As we more more and more toward a completely paperless society we really need to address digital reading.  There are some great new device’s coming out (like Amazon’s Kindle), but most people, can’t afford a dedicated reading device, especially a $400 one. :)  

So, what do you do?  Use your laptop! :)   Yesterday I read a great article on Lifehacker about doubling your reading speed. They introduced three new programs to me that will flash words on a screen at a high rate. 

Why this is Better than books!

To me, this is using technology to help us.  So often we look down at reading online, but this would actually be BETTER than a regular book because it keeps your undivided attention.  And I know we can all read faster than we do, when we have to. 

Of course, if your goal is to ENJOY the book… this might not be the best solution… :)

Personal Experience

When I was in grad school I had to read LARGE books, and several a week.  When I was drowning in stuff to do, I found a way to download books on my palm pilot and using the auto scroll feature read entire books in half the time it would normally take me.  I have not tried these particular programs yet, but I can imagine how awesome this would be.

Church Applications

There is a TON of information on LDS.org.  I struggle to keep up with it all of my readings for church each and still have meaningful personal study.  Using one of these programs will allow you to get a lot of information at once… of course that might not be the goal… then they aren’t that good.

Another option is for all those classic books out there that general authorities keep quoting.  I have a long list of books I want to read… this would allow me to work my way through them faster… :)

Has anyone else out there tried using these programs?  What about another program?  What other ideas do you have for making reading online easier?  Do share your thoughts in the comments section!