the D2s, though, it was immediately at least as fast as my awkward double-flick attempts and quickly became natural enough to be faster for me.

 

[phreaker]

I'll need to work on that. I've found myself doing the index finger U2 version of that since experimenting with ZZ, but my LL algs are in muscle memory with a double flick so I really only do it during F2L and AUF.

How are you liking ZZ?

 

[One Wheel]

How are you liking ZZ?

I like the theory very much, the practice is harder. I've not even gotten close to mastering EOLine, and certainly no extra algs learned toward ZBLL or anything like that. Since most of what I do is big cubes I'm not sure it's entirely worth making the switch, but once I have a foot cube with my crazy color scheme again the improved ergonomics of ZZ F2L might be worth it, and I do like the idea of learning ZZ-CT just for feet. Once I know it for my feet I may just do it with my hands too.