Books?
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- dualstow
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Re: Books?
Please do. Can’t hurt to try.
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- vnatale
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Re: Books?
Here is what I remember.
1. Look up the meaning of every word you do not know. This one I was extremely disciplined on and did for the entire two years. I was totally honest with myself in telling myself I STILL did not know the meaning of a word after having already looked it up 7 or 8 prior times! By the time I was done with this process I was seeing no words I did not know and don't think I saw any words on the verbal SAT's that I did not know. This one, though, is a huge time investment because it stops you reading while you pick up that dictionary to look up the word. If you are reading an ebook, though, this is far easier than what I put myself through. The payoff is when you are reading in the future you never pause at an unknown to try to guess its meaning.
2. Slowest readings read a letter at a time. Next is a word at a time. Next is phrases. The way I read is somewhat done the middle with a swirling to the left and right. This one either you or I may need to find a better online explanation to better describe this.
3. The next is the free one which is guaranteed to increase your speed with zero investment of time. Just some temporary discomfort. When you are reading a book, a newspaper, an article online or in a newspaper you are reading it at your comfortable reading speed. For about ten minutes push yourself so that you feel uncomfortable but not so fast so that you are not reading all the words or losing any comprehension. Just do it a level where all the reading feels the same except that you are realizing you are pushing yourself and it does feel as relaxed or as comfortable as your normal reading speed. Here is what happens. Let's say your normal reading speed is 300 words per minute. When you were pushing yourself you were reading at 10% faster or 330 words per minute. When you go back to your normal, comfortable speed it is now going to be 310 word per minute. I'm just giving rough numbers. Now next session (anther day) 10% faster for 10 minutes is going to be 340 words per minute. And, your normal reading speed is now going to be 315. I loved this one because there was zero extra investment of time.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Books?
I don't have to tilt my head up to see most of the screen. I can move my eyes far enough, but of course that depends on how acute your vision is if you're not looking straight ahead.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:14 pmHow does a monitor that size work ergonomically? The ideal is to be looking straight ahead with your head level. It seems like with a monitor that size I might have to tilt my head up a fair amount of time? The next step up for my office monitors would be 29" or so. There I stand all the time while doing my work.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:48 am23"? I haven't used a monitor that small for years. I'm currently using a 4K 55" monitor.
Here's what I would probably buy today, for under $400:
https://www.costco.com/samsung-55%22-cl ... 55707.html
If you switch to Dvorak you could probably go a lot faster. I've hit 100 wpm in the past, although I don't know if I could do that now, what with my arthritis.
It will probably take you a lot more than 20 hours to get to reasonable competency with Dvorak, but I've never thought the time to do that was wasted. Just the reduction in finger movement alone when typing English text is worthwhile.
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Re: Books?
I finished the SAT with plenty of time to spare, although I should probably have gone back over the answers because I didn't get 800s. The only achievement test where I didn't have lots of time left over was the NMSQT (the 1964 version).vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:22 pmOver a two year period in high school, I taught myself how to increase my speed from 300 to 900 words per minute. I bought two books on how to read faster and did EVERYTHING they said to do. I was extremely motivated, dedicated, and disciplined with it.
Just one anecdote regarding its benefit.
A friend of mine took the GMAT (exams for acceptance to graduate business schools). I asked him how many times he'd been able to get through each section before they said to close the booklets. He said, "How many times??!! I could not even get through them once!" I'd been able to fully read them two times and was on my third time around when they said to close the booklets. Being able to read the information that fast was a tremendous advantage in then answering the questions based upon what we read.
I could give you some tips on how to read faster. Some would take an investment of time (that would later pay off) while others would take no investment of time but would give an immediate payoff.
Vinny
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Re: Books?
Today I was doing a lot of spreadsheet work with numbers jammed on the screen and quite tiny. Those were monitor on my right. And, I was looking at those numbers to input them into accounting software on this monitor right in front of me. I will definitely, at some point, acquire what you recommended or something like it to compare that experience to what I am now doing. I know that if I don't keep the whole arms, body, head all in one direction and aligned I'm otherwise going to get physical problems, i.e., pain. Right now as I'm doing this my head is completely level with no need for it to move up or down.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:09 pmI don't have to tilt my head up to see most of the screen. I can move my eyes far enough, but of course that depends on how acute your vision is if you're not looking straight ahead.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:14 pmHow does a monitor that size work ergonomically? The ideal is to be looking straight ahead with your head level. It seems like with a monitor that size I might have to tilt my head up a fair amount of time? The next step up for my office monitors would be 29" or so. There I stand all the time while doing my work.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:48 am
23"? I haven't used a monitor that small for years. I'm currently using a 4K 55" monitor.
