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 this is more like it 
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Posted on: Sat Jan 12, 2019 3:24 pm




Posts: 956
Location: Ukraine
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:03 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
I decided to check my assertion that I average 5 points a day from timed puzzles. The new point structure came into place on 21st January 2018. I copied my history into a spreadsheet and did an analysis of my timed puzzle results over the 356 days since then.

The results are as follows:

Size__Solved__Total Points__Bonus points

4x4___356______356__________0
5x5___355______368_________13
6x6___352______380_________28
8x8___348______664________316

Total__1411____1768________357

I averaged 4.97 points a day, pretty much in line with what I thought would be the case. I was surprised to see that there were 13 puzzles in total that I did not submit. I know a few of these were due to being kicked out when I accidentally hit the language icon in the middle of a puzzle and I think there was one day I forgot to do them until close to midnight and only had time to do the 4x4.

I appreciate that the above is too much information for most people, but I expect that the pattern of increasing number of bonus points with increasing size is pretty typical for those of us whose fingers just aren't nimble enough to compete with the speedsters.


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Posted on: Sat Jan 12, 2019 9:20 pm




Posts: 931
Location: Ladysmith, BC, Canada
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 1:37 am
Post Re: this is more like it
Interesting stats and, yes, you are right about the nimble fingers of the younger ones as they practice this skill (unknowingly) every day when they are using their cell phones.......my 74 year old arthritic ( due to the multiple times I Injured them) do not have the dexterity nor the muscle memory of the cell phone generation.....but one does keep on doing those timed puzzles in hopes that once in while everything will align perfectly so that we might get a great time......but I see the faster times are increasing and it will be more difficult in the future to get a bonus point or two!!


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Posted on: Sun Jan 13, 2019 9:05 am




Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2015 5:59 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
When I got my first cell phone, two years ago, I had already been doing these puzzles for two years, and my best time for a 4*4 was about 4,6 seconds.
I personally think that a cell phone doesn't improve puzzle skills, as people commonly only use their thumb(s) for their cell phones, while all fast solvers use at least 6 fingers for the puzzles.


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Posted on: Sun Jan 13, 2019 12:20 pm




Posts: 956
Location: Ukraine
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:03 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
rafaelhoukes wrote:
I personally think that a cell phone doesn't improve puzzle skills, as people commonly only use their thumb(s) for their cell phones, while all fast solvers use at least 6 fingers for the puzzles.


My problem is that I am very right hand dominant. When I was working, I would generally type my own letters and reports and I only ever used one or two fingers on my left hand. While I have a PC, I tend to mainly use my iPad to go online and I do most of the puzzles using my iPad. I've tried using the PC, but I tend to be slower, particularly on the timed puzzles where I'm trying to be as quick as possible.

I know I could possibly train myself to use the PC, but I have tried from time to time in the past and have given up in frustration as my left hand doesn't respond quickly enough to the frantic signals it's receiving from my brain, or worse still, fumbles and hits the wrong key. I'm also unsure as to what's the best technique when using a PC or laptop. I presume the number pad with the right hand and arrow keys with the left produces the fastest results?


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Posted on: Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:21 pm




Posts: 300
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:15 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
paulv66 wrote:
I know I could possibly train myself to use the PC, but I have tried from time to time in the past and have given up in frustration as my left hand doesn't respond quickly enough to the frantic signals it's receiving from my brain, or worse still, fumbles and hits the wrong key. I'm also unsure as to what's the best technique when using a PC or laptop. I presume the number pad with the right hand and arrow keys with the left produces the fastest results?

It seems that most folks use the right hand on the arrow keys and the left hand on the numbers above the 'querty', not using the number pad at all. In particular, the 4x4 and 5x5 are quicker that way. The only time I regularly get my fingers out of place is on the 8x8.

I'm definitely not the fastest solver - and I'm 48, fwiw - but I regularly have times in the top 25. when I was more point motivated and would solve timed puzzles on my phone I knew to expect just the one point for completing the puzzle as I found it to be much, much slower. That said, if you are committed to the iPad, you might try using one hand to highlight a cell and the other hand selecting the number value. I've only ever solved on a tough screen using one hand, but it might be faster using two,

Another idea would be to, for all but the 8x8, solve two using touch screen and two using the keyboard. And finally, you could open a 'training' account. That would mean solving more puzzles every day, but still let you solve with touch screen for 'real points' for paulv66 while gaining familiarity for the keyboard method as paulv99 or whatever.

One caveat/source of frustration that probably belongs in another thread - I find that while my times have improved over time, so have everyone else's. Years ago sheldolina, sneaklyfox, starling, pnm and several others were always faster. And now jpoos, anglewhite, angryclown, rafaelhoukes, pnm and several others are still always faster. :-) . It's just that at one point I was confident that a 1m time on a 6x6 was good for points, now I'm not certain that a 50s time will be. It's equal parts amusing and bemusing.

Good luck.


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Posted on: Sun Jan 13, 2019 9:24 pm




Posts: 931
Location: Ladysmith, BC, Canada
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 1:37 am
Post Re: this is more like it
I have tried my iPad but for some reason, when I tap on a number, it does not register and I have to retap again and other times I can retap and the device will not acknowledge the number I am trying to register........do not know why the device doesn't work sometimes at all, or sometimes will accept some inputs but not others........I keep my screen clean.........my wife has a miniiPad with a different screen and does respond most of the time to a number touch.....but it too, sometimes, won't accept a number touch......both are kept clean and powered up......both are about 9 years old......I don't know how long these devices are supposed to work properly 100% of the time........any info on this would be appreciated.....thank you


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Posted on: Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:20 pm




Posts: 956
Location: Ukraine
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:03 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
I tried using my PC today for the timed puzzles and my brain is totally scrambled. [confused] I guess I'm just so used to using my iPad that the signals from my brain to my fingers kept getting lost in translation. I eventually went back to the iPad for some of them and my average ranking for the 4x4 to 6x6 (compared to my previous efforts) was outside the top 1,000. I managed my 101st best time for the 8x8, but it's definitely going to take a lot of effort to retrain myself to use a PC instead of a touch screen.


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Posted on: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:33 pm




Posts: 931
Location: Ladysmith, BC, Canada
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 1:37 am
Post Re: this is more like it
On today' s 8x8 of the regular set of puzzles, I had a 7:12 and because it was not a timed puzzle was not motivated to go as fast as I could.......later, I did the 8x8 timed and got an 11 + min.... ...kinda funny how that worked out!!!


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Posted on: Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:39 pm




Posts: 956
Location: Ukraine
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:03 pm
Post Re: this is more like it
I seem to be on a roll with the 6x6. Two days ago, I had my 25th best time and made it into the top 25 for the first time in a while. Yesterday I had my best ever time (albeit only by .103 seconds) and was 20th in the listings.

Today, I smashed my previous best by over 10 seconds (from 65.359 to 53.621) and currently lie in 7th position. I'll probably fall out of the top 10 by the end of the day, but I'm very happy with that time, even though it only places me 130th in the all time rankings. [biggrin]


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Posted on: Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:34 pm




Posts: 931
Location: Ladysmith, BC, Canada
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 1:37 am
Post Re: this is more like it
Well, after that 11+ time on Tuesday, I have managed a 5:48 and a 5:55 on the last 2 days of the timed 8x8's.......my "good streak" will probably end soon but it has been a nice 2 days [biggrin] !!


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