–Zap Reader is a little web service that makes speedreading easier on the web. There’s an extension for Firefox call JS Reader that has comparable functionality.
I do some basic speed-reading in the paper world, so it’s nice to see this expand on the web. I like Zap Reader on first look, though it’s always an odd adjustment to make. It’s such a weird sensation to have so many words funneling into your head, while not moving your eyes much at all. The downside of these online “rapid serial visual representation” tools is that you lose quite a bit of context while you’re reading. It’s not really convenient for placing quick pencil marks for areas to check on later, and you can lose the hierarchical cues like headings and indentations. But a tabbed browser like Firefox can help keep the original doc handy for referral.

On the upside, after you adjust, you can really cruise through a document. No pages to turn, no book to hold flat. At speed, you can go through a work a couple times with focus, as opposed to one wandering trip with all the intrinsic linky distractions that make me love the internet. [via mefi]