Tweet
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
Acrostic, your stupidity has no limits.
Acrostic, your stupidity has no limits.
-
-
acrostic, many of us, when we started, thought those fast times were impossible and had to involve cheating. I promise that not only are those crazy-fast times for real, but they are completely reachable after you've practiced for a few months. Solving in under 10 seconds may take a few more months still, but honestly, it's all honest.
What takes the most time for most of us is recognizing the letter patterns, and that's something that you do faster with practice. Also, after a while, you may recognize a quote when it comes around again -- that helps a lot too.
But typing is the least of it. Most quotes involve typing no more than 20 letters -- 20 keystrokes -- and if you type fast, you can do that in a few seconds.
Have faith. It's real.Comment
-
I can't believe I spent time writing that last message!
Okay I just skimmed through this whole thread, and I saw that several people before me, in this very same thread, have already addressed the "must be cheating" idea from every possible perspective. There's even an excellent graph of how practice reduces speed.
acrostic, don't be a noodge. Read the whole thread. We are good people. Trust is a worthwhile experience.Comment
-
LLapp, you might be promising more than some of us can do. I've been playing for a very long time, and I promise you, I have NEVER yet solved a quote in 10 seconds or less!!Comment
-
Typically I'lI get about 10% solved under 20 seconds, with a number of 10 second solves, but I don't remember ever getting under 10. However, I may only break the top 20 for average time 3-4 times per year. That's because I hate to give up on solving a puzzle, even if it takes me 15 minutes or more. I begrudge no one their record times. I have maybe had a dozen, with my most recent in December.
Usually what I shoot for when I'm playing is to get 10 "very fast" solves within a half hour or so. I've done it in as few as 11 puzzles and as many as 25. That goes back to the past 24 months or so.
As others have said, the more you play, the easier it is to solve. It may take a couple of years, but I promise acrostic if they keep playing, they'll end up having a surfeit of "very fasts" to the point where someone is asking how they solve them so fast.
Edit: I just finished a session with 10 "very fasts". It took me 21 minutes and completed in 20 puzzles. That included the time for three comments. Of those 20 puzzles, 2 were solved sub 20. So it looks like my estimates are pretty close to what I'm actually doing.Comment
-
Really, Gryhnd, you're so fast, I thought you would have 10 seconds solves and less. I think I have two, ten second solves. I have never had one under 10 seconds, It doesn't seem likely to me that I ever will. LLapp is being very generous, and encouraging. Some people will solve in 10 seconds or less, most of us will do so rarely. We're here to have fun though, to make our own goals and to beat them.
Someday, hopefully soon, admin will add new puzzles, and we'll all get to be record setters.
Comment
-
Yeah.....maybe "under 10 seconds" was a bit more than can be promised. I like how oddcouple put it: "If they keep playing, they'll end up having a surfeit of 'very fasts' to the point where someone is asking how they solve them so fast."
I get under 10 seconds only once in a very great while, and only when I am "in the zone." But the fact that it happens at all for me is enough to show me how doable it is.Comment
-
Abra, I'm totally NOT fast.. I just keep plowing ahead, and do the best I can. And I agree with you that the whole purpose of playing is to have some fun at something you enjoy doing. I've been here long enough to be totally impressed and amazed by folks who seem to solve so easily and quickly, but I really think that it's just a function of how one's brain works....I can't do that soduku math stuff to save my life, but I have 3 sisters who are great at it..I play piano moderately well, and they just kept trying to do so. Doesn't make me any smarter or better than them. We just have different ways of "perceiving" stuff! And I really wish I could solve soduku/math puzzles!!Comment
-
gryhnd, sudoku isn't math, it's a logic puzzle using numbers for the symbols. I've seen them with letters instead. If you're good at logic puzzles, you should try it. Ken-ken and that other one where you have to make lines add up right, those are logic/math, and I'm hopeless at them.
All puzzles and games are good for keeping the mind sharp. We should play whatever games we like to keep new synapses forming.Comment
-
LLapp, I agree with you that scores under 10 seconds are possible. I would say that on most days I do get some times under 10, and my personal lowest time is 6 seconds, which I have also done on multiple occasions. I could do it a lot more, I think, if I did not worry about my success rate and just focus on speed, but sometimes I get stuck for a long time on a puzzle. and that slows my total time down.
Interestingly, though, I rarely set records on my fastest times. Most of my records seem to come on times in the teens. I am amazed that Nanrich and some others get times of 5 and 4 seconds.Comment
-
Those fast times are legit. I myself have actually beaten bansaisequoia a few (very few) times.Comment
-
A while back the site owner asked some of us faster solvers to record videos of our solves as a response to these questions. Here are the ones I submitted:
Comment
-
Altoid, thanks for posting those links! Fun to watch.Comment
-
Yes, Altoid, thanks for posting those. For someone who's a poor typist but moderately fast at cryptograms it was inspiring to see what the top players can do.Comment
-
I keep wondering about this
I just accidentally sent this to about 200 lad addresses. What do you suppose will happen?Comment
Comment