Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 20:15:43 -0800 (PST) From: Cliff High <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: ELECTRONIC TEXTS Sender: "SHARP-L Society for the History of Authorship, Reading & Publishing" <[log in to unmask]> Frwd from a discussion about the quality of etexts on gutenberg by jmcf: > Given all of that, I would mention that these sources will only >get better in the future. (People such as David Seaman at U Va. are >keeping an eye on these texts' quality.) In my library school classes >this semester at the University of Arizona, I have observed the >continuing rapid transformation of information access from print to >electronic form. As we are in a transitional period, the texts are not >as numerous as they will be in the future but as with past technological >innovations of this nature, the technique will improve over time and with >scholars' increased experience with this media. > I hope that helps you. Thanks for listening. > >Sincerely, > >David J. Duncan There is also the issue of the evolution of reading. We are in a transitional phase there as well. It is absurd that in essence we are reading as we would from stone tablets. We have simply transfered the information to a tablet whose virtual lies in illumination. Yes, I am aware that they are flexible and erase easily and provide really cool graphics as well as interactive tv, but the computer screen, as it is currently used, is no great improvement over stone tablets. As far as the reading is concerned. Consider that the average reading speed for English language speakers is 240 words a minute on a white background black foreground reflected light surface. It actually goes down under testing on most computer screens to 180 to 200 words a minute from most word processing programs. This is in spite of the 'richness' of the text display. Of course, reading is our way of assimulating information from the computer media. The very same media that allow us to crank out information in such vast quantities that we are in danger of drowning in it. It is no wonder, at even 240 words a minute, that the information society feels more like an information flood. It is no wonder that we feel as though we never have time for anything other than fatigued assimulation of and endless text stream. It is no wonder that we begin to hate the producers of this flood. Now, it we could only read faster........ Try the future of electronic books. Vortex is Machine Assisted Reading Software. It is an entirely new way to read. Our users report reading at better than 1200 words a minute within minutes of use. The impact of works of fiction at that speed are akin to living the experience written about. Vortex 1.01 is shareware. Try it to see the future of reading. You will never think about reading in the same way again. ___________________________________ Cliff High Tenax Software Engineering [log in to unmask] "To change the world, change a mind" To change the world, download Vortex from SimTel today. Other sites on request. oak.oakland.edu/pub/SimTel/msdos/windows3/vortex1.zip