One idea I had a while ago is doing research into optimal reading. I did a quick literature review some time ago trying to find out the ideal size of fonts for fast reading, but couldn’t find any definite data. Most of the things written on speedreading seem to be completely unscientific (e.g. flashing words one by one on the screen).
An app could measure how far away you are from the screen with a webcam and then collect data on how fast you’re reading. This app could then automatically adjust the font size etc.
The idea here is not so much the app, but more that so many people are reading every day for multiple hours. Making everyone read faster (~more effective) even by 0.1% would have a lot of benefits.
I think it could be great if one could somehow make clear to people that such an app, and other effectiveness-increasing tools, had been constructed by EAs for EA purposes. For instance, you could include the EA logo somewhere. That way, developing such tools would not only make people more effective, but also potentially attract them to the EA movement.
This is a great idea!
One idea I had a while ago is doing research into optimal reading. I did a quick literature review some time ago trying to find out the ideal size of fonts for fast reading, but couldn’t find any definite data. Most of the things written on speedreading seem to be completely unscientific (e.g. flashing words one by one on the screen).
An app could measure how far away you are from the screen with a webcam and then collect data on how fast you’re reading. This app could then automatically adjust the font size etc.
The idea here is not so much the app, but more that so many people are reading every day for multiple hours. Making everyone read faster (~more effective) even by 0.1% would have a lot of benefits.
That sounds like an excellent idea!
I think it could be great if one could somehow make clear to people that such an app, and other effectiveness-increasing tools, had been constructed by EAs for EA purposes. For instance, you could include the EA logo somewhere. That way, developing such tools would not only make people more effective, but also potentially attract them to the EA movement.