This is good. I was beginning to think I had lost it. Only 1 piece was solved after the scramble. All were solved when I opened my eyes.
L U' B2 L' D R2 U F R U2 F' U2 R U2 L' D' R' F' D2 L2 B' L' D B' L
I am not stressing as much about when to transition from and to M2/D2 and F Perm. I get an idea before starting, but then think about it as I go.
Showing posts with label BLD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BLD. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Back In The Groove? I Hope So.
Eyes Closed First Try Solve!!! I didn't take notes, and I started with edges. When I got to the end of the edges it dawned on me that I had learned a wrong letter. It shouldn't be BAR, it should be BAO. I don't know why I thought O was R in the first place, but I'm glad I caught my mistake during the solve. It was good to get it. I used my black stickered Z cube. I really like the way it feels as I twist and turn it. I think Alex called it squishy. It fits.
Monday, September 11, 2017
2 Weeks???
Has it been that long since I did an Eyes Closed Solve on my first try? Yesterday I had another fail on the first try. This morning I got it right.
I'm thinking about going back to using only the F Perm on the corners and M2 as much as possible on the edges. But on this last solve look how much jumping back and forth there was on the edges. Maybe I should go back to using only the F Perm for awhile until I am good at it again. I dunno.
Well, I tried another solve and again messed up on the first try. On the second try I just did the corners then checked, and checked several times through the edges. No messups, but lots of looking at it to make sure I hadn't messed up. Sheesh.
I'm thinking about going back to using only the F Perm on the corners and M2 as much as possible on the edges. But on this last solve look how much jumping back and forth there was on the edges. Maybe I should go back to using only the F Perm for awhile until I am good at it again. I dunno.
Well, I tried another solve and again messed up on the first try. On the second try I just did the corners then checked, and checked several times through the edges. No messups, but lots of looking at it to make sure I hadn't messed up. Sheesh.
I have put the Tangram Cube away. And until I get confirmation that Josiah still wants to learn the Mirror Blocks, I am not solving it like I was every day. I am determined to get back to being able to solve the cube Eyes Closed on the first try consistently.
Plus I want to start learning OLL for the 2x2x2.
It is a little later in the day. I finally solved one first try start to finish eyes closed! It was less to remember and twist though as three of the top corners only needed to be twisted. Here is the scramble:
L F' L B' L' F' R F' L U R2 B2 L2 D' L' U' L D F' U2 L D2 B' D L
It is a little later in the day. I finally solved one first try start to finish eyes closed! It was less to remember and twist though as three of the top corners only needed to be twisted. Here is the scramble:
L F' L B' L' F' R F' L U R2 B2 L2 D' L' U' L D F' U2 L D2 B' D L
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Another ECS Fail and Another Tangram Cube Pattern and Twisting Corners
First the bad news. On my first attempt at an ECS today I ended up with the back two layers solved and the front layer scrambled somewhat. I think what happened from the looks of it, and what was supposed to happen, is that in the M2 stage somewhere I forgot to F' once.
So now I've entered it in the spreadsheet and will give it another try.
August 8, 2017
I gave it that nother try this morning first thing. Weird thing. When I opened my eyes it was all solved except one layer was 90° out. No idea.
Ha! I did it again with the same result. Only this time I figured out where I messed up. So obvious! On the last A I failed to put A back at the end by doing U.
By the way, let's talk about twisting corners. I used to for a long time twist two corners with RU'R' F'U'F D F'UF RUR' D'. And for awhile I used The Move x 6 with D's here and there. Actually if 3 corners need to twist this is probably my favorite way. Then with Roark I used The Move x 2 F The Unmove x 2 F'. But now I am using a method that I've known about for a long time but never used much. RUR'URU2R' L'U'LU'L'U2L.
So now I've entered it in the spreadsheet and will give it another try.
August 8, 2017
I gave it that nother try this morning first thing. Weird thing. When I opened my eyes it was all solved except one layer was 90° out. No idea.
