I surprised Carolyn with a Valentine’s date this Friday. Obviously not on Valentine’s Day but then that would make it hard to be a surprise, ya know?
In any case, after much hemming and hawing and her trying to figure out what we were doing, we ended up at the Bearcats game vs. Providence. It was quite a good game. A real must win for our chances to make the NCAA Tournament, what with PC not being that good and the game being at home and all.
We led for most of the game, but the Friars went up by 7 midway through the 2nd half before we battled back to tie the score. With it being 64-64, we missed a shot with about 41 seconds left and they got the rebound. I knew they couldn’t take the last shot so no matter what we’d have a chance to tie, but they ended up missing with about 7-10 seconds left. There was a scramble for the rebound but it got tipped out to one of our guards, who took the ball all the way down the court 1 on 1 and was fouled with 3.7 seconds left. First free throw rattled around the rim, hit the backboard and went in. After they called time out, he swished the 2nd one to put us up 2. They drove all the way down court and shot a little floater from about 12 feet, and it went all the way around the rim before popping out. Great game.
And because I know you can’t go a day without knowing how I’m doing cubing, I set a new average record - just under 56 seconds, including a new individual record time of 42.50 seconds.
—– JNetCube Best Average for Sun Feb 19 16:44:28 GMT-05:00 2006 —–
Average: 55.99
Fastest Time: 42.50
Slowest Time: 1:07.02
Standard Deviation: 05.36
Individual Times:
1) 53.67 F’ L2 F2 R’ B’ F2 R’ D2 L’ D B F’ U2 R D F B2 U2 D F R’ U B2 D R’
2) 56.95 F’ R2 L2 F’ B’ U2 R B’ F2 U’ D2 F’ L’ D’ R’ L’ U2 B F’ R F’ R’ L B’ U2
3) 1:05.52 B2 L’ F’ U R2 U’ D L F’ L2 R’ F2 B L’ D’ L’ F D’ L2 B’ D U’ R L D
4) 1:00.09 F L R2 B’ U2 F’ L B’ L D’ L R2 U2 R F’ L D2 U2 R2 F U D’ L B’ D
5) 57.05 D L’ B’ D F’ L U’ L U’ F2 D’ B2 F’ U2 D2 F2 R2 D B D2 B2 R2 D L’ U’
6) 47.19 L R2 F’ U2 L2 F D U F2 L R’ B U’ B2 D2 U’ R’ U2 L2 F L2 F L’ F R
7) (1:07.02) F U R2 B2 D’ L U’ R’ U’ L’ U’ R’ B2 L’ U2 L’ B’ R D U F U2 R2 B2 D’
53.81 D U R2 D’ F D R’ F L2 R’ F L2 R D2 R D F’ U D’ B’ D’ U R2 U2 R
9) 1:00.86 R B U F R’ L2 B R2 U D’ F’ R B L’ F’ L’ B2 D’ L U R U L2 R2 U’
10) 49.92 U’ R2 F2 U2 D F’ U L’ U2 R B2 F D’ U’ B2 F’ D2 L’ U R F D’ U2 F D’
11) (42.50) F’ L2 B’ F2 R2 U’ L F D’ R’ F2 B2 L’ U R B F L U B2 F’ D2 R2 U2 R’
12) 54.89 F’ L2 U’ B’ D’ U R’ U’ L D’ F’ L2 F2 R’ L B2 F’ U’ R’ B’ F2 R L’ B’ U
Some more good Rubik’s times today. I had been right on the cusp of the sub-minute average for a day of two here. Times like 1:00.16 and such. Carolyn told me she still loved me, but I’m sure she didn’t love me quite as much as she would if I had a sub-minute Rubik’s cube average…
I cubed a bit more today, and got the average down to 1:00.05! Then a few bad ones and it started going back up a few seconds. But I persevered, and behold, eventually it bottomed out at 57.66 seconds for a 10 cube average. As always, 12 cubes are done, the slowest and fastest eliminated and the remaining 10 averaged.
