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Actually this made it harder for me to read. The text felt "bumpy", unlike normal in text where it felt smoother and flowing. Maybe it's just a matter of habit.

Actually this made it harder for me to read. The text felt "bumpy", unlike normal in text where it felt smoother and flowing. Maybe it's just a matter of habit. Anyways, I don't believe speed-reading to be effective, especially for comprehension and long-term retention. The best and fastest way to get an overview of a written piece is not to read it faster, but to skip most of the content. Most of it is just supporting the core arguments, and can thus be skipped for an overview.

corobo 5y ago
I'd say it almost halves my reading speed. In regards to speed reading I've always been under the impression it means you take in entire lines/sentences in one go rather than reading faster, skipping the sub-vocalisation step. For instance the homepage of HN is a quick scan vertically down the page until a headline catches my eye as interesting, no real side to side eye movement needed unless the title is a bit long Maybe this brain reading faster than eyes thing is best aimed at sub-vocalisers? I'd be interested in knowing if the people this helps read 'out loud' in their heads
- renato_casutt 5y ago
  Yes, corobo that can be that it prevents you from reading. However, I would argue that you are a speed reader. One test person in the study was also a speed reader. She had read two different texts. Once with and once without bionic reading. But her speed stayed at 800 wpm each time. But believe me, there are a lot of people who have difficulty with reading. Surely also in your circle of friends. And for some of them Bionic Reading can help.
layer8 5y ago
It felt like listening to speech with constantly changing volume. Probably because bold is associated with shouting/strong emphasis.
DantesKite 5y ago
I felt the same way. It slows me down. But I imagine it would be very useful for dyslexic people. I have a family member who struggles to read; it's as if they have to consciously process what each character means. From that perspective, it's not so much speed reading, but bringing up people with slow reading to normal levels.

corobo 5y ago

I'd say it almost halves my reading speed. In regards to speed reading I've always been under the impression it means you take in entire lines/sentences in one go rather than reading faster, skipping the sub-vocalisation step. For instance the homepage of HN is a quick scan vertically down the page until a headline catches my eye as interesting, no real side to side eye movement needed unless the title is a bit long Maybe this brain reading faster than eyes thing is best aimed at sub-vocalisers? I'd be interested in knowing if the people this helps read 'out loud' in their heads

renato_casutt 5y ago
Yes, corobo that can be that it prevents you from reading. However, I would argue that you are a speed reader. One test person in the study was also a speed reader. She had read two different texts. Once with and once without bionic reading. But her speed stayed at 800 wpm each time. But believe me, there are a lot of people who have difficulty with reading. Surely also in your circle of friends. And for some of them Bionic Reading can help.

layer8 5y ago

It felt like listening to speech with constantly changing volume. Probably because bold is associated with shouting/strong emphasis.

DantesKite 5y ago

I felt the same way. It slows me down. But I imagine it would be very useful for dyslexic people. I have a family member who struggles to read; it's as if they have to consciously process what each character means. From that perspective, it's not so much speed reading, but bringing up people with slow reading to normal levels.