Ha! I did it again with the same result. Only this time I figured out where I messed up. So obvious! On the last A I failed to put A back at the end by doing U.
By the way, let's talk about twisting corners. I used to for a long time twist two corners with RU'R' F'U'F D F'UF RUR' D'. And for awhile I used The Move x 6 with D's here and there. Actually if 3 corners need to twist this is probably my favorite way. Then with Roark I used The Move x 2 F The Unmove x 2 F'. But now I am using a method that I've known about for a long time but never used much. RUR'URU2R' L'U'LU'L'U2L.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Practice Practice Practice
Just did an eyes closed solve. I got confused the first time through and forgot at least one of the steps. It was a mess when I opened my eyes. Tried again, writing it out this time in the spreadsheet. Well, I just wrote the letters, even though I had sentences for part of it. During the solve my mind wandered some and I thought maybe I had skipped something but when I opened my eyes it was all solved. Phew.
The Tangram Cube is still fun and has my interest. I try to solve it once a day at least.
The Mirror Blocks Cube lessons with Josiah started last Monday. We got through the intro and the first step in solving it. I should solve it at least once a day too. I got some stickers for mine and am going to get a new one and more stickers. For now my old one is naked so I don't solve it by color, just by shape. That's OK, since that is where I need the most practice anyway.
I also gave the Lidbeck family a bunch of my puzzles. Skewb, Square-1, Super Square-1, Snakes, Magic, Pyraminx, the Tower thingy with all the shades of different colors of balls, and maybe more.
The Tangram Cube is still fun and has my interest. I try to solve it once a day at least.
The Mirror Blocks Cube lessons with Josiah started last Monday. We got through the intro and the first step in solving it. I should solve it at least once a day too. I got some stickers for mine and am going to get a new one and more stickers. For now my old one is naked so I don't solve it by color, just by shape. That's OK, since that is where I need the most practice anyway.
I also gave the Lidbeck family a bunch of my puzzles. Skewb, Square-1, Super Square-1, Snakes, Magic, Pyraminx, the Tower thingy with all the shades of different colors of balls, and maybe more.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Finally! What A Pain That One Was
I tried lots of times on this one. At one point I did it wrong the same way twice in a row. I never knew where exactly I was messing up. Even after writing it out I messed up. I went through it slowly and carefully with my eyes open and got it so I knew the steps were correct.
Maybe I need more practice.
September 2, 2017
Yesterday on our way to town we made up sentences for a cube and I almost solved it. I had forgotten to complete a cycle which meant I was one edge swap and one corner swap short of complete, and an edge was flipped. I had used B when it should have been O. So for the second half of the edges I had to make a new sentence. With these adjustments I was able to solve it start to finish eyes closed while Marae was in the market.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Tangram Cube Solution Quandary
Before getting to the Tangram Cube a note about Eyes Closed Solving. I tried today and the first attempt I was a little off but thought I knew the problem, so I tried again on another cube that had the same scramble. Ended up even worse. Well, I put the same scramble on the two cubes so I could try again. Only one problem. The same scramble had different results. In other words, today I couldn't even scramble a cube accurately! (August 29, 2017. First thing this morning I got up, reviewed the puzzle a minute, closed my eyes, and solved it successfully. Yes!)
Now to the Tangram Cube! So in trying to do the solve again without notes today I discovered some new algorithms. For example, Step 5. Orient the 3 little edges. (J A J' R) x 2 A L A L flips K1 and YP. This is a simpler algorithm than the first one I came up with. I have replaced the former one in my solution post of a couple days ago. (August 30, 2017. Found an even better way today to flip K1 and YP! L R L R L A L A.)
Then I was just experimenting a little and found another better way to cycle 3 centers. I say better because it just uses The Move x 3 then another The Move x 3. So it only uses 24 moves instead of 28. But I'm not sure I quite have it figured out. And if I want to cycle backwards do I want to use 48 moves or do I want to learn the backwards cycle? Neither! I found a setup move that let's me cycle backwards. So here is what I have ended up with. I will revise the Solution post accordingly.
