As with my coin collection, the new things I want are starting to get expensive. A gigaminx, an 8×8 or a 9×9, etc…In any event, I’m waiting to get a pair of new cubes in the mail. The first is a 3x3x5, which should prove to be pretty interesting. The other is another Dayan Zhanchi, but this time a stickerless one. I never was too fond of the stickerless design but I figured I’d test it out. These should arrive by Saturday. While the latter is merely another 3×3, I’m excited about the 3x3x5. Just after purchasing it, I saw that Cube 4 U also makes a shape-shifting 3x3x5. Wish I’d known that before!!!
Archive for the Cubing Category
Two New Cubes On The Way!
Posted in Cubing on November 28, 2012 by slatemanNew Cubing Record: 3×3 – 31.98!!!
Posted in Cubing, Cubing Records on November 19, 2012 by slatemanI’ve been doing well lately. I’ve had average-of-5 runs in the low 40s. Today, another generic 42-second solve and I thought to myself, “This is it…”
The cross was a lucky shot and my second layer just flowed perfectly. My last-layer solve was better-than-average but skipping my last step probably helped me achieve this mind-blowing 31.98 second solve!!! *ahem* HOLY SHIT! Oh Yeah! So psyched right now!!!
Curvy Copter Jumbling Algorithms
Posted in Algorithms, Blog, Cubing on November 5, 2012 by slateman
I solved the Curvy Copter with jumbling today and it just about destroyed my brain. I was so confused. I was swapping pieces everywhere. It was a mess. But, I finished. And I guess I’ll go down that path again sometime soon. When I do, I’d like to have some idea of what to do and where to go. Here are the jumbling algorithms from RedKB’s tutorial. Let’s see if these make any sense when I look back upon them!
Flip LL Middle Edges
JR JL F
Swap FL & RB (Change Top Back triangles)
R L JR F R L
Top Front Right triangle & RB triangle (top back triangles-same color)
R L JR F R L // F R F R (to cycle 3 triangles (FL/TFR/RB)
Top Left & Front Left triangles
L R J(up-right / back-left) (B?) R L
Thanks to qqwref for the last alg!
Curvy Copter Get!
Posted in Algorithms, Blog, Cubing on November 3, 2012 by slatemanWhen shopping for my newest cube purchase, I had a few things in mind. The first was the Rex Flower Cube, but upon inspection, it really just looked like a pretty Skewb. I like the colors and the patterns but the solution looked just like a Skewb and I never solve that puzzle. It’s pretty boring and not very challenging.
So, while I am also looking to get a 3x3x5 and start going down that path, I decided to forego those desires and grab the Curvy Copter. I checked out RedKB’s non-jumbling tutorial (jumbling here) and placed my order. Today it arrived and it’s a rather solid, fun puzzle. Like some other puzzles before it, this one took me a little bit to wrap my head around. It was hard to conceptualize what I wanted to do initially. However, once I started understanding it, the puzzle became quite fun, albeit somewhat easy.
Now, I need to graduate to jumbling to really start challenging myself. However, for now it’s a pretty cool new addition to the collection and I look forward to getting better. Some algorithms to help…
Edge switcher for weird cases: R L JR F R L
Easy edge 3 cycle: F R F R
Permute Corners CCW (FL=correct) R L B L B R B L B L
Permute Corners CW (FR=correct) L R B R B L B R B R
Orient Corners CCW (FL) F R B L x6
Orient Corners CW (FL) L B R F x6
UPDATES…..
Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Cubing, DoDon Pachi, Games, Godflesh, Personal, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, The Walking Dead, Yankees on November 2, 2012 by slatemanIt’s been a long time and a lot has happened. I’ve had some ups and downs these past few weeks but the good has been rather good. Let’s see…
First off, I’ll be getting a new cube any day now and I’m pretty psyched. It’s a cool one, it’s the curvy copter, and it’s a jumbling puzzle. It should be spectacular.
