I just broke the Guinness World Record for the most Rubik's Cubes solved in 24 hours. AMA!

Anyway, how's your sex life?

You can solve a Rubik's Cube in 14.89 seconds, but can you unhook a bra that fast?

"I can finish a Rubik's cube in 9 seconds...I could finish you in 45"

Do you feel like all your practice solving Rubik's Cubes has helped your brain in functioning other tasks at all?

I think it's helped with my memory quite a bit and general pattern recognition/solutions...otherwise I don't know!

Where can I find cubes that move so smoothly? All of my Rubik's cubes feel like they use sand for lube.

*That's exactly what Lubix Cube means isn't it? I'm dumb :'(

www.lubixcube.com

Lubix custom modifies, tensions and lubes their cubes to make them the best around. They sponsored the event for me and I got to choose ten of their best cubes to use (I personally prefer the 54.6mm Fangshi). Check them out!

Why did you do this?

I first heard of the record years ago when it was set in 2008. It wasn't until this year that I realized I might actually be capable of keeping up that speed for the whole 24 hours. I thought it would be a great opportunity to promote myself and my University club (Laurier Rubik's Cube Club) on campus and bring the school together

As someone who can't even solve a single rubiks cube, what is your best advice for a beginner?

Seek out beginner tutorial videos on Youtube. It really isn't that difficult to learn the basic method, so long as you dedicate some time to it and stick with it. There are good step-by-step instructions you can follow. Once you have the algorithms in your muscle memory you'll be good to go!

Does your wrist hurt? Did you take anti-inflammatory pills?

They were really, really sore in the final hours. Throughout the event I was submerging them in a cooler of ice and massaging as needed. I took an aspirin early on and used some muscle/joint pain relief cream once (although I don't think it helped)

What was the toughest physical challenge you faced, besides lack of sleep, during this event?

I think I was actually going crazy toward the end. I was so brain-dead that the cube just wasn't making sense to me any more. Even though I was keeping up my speed, my eyes and body were just reacting to the colours and I feel as though my brain was switched off. It was nothing but pure muscle memory for the last stretch

Did you get EXACTLY 5800 solves on purpose or was that just random. Because nice numbers like that make me happy

I was originally intending on reaching 5,786 to be exactly 1,000 cubes above the record. I had a few minutes left and realized I would be able to round off at a nice even number. I completely butchered my last solve though, and was so close to ending at 5,799

My god, I can only imagine the stress on you to finish that last cube before the timer runs out, I get stressed just trying to see if I can finish taking a shit in less than five minutes...

I had 10 seconds to do the last algorithm that would take me 1-2 seconds. When I realized I messed it up and had to fix everything before the time ran out.....I have never felt that kind of pressure before haha.

1.Which algo did you use ? 2.Did you solve while peeing ? 3.Did you solve while pooping ?

Not sure what you meant by the first one!

I wasn't allowed to solve cubes during bathroom breaks; the solves had to be on camera and they were definitely not bringing them into the bathroom. Also, the timer had to keep running while I was gone.

Which algorithm is what they were asking.

I use the Fridrich method, which is comprised of many algorithms

Congrats on the world record Eric! I'm a fellow speedcuber also and I'm thinking about doing this with Pyraminx instead.

Would you do it again sometime in the future?

Unlikely...it was pretty tough at parts and I'm not sure how I would have gotten through it without the help and distraction of others. Even if it gets beaten, I think I set a pretty good pace and whoever takes it next will surely deserve it

Will you room with Anthony and me again at the next nats/worlds?

I couldn't be happier to <3

Pretty random, but I think I remember you from MLG forums! Do you still play video games competitively?

Hahaha that's me! I stopped playing Halo a few years ago when I came to University. It was a blast though, loved every minute of it.

Only question: Can we cuddle after?

On a more serious note...Dude that was incredible. Enjoyed every minute being there with you for the whole 24 hours. You killed it for real. Would do it again with you if you ever wanted to beat your record. You rock.

And you killed it with the countless hours of scrambling ;) I'm not doing it again though so don't get your hopes up

I scrambled for a friend who did an unofficial attempt that at the time was the world record. http://www.speedcubing.com/records/recs_misc_marathon24.html (Andrew Kang)

He also got second place at World's in '07.

He has backed off competitively since then, It's pretty crazy to see 7 second AVERAGES now. I remember when he got a six second solve and flipped out.