(J A J' A) x 3 (W L W' L) x 3 cycles Bottom > Back > Right
The setup move W' R W swaps the centers on the right and back so the cycle is reversed.
Now to the Tangram Cube! So in trying to do the solve again without notes today I discovered some new algorithms. For example, Step 5. Orient the 3 little edges. (J A J' R) x 2 A L A L flips K1 and YP. This is a simpler algorithm than the first one I came up with. I have replaced the former one in my solution post of a couple days ago. (August 30, 2017. Found an even better way today to flip K1 and YP! L R L R L A L A.)
Then I was just experimenting a little and found another better way to cycle 3 centers. I say better because it just uses The Move x 3 then another The Move x 3. So it only uses 24 moves instead of 28. But I'm not sure I quite have it figured out. And if I want to cycle backwards do I want to use 48 moves or do I want to learn the backwards cycle? Neither! I found a setup move that let's me cycle backwards. So here is what I have ended up with. I will revise the Solution post accordingly.
(J A J' A) x 3 (W L W' L) x 3 cycles Bottom > Back > Right
The setup move W' R W swaps the centers on the right and back so the cycle is reversed.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Thursday Friday Saturday
Last Wednesday during my lunch break at SCOE I did an ECS (eyes closed solve). Then I got the Tangram Cube in the mail after work. No more ECS for the next few days. I was busy figuring out the Tangram Cube. Yesterday I posted the solution strategy I worked out. So today, Sunday, I picked up a scrambled 3x3x3, studied it, closed my eyes, and solved. Fun!
I have a date with Brandy and Josiah to do puzzles next Saturday afternoon. Living the good life.
Today also I was fiddling with the Tangram Cube and stumbled upon a pattern.
I have a date with Brandy and Josiah to do puzzles next Saturday afternoon. Living the good life.
Today also I was fiddling with the Tangram Cube and stumbled upon a pattern.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Forgot Last Sentence
At the end I forgot the last sentence and did H 2 L instead of 2 W L. Resulted in a 3-cycle. Oh, and then I used C instead of D. I said D but moved to C. Dumb.
Used the Z Cube and went very slowly and deliberately.
Let's see if we can get it right this time.
Used the Z Cube and went very slowly and deliberately.
Let's see if we can get it right this time.
Using the Rubik's Cube I got it. But it wasn't easy. When I got to the corners I had to stop and think hard to recall the sentence. What helped was remembering the corners, not the words.
Monday, August 21, 2017
No Sentences, No Notes, No Speed
My first attempt in a while to solve it without having taken any notes. I got 7 of the 12 edges and all of the corners right. I am trying to figure out how I did what I did.
The first two used M2. The next 4 F Perm. The last 6 used M2. Part of the mystery is solved. 2 of the 5 bad ones are flipped. I went to 2 when I should have gone to R. In trying to figure out the other errant 3 pieces I'm at a loss. I guess I'll just try it again and see if I can get it. Only be very careful about what I'm doing.
Well, I had to come up with a different string of letters and I just tried to remember the letters instead of making sentences. Somewhere along the way I think I made a mistake and I tried to fix it and continue. When it was all said and done the thing was a mess. Not totally scrambled. Needed an edge 3-cycle and a couple edges flipped. And the corners were pretty messed.
I guess I'll try again.
I finally got it. Here was my key to success. Go slow. Extremely slow. And hold the cube in such a way that there is no possibility of layers moving other than the one intended. And don't do the double layer moves. Edge F when using the F Perm is the only one I like to use it with. For what it is worth I did all solve attempts with the Zanchi. Oh, here is the scramble.
R D' R B' L' B' R' D' R' U' F' L' F D L B2 D L2 U2 L2 U D
And for what it is worth, I am no longer interested in trying to develop any speed cubing techniques. I like to move at a slow pace. Maybe if Josiah can master the white cross in 8 moves or less every time then I will point him in the direction of F2L videos. I don't know.
