Rubik's cubes?

Bob Jewett said:

No, not the member here who goes by a similar name. I'm talking about competitive cube solving. In some sense it is a competitor for cue sports in that it attracts the attention of very competitive young people. I bumped into the cube craze because a new student also competes in cubing. Personally, I haven't touched a cube since the middle 1980s.

It is startling how good people have gotten at it. If you take an average of 10 seconds in a competition (for a 3x3 cube) you won't make make the list of the top 1000, and you have to do one in less than 8 seconds to make the list of top 1000 single solvers.

Here is a list of the top 1000 personal times:

https://www.worldcubeassociation.or...ionId=&years=&show=1000+Persons&single=Single

Note that the association keeps track of great steaming piles of records. Note also how many competitions there are and how international they are.

Here is a kid solving a cube blindfolded (inspect position then blind when turning):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BX4iyprVi0

Technology: the fancy new cubes have magnets in them so they kind of lock into place when aligned.

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I always looked at the Rubik's cube as a tool that would benefit pool players greatly.

My personal best is 1 min 3 seconds...but I got lucky in the random mix that is generated by the speed cube timer app.
I solve the cube one layer at a time. I could shave off 20-30 seconds easily of I learned the F2L (first 2 layers) method, but that requires a bit more dedication and full immersion time than I care to invest at this point.

However, I try to solve the cube once a day...I keep one in my work truck and there's always one floating around the house...what I believe is that it massages that part of your brain that involves pattern recognition, problem solving, speed of decision, and subliminal recall...all aspects that are needed to play high level pool. When not on a table, if players were to just practice solving the cube, they are at least keeping that part of the brain active and ready to go the next time practice time rolls around.

That Felix Zemdegs is unbelievable as are the others with sub 10 sec times.

BRussell said:

I’m sorry but this is a really well-known thing among cubers and a very common topic on cube forums. Everyone says “I solved it once just by looking at it and flipping it” but the odds are way worse than winning the lottery. Whenever people are challenged on it their memory turns out to be wrong.



You could spend weeks, figure out some algorithms, write them all down, and basically invent your own method, like the person who invented it and the others who pioneered solving it. But you can’t just flip around, looking at it, and intuitively solve it (unless you take it apart or take the stickers off). It’s just too hard. I don’t want to say it’s impossible, because someone can win the lottery, but not multiple times...

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Bullshit I had more than one friend at LSMSA one was Jeffry Corolla who ended up at MIT and worked for google for a decade......I told him the same shit and mixed my cube up and threw it at him.....

Sob looks it over for about 30 seconds closes his dam eyes and did about 2 dozen turns and threw the completed cube back to me...

But.....I’ve never seen anyone so strong at math and coding like ol Jeff....I smoked him on the table and made more in our bet who’s food the kids would like more lol.....good and fast times with a bunch of strange kids not unlike myself lol


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Along the same computational lines,how long would it take to decode the Navajo language which saved our ass in war?

That's interesting. My puzzle solving consists of crytograms. Forces a person to work the brain which people my age need.

alstl said:

That's interesting. My puzzle solving consists of crytograms. Forces a person to work the brain which people my age need.

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I like cryptograms, too. Ken-Ken and Kakuro puzzles are also valuable tools for keeping the mind sharp. As you note, working the brain is critical.

A little different RC trick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcCAHHAAKkg

My twins can both do it in under 30 seconds. Doesn't matter how it's mixed up, patterns are the same either way. AS an 80s kid, It's pretty impressive to watch.

Andy
they must get it from their mom

Huh, now the darn things just solve themselves....

https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=aKw7Z_1538643602

What are you people talking about? Every Rubik’s cube I’ve ever seen was already solved. The again I suffer from achromatopsia. Maybe that’s why I like one pocket.