Lately, I have been listening to audiobooks. In fact, they aren’t audiobooks per se; rather, I am using a Read Aloud or text-to-speech (TTS) feature in Adobe Acrobat Reader. I have found it quite effective and efficient. It has increased my reading speed manifold and made the process more effective as well. When we read silently, we are mainly using our visual sense. However, reading this way—i.e., listening to audio while reading—cements knowledge because we are using two skills: reading and listening. If you include highlighted text as a visual aid, then you could say we are using three skills simultaneously. When we listen to audiobooks, we rely on our imagination. We hear the words and form images in our minds. But listening while reading doesn’t let your mind wander. This practice gave me an idea for a feature or app. I thought: why not have TTS technology for offline, physical books? You could simply open a camera view, point it at a page, and have it narrate the content. I ponde...
Long ago, cities didn’t have running water. A water carrier used a donkey to deliver water to people’s homes. The donkey worked very hard every day. Its back was bent from carrying heavy loads, and its body was full of wounds. The owner didn’t take good care of the donkey. He fed it poorly and often beat it to make it move faster. The donkey was patient, but it suffered a lot and often wished it would die to escape the pain. One day, the water carrier met a friend who worked in the king’s stables. Seeing the donkey’s terrible condition, the friend offered to take it in and care for it. The owner happily agreed. At the royal stables, the donkey saw strong, beautiful horses living in comfort. Comparing himself to them, he felt sad and complained to God: “Why do they live so well while I suffer so much?” Suddenly, a war broke out. Soldiers rushed in, took the horses, and rode them into battle. The next day, the horses returned badly injured—covered in wounds and arrows. Watching this, the...