The first two used M2. The next 4 F Perm. The last 6 used M2. Part of the mystery is solved. 2 of the 5 bad ones are flipped. I went to 2 when I should have gone to R. In trying to figure out the other errant 3 pieces I'm at a loss. I guess I'll just try it again and see if I can get it. Only be very careful about what I'm doing.
Well, I had to come up with a different string of letters and I just tried to remember the letters instead of making sentences. Somewhere along the way I think I made a mistake and I tried to fix it and continue. When it was all said and done the thing was a mess. Not totally scrambled. Needed an edge 3-cycle and a couple edges flipped. And the corners were pretty messed.
I guess I'll try again.
I finally got it. Here was my key to success. Go slow. Extremely slow. And hold the cube in such a way that there is no possibility of layers moving other than the one intended. And don't do the double layer moves. Edge F when using the F Perm is the only one I like to use it with. For what it is worth I did all solve attempts with the Zanchi. Oh, here is the scramble.
R D' R B' L' B' R' D' R' U' F' L' F D L B2 D L2 U2 L2 U D
And for what it is worth, I am no longer interested in trying to develop any speed cubing techniques. I like to move at a slow pace. Maybe if Josiah can master the white cross in 8 moves or less every time then I will point him in the direction of F2L videos. I don't know.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Trying To Refine Setup Moves
I got an idea how I could do setup moves for the F Perm better when going to A. Move the L layer with the M layer. I did a lot of thinking and hesitating during the solve and possibly messed up the corner twist. Anyway my first attempt ended up badly. I decided to work through the whole thing with my eyes open carefully seeing how the new moves looked and felt. Then I did the whole thing eyes closed and got it.
The eyes closed solve took about 9 minutes. I want to try again with a different cube and see if I can do it faster now. The first solve was with the Z Cube. Now let's see how I do speeding things up with the Rubik's Cube. 6 minutes. The Rubik's Cube is probably the slowest cube I have.
I didn't time this next solve, and I did not rush it. But it seemed to go fast. ECS2F solved. I've been using 1 as want or wan'. 1A sounds a lot like wanna. :D
I didn't time this next solve, and I did not rush it. But it seemed to go fast. ECS2F solved. I've been using 1 as want or wan'. 1A sounds a lot like wanna. :D
On the way to the Ernsts' this evening for a small group social, I made sentences for another scramble. When we got home I reviewed the notes I had jotted down on the way to town then solved it ECS2F.
D' B2 R' D' L' U' F R2 D' L B' U2 R D2 F' U L' U L B'
Notes:
Every 1
G V I 2 S L-x P O
UP
H 2
A J P F-x
twist 1&3
Saturday, August 19, 2017
What A Mess!
I don't know where I went wrong but when I opened my eyes it was a mess! And red was in front. Maybe I started with red in front and that was why it was a mess. Nope. I checked. So I have no idea. And this was my second attempt. :(
So I worked through it slowly and carefully and even opened my eyes throughout the solve to make sure all was well, and I got it. But then I tried again ECS2F and it was a mess again! I am going to try again! I want to solve this bugger!!!
Although it is 95 degrees outside I decided to go up the hill a ways to try it. Finally! I got it. ECS2F.
Although it is 95 degrees outside I decided to go up the hill a ways to try it. Finally! I got it. ECS2F.
Friday, August 18, 2017
More Fun With My Eyes Closed
The first scramble I tried today with eyes closed ended in a bit of a mess on the first attempt. Then I worked through it bit by bit to make sure the analysis was correct and it was. So I tried again start to finish and got it. Used M2, D2, F Perm, edge flip, and corner 3-cycle. Whew.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Yes! First Try Start to Finish Eyes Closed M2 D2 F Perm
Look at how much jumping back and forth there was on this one.