—– JNetCube Best Average for Sat Feb 18 13:32:51 GMT-05:00 2006 —–
Average: 57.66
Fastest Time: 46.11
Slowest Time: 1:14.53
Standard Deviation: 06.00
Individual Times:
1) 56.67 R L2 D2 B’ U B2 D R2 U R’ F2 U’ L2 B’ U2 D B F R2 B’ F’ R’ D’ U2 R
2) 56.41 U2 B’ U B U2 D2 B R2 B U2 L2 U’ D2 F2 L2 D’ U’ L2 R D’ R’ B L2 B’ L2
3) 50.83 D’ F2 R’ U D’ B2 L’ R F U B U’ L2 U2 L2 U R’ U2 D2 L’ D’ L B2 D2 U’
4) 1:10.50 U2 B’ U B’ F2 L U D’ B R2 B2 L2 U’ D F B2 R’ U R’ U2 F2 B U’ L2 U
5) 49.50 R L B’ U R’ U D2 L’ D’ F L R2 B’ D’ B’ F2 R F B’ D2 B L’ B2 U L2
6) 1:00.67 F B’ U2 B’ F2 U D2 B2 F’ D2 B’ R2 D2 R2 B R2 U’ R L2 D’ F2 L’ R’ B D’
7) (1:14.53) R2 L B D2 F2 D B2 D L2 U2 D’ R’ D’ B2 D L B2 U2 B U L’ B F2 D U2
(46.11) F D R F B L2 F’ D2 F2 U D2 B2 F’ R D’ L R’ U’ L D B2 U B2 R’ L2
9) 54.56 F’ R U’ D2 F L2 F D’ L F2 R’ U2 R’ B’ F R2 B D2 B R’ D2 L2 F U2 F
10) 58.27 R U B U2 B D2 R’ L2 F2 L2 D2 U B R2 F L2 B2 D L B2 F2 U R2 U’ D2
11) 1:02.53 F L’ F L2 U F2 B R2 L2 D U2 R F D2 U L’ F’ R’ D F U2 B’ U2 L’ B2
12) 56.70 R D’ L’ F B2 L2 B’ L’ F2 B’ L D2 R2 L D’ U’ F L F’ D’ R’ U B L U
So I’m listening to the Q102 morning show again and another thing annoyed me. I know, I should just stop listening to it, and I do usually whenever there’s any good song on another station.
In any case, they’re talking about the Dick Cheney accidentally shooting someone the other day. And they’re just kind of briefly mentioning it, and talking about how crazy it is (which it is). And someone - I believe Jeff - says something to the effect of “Because yeah, when was the last time the Vice-President shot someone?” And they’re all like oh yeah never.
WHAT?!?!? You have the perfect segue into one of the coolest events of all time, being the duel between Vice President Aaron Burr and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1804, and you blow it!
After I heard that, the best comparison I could think of was that it’s like having the Helen Keller card in Apples to Apples and blowing it on Vincent Van Gogh. “Let’s see….the green apple card is blindness… Should I use Helen Keller… or maybe Chicago… Yeah, Chicago it is”
My friend Jim also compared it to the category being “Hmmmmm, the green apple card is “Novel about Hiding in an Attic… let’s go with Big Bang Theory”
Of course, then they redeemed themselves by playing the parody song “Cheney’s gotta gun“, which made it all better.
I’ve been lately working on speeding up my solving times for the first 2 layers, and also learning to solve it with the 2 layers on the bottom (with the final un-solved layer on top), which saves time since a) theoretically you can see the other cubes and do some look-ahead, though I’m not quite that good, and b) you don’t have to flip the cube over to solve the last layer, since it’s already on top.
Just set a new record, which I am posting here mostly because I don’t want to lose it should I want to have access to it at some other time / place
—– JNetCube Best Average for Wed Feb 08 22:16:51 GMT-05:00 2006 —–
Average: 48.62
Fastest Time: 31.69
Slowest Time: 1:10.84
Standard Deviation: 10.38
Individual Times:
1) 39.38 L F2 L’ B R2 F2 B R2 U2 L F’ L R2 B2 F2 L’ R U2 L’ D U2 F2 L2 D’ B
2) 55.91 U2 B2 U’ R B’ R’ U R L D’ U F U B2 D’ F2 R’ D2 B R2 B F D2 R’ D
3) 52.91 L2 U’ L2 R2 U R L’ B2 D2 U’ F2 B’ U’ R’ L2 D R L D L2 D L’ U F L
4) 38.31 R2 D’ B F L D2 R B2 U’ D’ L2 B’ U’ D L F U’ F’ D L’ D’ U’ B’ U2 D
5) (31.69) R’ L D2 R2 D2 R’ B R2 D2 R’ F D2 B’ L2 U’ B F2 L’ D U2 F2 L’ R U L2
6) 1:00.72 L’ D2 L’ B2 U B’ L2 R2 F’ U2 R F2 B2 R2 L’ D B’ R U’ D B U2 F’ B’ L
7) 1:07.02 U2 D’ R’ F2 D R F R L2 F’ L R2 D L2 B2 D U2 B2 F’ R’ D B D’ R2 U’
(1:10.84) D2 B’ D B F’ U2 R2 B2 F’ D’ F2 L2 R’ U2 B L’ R2 F’ R F’ U2 D2 B2 U B
9) 47.66 D2 U’ L2 R2 B’ F D2 B L R D2 L2 U2 D L F U’ B2 R2 D B2 U’ B U2 D
10) 47.75 U R U’ F’ U2 R’ U’ D’ F D2 B2 L R2 B U2 D B D’ U L R2 F U D B
11) 39.86 B2 F D B D F2 R L’ U2 L’ R’ B2 L D’ U B’ F2 U2 R U2 F L2 B’ F’ D’
12) 36.69 U2 D’ L2 R2 U D2 B2 D’ R U F2 D2 L F R’ U2 D’ R L2 D B2 D’ F B2 D2
Keep in mind that these are times for the first 2 layers only, so for the whole cube, add a good 20-30 seconds on top of them (at least)
Recently, I have awoken my passion for solving the Rubik’s Cube. This is something that I enjoyed as a kid (but never solved) and then started doing after I came back from my mission in 1997. I always wondered why knowing how to cube didn’t get me more chicks. If I was a chick I would certainly want someone who could solve the cube in under a minute :-).
