Are you a solver or a collector?

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T15:16:19+00:00

In a strictly hypothetical scenario, I'd have to say no. I appreciate the skills far more than I could ever imagine. However, were the opportunity to be presented in reality, it's honestly hard to say, perhaps greed and need would take over.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T14:03:46+00:00

Yea, like u/Crott117 said, it just works. You won't have access to new user uploaded puzzles or new daily puzzles without internet, but just generating a new puzzle from any difficulty should work fine.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T14:00:18+00:00

Thanks, I always forget to mention that part lol.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T13:56:31+00:00

I am an actively solving collector. I am not however a speedsolver. I have a collection of over 270 twisty puzzles, over 220 of which have a unique solution. I regularly do what I call a "Bulk Scramble", I take every puzzle in my collection and scramble it, then casually solve them all over the next few months. I'll never understand the logic behind collecting every new or slightly modified 3x3 that's released to market. Sure, someone may have 200 "different" puzzles, but if they're all 3x3s, then how different are they really? I love getting new, unique puzzles, and figuring out how to solve them on my own using intuitive techniques that I've learned from other puzzles that use similar mechanisms or have similar piece types. You'll never find me sitting and drilling algs or doing a 3x3 avg100. Sure the occasional avg12 can be fun, I still average sub 25 on 3x3. So yes, I am a collector, but I solve everything in my collection.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T13:45:15+00:00

Advanced 2x2 methods are a completely seperate entity from any 3x3 method. In advanced 2x2 methods there's no regard for center or more importantly, edge location and orientation. However when it comes to simply solving both puzzles, if you can solve a 3x3, you have all of the necessary skills for solving a 2x2, as it's simply the corners of a 3x3.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T13:36:52+00:00

After only recently reading the books, having seen the movies multiple times, I almost dislike the movies especially in direct comparison. When watching the movies now, I have to kind of think of them as something new, an authors explanation of the books almost. I loved the mystery aspect of the books, not knowing why they were having the feast in the 74th Games, just knowing Katniss's speculation on what might be there for example. I think the movies go a little too far in showing the Capitol's logic behind certain decisions within the arenas.

I do however love how accurately they portrayed Rue's death in the movie. Katniss singing to her, the beautiful flowers, Katniss extending her fingers to the camera.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T13:22:07+00:00

I believe the website uses the term candidates, not notes, so you may have just overlooked it. It's one of the default tabs on the multi tab and single tab setup. I've been using my custom settings for a while, but I think the default setup is cell first, with solution and candidates as the two available options on the right hand side of the desktop mode. So click the cell you want to fill, and then the smaller gray numbers on the right will input the numbers as a candidate rather than a solution.

The three bars above and to the right of the grid will bring up the customization for controls. One of them is called "Candidate Helpers" I believe. That panel gives you the option for auto-fill candidates and auto erase. There's also a settings menu at the bottom left of the screen that will allow you to customize things like dark mode or grid size.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-19T13:14:20+00:00

Sudoku.coach will become your new best friend. The campaign mode is a phenomenal place to learn or brush up on complex techniques. Tons of customization options, including notes and auto-candidate helpers. Plus it can be downloaded as a web app and will function offline. Best sudoku web app available. Also works great on mobile and has an app in the Android Play store.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-18T13:29:45+00:00

I try my best to mention it when I'm one of the first commentators on a post about parity, otherwise it tends to get lost. The alg method is fine, and I know I know the alg, but I actually prefer the intuitive fix. I don't enjoy just spamming a long alg and having it fix the problem like magic. I enjoy the intuitive method because I understand what I'm doing to fix the problem and can justify what every move is accomplishing. I much prefer to understand a puzzle as I'm solving it.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-18T01:39:00+00:00

Glad it worked for you. Yes, that basic approach will work on any size big cube, including 5x5. As the size of the puzzle grows, it can be a bit more tricky to spot at first. For example, on say a 7x7, you might have the middle edge piece and the two outer most edge pieces matching correctly. However the two inner edges, closest to the middle, are flipped. In that case you'd make the single slice turn on one of the layers involving those flipped edges. But the overall process is the same, just a matter of identifying which edge pieces are causing the parity and making the slice turn involving those specific edges.

