Author Topic: Live Ink (Read 1889 times)

Jonathon · « **on:** May 14, 2007, 09:30:35 AM »

link

I just came across a link to this site. Apparently someone has come up with some sort of algorithm to break up text into small semantic units to facilitate reading and comprehension. I watched the demo and read some samples, and I have to say that I'm not impressed. Everything comes out in this choppy staccato rhythm, in my opinion. And I definitely don't like the free-verse poetry appearance, either. Maybe that's the worst part—I feel like my eye is jumping around instead of going a certain distance and then snapping back to the beginning of the line.

Does anyone have a different experience reading the samples?

Porter · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2007, 09:33:46 AM »

It sounds interesting, but I can't get it to show me the samples.

Jonathon · « **Reply #2 on:** May 14, 2007, 09:35:54 AM »

Do you have Flashblock on?

Porter · « **Reply #3 on:** May 14, 2007, 09:45:39 AM »

No. I had javascript disabled.

I quite liked it, myself. I thought that breaking the sentence into chunks made it easer to read.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:11:24 PM »

It might be helpful for someone who was reading a speech, or who has a reading disability. For me, reading is effortless, so I didn't gain any benefit.

Primal Curve · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:22:10 PM »

It kept breaking up the sentences in ways I would never have read them.

dkw · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2007, 03:02:29 PM »

I liked it for onscreen reading. I don't think it would be an improvement over hardcopy reading, but sometimes my eyes have trouble tracking long lines of text on the monitor.

Jonathon · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2007, 03:22:55 PM »

You're not the only one. I learned in one of my classes that the optimal line length is about 10 or 12 words per line. It's very easy to go over that online because most text isn't formatted into columns.

rivka · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2007, 06:23:31 PM »

Quote

I liked it for onscreen reading. I don't think it would be an improvement over hardcopy reading, but sometimes my eyes have trouble tracking long lines of text on the monitor.

Ditto.

rain · « **Reply #9 on:** May 22, 2007, 08:07:21 PM »

When I read online, I try to make the window narrow enough to keep the text column at about 5 or 6 inches, then just scan down. If the window width doesn't get small enough, I have been known to copy entire books into a word processing software to get the format and font size I want.

I also have my glasses made with executive bifocals and trifocals (the lines go all the way across the lenses) so I don't have to move my head side to side to see a wider area.

I tried reading the Moby Dick sample, and by the end of it I was just confused.

pooka · « **Reply #10 on:** May 28, 2007, 09:37:05 AM »

It would be hard for me to get used to, and that seems to defeat the purpose, as I understand it. though I think my boss might talk like that into the dictaphone. Being able to dictate anything resembling written English is actually a pretty impressive skill.