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.
solve
i’m on a boat. in a freefall. cubing.
I normally cube from the safety of my couch or bed. And, in those controlled environments, I’m still stuck at just over 1 minute. This guy pulled off a 35-second solve while free falling.
Goodonya, mate.
First Timed F2L Attempt
I’ve been learning more and more about F2L, as I explained in the tutorials I prepared. This video records my first timed solves using F2L. They come in at an average of 2:06 (2:12, 2:09, and 1:58).
At that speed, these are about a full minute slower than my fastest recorded beginner’s method solves. That slow-down from a new method is common, I understand. As I practice more, my guess it that I can get that down pretty quickly — and, if theory holds, below the 1:09 at which I’ve plateaued with the beginner’s method.
REVISIONIST HISTORY: Although I posted this after my inaugural post, I’ve pre-dated it to keep things chronological.
Two 1:09 Solves
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.
Out-Cubing the Bieber
Peruse YouTube for a couple minutes, and you’ll find hundreds of videos showcasing sub-20-second speedsolving. You may even stumble onto Feliks setting his 5.66 second world record. Crazy impressive on all sorts of differents levels. Good for him. Not the least bit of enmity or jealousy on my end.
But dig a little deeper and you’ll find, as I did, something more sinister: a clip of Justin Bieber on Spanish TV solving a cube in 1:26. While I find his music beyond abhorrent, I can at least appreciate that the kid has some singing and dancing talent. Good for you, Justin. But I simply could not allow myself to be out-cubed by the pretty-boy. Not competitive by nature, I succumbed to an unusual, embarrasing, almost preternatural drive to beat him. Then, after two weeks of further practice, I did:
(White Dayan Zhanchi, with tunes by Bassnectar.)
Take that, Biebs.
REVISIONIST HISTORY: Although I posted this after my inaugural post, I’ve pre-dated it to keep things chronological.
adventures in cubing 