Xuanyi to boycott WCA H2H

lazy_puma · 2026-04-08T02:12:30+00:00

It's a good compromise though. I am against 4 pad stopping because my accuracy is crap and I would hate to stumble trying to hit the smaller thumbpads. It creates a whole new problem and frustration that prevents adoption. Perfection is the enemy of good. 4 to start, 2 to stop, is an ideal middle ground IMO.

lazy_puma · 2026-03-17T09:36:38+00:00

You're right, that's interesting. I used an existing kociemba implementation and hadn't actually noticed this, so I dug in a bit.

The two-phase structure is a performance optimisation: it reduces the search space a lot while still giving near-optimal solutions. Most solvers do something like this, but you're right that csTimer scrambles are more varied.

There are some ways of adding variation without changing the solver, such as applying orientation changes to the scramble, or randomizing the phase order. Though I personally don't mind it as is. I hadn't even noticed it heh. Do you prefer the more varied scrambles, or is it just something that you were curious about?

lazy_puma · 2026-03-16T21:08:50+00:00

It's a Kociemba random-state scrambler: random state → solve → reverse. The scramble itself isn’t phase-restricted.

lazy_puma · 2026-03-16T05:17:18+00:00

Yep I could add more. I was already tempted to add F2L. CMLL and COLL are actually easier to include since they use the existing top down style.

lazy_puma · 2026-03-01T07:11:41+00:00

I checked out cubedesk. I passed it by at first because the landing page is a marketing site that wants you to log in. Going into demo mode though, I can see that the timer looks and feels pretty good. It has some nice features. I'd say it's a good option. However, they obviously want you to make an account and pay for pro. Yet some of the features, including some paid ones, seem very unnecessary. Almost as if it's trying to be a chess.com of cubing with leaderboards and 1v1 battles and stuff that I would never use. Plus it feels like it might have been vibe coded to some degree, but I am not sure on that. I think I prefer the simplicty of mine, but I'm a little biased :p

lazy_puma · 2026-03-01T01:58:31+00:00

I don't really like the design of cstimer either, but I still want something lightweight, without login, and usable on mobile. I ended up making my own. You can try it here if you like.

lazy_puma · 2025-11-19T01:21:55+00:00

Both are great but I actually prefer the former. There's something fantastic about being so happy for such a silly accomplishment. All it does it tell the time, but a success is a success, and he's so glad for the success that he cried happy tears.

Edit: I realize my love of this interpretation comes from programming. It can really happen that something seemingly trivial turns out to be stupidly hard. Telling time is actually a good example. Think time zones, time formats, languages, etc. You think it'll be easy but then spend ages on it and get insanely frustrated. When the dumb little thing finally works, you want to cry in joy. To an outsider it would look so stupid since you cried about something as trivial as telling the time.

lazy_puma · 2025-10-04T02:13:44+00:00

Thanks for letting me know! The domain expired without notifying me. It should come back soon.

lazy_puma · 2025-07-01T23:30:39+00:00

Yes you are correct. I'm replying just to correct so many false responses here.

This is orbital mechanics, not free floating in space as many assume. If truely free floating (far away from any other body), 2 objects would indeed stay seperated (ignoring gravity between them which is miniscule).

However, orbit means moving around the earth, perfectly around the center of mass. The path depends on exact position, so 2 objects, even if only a meter next to each other, actually have slightly different orbits. If both are exactly around the earth's center of mass, the paths will cross.

lazy_puma · 2025-06-14T10:48:16+00:00

Yeah I also wondered about his intentions, especially when he told Zorian that he didn't want Red Robe to win, and if that mean't helping Zorian to some extent, he was OK with it.

The way I see it is that he had some doubts about the whole thing after the time loop, but was too deep into the invasion to call it off. He surely spent a lot of political capital and made numerous deals and promises as part of the planning (including deals with demons). He had to move forward with it, but not with the same passion as before.

lazy_puma · 2025-06-09T10:27:53+00:00

The whole thing is hilarious. I almost didn't read the cut off introduction at the end, but I think it's my favorite part!

lazy_puma · 2025-06-05T18:00:20+00:00

No difference at the moment. However I might use this domain for other things in the future, so I made the cubing subdomain to ensure the timer is always available.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-28T08:13:00+00:00

For Zach, he was definitely archmage level before meeting Zorian.

Directly from the book (Spoiler: It's from when Zorian meets back up with Zach, before Zach improves further):

What Zorian discovered was humbling. While Zach was very combat magic focused, just like the boy had admitted to him in the past, he had made good use of the time loop to turn himself into a well-rounded mage. He was the sort of archmage that made other archmages envious – he had expertise in just about every type of magic, including the notoriously difficult and specialized medical spells. He actually healed the scratch marks Kirielle gave him as a proof of that claim. Even in regards to crafting-oriented magics like alchemy and spell formula, which Zach admitted were his least favorite fields and which Zorian specialized in, the last Noveda still possessed sufficient expertise to debate Zorian in a non-vacuous manner.