In any case, I’ve found a pretty cool application called JNetCube. It will time your attempts and keep a running average. The “official” way to do a 10-cube average is to solve 12 cubes, and then drop the fastest and slowest times and average the other 10. When I started out a few days ago, my best average was 1 minute 26 seconds. I’ve since dropped that to 1:19.00. Here’s the details
—– JNetCube Best Average for Thu Feb 02 12:33:29 EST 2006 —–
Average: 1:19.00
Fastest Time: 1:06.33
Slowest Time: 1:33.52
Standard Deviation: 07.13
Individual Times:
1) 1:25.42 B F U D R L2 B’ D B2 D B F’ U’ L U R F B2 R U L2 F2 R2 B’ U2
2) 1:14.42 B’ D2 U B’ F’ R L’ D B’ U’ D L2 U’ B2 R’ U2 R’ F2 D’ R D’ R L U2 R2
3) 1:27.08 U D L2 D’ U’ B’ L2 B2 F’ R’ D2 R2 L2 B D’ F’ R2 D2 U2 B’ F2 R2 U’ D2 B’
4) 1:12.31 D’ B’ D2 U’ B’ D U B D’ R’ U’ B2 F R B F D2 U2 B’ L B’ L2 D2 F’ R2
5) (1:06.33) U’ R L2 F’ D R F D2 R’ F2 L’ F’ R U’ L’ F’ B2 D U F L’ F’ B’ L2 D’
6) 1:20.98 D2 B’ L2 U L R B2 L’ F2 D2 R’ D2 F’ D F’ L’ U2 D L2 B2 L R’ F R2 F’
7) 1:06.67 D’ B2 L R2 F’ U R2 U’ R’ F2 B R B F L B F D’ R B2 R D2 F B D2
(1:33.52) R2 U’ L2 R’ U2 B’ U2 L U’ R B’ L2 R2 B2 U2 R’ U’ D2 B D R’ B’ L’ D’ F’
9) 1:19.45 D U2 F’ B2 D2 B R2 F U’ D L U2 D B R F L’ B2 U L2 F’ L D’ R’ U’
10) 1:27.30 F’ L’ B2 U’ B’ R’ B2 U B’ U2 L F’ L’ D’ U’ R2 F2 B R’ D’ U’ R F R2 U’
11) 1:12.78 F2 D R L F’ D L’ D’ L’ D’ F’ R’ L2 U’ B R2 B’ U2 F2 R2 F R L U D2
12) 1:23.58 F L’ D2 U2 F2 L2 R’ F’ L2 B2 D2 U F R’ F L’ B’ F’ U F2 L R’ U’ B2 U2
You can see too it also keeps the scrambles. So my 1:06.33 time is my best individual time so far, so if you think you want a piece of me (and if you’re any good, you can clearly beat me), you just scramble it as indicated and you can see the same cube I did.
So last night was the President’s state of the union address. I’m not really going to comment on anything President Bush said, mostly because I didn’t watch most of it. I will say in preamble that although I voted Libertarian in the last election, I don’t really mind Bush, as opposed to many other people I know who seem to have a seething hatred for him.
In any case, the Bearcats played South Florida last night at 8 PM. (We won woohoo). It was actually somewhat of a big deal that we won since the team isn’t doing very good this year after Huggins was forced out and a bunch of people left / were kicked out / got hurt. We play like 7 players, and one of those is a walk-on football tight end. USF is in last place in the Big East and has not won a conference game, so if we had lost to them, we’d really be in a world of hurt. As it stands, we may not win another game this year.
In any case, I bring this up because the game was televised on the local Fox affiliate, and they actually showed it! As opposed to the State of the Union. Which ties right in to the 2 things I find most annoying about the SotU address.
- Everybody claps after every sentence
- It’s on every channel. I agree that it is an important thing, and should be aired. But nobody has trouble finding it! When the shows that I want to watch (and I don’t watch much TV) get pre-empted to show the same thing that is also on (no joke) 40 other channels, it’s annoying.
Anyways….