My Godflesh site turned 17 years old a few weeks ago. That’s insanely old.
Resident Evil 6 and Borderlands 2 – Making progress. Taking forever. Well worth the cashola.
I also picked up Street Fighter X Tekken as well for cheap. I’d played it several months ago and look forward to having it in my library!
The Yankees – I couldn’t even write about this. I still can’t.
The Walking Dead – both the game (episode 4) and show (episode 3) were solid. The game may have been a filler/connector episode and the show an introducer, but both were strong and make me yearn for more. Sadly the game’s sequel must wait quite a while.
Hurricane Sandy – :( So much destruction. :( :(
EPISODE VII!?!?!? I’ll post some thoughts on this soon. It may actually have a chance of being good. Four words – Pirates Of The Caribbean.
DoDonPachi: Maximum came out on the iPad and was on sale so I snatched that up. It’s kinda fun. It’s cool seeing the returning characters/stages/music and it is a pretty good challenge on later levels. I may pick up ESP Galuda II as well.
Enough for now?
New Cubing Record: 5×5 – 5:02.54! WOW!
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on October 11, 2012 by slateman
Wow. WOW! As I got to my last layer in under 4:50, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My record stood at over 6 minutes for almost a year. One solve last week bested it by 25 seconds; yesterday’s solve shaved another 6 seconds off. Did I just beat that record by 42 seconds?! OH YEAH! ShengShou 5×5 is a beast. My edge pairing must’ve been solid to do that much better! I wrote yesterday that a sub-5:30 solve was a lofty goal. Even that was destroyed! So psyched!
New Cubing Record: 5×5 – 5:44.76
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records with tags 5x5x5 on October 10, 2012 by slateman
With the bright lights at my desk at work, the quiet hum of the heater (it was 28 yesterday when I left for work) and the first real solitude in almost a month, I went at my former 5×5 record and managed to top it by 6 seconds! My ShengShou is now an awesome cube now that it’s broken in and I’d have to say it’s even better than my ShengShou 4×4. In any event, it’s another record which shows I’m improving. Centers were solved in 1:20 and the edges were done by just over 4 minutes. As I finished my cross and started F2L, I realized one set of edges was incomplete. That delayed me, meaning my record could’ve been another 10 seconds faster. I guess my new goal is 5:30. Awesome!
ShengShou 5×5 Get! New Record!
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records with tags 5x5x5 on October 2, 2012 by slateman
I managed to finally get myself a new 5×5, a ShengShou (I love my 4×4). Initial inspection left me underwhelmed, however, as it wasn’t that much larger than my Mini-YJ and the turning was adequate at best. Several solves later, I managed my first sub-6 minute run! It actually broke my record by 25 seconds! Not bad!! Exciting times!
Dayan Zhanchi Lubricated = MONSTER
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on September 21, 2012 by slateman
I tensioned my Zhanchi and it broke in rather quickly but it never felt as good as I had hoped. I’d seen reviews of this beast of a cube with outrageous corner cutting and sexy smooth turning. Mine was never quite as awesome as what I’d seen…and expected. Today, I grabbed some CRC silicon lubricant and took the thing apart.
What’s left behind is only the beastliest cube I’ve ever laid hands on. I tensioned it, as it needed some love there…but now it is a corner-cutting, slippery-smooth, soon-to-be record-breaking machine. And if that’s not enough hyphens for you, then know this…my record will be broken. Luck is partly involved…but a good run and my awesome Zhanchi together will make it happen. Just you wait!!!
Zhanchi Get! Oh, New Record Too!
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on September 9, 2012 by slateman
So, I’ve completed at least 50 solves with my new Dayan Zhanchi and I quite like it. It’s clearly the best cube I own but it does need lubing. It’s time to do some research because the cube is spectacular. In the process of testing it all out, I managed to break my record…by a bit. It’s actually .03 seconds faster than my record…but I will never complain! I was pretty psyched! Here’s a snap of the counter. Awesome!