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Spreeder - another online speed-reading application

SpreederJust like ZAP Reader, Spreeder is an online speed-reading application that will help train your brain to read faster. Although they function very much the same, Spreeder's main goal in life isn't simply to allow you to read articles online more quickly; Spreeder wants to make you into a faster reader in general.

Basically, using a speed-reading application like Spreeder forces you to drop the habit of backreading, which is exactly what you think it is - you know, when you read a sentence over and over again. Instead, you learn that you better catch it the first time, because there's no going back. Secondly, it forces your reading to outpace the little voice in your head that subvocalizes everything you read as you read it. Although very common, subvocalizing actually slows your reading down, since we're capable of taking in information faster that it can actually be spoken.

Lastly, Spreeder can be configured to show full chunks of text, rather than one word at a time. Since we can recognize words and groups of words by their shapes alone, learning to read this way can vastly improve our reading speed.

Here's the coolest part. Hidden under a Plugins link at the top of the screen is a bookmarklet that will allow you to simply select text on a page, click the bookmarklet, and have a new Spreeder window or tab spawned with your text already loaded into it.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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