----- Experiment for no fixed reason ----

[atinymonkey]

So, I had a thought. What if there is a population contingent whose natural preference to a typeface would be from right to left and not left to right? Like the torah, there are examples of literature that read the opposite way to the norm. I propose an experiment, out here in the intermawebby, where a website is set up with the axis flipped to produce a left to right with some reading material and a vote/comments area. Just for fun, see?

 

 

Is this just me being overtired and stoopid, or a remarkably cunning experiment that will break the conformities of literature, as we know it?

 

 

You decide.

[YT2095]

stoopid!

[atinymonkey]

Excellent. Looking good so far, firm commited decisions are the way to go.

[YT2095]

I`de like to know who voted on the last option?

 

I`ll stick with mine tho; Get some sleep

[Dudde]

that would be cool!! I say go for it, I'll help!

[iglak]

it'd be really interested to know how many people could read it. if it's done there sould be a poll that asks, on a scale of 1-10 how difficult it was to read relative to normal. and there should be the same thing for all other possible directions. but hey, I'M not going to make the website, because i don't really care that much, it would just be interesting to see the results.

 

P.S. i voted 1 and 3

[Skye]

The norse languages could be written in either direction, as the runes could face either way.

[atinymonkey]

Hmm. A variety of directions and methods might be the way to go. People could pick the format that they preferred, and it would lead to the section of the site written in that particular format.

 

It would have to introduce the text formatting slowly and simply at first, in the style of children’s books, to allow the reader opportunity to adjust before dismissing the formatting.

 

I may chuck in an option to flick the text of your choosing to the desired direction. It might be helpful to, say, followers of Islam or people studying the Torah to get used to reading any text in that direction.

 

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that the most efficient method of reading text probably isn’t left to right for everyone, that's just the way we do it so right handed people didn’t smudge the ink when writing. Not the best way pick a format.

[Glider]

atinymonkey said in post # :

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that the most efficient method of reading text probably isn’t left to right for everyone, that's just the way we do it so right handed people didn’t smudge the ink when writing. Not the best way pick a format.

 

I like that explanation. I think it has a lot going for it. It's less of a factor when typing though.

 

I think two questions should be asked (and preferably answered) before introducing significant changes though:

 

1) Is the current system flawed (does it need changing)?

 

2) Is the new system (whatever it is) significantly better (i.e. would there be a significant improvement or gain by reading text in any other direction than left to right)?

[MishMish]

Well, since he specifically says for no fixed reason...

 

Agree is for the convenience of right handers. I align the paper to write bottom to top, but I will not be winning any penmanship awards either

 

Would also want to know if you are proposing full mirror image or simply reversing the text direction. For print the latter is an option, but would not be for cursive.

 

And I do not think would be of particular benefit to anyone interested in Hebrew or Arabic. Learning text direction is simply part of the system, and I do not recall it posed any specific difficulties of its own in learning to read or write Arabic. Perhaps am forgetting, but if it did it was minimal

[scientistsahai]

Yep Go Ahead and try .it'll b nice

[atinymonkey]

Glider said in post # :

 

1) Is the current system flawed (does it need changing)?

 

Perhaps but most probably not. It may be getting stagnant with its fixed approach, and with the advent of flexible media perhaps that is the only trigger needed to explore other methods of writing. If we don't explore the other options, we would never really know the benefits. Obviously, if any progressive development were highlighted as improvements to current writing methods, nobody's going to suggest they are implemented as a replacement!

 

Shorthand was a development that came out of office environments that's quite widely used, that indicates that there is scope for improvement to at least a small degree (albeit in a specialized situation).

 

Glider said in post

2) Is the new system (whatever it is) significantly better (i.e. would there be a significant improvement or gain by reading text in any other direction than left to right)?

 

That would be the fun, in finding out! I'm worried about the adjustment time, that could be the killer. Once fully adjusted to two methods, we would have to test reading speeds and words written per minute. Results would be a bit biased.

 

MishMish said in post # :

Would also want to know if you are proposing full mirror image or simply reversing the text direction. For print the latter is an option, but would not be for cursive.

 

Playing with possibilitys, so full mirror and reversing text direction. Plus any other ideas people suggest (short of new alphabets and language!).

[Glider]

Well, that makes the idea all sort of pointless and...I rather like it.

 

I wonder if there is any way of testing for innate preference.

[MishMish]

Do people draw in different directions?

[atinymonkey]

I don't know. Interesting point though.

[Skye]

If you are right handed then it's usually easier to draw faces turned to the left of the page because the arc your wrist creates when your draw is convex towards the left, something like our face is.

[atinymonkey]

That might explain my bizzare lack of face drawing ability.

 

I take the point, I'll look into methods of communication other than the written word to narrow down the test subjects for the site. A revolving spiral of words anyone? Just kidding.

 

Or am I?

 

Yes, actually I am. Ha.

 

I may play with an increase of symbols in text. The visual recognition of, say, :omega:, @ and :pi: speeds up scanning a document. I wonder at what point symbols woud saturate a document, making it illegable? Seems to be working fine with texting on mobiles at the moment.