Thread: Bypass Visual Processing Latency - Read Faster

This is some wicked cool research these guys have been doing. They figured out a way to present text in the most optimal manner and highlight key portions such as to bypass (or at least significantly reduce) the latency from visually processing what your eyes see before cognition.

Check it out, they even have a little applet set-up to demo the idea. You can comfortably read at 500wpm and maintain a high retention of the content. I heard that kindle and some other e-readers are trying to pickup the technology and incorporate into the next generation of readers. I wonder how fast I could read a book like A Song of Ice and Fire and still enjoy myself.

This Insane New App Will Allow You To Read Novels In Under 90 Minutes | Elite Daily

Wow. I read the article and tried the 500 WPM applet, and I was actually able to "read" that fast. Your brain is so used to sounding out the words you read in your head, but at 500 WPM you can't even do that in your head. If you just relax and let your brain do the processing, you find that you understand it even if you can't repeat it in your head as you read.

Edit: Some people in the comments section make good comments though. If you're reading a novel, the words and sentences are crafted such that you read some faster and some slower. This would pretty much destroy the proper experience of a novel; you would know the content of the novel, but it probably wouldn't be exciting because you're cutting out half of the novel reading experience.

That's ridiculous. I did the applet at 500 wpm and guarantee I remember more from that than if I had read an article saying the same exact thing.

Originally Posted by iLLusioN

That's ridiculous. I did the applet at 500 wpm and guarantee I remember more from that than if I had read an article saying the same exact thing.

Ditto, I read at a pretty average speed but I usually have to read over something several times because I can't retain it very well. With this though, I probably got it all on the first go.