Just like I did at Raymond's when I was first solving using only the F Perm, this time I narrated out loud what I was doing. Setup, swap, put it back, set up, swap, put it back,... I think it helped keep me on track and focused.
Got another one in today this evening. I didn't do the out loud thing, but took it slow and easy.
Got another one in today this evening. I didn't do the out loud thing, but took it slow and easy.
R B2 R' B' U L' F R D L U2 F2 L2 F' D L2 D F' D R2
Henry Uses: F Perm
4 Yams: M2
1 Squash: F Perm
Bud Rejoices In Elohim: M2
Jesus Understands: D2
Alex Serves 4 Doughnuts: F Perm
1 Person: D2
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Starting Over—Kind Of
After convincing myself that I could use my method to solve a cube with my eyes closed consistently, I decided to take a look see at how others really do it. I checked out NoahCubes@Cubing World on YouTube. It was thorough. Very. His corner method was similar to mine only used less setup moves because he uses a different PLL permutation. His edges method is M2, and from what I gather it is a popular method these days. M2 has pros and cons. The pro is that the move M2 is the swap algorithm! The cons are the complicated cases and the end game if there is parity.
I was pretty excited about a one twist swapper so tried to use M2 when it was easy, and my F Perm when M2 wouldn't work. And the parity issue? I'll just deal with it like I always have. And it works! I modified his M2 method a bit so it works with BD as the buffer and UF as the target. That way I have the same buffer for both M2 and F Perm.
I got to thinking. Why can't you do the same thing with corners? Why can't you use D2 as a swapper to get as many corners as possible? And so with DRB as the buffer I use DLF as the target when using D2. I tried it last night and it worked!
There are some gotchas that came up along the way. As long as I do an even number of M2 or D2 before switching to the F Perm I'm ok. So sometimes I have to use the F Perm to make the number of preceding M2s or D2s even.
Why complicate matters by using three different swappers instead of just one? Because two of them are so quick and easy!!!!!
After working through a scramble seeing what it would look like if I started with Corners, then what it would look like if I started with Edges, then trying to come up with a memorization system that would help me remember when to do M2 or D2 and when to use the F Perm, oh my, what a pain. I decided to take a break and go do some yardwork. While doing yard work it all became clear. When using the F Perm algo I use Food sentences. When using either M2 or D2 I use Jesus talk. Here is how it worked out.
I was pretty excited about a one twist swapper so tried to use M2 when it was easy, and my F Perm when M2 wouldn't work. And the parity issue? I'll just deal with it like I always have. And it works! I modified his M2 method a bit so it works with BD as the buffer and UF as the target. That way I have the same buffer for both M2 and F Perm.
I got to thinking. Why can't you do the same thing with corners? Why can't you use D2 as a swapper to get as many corners as possible? And so with DRB as the buffer I use DLF as the target when using D2. I tried it last night and it worked!
There are some gotchas that came up along the way. As long as I do an even number of M2 or D2 before switching to the F Perm I'm ok. So sometimes I have to use the F Perm to make the number of preceding M2s or D2s even.
Why complicate matters by using three different swappers instead of just one? Because two of them are so quick and easy!!!!!
After working through a scramble seeing what it would look like if I started with Corners, then what it would look like if I started with Edges, then trying to come up with a memorization system that would help me remember when to do M2 or D2 and when to use the F Perm, oh my, what a pain. I decided to take a break and go do some yardwork. While doing yard work it all became clear. When using the F Perm algo I use Food sentences. When using either M2 or D2 I use Jesus talk. Here is how it worked out.
The first attempt I messed up and I didn't have a solve at the end. The second attempt I kept opening my eyes to make sure all was well. It was. Maybe I'll try again with another cube and see if I can get it start to finish with closed eyes.
Here is a breakdown of how many moves it takes me to solve each piece. Each word stands for a piece of the cube.
