Are you a Speedcuber?

[Shah-Cuber]

Just wondering ... are there any Speedcubers on compsci?
Basically, a Speedcuber is a person who solves a Rubik's cube for time.
I have an official WCA profile, and have been to some competitions in the past.
Heres a link to my profile (Though grossly outdated >_>): http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/p.php?i=2008AMER02
If you are, the next competition, the Toronto Open Summer 2009 competition will be held on Saturday June 27th, 2009 at the Seneca Residence and Conference Centre, about the competition you can visit http://canadiancubing.com/Events.aspx?ID=14
Hope to see you there!

[[Gandalf]]

I can probably solve a Rubiks cube in a few days... maybe months? It's hard to say because I've never done it before. It is pretty impressive seeing people do those in under a minute.

[Analysis Mode]

wow, those are pretty good times. I do know someone who averages 17 on rubiks.

[Shah-Cuber]

Normally, that's what the human mind set is, however if one thinks about it and with the help of the world wide web, you realize that the problem can be viewed differently, and sometimes even the simplest techniques work. For example, normally people consider solving all 6 faces of the cube at the same time, but it is actually more efficient (disregarding optimal generated algorithms) to solve a cube in layers, and once the concept is understood, it is actually very easy and somewhat addicting. After a few attempts, one generally begins to time themselves, and see's huge improvements from what you considered before as "months" to simple seconds (up to one digit even ! (pro's only )). The most commonly used method is called the Fridrich method, which considers the same aspect of solving layers at a time, except, one solves two layers at once (following a sequence of simple steps) and the final layer, to a combination of approximately 120 algorithms, that might take a long time to memorize, but in the end, huge improvements can be seen. I hope that you see the Rubik's cube as more of a challenge to be discovered, rather than the intentional mind set of a somewhat "impossible" 3D puzzle
Try it for yourself, and you'll be amazed as what human beings can really accomplish

[Shah-Cuber]

@ Analysis Mode - There are a lot of other people who are better than i am, however, i have improved since those times, and can also achieve 18 second averages, and have a personal best time of 9.86 seconds The national record currently (single) is 9.44 seconds O____O

[Vermette]

I'm definitely not a speedcuber, but I can go fast enough to impress people at a party. I timed myself once at 1:15. I learned the Petrus method; don't really know any others.

I own a Professor's Cube as well; Haven't mastered the steps to reduce it to 3x3x3 so it still takes me +40min.

[Cyril]

Shahriar, if I went to TOS with you, I would humiliate you to no end. Imagine bringing a duck to a physics conference or something.

Cubing really isn't as mind-bending as it seems. When you watch a cuber, it seems like a mind-bending 3-D logic exercise, but after practice it reduces to memorizing silly algorithms and reflex observations- very little thinking is required. We don't actually think of cubes as cubes- rather, they are collections of different kinds of pieces (edges, vertices, centres, wings for bigger cubes, etc.) with different colours, which are permuted with algorithms that eventually become muscle memory. Getting fast is just a matter of practice.

[Clayton]

Cyril @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:50 pm wrote:

Getting fast is just a matter of practice.

And having a cube that doesn't stick or otherwise fall apart on you

[Analysis Mode]

Cyril @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:50 pm wrote:

Getting fast is just a matter of practice.

Sorry, but that's what she said!

[saltpro15]

zing!

[A.J]

I am pretty bad at solving the cube...

I started the Rubik Cube during my vacation last year. 7 days later, my best personal time was 48 seconds (I think).

After those 7 days of cubing I stopped altogether, not because I didn't want to cube anymore, but because of lack of cubes (I have been looking for them everywhere for some time now...). If I had cubed for more than 7 days (i.e. if I have been cubing since the time I stopped), I probably would have reached a good time, but you may never know...

[Cyril]

Analysis Mode @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:37 pm wrote:

Sorry, but that's what she said!

This is what all of the Woburnites did to me at Stage 2.

[ecookman]

lol i can solve it in about..hmmm lemme see....about 5 mins...using a screw driver....



but yea i can solve them...but it takes me forever

[Geniis]

I can solve a cube in about 1 - 2 mins, my best is 1:14 or sumthing like that... but thats cause i have a crappy dollar store rubiks cube that always sticks. I would definetly get into speedcubing if i ever got a good cube, i should get one lol

[Shah-Cuber]

Well, TOS is over, it was very fun, broke some of my personal best times, specifically on 3x3 and 5x5 ^_^
Just a heads up, to all people near Kitchener, the next competition, in around a month or so, is the C3 (Canadian Cubing Classic), hopefully i will see you all there