Here's what I would probably buy today, for under $400:
https://www.costco.com/samsung-55%22-cl ... 55707.html
If you switch to Dvorak you could probably go a lot faster. I've hit 100 wpm in the past, although I don't know if I could do that now, what with my arthritis.
It will probably take you a lot more than 20 hours to get to reasonable competency with Dvorak, but I've never thought the time to do that was wasted. Just the reduction in finger movement alone when typing English text is worthwhile.
And, here is the book I mentioned. He seemed to get it (and many other things) all down in 20 hours. I do remember, though, that when he was doing it there was a drastic reduction in his typing speed and that may have been for weeks. That would mean I could only start on it until I was not under pressure to be fairly highly productive for a good span of time. Plus, there is no turning back? You don't go back and forth between that keyboard and the current keyboard that we all use? So, all your keyboards would either need to be converted or replaced?
https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-L ... l_huc_item
The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
- dualstow
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Re: Books?
Thank you, Vinny.
Believe me, I have been pushing beyond the comfortable speed ever since I saw how many words you read per minute.
Interesting about the down-the-middle with swirls approach. I remember seeing a suggested technique of kind of slanting down and to the right.
The closest I’ve come to speeding up is reading aloud in my head but as if an audiobook narrator has been speeded up. Anything beyond that and the reading comprehension suffers greatly.
In fiction, it helps to visualize everything, and certain books really lend themselves to that. A book on economics, though- I’d be screwed.
Believe me, I have been pushing beyond the comfortable speed ever since I saw how many words you read per minute.
Interesting about the down-the-middle with swirls approach. I remember seeing a suggested technique of kind of slanting down and to the right.
The closest I’ve come to speeding up is reading aloud in my head but as if an audiobook narrator has been speeded up. Anything beyond that and the reading comprehension suffers greatly.
In fiction, it helps to visualize everything, and certain books really lend themselves to that. A book on economics, though- I’d be screwed.
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Re: Books?
This forum certainly gets me looking up some new things I never heard of! I'd never heard of the NMSQT prior to reading what you just wrote. It seems like it is a new (?) thing and is the PSAT counterpart? So, is that what you took the PSAT? The same thing I took around 1966?Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:11 pmI finished the SAT with plenty of time to spare, although I should probably have gone back over the answers because I didn't get 800s. The only achievement test where I didn't have lots of time left over was the NMSQT (the 1964 version).vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:22 pmOver a two year period in high school, I taught myself how to increase my speed from 300 to 900 words per minute. I bought two books on how to read faster and did EVERYTHING they said to do. I was extremely motivated, dedicated, and disciplined with it.
Just one anecdote regarding its benefit.
A friend of mine took the GMAT (exams for acceptance to graduate business schools). I asked him how many times he'd been able to get through each section before they said to close the booklets. He said, "How many times??!! I could not even get through them once!" I'd been able to fully read them two times and was on my third time around when they said to close the booklets. Being able to read the information that fast was a tremendous advantage in then answering the questions based upon what we read.
I could give you some tips on how to read faster. Some would take an investment of time (that would later pay off) while others would take no investment of time but would give an immediate payoff.
Vinny
And, related to the new things I've seen here.
There was a question to me about "wokeness". I had to look up its definition. Then last just week I heard a partial clip of President Obama talking to students about their use of social media. At one point, he said, "....And, you consider that woke. That's not social justice. That's not change." It tied in with what the word meant as explained to me here, except that he seemed to have a broader definition of it.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Books?
I think I saw some of the same Obama clip. He dissed ‘wokeness’, which was good to hear. Said something like, “The world is messy. There are ambiguities” - in the context of, you can’t expect people to behave the way you want them to/ you have to live in the world and (for the most part) accept it the way it is.
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Re: Books?
I seemed to have only seen 20 seconds of it and don't know if that was all it was or I just heard the tail end of it. He came across as articulate during those 20 seconds as he had obvious thoughts about what he was saying as opposed to being put on the spot and having to answer someone else's question.dualstow wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:59 pm I think I saw some of the same Obama clip. He dissed ‘wokeness’, which was good to hear. Said something like, “The world is messy. There are ambiguities” - in the context of, you can’t expect people to behave the way you want them to/ you have to live in the world and (for the most part) accept it the way it is.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Books?
