QUIZ: Can You Read 500 Words Per Minute? Test Drive Speed Reading App Spritz
Reading is a huge waste of time. Wait! Not because it’s not intellectually fulfilling and creatively stimulating and your gateway to different worlds, but because of how we’re doing it. Did you know that most of the time (like, 80%) you spend reading is just your eyes moving?? We told you, major time waster.
That’s what new technology Spritz is trying to change by serving up speed reading realness that can get your words per minute up to 1,000. Psh, you’ll be able to read 50 Shades of Grey on your morning commute. Again. You’re used to moving your eyes from word to word as you read, but when doing that, your eye is searching for a point in each word, the Optimal Recognition Point. You find the ORP, your brain tinkers to figure out the meaning and context for each and then it’s on to the next. That’s a lot of work.
Skip reading and start spritzing, which takes the words on each page and flashes them one at a time with the ORP located in one spot where you’re already looking. Now there’s no need for your eyes to roam the page. Reading one word at a time also makes page-turning easier on a smaller device like a smartwatch or a smartphone — perfect because Spritz will work with apps on a couple devices we’re pretty excited about, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Gear 2. Those devices aren’t out until April, but you can test your speed reading skills now with the quiz below!
Try it out at 250 wpm:
Total breeze, you got this! Now rev your reading engines up to 350 wpm:
Wipe the sweat off your brow and try 500 wpm:
Phew. Spritz goes up to twice as fast as this last one, but you’ll get there.
Using technology like Spritz would strip you of excuses for why you didn’t read the book before your next book club (sorry!). Plus, any presentations or articles on your work reading list would be a cinch to cram in. Let’s hope apps using Spritz team up with publications to deliver you your morning news as quickly as possible. Are SparkNotes still a thing with the kids these days? If so, they can cancel their e-subscription to them now with Spritz in the picture.
How did you do in the speed reading test above? Share below + tell us your speed reading tricks and what book YOU would read first with something like Spritz.
(Photos: h/t Huffington Post)