personal best

three sub-minute solves (on video)

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After achieving two sub-minute personal bests last week, I feared that they perhaps were flukes.  The off-camera aspect irked me, as well.  So, donning the GoPro, I gave it another shot last night and logged three sub-minute solves:

At 52, 58, and 58 seconds, these were the best 3 of 5 — after tossing out a sixth lucky solve (with OLL solving the cube completely).  I wound up with a 60.8 second 5-solve average.  I actually was on pace for a sub-50 solve when my F-II popped.  Bummer.  All three recorded solves were on a sticklerless Dayan Zhanchi.

Soundtrack by the John Coltrane Quartet (“Afro Blue” from Live at Birdland) — with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Jimmy Garrison, one of jazz’ all-time great lineups. Continue reading →

two sub-minute solves (personal bests)

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Lately, my morning routine at work (about 7:20-7:25) has me shaking off the cobwebs with a freshly-brewed dopio and a couple cube solves.  I haven’t timed myself in a couple weeks, as I’ve concentrated instead on more advanced techniques.  But, for some reason this morning, I decided to load cubetimer.com.  Suddenly, I logged my two personal bests:

I first logged a 52-second solve with a black Dayan Zhanchi, shaving a full 17 seconds of my previous record.  Then, pressing my luck, I logged a 58-second solve on a stickerless Dayan LunHui (my new favorite cube).

These were using the advanced cross technique about which I just wrote, but otherwise basic Beginner’s Method.  No F2L.

another 1:09 solve

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Sure is flat up here. I think they call these here parts plateaus. Another 1:09 solve following these two the other day. I have a couple 1:03s off-video, but 1:09 remains my on-video personal best.

Two 1:09 Solves

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So, I just recorded two 1:09 solves in a row using a GoPro HelmetCam that I borrowed from my company. These are among my fastest solves (I got a 1:03 the other day), and definitely my fastest recorded ones.

Apologies for the jarring difference in the soundtrack, with String Cheese Incident covering Weather Report’s “Birdland” on 9.5.03 for the first solve and Skrillex’ “Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites” for the second. I probably ought to have chosen from less extreme poles of my music collection when trying to find fast/anthemic/inspiration tunes.

REVISIONIST HISTORY: Although I posted this after my inaugural post, I’ve pre-dated it to keep things chronological.

steady progress

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Having never solved a cube before, I was STOKED to get an on-camera, cheat-sheet-free solve last week [link].  While I remain convinced that, on a percentage basis, only a small sliver of the population can even solve a cube — and an even smaller population learned well after their brain atrophied and petrified post-adolescence — the competitive part of me can’t help but want to improve my solve time.  There are more advanced and more efficient techniques out there, and I hope to tackle them at some point.  And certainly my mechanics can use some work.

The number one tip on every speed-solving site and tutorial is…PRACTICE!  And so I have practiced.  A lot.  Lo and behold, I’ve made remarkable progress.  Indeed, today’s 1:46 (my personal best) means that I’ve shaved 71% off that 6-minute first timed solve!

Here are videos capturing my progress:

2:30 (Dec 1)

1:58 (Dec 3)

1:46 (Dec 4)

While I take credit for most of the progress, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that migrating from a Rubik’s-branded cube to a more advanced speed cube made a difference.  These solves are on a white Dayan Zhanchi, which moves effortlessly, corners well, and does not lock-up.  No wonder it was Feliks’ cube of choice for that fateful, world record setting 5.66 second solve.

REVISIONIST HISTORY: Although I posted this after my inaugural post, I’ve pre-dated it to keep things chronological.