The ones that use the F Perm algorithm
Joe 23
Knows 25
Ethan 21
Uses 23
Rice 27
Henry 23
Steams 29
The ones that use M2 or D2
M2 for edges
Yahweh 7
God 7
Loves 7
Others 7
Christ 1
Victorious 7
D2 for corners
God 15
Is 9
Patient 7
And 17
Jesus 9
Forgives 7
So altogether I saved over 200 twists by using M2 for edges and D2 for corners whenever possible.
Here is a breakdown of how many moves it takes me to solve each piece. Each word stands for a piece of the cube.
The ones that use the F Perm algorithm
Joe 23
Knows 25
Ethan 21
Uses 23
Rice 27
Henry 23
Steams 29
The ones that use M2 or D2
M2 for edges
Yahweh 7
God 7
Loves 7
Others 7
Christ 1
Victorious 7
D2 for corners
God 15
Is 9
Patient 7
And 17
Jesus 9
Forgives 7
So altogether I saved over 200 twists by using M2 for edges and D2 for corners whenever possible.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Popular BLD vs My BLD
Last night one thing led to another as they often do when researching online and I decided to really see how other people solve the cube without looking. NoahCubes on the Cubing World channel has a 5 video series on the subject. I'm on video 3. He is showing the Old Pochmann method. My method is based on the basic idea Pochmann used, at least partly, so the basic method is the same, but the implementation is way different. When I got started I knew only one algorithm that swaps a pair of corners and a pair of edges. So that is the algorithm I went with. I found a way to make it work for both corners and edges. Today I looked it up to see if my swapping algorithm has one of those Perm names. Yep. It is an F Perm algorithm. www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/PLL#F_Permutation is the page I found it on.
Too bad I didn't learn more of those PLL algorithms. The one NoahCubes shows has a definite advantage over mine. Setup moves for corners take either 1 or 2 moves. That is because the target is isolated from the other 3 pieces in the double swap. R, F, and D can all be used freely without disturbing the 3. My F Perm swapper is no longer than the algorithm he uses, but he has the advantage in setup move count. On the other hand I'm not so comfortable using D and I don't have to use it at all in my setups. And three series of moves that drive my setup move count up are R U Ri, R Ui Ri, and R U2 Ri. Those are pretty quick and easy to do. I also use L in my setup moves sometimes. Counting each of the above 3 sequences as 1 move instead of 3 moves here's how my setup moves break down: 3 take only 1 move; 10 take only 2 moves; 5 take 3 moves; 2 take 4 moves. I guess it isn't as bad as I thought.
I just finished video 3 of 5 in the series. He told about M2 for solving the edges. At first it seemed so simple and quick. Wow! But then it got crazy requiring some complicated thinking and knowledge of Y Perm or something like that. He has talked a lot about T Perm and Y Perm and J Perm. What are those? J Perm. To swap A and D corners and A and D edges use a J Perm algo. But in BLD you modify it slightly so you are swapping corners A and S. T Perm swaps corners A and D, and edges B and D. See the T? Y Perm swaps A and C corners, and A and D edges. There you have it. I do not plan to ever learn any of these algorithms.
He also used the nasty P word—parity. My method may not be as fast for speed solvers, but it is way more simple and straightforward. You pretty much just plug along using the same one algorithm for both corners and edges. The only thing is if you do an odd number of swaps in the first part you have to start with the front piece instead of the back piece when planning out the solve because it will be in the back when you get to that point in the solve.
I wonder though if I could use a combination of M2 and my method? Use M2 until it gets crazy then jump to my method. Is that possible? Rather than try it out immediately I went on to video 4, in which Noah talks about his memorization system. He uses letter pairs. Visual letter pairs and audio letter pairs. He goes into great detail. I might try to incorporate some of this. I think the visual images could be confusing to me because how do I know the order? So I might use audio for the whole solve instead of one for corners and the other for edges. He does not make sentences like I have been doing. I have already started using letter pairs and even 3 letters to form a single word, even before watching his video. With mine I have made things up on the fly though. He has a consistent set of words for each letter pair. In video 5 he gives tips on how to get sub 2. It builds on already being comfortable with the technique he taught in the previous videos. I don't plan to use it, so I will not be watching 5 at this time. I would like to see what others have to say about BLD though. I watched a couple other guys. Evidently there are a lot of memorization techniques. Mine works for me. I've been gravitating toward joining letters into a single word anyway.
