Re:Show HN: readfa.st - learn to read faster
by sashakatsnelson on Saturday September 03, 2011 @12:39AM
(#2956499)
Another site, similar to ZapReader is spreeder.com. Sites like these offer a really spartan reading experience, but on top of a proven curriculum/methodology. They were a big part of what inspired us to create the first version of readfa.st.
Re:Show HN: readfa.st - learn to read faster
by johnwatson11218 on Saturday September 03, 2011 @12:54AM
(#2956527)
Yea I see what you mean about spreeder.com. I think what makes it so fast is that I don't have to move my eye across the page in what I think are called 'saccades'.
I imagine an interface where I fix my gaze in the center and see text pulled through the single point. Perhaps the words near the fix point are a little blurry. Words further away are unreadable. I think there should be something like a gutter on the right or left for images, equations or code samples that floats from bottom to top as it is in context.
If I hit pause I would like to see all the text snap into focus with my focus word highlighted somehow.
Also, I would like this to just work with any old web page. I hate having to pull the print version of long articles then copy and paste into zap reader.
Good luck with your site.
http://www.zapreader.com/
This javascript site parses a whole lot of text and displays it at a fixed location very quickly. I can read about 475 words/minute with very good comprehension. I don't catch all the specific names but in some cases I find that I form a high level overview of the material much faster. I tend to notice big picture patterns when I use this tool. I don't know why more people aren't writing apps that work like this for ios or android. When I finish my current side project I want to try something like this in flex.