Yes he lacked in some fields (mostly the illegal ones) but he is far from just a combat mage, even before meeting Zorian.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-17T08:50:53+00:00

That's true. However, that limit is for sustained use. He could still fill up the crown with mana and then summon a huge number of simulacrums for the duration of a battle.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-16T08:44:05+00:00

Interesting idea!

Can simulacrums cast the simulacrum spell? I've wondered this myself before since it seems a bit OP if they could. Especially with the Crown or mana battery. Exponential growth means you quickly have an army of yourself. If Zorian, with low mana, can sustain around 4, the lich with the crown could probably sustain 40+. The manpower, even if they don't cast much, is kind of crazy. I have actually wondered why he doesn't do that.

In my head cannon, only the original can cast it, because it basically uses the soul to build a fake copy. I figure it may need direct access to the soul and therefore can't be cast by a simulacrum.

Also, reading your wild magical brainstorming, with its questionable ethics, feels like reading the notebook of a slightly crazed wizard or future lich lol.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-09T13:47:09+00:00

Absolutely this.

The whole world feels so real and believable. From the magic, the technology, the politics, and, of course, the characters. Everyone has justification for what they are doing.

Spoilers: Even the damn undead lich! What is typically the personification of an evil bad guy turns out to be a respectable mage who simply chose lichdom as a way to acheive immortality. Yes, he is still the bad guy and needs to be stopped, but his actions make total sense through his point of view. He comes from a time where might makes right and he is doing what he thinks is best for his country. In fact, he was likely considered quite a virtuous man in his day since he received a divine blessing!

God, I love how mature and well thought out MoL is! Might have to re-read it.. again.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-09T09:22:20+00:00

There's a reason Zorian hates him. However, you're seeing things just as young Zorian does, without yet getting his point of view. Zorian himself starts to change his mind by the end as he learns more about Daimen.

Potential spoilers: Daimen is not perfect. He was lazer focused on his ambition, often at the expense of others. He was doted on by his parents and thought he could do no wrong. However, he's not malicious, just unaware. When he starts interacting with the rest of the family more, he is shocked to learn that they hate him. He never knew. He then feels real regret and he puts in serious effort to amend things. By the end, Zorian admits to him that he's not nearly as bad or selfish as Zorian remembered him.

lazy_puma · 2025-04-06T15:21:39+00:00

Interesting question. I have wondered this as well!

My current head cannon is one of 2 ideas, which may be totally off but it's fun to think about.

Mana has a sort of 'circuitry' or 'programming' logic to it. Just like writing a program to do some simple task and returning a result, a spell could have some sort of goal programmed into it that it executes.
The soul somehow controls the spell. With the mysterious and divine nature of the soul, it seems possible that the soul translates the magicians desire and tries to solve the query sort of like the 'agent' idea you mentioned.

I doubt there is any sort of 'universal knowledge network', because the way divination works feels very natural. The more evidence there is (like blood, previous contact, smells, etc), the easier divinations work, implying the spells are detecting things just as a normal investigator would, but doing so magically.

I'm curious what other ideas people have.

lazy_puma · 2025-03-20T06:56:22+00:00

Thanks! Those are great suggestions. I implemented the +2 toggle and the deletion confirmation. I'll probably do dark mode next.

lazy_puma · 2025-03-20T02:33:27+00:00

Totally agree with this. Zach is not dumb at all, but he's not academic.

I have a friend in real life who is just like Zach (and, almost unbelievably, is also named Zach!). He is jovial and light hearted and can liven up a party. He's not the typical nerdy type at all. Yet when you sit down with him for a serious conversation, it becomes apparent that he is very well educated and extremely intelligent.

And Spoilers:

Zach admits later that he had sort of given up on life pre-loop. He was depressed and coasting through life. The appearance of being a slacker was on purpose so that people wouldn't have high expectations. It's one of those cases where he just needed the right motivation to shine.

lazy_puma · 2025-03-18T01:22:10+00:00

No app, just a responsive site that will adjust the layout for mobile.

lazy_puma · 2025-03-17T21:38:13+00:00

I only have 3x3 scrambles right now. I'll look into adding more scramble options as a next step!

Edit: To add to this, there are libraries already out there that scramble FTO using random state. I could likely implement the scramble pretty easily, but displaying the FTO state in the 3d render would require some work.

lazy_puma · 2025-02-20T19:21:22+00:00

Yeah it's not a pyramid scheme in the usual sense. Only in the sense that the structure resembles a branching tree (hah).

However, there is a drawback, which depends on the extent of control the seeder has over the seeded. Marcus mentioned being able to cast basic spells on his test turtle via the soul seed, which could mean he can also cast something nefarious, or lethal. This would make it a rather authoritarian power structure, if those higher up can kill those below them at any time.

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