Now I guess the only thing is to see if I could incorporate M2 at all.
Too bad I didn't learn more of those PLL algorithms. The one NoahCubes shows has a definite advantage over mine. Setup moves for corners take either 1 or 2 moves. That is because the target is isolated from the other 3 pieces in the double swap. R, F, and D can all be used freely without disturbing the 3. My F Perm swapper is no longer than the algorithm he uses, but he has the advantage in setup move count. On the other hand I'm not so comfortable using D and I don't have to use it at all in my setups. And three series of moves that drive my setup move count up are R U Ri, R Ui Ri, and R U2 Ri. Those are pretty quick and easy to do. I also use L in my setup moves sometimes. Counting each of the above 3 sequences as 1 move instead of 3 moves here's how my setup moves break down: 3 take only 1 move; 10 take only 2 moves; 5 take 3 moves; 2 take 4 moves. I guess it isn't as bad as I thought.
I just finished video 3 of 5 in the series. He told about M2 for solving the edges. At first it seemed so simple and quick. Wow! But then it got crazy requiring some complicated thinking and knowledge of Y Perm or something like that. He has talked a lot about T Perm and Y Perm and J Perm. What are those? J Perm. To swap A and D corners and A and D edges use a J Perm algo. But in BLD you modify it slightly so you are swapping corners A and S. T Perm swaps corners A and D, and edges B and D. See the T? Y Perm swaps A and C corners, and A and D edges. There you have it. I do not plan to ever learn any of these algorithms.
He also used the nasty P word—parity. My method may not be as fast for speed solvers, but it is way more simple and straightforward. You pretty much just plug along using the same one algorithm for both corners and edges. The only thing is if you do an odd number of swaps in the first part you have to start with the front piece instead of the back piece when planning out the solve because it will be in the back when you get to that point in the solve.
I wonder though if I could use a combination of M2 and my method? Use M2 until it gets crazy then jump to my method. Is that possible? Rather than try it out immediately I went on to video 4, in which Noah talks about his memorization system. He uses letter pairs. Visual letter pairs and audio letter pairs. He goes into great detail. I might try to incorporate some of this. I think the visual images could be confusing to me because how do I know the order? So I might use audio for the whole solve instead of one for corners and the other for edges. He does not make sentences like I have been doing. I have already started using letter pairs and even 3 letters to form a single word, even before watching his video. With mine I have made things up on the fly though. He has a consistent set of words for each letter pair. In video 5 he gives tips on how to get sub 2. It builds on already being comfortable with the technique he taught in the previous videos. I don't plan to use it, so I will not be watching 5 at this time. I would like to see what others have to say about BLD though. I watched a couple other guys. Evidently there are a lot of memorization techniques. Mine works for me. I've been gravitating toward joining letters into a single word anyway.
Now I guess the only thing is to see if I could incorporate M2 at all.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Three Easy Solves. All In My Head.
I put the scramble on four cubes determined to do it without notes. If I failed on the first I'd go right to the second. This one was easy though. If they were all this easy I would consider going for 2 scrambles on 2 cubes consecutively. Close my eyes, solve one, put it down, solve the next, then open my eyes.
Today's solve used
Steve Picked 1 Cake And Ice cream
for the corners. One corner was solved to start with.
Then for the edges
Dan Ate Only Large Helpings Proclaimed Joe Vehemently
followed by a 3-cycle and a flip of two edges. The 3-cycle was simple and the flipped edges were both on front. Easy peasy.