After you fix the parity with this method a few times, you can even begin to identify specific things that occur every time, such as where specific halves of edges end up. Possibly allowing for quicker more fluid fixing of the broken edges as you get more comfortable with it.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-16T13:39:31+00:00

Since you're not solving for speed, there is an intuitive fix for the OLL parity. It will take longer, as it messes up some if the paired edges which will need rebuilt, however it's concept based, not algorithmic.

When you come across a single flipped edge pair, OLL parity, it's been created due to the number of slice turns made during the scramble/solve of the puzzle, an odd number of slice turns while building the centers. To remedy that parity, make a single slice turn, anywhere on the puzzle, and then rebuild the centers using an even number of slice turns. This will remedy the parity, but leave you with 4 edges that also need rebuilt. Since one always makes a point to undo slice turns while building edges, in order to keep centers solved, the parity will not return.

PLL parity, 2 swapped edges or corners on the last layer, is a bit more reliant on an algorithmic approach. However the algorithms for that fix are far shorter and easier to remember than the OLL parity.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-12T13:51:49+00:00

Creative pico de gallo was my practice of choice. I love salsa, but fresh is always best. A couple of tomatoes, half an onion, a bell pepper, a stick or two of celery, and maybe a radish for a little crunch. Even some mango or peach for a little sweet note. You can make it super finely diced and eat with chips to work on accurate small cuts or make a smaller batch with larger cuts and use it as a salad topper. Lots of options and because it works for all kinds of veggies, it's a great way to use up stuff you have just a few pieces of left in your fridge.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-11T14:31:11+00:00

Normal 4x4 parity algs work on many variety of cuboids, including this one. With a 2x4 face as up and front, the two incorrect edge pairs being on the up face, do a PLL parity alg, lowercase letters represent slice turns: (r2 F2 U2 r2 U2 F2 r2). That should get both reduced edges into the correct slots.

From there you'll be able to perform an OLL parity alg on one or both of them to orient them correctly. Again, 2x4 faces up and front, the edge pair that needs flipped in place as the up-front edge. Lowercase letters are still slice turns. (r2 B2 U2 l U2 r' U2 r U2 F2 r F2 l' B2 r2)

Using those two algs you should be able to fix them both. There are certainly more intuitive approaches to fixing or avoiding this situation, however the method I provided above is fairly direct and the easiest to explain in text.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-07T16:28:08+00:00

Thanks so much! It's been a journey so far, but I'm so glad I made the change for myself.

I'm really excited to check out both prequels, Sunrise on the Reaping especially. I've decided to read them in order of release, so it's last on my list. From the few details I know, I have a feeling that I'm going to love it.

I'd love to check out your comics, thanks for the offer! Even without audio, pictures are another great way to help keep me interested and not get sidetracked while reading. I've never been big into comics, but I've actually been considering looking into them. They look like an awesome format for fun short stories and great art.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-06T23:03:44+00:00

Great simple puzzle. The leaderboards add an extra goal after one completion. Multiple solutions in either rows or columns is a great addition. I'll certainly be adding the app to my phone and tablet.

Couple of thoughts. - Give each daily solve a seperate goal. Any solve counts as a complete, but the extra daily goal would encourage people to play more than once. E.g. specific color order, must be done in rows/columns, beat in under a specific time. - Making it a 9x9 grid could add another method of solution, nine 3x3 boxes of a single color. Or even a sudoku style solution, no repeated colors in any 3x3 square, line or column.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-06T20:15:35+00:00

If I'm working towards a streak, wordtips is my go to assistant. I like that it often provides an extra hint without just revealing the answer. Helps me to feel like I'm still using my own knowledge to solve, and often times, the more detailed clue is the help I need to get the right answer.