No, you can go back and forth if you want to. I never learned to touch-type on the QWERTY keyboard so that doesn't apply to me, but I understand from others that it isn't a big problem.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:50 pmToday I was doing a lot of spreadsheet work with numbers jammed on the screen and quite tiny. Those were monitor on my right. And, I was looking at those numbers to input them into accounting software on this monitor right in front of me. I will definitely, at some point, acquire what you recommended or something like it to compare that experience to what I am now doing. I know that if I don't keep the whole arms, body, head all in one direction and aligned I'm otherwise going to get physical problems, i.e., pain. Right now as I'm doing this my head is completely level with no need for it to move up or down.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:09 pmI don't have to tilt my head up to see most of the screen. I can move my eyes far enough, but of course that depends on how acute your vision is if you're not looking straight ahead.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:14 pm
How does a monitor that size work ergonomically? The ideal is to be looking straight ahead with your head level. It seems like with a monitor that size I might have to tilt my head up a fair amount of time? The next step up for my office monitors would be 29" or so. There I stand all the time while doing my work.
It will probably take you a lot more than 20 hours to get to reasonable competency with Dvorak, but I've never thought the time to do that was wasted. Just the reduction in finger movement alone when typing English text is worthwhile.
And, here is the book I mentioned. He seemed to get it (and many other things) all down in 20 hours. I do remember, though, that when he was doing it there was a drastic reduction in his typing speed and that may have been for weeks. That would mean I could only start on it until I was not under pressure to be fairly highly productive for a good span of time. Plus, there is no turning back? You don't go back and forth between that keyboard and the current keyboard that we all use? So, all your keyboards would either need to be converted or replaced?
https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-L ... l_huc_item
The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
Vinny
As for converting or replacing your keyboards, every version of Windows since 3.1 (I think) has had a Dvorak driver, so you don't actually need custom keyboards. That driver is what I use on my laptop when I'm not at home; at home, I use a switchable Kinesis keyboard on all of my machines, so I don't need that driver.
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Re: Books?
I never took the PSAT, just the SAT. The NMSQT at that time was a separate test used to qualify for National Merit Scholarships. Now it is the same as the PSAT.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:56 pmThis forum certainly gets me looking up some new things I never heard of! I'd never heard of the NMSQT prior to reading what you just wrote. It seems like it is a new (?) thing and is the PSAT counterpart? So, is that what you took the PSAT? The same thing I took around 1966?Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:11 pmI finished the SAT with plenty of time to spare, although I should probably have gone back over the answers because I didn't get 800s. The only achievement test where I didn't have lots of time left over was the NMSQT (the 1964 version).vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:22 pm
Over a two year period in high school, I taught myself how to increase my speed from 300 to 900 words per minute. I bought two books on how to read faster and did EVERYTHING they said to do. I was extremely motivated, dedicated, and disciplined with it.
Just one anecdote regarding its benefit.
A friend of mine took the GMAT (exams for acceptance to graduate business schools). I asked him how many times he'd been able to get through each section before they said to close the booklets. He said, "How many times??!! I could not even get through them once!" I'd been able to fully read them two times and was on my third time around when they said to close the booklets. Being able to read the information that fast was a tremendous advantage in then answering the questions based upon what we read.
I could give you some tips on how to read faster. Some would take an investment of time (that would later pay off) while others would take no investment of time but would give an immediate payoff.
Vinny
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Re: Books?
More than you ever wanted to know about SAT and ACT tests.
https://www.erikthered.com/tutor/sat-act-history.html
https://www.erikthered.com/tutor/sat-act-history.html
DNA has its own language (code), and language requires intelligence. There is no known mechanism by which matter can give birth to information, let alone language. It is unreasonable to believe the world could have happened by chance.
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Re: Books?
I understand that you CAN go back and forth. But it seems like it'd be totally confusing to go back and forth. Seems like you have to maintain a commitment to one or the other.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 10:10 pmNo, you can go back and forth if you want to. I never learned to touch-type on the QWERTY keyboard so that doesn't apply to me, but I understand from others that it isn't a big problem.vnatale wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:50 pmToday I was doing a lot of spreadsheet work with numbers jammed on the screen and quite tiny. Those were monitor on my right. And, I was looking at those numbers to input them into accounting software on this monitor right in front of me. I will definitely, at some point, acquire what you recommended or something like it to compare that experience to what I am now doing. I know that if I don't keep the whole arms, body, head all in one direction and aligned I'm otherwise going to get physical problems, i.e., pain. Right now as I'm doing this my head is completely level with no need for it to move up or down.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:09 pm
I don't have to tilt my head up to see most of the screen. I can move my eyes far enough, but of course that depends on how acute your vision is if you're not looking straight ahead.