The scramble: checkerboard then U L2 D' R B' L F' D2 F2 D L' D' L' D2 R F2 D' R2 B U
And another. All in my head.
B2 D F U2 L F L' U L' F' L R2 D F R F D' U' B F D B L2 R' U' B2 U2 F' D2 L2
2 B Forgiven AHA
twist 3 corners
Then edges
King Fred Got Very Proud In Every Open Revolt LAP
It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be memorable. :)
The third solve:
4 Every Free Offer U 1 2 did the corners. Pretty easy.
O R 1 A Pretty Face? Just 4 Vic Ethan. Then flip I and 3.
Is this the first time I've done 3 solves in a row without messing up? Maybe. For sure without notes.
Today's solve used
Steve Picked 1 Cake And Ice cream
for the corners. One corner was solved to start with.
Then for the edges
Dan Ate Only Large Helpings Proclaimed Joe Vehemently
followed by a 3-cycle and a flip of two edges. The 3-cycle was simple and the flipped edges were both on front. Easy peasy.
The scramble: checkerboard then U L2 D' R B' L F' D2 F2 D L' D' L' D2 R F2 D' R2 B U
And another. All in my head.
B2 D F U2 L F L' U L' F' L R2 D F R F D' U' B F D B L2 R' U' B2 U2 F' D2 L2
2 B Forgiven AHA
twist 3 corners
Then edges
King Fred Got Very Proud In Every Open Revolt LAP
It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be memorable. :)
The third solve:
4 Every Free Offer U 1 2 did the corners. Pretty easy.
O R 1 A Pretty Face? Just 4 Vic Ethan. Then flip I and 3.
Is this the first time I've done 3 solves in a row without messing up? Maybe. For sure without notes.
A Tough Solve. Four Cubes Discussed.
This scramble was really difficult for me to solve. I messed up originally because I mixed up a couple words. I changed the story a little to make it easier to recall. This one started with an edge 3-cycle which was quite easy and solved 3 of the edges right off. Then I went to the corners. But I tacked on an edge sentence as if it was a corner sentence. I tried to backtrack but messed up somehow and gave up. This morning I reviewed the story again and successfully solved it on the new Duncan cube.
Of my 4 cubes the Duncan is my least favorite. I'm not sure if it is the stickers, or the lightness of the puzzle, or what. You would think I have a favorite of my other 3 but I don't. There is something about the Rubik's Cube with tiles that appeals to me even though it is sort of clunky and noisy. The carbon fiber Dreampark cube has a nice feel. And now that I have lubed the Zanchi I really like the way it feels. I don't like the way it looks as much as the other 3, but I like the absence of stickers when solving. I like the looks of the Dreampark cube except the light has to be right to distinguish the colors. So I guess I do not have one perfect cube. Does one exist? Probably not. Maybe I should pose the question online somewhere and see what others say.
| B2 D U F' D U B' F2 L F' R D2 L2 B' F' D2 L2 R2 B D' F D U B D' U' F' D' B' R | |||||
| cycle edges | L to S to C | ||||
| Corners | |||||
| I | Paul | Lengtat | |||
| Owe | Him | All | 2 | ||
| Edges | |||||
| A | Great | 1 | Be | Yeshua | |
| King | Eternal | ||||
| 2 (to) | Verily | Die | |||
Of my 4 cubes the Duncan is my least favorite. I'm not sure if it is the stickers, or the lightness of the puzzle, or what. You would think I have a favorite of my other 3 but I don't. There is something about the Rubik's Cube with tiles that appeals to me even though it is sort of clunky and noisy. The carbon fiber Dreampark cube has a nice feel. And now that I have lubed the Zanchi I really like the way it feels. I don't like the way it looks as much as the other 3, but I like the absence of stickers when solving. I like the looks of the Dreampark cube except the light has to be right to distinguish the colors. So I guess I do not have one perfect cube. Does one exist? Probably not. Maybe I should pose the question online somewhere and see what others say.
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