I keep wondering about this..

[abra]

Well, now the real talents are beginning to show up.

I guess the pattern recognition must be more highly developed in those who extremely well here. I think mine is as developed as it's going to get.

I'm here because I love cryptograms and I'm hoping it will keep my brain from atrophying .

That power ring must be pretty cool though.

LLL, I am ipressed that you could do that at age 4.

[imported_Lurker]

I am Super-Map Woman

My superpower is an internal GPS. It isn't just that I don't get lost - ever - but I constantly see the world both at ground level and as if I was looking down from above. And I can home in on magnetic North within 10º. I've been doing it at least since I was 7, so this isn't a learned behavior.

My slightly less superpower is that, like most Leftys, I can read backward, upside down, mirror image, etc.

[momof7]

Let's hear it for lefties!

Hi!

I am also a lefty and I can read all the ways that you described.
I never knew that the two were linked.
I will have to check with my left handed hubby and my 2 left handed kids and my 2 lefty brothers-in-law and left handed sister-in-law.
I find this very interesting.

[abra]

Lurker the GPS thing is really interesting, as one who could get lost walking around the block, I find it really interesting.

I have never heard that about Lefties. My almost 6 year old grandson is a left handed, so I'm anxious to see, but he's not reading yet. He starts kindergarten this month.

[debzhaus]

Yes, the backward, upside-down, mirror reading may be something a lot of us have in common, as well as, I'd assume, rapid reading. Do any of you get in this awkward situation: you're at an opera or movie with subtitles, and you laugh instantly when a joke comes on the screen; then the rest of the room laughs a second or two later? It feels like showing off, but you either have to laugh quietly or not at all to avoid it.
P.S. Not a leftie!

[abra]

My husband, son and I are all right handed. Yesterday we tried and saw that we could all read pretty quickly upside down, didn't check backwards, or mirror reading. I'm pretty sure that backward writing would be very slow for me.

I did some research on line after I read what Lurker and Momof7 apparently this is really common for lefties. I don't know how I got to be this old without knowing that.

Debzhaus, I've always been a rapid reader. I'm not much of an intellectual thoght so I probably won't be reading subtitles at an opera or foreign movie though .

[Digirl28]

Also a lefty...

I, too, am left-handed. I am intrigued that so many of us are mirror readers! I learned how to mirror-write when I was in high school, not just print, but in cursive. I have always attributed my crypto abilities to my musical talents and love of mathematical patterns. Go figure!

[BETHWHITE]

Is a musician and and super fast typist.

Ok, I may be banned for saying this, but there's something wrong here. I'm a super fast typist and a pretty good game player. Now I know my browser is slow so I'll never be tops here, but 9 seconds, 11 seconds consistently? There's something wrong.

There's a Sudoku game I play where I can write down the puzzle, work it out at my leisure, and then go back, type in the puzzle number, and type out my previously worked-out answers. And guess what, I'd be in the Top 1 Percent of players at under 2 minutes or so

I don't advocate this, but the reason I first tried it out in the first place is, when I did the puzzle honestly, I'd always end up at the rear end of the timed players.

Just saying.....

Even if I had a God-given ability to stare at a puzzle and immediately come up with a solution in 1 or 2 seconds, then type the answer in 8 or 9 seconds without fail of a typo or any other thing, then hit "check it" and have my browser relate that info - in 9 or 11 seconds consistently?

Just saying.

[pootie49]

re "just saying"

First off, what are you "just saying?" Lets not beat around the bush here.
IF IF you are saying that Bansai cheats, well I can tell you that on a really good day
I can play at least 200 puzzles or more. Out of those by checking my recent games list
100 - 125 of them are under fifteen seconds, about 25-30 in the twenties and the others varying times mostly higher.

Altoid, has the ability to solve at the same rate as Bansai does, as do Debzhaus, Lurker, Ferryman, although they do not play as much as Bansai does.

So if you are saying that those of us who can solve on a consistent basis under fifteen seconds "cheat (just saying") well I can tell you I dont. And I would bet my life on none of the aforementioned players are cheating as well.
See if you play enough, like I used to and Bansai has for years, you simply begin to recognize the authors, the quotes themselves, the patterns.
If you want a reality check here, when the last batch of new quotes were added Bansai wasnt solving at a high rate lol he was just as stuck as we were, those of us who played for a hundred percent will be slower. He doesnt... he picks and chooses his puzzles. He is a freak in the best sense of the word and if people stop dissing the guy and start complimenting him instead well (violins play) what a world this would be huh?

