I think it would actually be good in certain applications. But when reading to relax, which I do, I don't think it fits the bill.
my read shelf:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." "I don't much care where –" "Then it doesn't matter which way you go.”
―
Lewis Carroll,
Alice in Wonderland
It's too fast. I feel like I'm just skimming over it and not absorbing it all. I'd feel like I was missing out on the experience. I want to be able to sit down, relax and enjoy a book not read as much as possible, as fast as possible.
I kept missing words when I blinked at the faster speeds! I think it would be nice for school or work but it couldn't replace reading for relaxation. I just accepted the kindle into my life, I am not ready for another way to change reading.
I think it is a neat idea, but I agree with the previous poster: reading for me is for relaxation. I am not reading to finish N number of books or whatever (although that would be good for challenges ). But that's part of the reason I don't do challenges any more -- I want to enjoy books that I read, and to me being able to go back and re-read parts, or just savor some passages is much more important.
I agree with others. It would definitely be helpful when it comes to reading for school or work, but I don't think I'd like it for my pleasure reading. Sure, I'd like to read more books with my limited time, but I also enjoy getting lost in a book. I don't think I'd be able to do that with the words flying by.
I already know that I take a while to comprehend and stew over the nuances of what I'm reading, which is why my reading speed is among the slowest here. I don't really have a desire to change that, so I would be hitting pause on that thing all the time to give myself time to reflect.
I imagine that several chapters would fly by every darn time my husband interrupts my reading to tell me about something he saw on TV. :-t I love him, but sheesh.
Also, it's makes reading feel like a test, how fast can you get through it with some comprehension. The beauty of language and words gets lost. Books are about more than the story. Even typography or the feel of the pages is part of the experience.
Vellichor: The strange wistfulness of used bookstores
I imagine that several chapters would fly by every darn time my husband interrupts my reading to tell me about something he saw on TV. :-t I love him, but sheesh.
Also, it's makes reading feel like a test, how fast can you get through it with some comprehension. The beauty of language and words gets lost. Books are about more than the story. Even typography or the feel of the pages is part of the experience.
All of this. I do think that this would have been great for school or occasionally for work (depending on what I'm reading).
Ok, I might be crazy... but I felt like this slowed me down, not sped me up. It totally feels like a robot like @jackiback said, because I'm only seeing each word one at a time, with the sparest mental pause in between. When my brain processes the change in words, in automatically puts a hyphen between them.
I-read-this-differently-than
I would read this.
Not being able to see all the words in a sentence at once is totally freaky and I would think THAT is what causes the lack of feeling/cadence/comprehension/whatever you guys are saying, not that it's too fast.
But I'm not a super smart scientist like the people who put this together, soooo ::shrugs::
AND, now that I'm thinking about it, I really think there IS scientific research out there that shows that we don't actually read every word of a sentence. Our brain puts the whole thing together, so when certain words are missing we don't even notice.
This FORCES you to read every single word separately... it just doesn't make sense to me that centering the words and highlighting a single letter would make up for that.
I didn't find it too fast, but I did find it annoying. And I had to reread everything to make sure I hadn't missed anything. And as PPS have said, it makes it seem robotic. Plus, as @GilliC has said, most of us read faster than 500 words a minute, it actually slowed me down, not sped me up.
Re: Whoa. I'm not sure what to think of this.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
2014: 4/40
[2010: 63] [2011: 35] [2012: 23] [2013: 27]
my read shelf:

Please visit my blog The Party Hostess
My read shelf:

Books read in 2011: 111
Books read in 2012: 100
my read shelf:
http://forums.thenest.com/discussion/12009875/how-fast-do-you-read
But I think there is a difference between taking a "quiz" to test wpm & wanting to enjoy your novel.
I agree with the others... this could be good for text books but not so good for "enjoyment" reading.
Also, it's makes reading feel like a test, how fast can you get through it with some comprehension. The beauty of language and words gets lost. Books are about more than the story. Even typography or the feel of the pages is part of the experience.
my read shelf:
I-read-this-differently-than
I would read this.
Not being able to see all the words in a sentence at once is totally freaky and I would think THAT is what causes the lack of feeling/cadence/comprehension/whatever you guys are saying, not that it's too fast.
But I'm not a super smart scientist like the people who put this together, soooo ::shrugs::
52 Books in 2014??


My sweet babies:




This FORCES you to read every single word separately... it just doesn't make sense to me that centering the words and highlighting a single letter would make up for that.
52 Books in 2014??


My sweet babies:




Ah! I read the poll question as "How fast do you read?" Not "How fast can you read?"