Spreeder is efficiently wasting all my time.

Today, Lifehacker covered a free speed reading windows application. I have to say, it sounds very handy. I have in certain past times tried to learn speed reading. Unfortunately, as all the techniques I found rely on my own constant concentration and discipline, I always ended up watching TV.

While the SpeedRead sounds great, these days I’m not working on my own personal computer, and installing a windows application on somebody else’s computer isn’t really my bag of tea.

I have, instead, followed Lifehacker’s link to spreeder. It’s free, it’s online, and over the last two hours I’ve done nothing but play around with it.

There’s no real manual, there’s no course to follow, just some recommendations. You can put any text you want into the application, and it flings the words back as fast as you tell it to. The speed, font size, number of words at a time, and even the color are all customizable.

At the moment I’m focusing on getting rid of the voice in my head that reads along with me. This, according to spreeder’s FAQ (as well as the books on speed reading I skimmed in high school) is the main reason why we’re not reading as fast as we could be.

Soon, I shall increase the chunk size.

And then I will rule the world.

An open letter to movie blogs.

To whom it may concern,

You may be surprised to know, but we have a great deal in common. We both love movies. I’m sure we could find other things to talk about if we had to, but movies are primarily why I read your blog.

Yes, I thought that might surprise you.

I have been for the majority of my life a rabid fan of cinema, skipping from director to director, from actor to actor with the glee of a schoolboy discovering masturbation.

I was interested to find your article entitled “The (insert number here) (most overrated/worst) (actors, movies) of all time.”

Upon seeing this title, I stifled a quick gasp of excitement. For a few years now the imdb.com ranking system has been a constant companion of mine. I find rankings generated by the combined opinions of millions of users an excellent barometer in choosing my cinema. Surely, your presentation and analysis of collected and trustworthy data will be the highlight of my day.

We both know where this is going, don’t we, you arrogant pussbucket.

I’ve seen your lists. I’ve read them and your justifications, and I have to say, you aren’t special enough to tell me these things. I don’t care how many movies you’ve seen. I don’t care how intelligent and refined your taste in cinema is. I don’t know who you are, and I have no trust or respect for your judgment, which means you’re subject to the grading system.

If I disagree with:

One item – Your credibility is reduced. If I ever recognize your name again, be it on a movie blog or a suicide note, I will harbor a healthy skepticism for your words.

Two items – You have proven your ignorance. I have to say, maybe if you paid more attention to the movies you (allegedly) watch, your world view wouldn’t be so sadly warped.

Three items – You disgust me. Scum like you shouldn’t be allowed to watch movies, lest you dirty the experience for us all. You are unworthy of the time it takes to skip past your blog on my RSS feed. I’m un-subscribing.

I look forward to your next article.

Sincerely,

John Campbell

Evolution and God: A personal problem.

Once again religion and evolution are in the news.

I would say this is all getting a bit old, but I created this blog ten hours ago. So. You know. It’s hard to speak of “old” topics here.

In my younger years, ’round about the high-school times, I was a fairly conservative Christian. I have since become an athiest, which is another story for another time. The… journey… between these two ways of thinking is peppered with self realizations. Many of which I am ashamed of.

For example, religion taught me how to close my mind like a jewel-encrusted bear trap. All it took was a simple rationality.

“I don’t want to believe you, therefore I will not. Rather than argue on your terms, I will make a biblical argument and I will be right (because I used the bible) and I will have won (because I used the bible).”

This was a very useful way of thinking. It rationalized a self-righteous, patronizing view towards homosexuality, other religions, people I didn’t like, people I liked but thought I was better than, and science that conflicted with the bible.

These days I project the bitterness I have towards my former self onto religion. It’s a personal problem, and I’m working on it. To this day still, though, I am occasionally haunted by my past self.

“Evolution is telling you that you’re like an animal,” Bryce agreed. “That’s why people stand strong with Christianity, because it teaches people to lead a good life and not do wrong.”

Well, Bryce, or might I say, John from 1999, I see what you’re trying to say. My only response is this: When I was your age, I realized that a statement on the merits of Christianity has nothing to do at all with the validity of the scientific method. Much to my embarrassment.

It took me close to twenty years to figure that out.

On Beginning

There’s a phrase I like. One that justifies the armchair nature of our evolving society. An admission, a token of humility, that keeps things a discussion rather than an argument.

I’m not an expert.

I have never thought of myself an interesting, famous, or educated enough person to justify a blog. I have nothing yet to contribute to the internet, the blogosphere, but myself. There are an abundance of intelligent bloggers with valuable things to say already writing. And I, I have a bag of excuses waiting to justify my silence. Until, obviously, recently.

Early this month I happened upon an article made popular in Digg. An article on the nature of introversion and extroversion. This has been a topic close to my heart for some time, so I read it.

This article. This author. This faucet of wank, has no expertise. Hunter Nuttall, the author, is not a righteous, gleaming soothsayer descending upon wretched masses hungry for his truth. He is armchair. In the best of times. At all other times he is writing a self-help blog, dangerously ignorant of his own delusions.

I will digress on why, specifically, I now hate him. Suffice to say, I have read his blog and am disappointed that the cosmos have not struck him down where he stands. This means, however, that my anti-blog policy has been challenged. My excuses have been stripped. Hunter Nuttall is the internet’s worst case scenario, and I can do no worse. I may as well start a blog.

So here is my voice. I will, in this place, practice my writing and add to the world’s running commentary. I don’t expect my voice to get very far, which I’m fine with. I’m having fun with the aesthetic of it all.