Now that was based of course on the premise that "just saying" translates to he cheats.
If you would like to enlighten us further on "just saying", please do let us know. Also, you have, according to your profile solved 215 games it might be higher, the profiles are slow to update, therefore after only 215 puzzles, it really seems hard to believe doesnt it.
Now play 300,000 games and then come back and let us know, please.
K??
Thanks

PS: Oh yes and also he uses a Mac...and probably either Opera with Turbo or Safari.
Wayyyyyy faster than Firefox IE and Chrome. Wayyyy faster.
And he types fast and is a musician.

[bansaisequoia]

Staunch skeptic

No one can run a four-minute mile. I'm positive this is true, because I have never been able to run a mile in under 6 minutes. Roger Bannister is a fraud.

Just saying.....



No one has ever walked on the moon. I'm certain this is just a hoax because if I can't fly to the moon, no one else can. Neil Armstrong is a fraud.

Just saying.....



There's no such thing as a talk show host. I have never been one, so, in all likelihood, no one else has. Also, reliable sources say that Stephen Colbert is not a very fast online Sudoku solver. There you have it.

Just saying.....

[pevans01]

OMG!!!

I knew she loved you like a brother Joseph but I wouldn't want to be on her bad side!!! Until just recently I thought you were a woman (for no apparent reason) until she said she loved you like a little brother. Also, pootie is right...you are awesome...I've admired your ability from afar for a long time. From a hunt and peck (me) to the magic fingers...Giuseppe la salute!!!

[imported_Lurker]

Well said, Bansai. And remind me not to get on Pootie's bad side.

I'm also on a Safari-running MacBook. I'm told that automatically chops off two or three seconds from your average, all things being equal.

Even though it's comparing apples & oranges, Beth, I do sudoku online, too. I work them in the paper, then input it online to make sure I was right. Honestly, it takes you 2 minutes to type in the numbers? Reading off the paper? We're not talking touch-typing. The numbers are in a row at the top of the keyboard.

Just sayin'...

[yzarc]

gniyas tsuj- ?tahw yas

rafa morf uoy derimda evah osla i ,iasnab og ot yaw ,retsaf si iasnab sala tub ,sevlos dnoces 51 lareves nettog evah i ,evlos dnoces 9 a teg em tel t'now sitirhtra ym dna (regnif eno)gnipyt ym dab oot ,ti ta gnikool yb tsuj elzzup a evlos nac i sey s.p

crazy .selzzup fo tol a evlos ,nuf evah neht llit ,iasnab ot ezigolopa dna gnorw erew uoy taht ezilaer lliw uoy yllautneve dna teem reve lliw uoy elpoep tsetaerg eht fo emos era yeht taht ezilaer lliw uoy dna ereh srebmem eht wonk ot teg ,etihWhteB ,esaelp ,etis siht tuoba evol i sgniht eht fo eno si taht ,tuo rehto hcae pleh osla ew tub ,rehto hcae tsniaga etepmoc ew ,srebmem rehto pleh ot htiw elbuort dah uoy taht etouq a tsop lliw oot uoy yad eno ,gnillup riah dna gnissuc eht diova srehto pleh ot ,gnivlos emit drah a dah yeht taht setouq detsop evah srebmem emos .detimil emit gniyalp ym dna ,esrow gnitteg ylno si sitirhtra ym ,retsaf yna teg reven lliw eno rof ,i .elzzup eht evlos uoy pleh yletaidemmi lliw ti erehw rettel tsrif eht tup dna ykcul teg semitemos lliw uoy sey dna snrettap drow ,srohtua eht ezingocer ot trats lliw uoy ,emoceb lliw uoy retsaf eht yalp uoy erom eht .dedda erew selzzup wen nehw shtnom eht ,snoitpecxe wef a htiw ,htnom retfa htnom retsaf teg yeht taht eciton lliw uoy ,deeps rof snobbir ro seihport deviecer evah taht esoht ,moor yhport srebmem eht ni kool uoy fi .sevlesmeht dnefed ot ecnahc a srebmem eht gnivig ton ,elzzup a fo noitces stnemmoc eht ni yltsenoh gniyalp ton ro gnitaehc fo srebmem esucca tsuj elpoep tsom ,murof eht ni ti gnitsop rof uoy dualppa tsum i ,uoy gnihsarht srebmem eht fo daetsni trap dennab gnitteg eht rof gnihsiw era uoy won yb sseug i ,etihWhteB iH

[imported_Lurker]

Typer Shark

LOL. You mean players have been using it to brush up on their typing skills? No wonder I'm having so much trouble staying in the top 10 in speed! Maybe I should start playing it.

[pevans01]

For about 30 or more seconds, I tried to solve this like a regular puzzle on paper before I figured it out!!! Mama Mia!!!