It will probably take you a lot more than 20 hours to get to reasonable competency with Dvorak, but I've never thought the time to do that was wasted. Just the reduction in finger movement alone when typing English text is worthwhile.
And, here is the book I mentioned. He seemed to get it (and many other things) all down in 20 hours. I do remember, though, that when he was doing it there was a drastic reduction in his typing speed and that may have been for weeks. That would mean I could only start on it until I was not under pressure to be fairly highly productive for a good span of time. Plus, there is no turning back? You don't go back and forth between that keyboard and the current keyboard that we all use? So, all your keyboards would either need to be converted or replaced?
https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-L ... l_huc_item
The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
Vinny
As for converting or replacing your keyboards, every version of Windows since 3.1 (I think) has had a Dvorak driver, so you don't actually need custom keyboards. That driver is what I use on my laptop when I'm not at home; at home, I use a switchable Kinesis keyboard on all of my machines, so I don't need that driver.
And, it seems like I'd need to see where the letters are on my physical keyboards even if I am touch typing?
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Books?
I took the PSAT in 10th grade. And, the SATs three times. Maybe all three times my junior year? Where I grew up we had no knowledge of the ACT and I don't think I even heard about it until the ACTs until decade(s) after high school.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
Re: Books?
I've never gotten confused. It's possible to get rusty if you completely neglect one, but switching between them really isn't a problem. I've been primarily on Dvorak for a long time and I think it's great (for what that's worth).
The definition of touch typing is not needing to see where the letters are on your keyboard, so... No.
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Re: Books?
I was definitely on the East Coast (Rhode Island).MangoMan wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:37 amBack then in the midwest, the ACT was definitely the more popular of the two. Unless you were planning to go to a private school, or one on the E/W coast, many people only took the ACT.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Books?
I just finished Liu Cixin's The Three Body Problem trilogy this week, and lo mein and behold! The NYT just published a story about the books and their translator. The books were fantastic, and it appears the translation was a big part of that:
Now, Liu Cixin says, he recommends that Chinese sci-fi fans who speak English read Ken Liu’s translation of “The Three-Body Problem” rather than the Chinese version. “Usually when Chinese literature gets translated to a foreign language, it tends to lose something,” he says. “I don’t think that happened with ‘The Three-Body Problem.’ I think it gained something.”
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: Books?
@ “lo mein and behold.”
Yeah, that’s supposed to be a great series. Never heard of something getting better in translation. I mean, my Italian buddy always insisted Twin Peaks was better in Italian, but...he’s Italian.[shadow][/shadow]
Yeah, that’s supposed to be a great series. Never heard of something getting better in translation. I mean, my Italian buddy always insisted Twin Peaks was better in Italian, but...he’s Italian.[shadow][/shadow]
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Re: Books?
I'm pretty sure Caesar's "Gallic Wars" loses something in the original.
Or at least that's how I remember it from my junior high school Latin class.
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Re: Books?
Hard to find a native speaker to comment on that. Even Rome didn’t have any.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:33 pmI'm pretty sure Caesar's "Gallic Wars" loses something in the original.
Or at least that's how I remember it from my junior high school Latin class.
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Re: Books?
Even Rome didn't have native speakers of Latin?dualstow wrote: ↑Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:21 amHard to find a native speaker to comment on that. Even Rome didn’t have any.Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:33 pmI'm pretty sure Caesar's "Gallic Wars" loses something in the original.
Or at least that's how I remember it from my junior high school Latin class.
Does that mean my Latin classes wouldn't help me in Latin America?
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Romans spoke Vulgar Latin, very different.
Mm, your Latin classes should help a great deal with vocabulary (roots), but not so much ordering food or asking directions.
As you well know.
Mm, your Latin classes should help a great deal with vocabulary (roots), but not so much ordering food or asking directions.
As you well know.
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Re: Books?
Tonight started and have read 65% of: Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America Hardcover – November 5, 2019.
I think it would appeal to many here.
You can also watch the interview with him here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?466664-1/ ... ng-america, which is how I discovered the book today.
Vinny
I think it would appeal to many here.
You can also watch the interview with him here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?466664-1/ ... ng-america, which is how I discovered the book today.
Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."