I know Andrew!! And I completely agree, the WR average times are just insane now.

Are you able to solve 4x4 or more complicated rubiks cubes?

Ive seen some people juggle some balls with a rubiks cube being one of them, and solve it. can you do the same?

Yep! I also compete in 2x2/4x4/5x5 and other cube events.

I never got the hang of juggling, but I would love to get better. I can manage three for a short amount of time. I met the guy who did the cube-juggling act, he's awesome

How far into the challenge did it start to get redundant?

Did you have doubts?

I remember 10 minutes after I started, I looked at the clock thinking an hour had gone by. That's when I realized it was going to be a really, really long day.

I had some doubts about how I would physically keep up with the challenge. I did a four hour trial run the week before to get a feel for it, but it didn't really give me any expectations for the added pain of 24 hours worth and staying awake for that long.

How would you explain, as briefly and simply as you could, how to solve a rubiks cube?

Look up some beginner tutorial videos on Youtube. It's how I first learned 6 years ago, and you can go at your own pace.

In terms of the actual solution I use...

Make a cross (X) on the white side, Solve the first two layers using algorithms/intuition, Orient the last side with one of fifty-seven algorithms, Permute the last layer with one of twenty-one algorithms.

Are you good at puzzles generally?

Do you get into a zone when you think about the code of the solution or is it mainly by instinct now?

I think I'm pretty good with other puzzles or logic problems as well. When I solve the cube on any given day, it's entirely instinct and muscle memory, I don't really need to put much thought into it. There was a stretch from about 1am-8am during the marathon when I was really in the zone and had a surreal amount of focus... I completely tuned out everything.

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I think so! In the speedcubing community, at least. Not sure if Guinness will actually include it in the next book though (if approved).

Were there any points during the 24 hours where you struggled, or considered quitting?

I never considered quitting. I kept a good pace right from the start and that encouraged me to stick it out. I was struggling mentally and physically quite a bit in the last ~6-8 hours

Who is typing your answers?

I'll be answering most -- one of my volunteers for the event may be helping out (user logitewty).

Other than solving Rubik's Cubes, what are some of your hobbies?

I used to play Halo competitively. I've attended 5 or 6 MLG events in the states. Stopped playing a few years ago when I came to University.

I also love playing piano and I used to do magic and skateboard!

If I pay shipping will you send me one of the cubes used?

I used 10 custom-built cubes from lubixcube.com -- they had their own world record stickers for the attempt and were individually numbered 1 through 10. That being said... I think I'm going to be holding on to them and maybe even framing them? I know Lubix was talking about the possibility of doing a commemorative cube set for the event that people can purchase

Dude, do you not sleep?

Can confirm that I sleep...but not last night

Ever get the same cube twice? :P

Nope! We had generated 6000+ unique scramble algorithms for the volunteers to follow that mixed up each cube in a different way.

Can you do blind solves?

Yep! And as BaMiao said, I do currently hold the Canadian record. I actually did a blindsolve as part of this event, to celebrate reaching 1000 cubes over the record.

video

Holy shit. You are awesome.

My question is, how did you manage to eat, drink and pee during those 24 hours?

I took about 1-1.5 hours worth of breaks throughout to stretch, go to the bathroom, eat, etc. There were a couple times I had people feeding me while solving.

What got you int cubing? I started when I had a customer service job. I learned at around 24 years old by following the directions.

Saw a guy in my highschool class solve one in about 2 minutes. Ended up getting one for Christmas and looked up the method on Google and Youtube. I had no intention of doing it competitively, but I got addicted to timing myself and always trying to beat my record

Holy shit! I met you last year at St Patty's day near Ezra Street. I asked you if you knew Harris Chan! You were the one wearing a cardboard sign saying you'd solve the Rubik's cube right?

Hahaha yeah that was me! You'll have to re-introduce yourself if we run in to each other

Did it get harder to concentrate the longer you went?

Definitely, although I had a really good 'zen mode' session between 1am-8am where I hit a really solid pace the entire time. The last 2 hours I don't even remember, my brain was fried.

How do you feel?

Very tired and sore, but extremely happy. This event was blowing up within my University and there were thousands of people that got to see it and be a part of it. The volunteers helping me put in so much effort to make this happen and I think they deserve to be a part of the record.

