What is Digg?74 Comments
- MelvinSchlubman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"I took a speed-reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia."
-- Woody Allen - maninblack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3While there are useful tidbits to glean from speed reading lore, the vast majority of the advice given in speed reading courses (and indeed in this website) is actually contrary to findings of modern research on the subject. Or to put it more bluntly, it's bull$%#!
Here's a quick summary of five of the most common myths espoused by speed reading courses:
http://www.ops.org/reading/five_myths.html
And the wikipedia article has a pretty objective summary of speed reading techniques:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed-reading - myster9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Go ahead and speed read: comics, the sports section of your newspaper, cereal boxes, Google search results, IRC text transcripts, self-improvement/self-help texts.
Do not speed read: anything that requires you to stop, digest and think about what's been written, e.g. - philosophy texts, physics papers, etc. - aeoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sub-vocalizing is the worst hindrance by far, because the speed of speech is very limited.
That's the key out of that whole article, in my opinion. Once you stop sub-vocalizing and learn to read via sight-comprehension (as opposed to sound-comprehension), you will fly from there.
And he's also right about motivation. I knew about this for 10 years now, and never bothered to learn it. Why not? I just don't care how fast I read. I'm not motivated. There is no fooling oneself when it comes to motivation. You're either motivated or not and I really don't think one can "just do it". Motivation arises out of a complex web of factors, mostly dependent on a value system. For me, for example, in order to learn speed reading, I'd need to be motivated and in order to be motivated, I'd have to rearrange my value system. The problem (if you can call it that), is that my value system is not something I developed by chance. The very value that can make me into a good speed reader can make me terrible at something else. It's a trade-off and not really a win-win.
Just some of my thoughts on the topic. - karch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2666 diggs... uh oh.
and i'm the slowest reader i know. i'm not a retard by all means, but i just.. god, i can't stop subvocalizing, and backreading... i can't shake the feeling that speed reading is basically skimming. - aiiee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Lot's of bad advice in these comments. Some of these comments make me think the authors have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Does that make you feel important, to mislead people who need help with their reading, or do you do it just because you have nothing else to say?
My advice to anyone who has a large volume of text to read; try speed reading, don't let these know-nothings discourage you.
Of the three 'news' sites I read; Slashdot, Fark, and Digg, digg by far has the most immature user base.
But hey submitter, thanks for the post, GREAT POST - Ran2004, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Think he said like 600 words per minute or something."
I took a course in speed reading (this page is essentially the same thing without the guidance we recieved). I started out at about 250 wpm. By the end of the second weekend course I was up to 900 and i've only gone up since then (1050 now) this was last October, so the increasing speeds even out over time... Helped me get through Chemistry last semester... Remember, elimination subvocalization is key. - biff198, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wow.. this is amazing. While reading the artical, I could pretty much catch myself doing everything he said not to do, like subvocalization and "bus stops". This is definitely worth practicing.
+digg! - Tufriast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll state off the tip that speed reading is *key* to being a nerd of any sort. You need to absorb data like a sponge, and therefore, reading is the FASTEST way to gaining knowledge.
I speed read most of my reading when I'm under a crunch, and I have to do it in solitude, and it works. I read and analyze fiction, and creative non-fiction a lot by speed reading. The way language flows on a page can be sensed merely by peripheral vision. I just wish studies would be done on this. - MattZed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1+digg, speed reading is probably the best thing i ever learned.
- JNitz36, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seems like there is a place for it. Like, I wouldnt want to speed read a non-fiction book that I pick up to appreciate. In the article, he says that you skip to the central chapter, or "gold" of the book. Read that first! no thanks. And that wouldn't apply to the technical books I read. The oracle books I read are filled with details that I need to know. And there is no "golden" chapter. But its great for company memos about healthcare and stuff I don't really care about. Oh, and I love how everyone claims to be a speedreader. I have never me one.
- macslut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1SRTFA? It was definitely written in a style to be read really, really fast.
- chicken101, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i attempted to learn it- my history teacher taught us- he could read like noone I have ever seen.
Think he said like 600 words per minute or something. - CompUComp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love this article. I am a tad slow reader and this will really help me a lot! Best thing I have learned.
- ThePhilomath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Awesome, I sped-read the whole article and got it fine :) Should come in handy for a particular mid-term I have next week.
- ESTEBEVERDE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Perhaps speed reading of a sort can be achieved.
Most things we do can be improved upon immensely.
As to the most efficient technique to increase one’s reading speed beyond mere decoding with the intent to retain the information “read”?
Don’t know...but I sure would like to see some imperial research.
It seems to be a very “cost” effective way to increase our productivity. - Liste, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There are several programs that take you through exercises and drills to improve your speed. I use one called eyeQ. In addition, it allows you to assess your speed and comprehension along the way. I have increased from under 300 wpm to about 700wpm.
- Zorn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Speed reading is anti-reading. I read as slowly and as carefully as possible, going over material multiple times, taking notes, writing out entire paragraphs in my notebook. Reading is an art, not a disposable utility. Only under capitalism could speed reading be celebrated. I'm disgusted by the very concept. If the text is important, you should give it the respect it deserves.
