Hi There!
My name is Michael Erskine and TecSpy.com is my domain. I've been playing on the interweb since about '94 (when Netscape was first released!) and I've had this domain since 1999.
I live in Sherwood, Nottingham, UK with my partner Dawn and our two daughters, Ruby and Lily. Here in Nottingham I work as a Software Engineer for an electronics company and my day-to-day work is quite varied: enterprise Java systems with a lot of custom TCP/IP work, embedded C systems with a lot of serial communications protocols, etc. My history of programming is firmly rooted in C on Sun workstations and all told I prefer to write in Java and Perl for GNU/Linux platforms. I especially like interfacing with hardware and software in innovative ways and I write a lot of testbeds for systems under development. If you think you might want to employ me, drop me a line!
At home I enjoy solving and collecting twisty puzzles such as the Rubik's Cube and the Megaminx. I have a large section of the site dedicated to this pastime. I've been a skateboarder since Sept, '77 and I like to get out and skate with my friends at Middle Age Shred jams and events.
Catch you later, Mick.
Lunchtime avg 12: 30.50 -- sooooo close!
Thu, 2012-01-26 14:11 — msemtdStatistics for 01-26-2012 13:10:07
Cubes Solved: 12/12
Number of Pops: 0
Average: 30.50
Standard Deviation: 3.47
Best Time: 25.08
Worst Time: 35.59
Individual Times:
1. 35.59 R2 B' F L B F2 L' R2 D' L' R2 B F' R' B2 D2 U L U2 F U2 L' D' U' B
2. 25.08 F2 R D2 U F' L2 R2 F2 D U L2 B' D R2 D2 U' F D' L' R F' D U L2 D
3. 26.50 R B' F2 U B F' U L' F' L R2 B2 U2 F' D2 R' B2 F' R2 D F2 U2 L' D' U'
It was going well! Nearly sub-30 avg of 12: 30.52
Wed, 2012-01-25 14:27 — msemtdFollowing a 50 solve last night where I'm still just breaking even at my typical 33.5 sec - today's lunchtime 12 was pretty close to 30 but not quite enough!
3x3x3 Avg: 28.55
Thu, 2011-12-08 14:17 — msemtdA nice lunchtime average of 5, using the meditation technique that gave me my PB last week. Some not-so-easy crosses (all white) and a PLL skip on the final one.
New 3x3x3 Avg PB
Mon, 2011-12-05 14:10 — msemtdAnother new personal best: 26.92 seconds 3x3x3 average of 5 (as per current WCA regulations).
New 3x3x3 PB: 21.77
Wed, 2011-11-30 14:20 — msemtdA new personal best single 3x3x3 of 21.77
A very lucky scramble: -
F L' F' D F D2 R L U2 D2 L' R U2 L D F R U F' D2 L2 U F2 D R2
Simple cross and PLL skip!
UK Open 2011 tomorrow - lunchtime avg 12
Fri, 2011-11-11 13:59 — msemtdI got a near sub-30 avg of 12 just now - it would be so good to get a sub-30 avg tomorrow at the UK Open 2011!
Average of 100 at BarCamp Nottingham: 36.20
Sun, 2011-07-24 14:22 — msemtdHaven't done this number of solves in months. No real change in my average. The speed is probably my terminal velocity!
number of times: 100/100
best time: 27.26
worst time: 57.24
current avg5: 36.13 (σ = 4.37)
best avg5: 30.99 (σ = 0.18)
current avg12: 36.09 (σ = 4.98)
best avg12: 34.46 (σ = 4.30)
current avg100: 36.20 (σ = 4.68)
best avg100: 36.20 (σ = 4.68)
session avg: 36.20 (σ = 4.68)
session mean: 36.32
Phone upgraded to Froyo (finally!)
Thu, 2011-03-03 11:49 — msemtdAfter months of arse-dragging, Virgin Mobile have made the Froyo update available for my HTC Wildfire phone. When I bought the phone last year (September 2010) I was assured by the salesperson that the 2.2 Android update would soon be available. Other networks rolled their updates out before Xmas but VM rolled theirs out months late to the annoyance of their customers.
Avg5: 34.16 - lunchtime at work
Wed, 2011-02-16 13:56 — msemtdStatistics for 02-16-2011 12:55:21
Average: 34.16
Standard Deviation: 1.25
Best Time: 25.52
Worst Time: 36.09
Individual Times:
1. 35.73 L2 B' U2 B' R2 F2 D U' F2 D U' L' R' U F' D U' L R' B2 F2 D2 U' L2 R
2. (36.09) B' D L' R' D2 L2 D U2 R B2 U' F' L2 D B2 U2 R2 D2 L B D2 U' L2 D B2
3. (25.52) R2 B F' R2 B2 L R' B' L' R' D2 L F L U' L F D' L B F2 L2 B F2 U2