Are you going to put this on your resume? Walk in all like "yeah man I can solve a rubicks cube every 15 ish seconds"

There is already a mention on my resume about my records, but I'll definitely be adding this. I usually bring a cube to interviews too, after many employers suggested that I definitely should.

How long had you practiced for this, and how did you get into using Rubik's Cubes?

I only did a four hour practice session. I got into solving the cube 6 years ago from a friend in high school!

Do you know any of the people who solve them with their toes?

Yep! I'm really good friends with Canadian Louis Cormier who has the North American record solving with feet. He's an awesome guy

That took a lot of endurance. How did you build it up? Did you have a build up to it?

Blisters? Did you have people messing up the cubes as you'd solve them? I imagine you can solve one faster than I can mess it up.

Did you ever get solvers block during the day? Like, was one just really troublesome or is it second nature?

Last one: what constitutes a messed up cube? I imagine there's some standard. How is that verified.

Congratulations. This is a fascinating record. I'm happy for you. And amazed.

I did a four hour trial run last week to figure out how to pace myself and get a feel for how sore I would be. Otherwise, I was just trying to mentally pump myself up for it. Realistically I could have done a lot more stretching beforehand. No blisters! My forearms are the most sore, as well as my wrists and fingertips from all of the turning.

The volunteers were following lists of 6000+ random computer generated scramble algorithms to ensure each cube was mixed in a different way. We only used ten cubes for the attempt, so we were constantly recycling them. When I finished a cube, I'd hand it back to a volunteer to mix in a new way and I would receive another cube to solve.

It was both mentally and physically challenging. In the last 6 hours, I feel like my brain was switched off and I couldn't think properly. My eyes were closing on their own and I was having trouble focusing my eyes on the cube and everything else going on around me. My entire concept of the solution (cross and F2L) completely disappeared and the cube didn't make sense to me anymore. I seriously don't know how to describe what I felt other than saying it was comparable to being extremely drunk.

Did you take any breaks?

I took about an hour or an hour and a half of breaks throughout.

who fed you while you were solving ?

My wonderful volunteers!

Did you ever feel like you were going to give up? What was the hardest moment in the 24 hours?

Not once. After I completed the first 12 hours, I realized that I had saved myself almost two hours of break time off of the record pace, so that kept me motivated to keep going.

Do you feel that solving the cube based purely on knowing the patterns sort of ruins the random fun?

I know a few people that do the tournaments and a close friend of mine and his "gang" wrote one of the first "how tos" on solving the cube. Once I learned the trick to it- The amazement of it was totally wrecked.

I completely agree. I don't really get enjoyment out of actually solving it anymore, but I definitely love seeing peoples reactions to it. I do wish though, that I could go back to when I was first learning and messing around with it. You can't really get the same excitement of figuring it out on your own

So what was your diet before and during this feat and what did you do to prepare?

I had the on campus pub do the catering for the event; they brought me three meals throughout the day of pretty much whatever I wanted. Started with spinach dip and a milkshake, then chicken fingers, then a wrap and fries. For the most part, I tried to have people feed it to me when possible.

Didn't do anything to my diet to prepare in advance, except avoiding drinking a lot of water so I wouldn't have to frequently leave to go to the bathroom.

• What is your main 3x3 cube?
• What is your PB?
• Do you use CFOP?

My hands hurt after 30 minutes of cubing, i can't even imagine doing 24h. Congratz on the record! You deserve it!

I use a 54.6mm Lubix Fangshi. It's the cube I used at the World Championships this summer in Las Vegas to get 12th place. It also happens to be the make of the ten cubes I used for this attempt!

I'm not sure exactly what my PB at home is...I've had a bunch of 5.xx second solves. In a competition, my best is 7.46 seconds. And yes I use CFOP with some additional stuff (COLL/WV).

What's next ?

Nothing is next...but if another opportunity comes up to do something fun like this I'm sure I'll do it!

Did you really just finish that last cube in time or were you trying to time it so you finished it at the buzzer?

No, completely unintentional. After 24 hours worth of solving...and the people counting down...I completely buckled and messed up my last algorithm. I should have finished with about 8 seconds left...instead I had to fix my mistake and rush to finish it before the clock ran out

Congratulations! How long did it take you to break the record?

I passed the record around 9am today, with close to four hours to spare. I continued on for the full 24 hours to hit 5800.

Actually though, how are you still awake?

