Anyone with mechanical & electrical knowledge who can help built this?

[lin]

Hi This is non printer related.

I wonder if there is anyone here who has mechanical and/or electrical background who can help to built something similar to this device? Do let me know how much I should be paying. It doesn't matter if the built is simple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7WcO5uQOgs

This will auto scroll from top to bottom I think in 1 minute. It doesn't matter if you cannot built one where it will return to the top position after one minute. But at least it must allow one use the hand to push the scroll up and let it repeat moving downloads again.

Thanks very much.

 

[ghwellsjr]

What's if for? Reading Hebrew?

Does that device actually exist? Or is it an animation?

 

[lin]

What's if for? Reading Hebrew?

Does that device actually exist? Or is it an animation?

This device does exist. It look too much like an animation because I think the video is kind of stretch on the youtube. Maybe it's an animation to illustrate the movement but this device exist. I don't have the actual device with me so I couldn't take video of it. I actually use something similar or maybe same device when I attended a speedreading course long long time ago. But I can't remember whether the one where I used was looking exactly like this. I thought I vaguely remember it was black in color? But it was too long ago for me to remember.

This device is actually for speedreading (maybe called as Tachistoscope). Initially, you will be using this to practice speedreading. You will only be using for a while or for a few days and then you are off from using this device. So that you don't grow to rely on this device as the ultimate goal is to read even faster. It's only use initially to help learner to conceptualize or feel how the eyes moves when reading because it prevent you from re-reading or subvocalization as you don't have the time or opportunity to.

The younger one at home is at a 'rebelious' age, so whatever books or programs that are recommend them to read or attend, they will not listen. When I first introduce books on 'Improving your memory' and 'MindMap', he wouldn't listen or just simply ignore. So what I do is I place those books around at home where they had to walk pass everyday to catch their interest. Sometime he wouldn't touch those books for weeks, so I open up the books where there are colors pictures as that catch their attention better. Eventually, one fine day, I found these missing at the place where I laid them and it was inside their room.

I understand there are software available, but I didn't like the use of software.

I would really really appreciate if someone here who has mechanical or electrical knowledge can help lin to built a similar device. It doesn't matter if it's simple. Will pay for it.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I'm just surprised that the device in the video uncovers the lines from right to left. Is that how speed reading is taught?

 

[lin]

I'm just surprised that the device in the video uncovers the lines from right to left. Is that how speed reading is taught?

Hmm, I don't understand what or where do you mean the device uncovers the lines from right to left.

Or do you mean the top part where the text are uncover as the blue scroll bar moves down?

The scroll bar start from the top on each page. It will gradually scroll down the page. For eg, when the bar scroll down say it reaches the center, the text on top where the device was not covered, one would have already read those lines since one should have move on to read the bottom part of the text. If one was to attempt re-reading, one usually will not go about re-reading something so far apart as the top but rather the few lines before. But those line were already covered, you wouldn't be able to read them.

I remember when I attending this course (which is no longer available to the public), the instructor (no longer around since it was so long ago) mentioned all those common mistakes when ones read, such as word by word, subvocalization, re-reading etc.... I couldn't force myself not to do so and whatever he say didn't sink in my mind. It was until I was given this device to use and we were asked to read some books and do a comprehesion test after reading, I could actually conceptualized what is reading faster all about since I couldn't do any of those (common mistakes to avoid when reading). When you were put on this device, your eyes naturally pick up the movements and really understand using peripheral vision. I remember my eyes moved like the ? (question mark technique mentioned in Evelyn Wood which I read later on my own after the course ended). Though we were not taught any of those hands sweeping movements in Evelyn Woods book (since it's not a Evelyn Wood course).

I went on to read other speed reading books on my own apart from Evenlyn wood and never once did I use hand movement. I find using hands sweeping motion is to distracting for me. I am glad I got a chance to use the speed reading accelerator device because it really force my eyes to move naturally and unconsciously using peripheral vision and prevent the tendency to read word by word, re-read, subvocalization etc. I find that is the only worthy part through the whole course. Because technique and common mistake one could easily read from books on their own. But without the device, I don't think I would have really pick up anything even if I were to read many books on speed reading books.

I would really appreciate someone who is mechanic and/or electrical enough to help lin built somthing similar to this. The exterior doesn't need to be aesthetics looking.

 

[lin]

Thinking about the concept of this device. I supposed there is a sort of timer mechanism? And the scroll bar moves like the scanner glass tube from top to bottom. I remember when I dismantle the multfunction printer to clean the underside of the glass (something I would never do to a multi-functional printer again), i could rotate the wheel and that makes the scanner glass tube move up and down.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I see, so you're supposed to read below the vane before it covers up what you are reading. In the video, the top lines start out covered up so I just assumed that you were supposed to read above the vane, but now I realize that if you do that, you cannot read the bottom lines. Which ever way you do it, you cannot see the entire text. But I guess this is just an animation to convey the idea.

If you did the same thing on a video display, would it be just as effective?

 

[lin]

I see, so you're supposed to read below the vane before it covers up what you are reading. In the video, the top lines start out covered up so I just assumed that you were supposed to read above the vane, but now I realize that if you do that, you cannot read the bottom lines. Which ever way you do it, you cannot see the entire text. But I guess this is just an animation to convey the idea.

If you did the same thing on a video display, would it be just as effective?

Yes, one is supposed to read below the vane (blue scroll bar) before it covers up what you are reading. You were right that this is an animation of the actual device as to how it's move down the page. Probably because in the video it started out covering the first line of the sentence so it give the impression it was so.

In fact, this is not so. I remember when I was using this back many years ago, the scroll bar of the device started out several centermeter away from the book. So by the time the scroll bar reaches the first line of the paragraph of the book, one should have already read way way passed below the first line. And depending on one speed, someone who read fast can actually have gone on to read the center portion of the books while the scroll bar was still moving down the first paragraph and so on.

Below is roughly a picture based on the blue reading accelerator how the blue scroll bar should be started.

The one thing I cannot remember is how did the one I used (many years back then) return back to the top position (i.e the start position). Whether did I used my hands to push it back or it automatically roll back like a spring to it's starting position once it's reaches it end. Or did I just flip device so that it's down become the top as I begin to read the next page.

Like I said, the device doesn't start out covering the first line of the books.

I find it very helpful and effective as it facilitates the initial learning of speed reading. Once you have read much faster or had use this device for a very short while, you should stop using or relying on this device for long term. Speed reading is something that need to be practice or done everyday/often so that you don't fall back to the old way of reading. If one had stop practicing speed reading for some time and had a hard time going back to speed reading, I think this device will be useful to put you back on track again and before you take this off again as well.

Initially, I couldn't get the hang of the device, as the scroll bar keep going ahead of me and covering what I had to read. I was very frustrated. But after using for a few times (or few pages), the device had a way of forcing me to read faster and faster and I wasn't able to subvocalized, read word by word or regress. Thereafter I begin to comprehend what the instructor had said about those common mistakes that I was doing unconciously when reading and also understand the use of peripheral vision as well.

 

[ghwellsjr]

What about my last question: could you get the proper training using a video display? Or is it necessary to be a real book?

 

[lin]

What about my last question: could you get the proper training using a video display? Or is it necessary to be a real book?

I don't understand this question. There is no video display involved at all. This is just a device that just moves up and down in 1 minute I think. It's just place beside the book that you are going to read.