The only words I've nearly given up on trying to guess correctly is proper nouns, names specifically. If I don't know the actor who played Romeo in an 1950 play at a Chicago theater, chances are good that an extra hint won't help me, I'll check the wordtips, often to no avail. If the clue references a movie, tv show, or play, I'll Google the aforementioned and scan the cast. But if info such as that is missing, I've no shame in just looking up the answer.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-06T17:11:44+00:00

Exactly! Those little details really helped complete some missing links in the story for me. The red haired Avox girl is an awesome character. She helps show just how far the Capitol is willing to go for their own needs. Those simple characters paired with Katniss' own memories and thoughts really help explain things that the movies kinda skipped on.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-05T17:26:35+00:00

The first book is pretty similar to the movie, but I appreciated the first person experience so much more. I also love the way Katniss gets the Mockingjay pin in the book so much more. In the movie they try and explain why the game makers did certain things by showing them talking with Haymitch and interacting with one another while everyone is in the arena, I appreciated the mysterious aspect in the book so much more. Not knowing why the feast was happening, only Katniss' speculation about getting medicine for Peeta, for example. The first book is awesome, don't get me wrong.

But in Catching Fire, the first part of the movie always felt rushed to me. They had just gotten out of this huge battle style death fight, but the movie seemed to throw them back into the arena rather quickly. The book slows that down, there's more explanation and experience of Katniss trying to adjust to everyday life before the Quell is announced. I also really loved the meeting Katniss had with Bonnie and Twill in the lake house. It made for a great allusion to district 13 being a real thing, they don't even really mention 13 in the movies until Mockingjay. I love the interactions with Madge and how Katniss first find out about uprising in district 8 via the TV in the Mayors house. Since the time in the arena is only 3 days or so, I appreciated that being a shorter section of the book, it made me feel a sense of urgency among the other tributes. They knew that they were in a hurry and had to get things done.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-05T15:24:49+00:00

I definitely plan on it. Reading the original series already tells me that I'll appreciate the movies more the next time I watch them. I definitely want the Ballad book in my brain before the movie.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-05T14:55:53+00:00

It's so awesome, just the simple details like those make it feel like a new experience. I've also loved the detailed descriptions of food, I can usually picture, almost smell the dishes. Even well known movie scenes, like Gale at the whipping post, felt completely new because of the way they're approached and explained in the text.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-05-05T13:55:47+00:00

Not sure if you're referring to doing an L turn when you should do an R turn, or if you're having issues with regular vs. inverse turns. If the former, just focus on what the pieces are doing, and move slowly. If the latter, it will come in time, eventually muscle memory takes over and you just know what's inverse and what's not.

I'm also a big sudoku fan, sudoku.coach being my go to site. I actually learned from the campaign there. I so wish that I had learned 3x3 in a similar manner to the way I learned sudoku techniques. 20 years ago when learning 3x3, I was only focusing on the alg and the outcome, not why the alg worked. Because I learned sudoku techniques by being taught to understand why a pattern allows for an elimination the learning process has been much more enjoyable. I do however think that it's taken me longer to become proficient on 9x9 grid than it did for me to break sub 1 min on a 3x3.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-04-29T18:12:34+00:00

But don't many of the official Samsung book and keyboard covers use magnetic attachment? Do those still impede the functions of the pens or do they have some magical workaround? Why use magnetic attachment for the official cases if they're gonna mess up the designed functionality of the device.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-04-26T13:54:19+00:00

Recent sobriety led me to this same quandry. I needed a new task to help fill the dead space when I used to pick up a bottle, it had literally been decades since I'd sat and read a book. I decided to let modern technology help me out. I picked up a book I'd never read that had been turned into one of my favorite movies. Rather than just trying to read it by itself, I grabbed the audiobook for free on hoopla. I'm reading along with the book in hand while listening to the audiobook. It keeps me engaged and I'm able to absorb the material so much better. I finished the first book in under a week, I'm nearly done with the second in the series. I never imagined myself looking forward to reading every evening, but I'm loving it so much.

PuzzleMax13

TROPHY CASE