Reedy - Fast reading that you can really use.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in speed reading based on RSVP technology. However, most applications and extensions on this topic, on closer acquaintance, unfortunately, are not very convenient for daily use. But in potential, they can help save time significantly and receive information faster. My friend OlegCherr decided to refine the technology, making the implementation suitable for permanent use, and I help him with this. After two months of constant practice of reading, testing, research and improvement, I decided to write an article with an analysis of what happened as a result, because the result, I dare say, will be interesting to others. At the moment everything is done in the form of an extension to the Chrome browser and is called Reedy . Android application on the way.

The ability to view the full text

One of the main problems with reading with the help of such technologies is the loss of context. It is difficult to understand where in the text you are at the moment, and it is difficult to reread the last words or sentences.

Therefore, one of the main differences between Reedy and other implementations is the ability to view the context during a pause. This function is already found in some Android applications , but most conveniently it was implemented in fastreader (from citriccode), from which it was borrowed, and after it underwent a number of improvements, the main ones are:

• It is possible to quickly move between offers by scrolling the mouse wheel. Periodically, however, you forget that you are in the application for speed reading and you begin to read the text as usual, as if this is just a page with text that you scroll lower and lower. Do not get carried away :)
• Convenient scrollbar, giving the presentation of the current location in the text.

At any time, one click or hotkey press can take a pause, look at the text before and after the current word, move a word or a sentence back , etc. The progress bar and the indicator of the remaining reading time at the current speed also do not allow getting lost inside the text. In addition, during the pause many other possibilities appear: change the theme, background, position of the text on the page, etc.
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Word processing

Another feature of Reedy is a text analyzer that allows you to display common constructions together, without breaking them into several meaningless units, and also to carry out an intellectual slowdown - the speed decreases on compound words and punctuation, and a pause is added at the ends of sentences. Too long words, on the contrary, are divided into several parts.

The analyzer consists of four levels, each of which performs a specific task:

1. The first level performs basic character recognition in the text, reveals groups of homogeneous characters.
2. The second level defines the minimum indivisible tokens. It identifies common constructions such as:
   
   • words with hyphen and other inclusions: black and white , d'Artagnan;
   • Links: www.example.com/path;
   • phone numbers: +7 960 123-45-67 , (815 2) 123456 ;
   • other solid designs.
3. The third level recognizes complex structures, such as the last name with initials.
4. At the last stage, the punctuation analysis is performed. The required characters “stick” to the desired word (for example, a dash will be attached to the next word if direct speech has started, or to the current word otherwise). The end and the beginning of each sentence are determined.

It should also be noted that before getting into the parser, the text is pre-processed, in which obvious syntax errors are eliminated (extra spaces, quotes and brackets divorced from the word, multiple exclamation marks and question marks and other garbage hindering comfortable speed reading). If you are going to read material in which such constructions are an important component, then you can turn off the functions of cleaning and analysis at any time (Settings ›Text› Analyzer of entities). The extension is very flexible.

Focus mode

Of course, there is also a focus mode in Reedy, in which during reading you always look at one letter highlighted in color. This letter is the most convenient place where you should focus your eyes in order to recognize the current word as quickly and accurately as possible.

The peculiarity of the implementation is that the focus can shift if it falls not on a letter or number, but, say, on a hyphen inside a word. The algorithm will try to shift the focus either closer to the beginning of the word, if an alphabetic character is present there, or closer to the end otherwise.

Smooth acceleration

The smooth acceleration feature makes it much easier to adapt to high and ultrahigh reading speeds. The initial speed is set lower than the target, and then gradually increases. The function has some features that we came to after some time of use:
- When you first start reading speed is set to half the target. However, if you click on a pause to re-read the previous fragment, and then start reading again, in this case it turned out to be more comfortable to start not with half speed, but with a little more. In Reedy, this figure is set at 60% of the target value.
- If you are reading at a speed of 700 wpm (words per minute), then you will not be comfortable for a long time to observe smooth acceleration from 350 to 700. Therefore, Reedy increases the speed not linearly, but using the sine function: first accelerates faster, and then slower and smoother . After long experiments, this method of acceleration turned out to be the most convenient for perception.

Show continuation text

Reedy also has one experimental feature. In the settings is called the continuation of the text. It includes a few words following the current one. The idea was developed in order to improve the perception of complex texts.


In the original version, not only subsequent words were shown, but also previous ones, and in exactly the same color as the current word. It turned out such a "running line effect". However, with the help of several experiments, we managed to find out that for the most qualitative assimilation, only subsequent words should be shown. Plus, they should be much less contrasting so as not to interfere with the recognition of the current word.

An interesting point is that the following words are limited to the end of the current sentence. That is, if the current word is the last in the sentence, then no continuation of the text is shown. This allows you to improve the understanding of the structure of the read fragment. The main thing is to keep attention on the first word, not to “run away” with your eyes forward. If this happens, then perhaps it makes sense to increase the speed.