- rockdave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I find myself reading an entire line instantly as if each word were a letter. I think that's what was being conveyed in this article. NEVER EVER SUBVOCALIZE!
- trip9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This seems to be kind of strange to me. Read the central chapter first? That's not reading, as soon as i read this article I got angry and i'm not exactly sure why. When I was younger my mom and i did a speed reading program that came on the cassette tapes and I know for sure it works because even now, around 8 years after doing it I still read faster than average.
The way it worked was you would read for 3 min at your normal reading pace. 3 minutes at double your normal pace (fast enough for you to "see" the words but not "understand" them). And finally 3 minutes at triple speed (so fast you only catch a few words). Through repeating this cycle your normal reading pace will slowly increase until you can read extremely fast. I can vouch for this and it def works. - bryanweatherly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1WaterDragon:
"That article was like...a text based pop up ad....made especially for digg.
I don't trust anyone who has to keep mentioning the bible!"
The article was written in 1999, unless he wrote it in anticipation of digg being created, your assertion is meaningless.
He mentioned the bible 3 times and never in the context of promoting religion. If you are going to criticize an article, criticize the content. - miaow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0you should also make the horizontal length of lines shorter so that the eye doesn't have to move so much horizontally and can stay focussed on moving vertically. The article didn't do that and digg coments are also a bit wide. About half a page horizontally would be about right.
IMHO (don't know if its correct).
nice post from idiggit too. thats how the author started the article in their head before they added more text. - dbpigeon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0imho, its right. I tried all this and I read much faster than trying to speed read w/o the tips.
- BeatJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Great article! It will help me read these Digg comments faster. :P
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Its easy to nay-say speed-reading, especially if you're not a speed-reader, but once you've meet a speed-reader in person and have seen him or her in action, then you may take speed-reading is more credibility.
- terrya64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I read about 350wpm without any speed techniques but I do utilize the mentioned methods when the need arises.
- EricTheGrey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Diggworthy, IMO. I'm one of the slowest readers I know because I get distracted by any and everything. It would be nice to be able to speed up.
How does one go about eliminating subvocalization though?
EtG - lokan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Really cool article, I'm gonna give this a try.
- brandonhines, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This sounds more like speed skimming.
- Kiba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Speed reading is NOT A GOOD IDEA IN MOST CASE!
In fact, the faster you read, your reading comperhension go down.
Check this out:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed Reading - miaow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0the color and font on these messages feels like it improves reading speed. the darker color at the top acts as a sort of guide. I find reading outlook express messages unpleasant.
- mcletter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Very cool! I'm going to try and increase my reading speed with these tips.. :) +digg
- Nocturnal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The key to speed reading is not subvocalizing when you read. If you can read and not say the words be it aloud and in your own head, you can speed read.
- Chaos12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"took a course in speed reading (this page is essentially the same thing without the guidance we recieved). I started out at about 250 wpm. By the end of the second weekend course I was up to 900 and i've only gone up since then (1050 now) this was last October, so the increasing speeds even out over time... Helped me get through Chemistry last semester... Remember, elimination subvocalization is key."
Same here as well (Cept Im ~960wpm) - ESTEBEVERDE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Or "imperial" research. :)
- cathode, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I can subvocalize while drinking a glass of water...
- ezkiel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0OMG READING HACK!!!
lol had to say hack.
But I did catch myself doing the things he said on the page. Which was embaressing. - nacho, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0does anyone know if they have this article in audio format? I could listen to it really really fast.
JK. Good article. +digg. - silkyjumper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The most informative 'self help' articles i've read in years. digg rules.
- PSUViking, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I agree with comments stating that speed reading may be good for certain cases, but when you need to understand and critically analyze a text it helps to have a fuller understanding of what is being said. Often times an author will develop an argument over the course of the entire work, meaning that if you skip around or deem some chapters irrelevant you are risking missing critical elements of the argument. Also, the tips toward the end of the guide involving note taking, dog-earing etc. sort of seem, well, not very speedy. If you are taking the time to dog-ear 30 pages and underlining quite a bit while speed reading how are you possibly going to synthesize all the information at the end in a manner which is any less time-consuming than regular reading?
- laxman9006, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i think its time to add double diggs
- FredWatanabe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0LOL@zorn,
you sould like Omega Red - kimzor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Cool link...a bit long though.
Don't agree with some parts but it's sure to help with college stuff. :) - larley, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I did a speed-reading course with the Harris Institute, and while the techniques were good, I really didn't agree with some things. I found that the whole "if you miss it, just keep going" thing is not gonna work sometimes, as I've missed short lines that provide the key to a book. But that might just be me.
- Namingishard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0XD im prolly the slowist reader in the world, i type faster then i read is that weird?
- tidejwe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0unfortunately you can't really "dog-ear" or mark up webpages :( I do more reading online than anything else combined, so the retention methods are kind of shot. Until someone fixes that issue. . . well. . . yeah.
- utterdoul, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Thanks idiggit, just what I needed, the actual thing is too long ;-)
The follow-with-finger really works! But I hate using it in public since it makes me look like I just learnt how to read! -
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