Congrats again, it was awesome to be able to see the feat take place.

I'm not sure! I had so much adrenaline at the end that it kept me up throughout the day. I'll probably be heading to bed soon

What did Wilf's feed you? Also, are you colour neutral or do you generally only solve White-down (that's what I noticed anyway).

They gave me the menu and let me pick! Spin dip, milkshake, chicken strips, seagram wrap, fries. I always do the white cross.

My friend is also really good at solving the devil's toy. He likes to do the larger ones. Do you ever use the bigger ones and if so, how fast can you solve them? What is the biggest size you can solve?

I can solve any sized cube -- the largest I own is a 7x7x7

Congrats! any tips on improving your rubicks cube solve time? I can never seem to go less than a minute :\

Try learning the Fridrich (F2L) method if you haven't already! There are good tutorials on Youtube. I got down to a minute with the beginners method before I felt stuck and learned the faster method.

Also make sure you're using a good cube and practice using finger tricks (flicking the sides with your fingers).

Is there a secret to solving a rubiks cubes for someone who has no idea how to solve one?

There's no real 'secret' behind it. It's a matter of learning the algorithms to solve different steps. It's the same procedure for every solve, though, and so long as you know the algorithms you'll be able to do it every time.

First off: Congrats!

When did the idea come to break the record, and when do you think you had the skill / ability to really break it?

Did you abandon any cubes unsolved, and if so, why? (I get frustrated when my cube 'sticks' and I have to force rotations.)

Thank you! I came up with the idea to break the record earlier this year, but wanted to wait until the fall to do it on my University campus. I knew the standing record was 18 seconds per cube, and knowing that I can average 9-10 when going for speed, I thought I had a chance.

No cubes were 'abandoned' unsolved -- only once in the entire 24 hours did I have a cube pop on me and I had to give it to the volunteers to fix.

Can you describe the setup of where you were when you did this? You've said people on campus were watching - were you in an auditorium on stage? Or just in a room?

It was in a central building on our campus. There was just a big open floor space and I was set up on a very small elevated part. We had a bunch of cameras set up in front and everyone else was behind a rope

Do you know Jason Baum? Is he faster at solving than you are?

Edit: What method do you use for solving? Also how many top layer perms did you get in that whole time? I know there are plenty of times you get lucky and the top layer is solved for you before you can even blink.

Yes!!! I met Jason once at a competition in Princeton NJ. I think I'm faster than him now (does he even compete anymore?), but he was definitely faster than me for a long time.

I use CFOP (Fridrich method). If I had to guess I would say I had somewhere close to ~50 PLL skips and about 10 OLL skips.

Hey Eric, my question is that after solving the cube for 24 hours straight, do you still have the same or stronger liking of the hobby? I usually practice for an hour

Realistically this hasn't changed my liking of the hobby, but as of right now I don't want to do another Rubik's cube for quite some time.

Have you ever attempted the record before?

Nope! First time. The only experience I had was a four hour practice last week

Any advice for someone who's never been abel to solve one?

Go buy one and learn on Youtube! It's much easier than you would expect. I've taught dozens of friends and no one has ever been unable to learn it.

Do you eat Big Macs?

Not really. I had one this summer but it was the first one in many many years!

Why did Sarah ban gj?

I have no idea what was going on in the stream! Sarah was doing a great job running it though and keeping us all updated with who was checking in

How did you structure the record?
I assume no sleep, but did you take regular breaks of any kind?

Going in, I was debating whether I should take regular scheduled breaks every hour or two, or go as long as I physically could until I was sore. I ended up doing a mixture of both. I took about 1-1.5 hours worth of breaks spread throughout the 24 hours. I took them whenever food arrived and/or I had to go to the bathroom.

Did you post something like this on MLGpro years ago? I believe I also use to play Halo with you lol

Yeah! I found the thread:

http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming.com/forums/t/The-Last-Supper-built-out-of-4050-Rubiks-Cubes-7899866

There was another MLG user on here that commented already haha

How many cups of coffee did you drink?

1-2 cans of Redbull is all I ended up needing

shouldn't they just ditch this record and knock it down to an hour?

I think there is a separate record for most in one hour...I'm not sure. I think this is a pretty cool record, though, to see what people are capable of doing in a full day.

will you ever answer a question?

Trying my best...still running on no sleep from the attempt ;)