Reading? Don’t Blink!

—By Kristi Spuhler for LitLovers—
In the last few years, we have all seen major changes in reading. With the advent of ebooks and ereaders, the materials that people read, where they read and how they read have been flipped upside-down. Gone are the days when people would peruse a quiet bookstore to find their next reading project - with a wifi connection and a series of clicks, readers have a virtual library at their fingertips.

Technology aside, there have even been developments in the way people read. Speed reading has grown in popularity among the college-age set for years and who can blame them? With such a massive amount of text that we’re all dying to pour over, we have to cut out time somewhere! Enter Spritz, a revolutionary new reading system developed by a team in Boston.

The Spritz claim-to-fame is its alleged ability to cut down the 80% of total reading time your eyes waste while moving from word to word. When reading, your eye searches out the ORP (optimal recognition point) in each word. Once the ORP has been located, you then begin processing the information. Repeat this process for every word on a page and you’ve spent quite a long time just moving your eyes!

With Spritz, the ORP in each word is highlighted for you. Each word in a sentence then flashes across a display screen with the ORP cast in the same area each time. This process completely removes your need to move your eyes and allows you to focus fully on the words in front of you. Where before it was necessary to focus on each word, now you can sit back, relax and let your text come to you.

Though the technology behind this new reading system is intriguing, we have to wonder how such a drastic change in reading would affect our audience of LitHounds. When the Kindle and the Nook first started making their appearance a few years back, there were rumblings that the publishing industry would be forever changed. Since that time, we’ve seen differences in the amounts of books that are published in the more traditional fashion, and a marked increase in the prevalence of self-publishing. Even though technology has taken a strong hold in literature, the popularity of the ink and paper book has endured - but can it survive another blow from a popular lit-gadget?

Though it’s easy to be skeptical, it may be best to give Spritz a try before passing judgement. To see what this new gadget is all about click here and then scroll over the blue link in the right upper corner of the page.

What do you think about text streaming - is it here to stay, or will it be gone in the blink of an eye? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you think!