The result was a function that allows, through more efficient use of lateral vision, to increase the level of perception of texts. This feature can be especially convenient for people who read several words at once during normal reading, i.e. with already developed speed reading skills. However, it may not suit everyone. Therefore, the option is disabled by default. You can enable it in the settings: Display ›Continued text.

Frequently asked Questions

On the assimilation of information such mad speed does not affect?
Depends on skill. With unaccustomed, without losing the quality of reading can be able to read, for example, only one and a half times faster. But if you use Reedy regularly, then you get used to it, the speed of recognition and understanding increases - information is absorbed more and more quickly. Overclock the brain!

Why do you need to read so quickly?
Save time in the first place. You can quickly find out the information. And for those situations where you can sacrifice a little the quality of perception, you will be able to get even greater gain in speed. For example, to read the news, you can specifically set the speed at which information is absorbed with some losses - the general meaning will be clear.

What if there are problems with the perception of the text?
For example, you pause too often to reread the previous passage or your imagination does not keep up.

• Make sure that you do not have articulation - involuntary movements of the lips and tongue while reading the text. Try to perceive the text with your eyes, without uttering it to yourself. By the way, this fast reading technology teaches you this. After all, the higher the speed, the harder it is to have time to pronounce the words. Therefore, over time, the pronunciation will still go away, even if it is not specifically made to this effort.
• Start reading at a speed of no more than 300 words per minute. Read in a relaxed atmosphere. Read simple texts - articles of general subjects, fiction or even texts that you have already read before. After some time (maybe five minutes, or maybe a day), you will notice that the text at the current speed is perceived quite easily, and you stop reading less and less often in order to reread the previous passage. Now it turns out to increase the speed by 50 words per minute.
• Pick the right speed. It is not necessary both to overestimate and underestimate. Determine "your" speed. Please note that texts of varying complexity may require different speeds. The more complex the material, the more time is needed for reading comprehension, the lower it is worth setting the reading speed.
• On unknown words, most likely, it will be necessary to pause in order to understand the meaning. But this is true for ordinary reading.
• Customize the extension for maximum comfort. Choose a convenient font size and position of the text on the page. In the afternoon, in direct sunlight or with a glossy surface of the screen is better to use a light design. In the evening, it is recommended to turn on dark, it creates less strain on the eyes.

Is it possible to read technical texts and literature like this?
Yes, although it will be possible to do this only in sections of plain text and, probably, at lower speeds than usual. Naturally, formulas, code, graphics , etc. will have to look as usual.

Is it suitable for fiction?
Most definitely fit. Images begin to be perceived even more alive and colorful. The text, it can be said, turns into a movie. However, sometimes the opposite occurs when images begin to be perceived worse and it is impossible to fully enjoy the work. But if you are lucky and you have a quick figurative thinking, then you will be much more interested in reading fiction.

How is the blinking issue resolved?
Just remember to blink. This applies not only to reading. Do not allow the surface of the eyes to dry. Generally, blinking is a very fast process. Usually there is no difficulty with blinking even at a reading speed of 1000 wpm. The main thing is not to forget. But if there are difficulties, especially at high and ultra-high speeds, then it is recommended to stop and squint for a couple of seconds somewhere per minute. You can also try to blink your eyes in turn :) Although, perhaps, it is just worth reducing speed to a level where there is no difficulty with blinking.

How to read PDF?
If the PDF file is not copy protected, you can open it in the Chrome browser, select the text you want to read, and then select “Run Reedy” in the context menu. With this garbage there are a lot of bugs, so it is worth highlighting the text more precisely. It is desirable that he was on the same page.

How to read anything?
In Reedy is offline mode - you can copy any text, paste and read.

Conclusion

After some practice, it turns out to read at speeds of up to 1,100 words per minute (personal experience). This concerns, first of all, news or simple articles, which saves time by 3–5 times! More complex texts are quite able to read at 500-700 wpm (at least twice the acceleration). You can train very quickly to read without even making special efforts, in just one or two weeks, just by gradually increasing the number of words per minute.

To start reading you need to select the text or part of the page (it is possible to select the DOM element ). You can start from the context menu, hot key (Alt + S by default) or from the extension menu - use any method convenient for you.

Reedy is fully open source and distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL v2 license.

You can install the extension from the Chrome Web Store:
chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/reedy/ihbdojmggkmjbhfflnchljfkgdhokffj

UPD

Reedy version for Android released . Available for download on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=azagroup.reedy

The application has almost the same functionality as the extension.
Supported book formats: fb2, epub, txt (and all this in zip archives).
It is possible to share text or link from other applications, as well as insert your own arbitrary text.

Up-to-date information about Reedy can be found in Group Vk , or on the website reedy.azagroup.ru

Enjoy reading!