Speed Reading

Around 38 years ago I was a student on a 12 month intensive training course.  Each day large quantities of written information was being given to us to read and remember.  The staff obviously realised we would struggle to digest all this written material so at the beginning of the course there were several weeks of speed reading training.  We would be taken to the theatrette and shown films that consisted of chunks of text which were displayed in sequence.  You had to read the text and at the end of the session fill in a questionnaire that confirmed you had read and could recall the information.  Each subsequent session resulted in more text being displayed and for a shorter period of time.  Apparently the objective was to train us to read and remember an entire sentence rather than individual words.  I’m not sure if it worked for me, but I did pass the course!

Yesterday I was reminded of this training when I was emailed the following.

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.

If you can read the above, you have a strange mind, too. Only 55 people out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

OK…. so you’re part of the 55% of the population capable of reading it!

As for today….. There was time for some tidying up and a small amount of cleaning and polishing parts of Waiouru’s external paintwork.  We then went to the pub and ensured Jan had her weekly fix (a Sunday roast beef lunch).      Jan here…First roast lunch in four weeks, somebody who shall not be named forgets there is a Sunday each week.

Once back on Waiouru Jan carried out further internet searches in an effort to find a glass splashback supplier who would be able to measure the galley.  Derek & Carrie (nb Uccello) had suggested a company very close to the Bridgewater Canal.  No doubt we will eventually find a suitable supplier.  It’s the last major piece of outstanding work on Waiouru so we’d like to get it completed.  More urgently, we need to purchase a ‘top-up’ for the mobile phone and the supply of potatoes is also running low, so we’ll definitely be cruising tomorrow.