Apps | 8 excellent apps to make you a better reader

Eight excellent apps that’ll help you improve your reading ability and become a better literary citizen, while simultaneously boosting your brain function.

Apps to Make You a Better Reader - InstapaperHow many books did you read last year? If your answer is more than one, congratulations: you’re more well-read than about 25% of Americans over age 16, according to a 2012 Pew Internet survey. Ironically, as we become more surrounded by words in the digital age, less of us are finding time to actually read them. The good news is that your smartphone or tablet can help.

Trying to stray from the obvious reading apps, like e-readers, we’ve gathered eight excellent apps that’ll help you improve your reading ability and become a better literary citizen, while simultaneously boosting your brain function. Whether you’d like to read more, faster or some combination of the two, these apps will light your path to wisdom.

by Max Knoblauch

1. Instapaper

Apps to Make You a Better Reader - Instapaper
Apps to Make You a Better Reader – Instapaper

Similar to apps like Pocket, Instapaper allows you to save and download web text for offline consumption. The app reformats the text you give it, giving it a cleaner, easier-to-read lay out and allowing you to focus on the important part: the words.

2. Syllable

Apps to Make You a Better Reader - syllable
Apps to Make You a Better Reader – Syllable

Try reading this paragraph while repeating the ABC’s out loud. You’ll find that you’re reading much faster than normal. This is because you’re suppressing your natural subvocalization, or the internal repetition of words you’re currently reading. In short, Syllable helps you learn to speed read. You choose the text and it does the rest for you, leaving your pacing and grouping fully customizable. (more…)

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Movies | Iron Man 3 – the script and intriguing tales about the production, director, writer, cast

Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black, is the fifth-highest grossing film of all time. It’s based on Marvel’s iconic super hero who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” in 1963.

Iron Man 3 movie posterMarvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible.

Iron Man 3 movie trailer


This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Iron Man 3-robert_downey_jr._stars_as_tony_stark
Iron Man 3-robert_downey_jr._stars_as_tony_stark

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

Iron Man 3 movie script

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Websites | wikiHow – learn how to do anything easily

wikiHow is a collaborative effort by knowledge philanthropists who have created the world’s most helpful how-to guides. A goldmine of easily understood articles and videos for free.

review of wikiHow website--a wiki of the world's most helpful how-to guides & useful tips, logoI stumbled onto this site because I had a craving for a baked potato but didn’t have the time to make it. I had always baked my baked potatoes but never used the quicker microwave method. I googled my dilemma and wikHow appeared.

A quick, concise article and five video clips showed me how to be an expert at nuking the spuds in a flash. And it tasted quite delicious–rubbing olive oil into the skin was a stupendous suggestion. While I ate, I went back to the site and marveled at the treasure trove of how-to guides contained there. I highly recommend checking out wikiHow and I’ll let the knowledge philanthropists tell ya all about the place…

review of wikiHow website--a wiki of the world's most helpful how-to guides & useful tips, 2
wikiHow website–a wiki of the world’s most helpful how-to guides & useful tips

Imagine a world where anyone can easily learn how to do anything. A world where access to comprehensive step-by-step instructions in multiple languages enables billions of people to improve their lives, in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. That’s the world we want to create.

At wikiHow, a community of knowledge philanthropists  are collaborating to create this world. We are driven by a shared passion to create a high-quality collection of how-to guides. We keep improving each article until we think it has become the single most helpful set of step-by-step instructions available on that topic anywhere.

While we recognize that this ambitious goal will take years to accomplish, we take pleasure in knowing that we already help millions of people every day. (more…)

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Recipes | Cheesecake Factory pumpkin pecan cheesecake w how-to video

A layer of pecan pie with a layer of pumpkin cheesecake on top, in a graham cracker crust and topped with glazed pecans and whipped cream rosettes.

Recipes-Cheesecake Factory pumpkin pecan cheesecake, ready to serveThis recipe for the Cheesecake Factory pumpkin pecan cheesecake, combines the flavors of your favorite Thanksgiving desserts–pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and cheesecake–to create this luscious holiday dessert. A sweet praline topping sends this one over the edge.

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How-to video to prepare pecans for Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

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Podcasts | The Smartest Man in the World by Greg Proops

Greg Proops is certainly not the smartest man in the world, nor is he the funniest for that matter, but there is never a dull moment and he never fails to entertain.

The Smartest Man in the World podcast by Greg ProopsGreg Proops – By Crisman Richards

The Who’s Line is It Anyway? veteran and improv champ takes on a live audience every week, discussing current events, celebrity culture, and his personal life all on a whim. It’s bold, funny, and showcases Proops’ innate comedic knack that is only getting better with age.

Recent episode – Live from the Laugh Stop in Calgary, Greg speaks on snow, scandal and Sweet Caroline. Direct download: SM239.mp3 . Here’s a funny video too…

The Smartest Man in the World Proopcast – Live at The Bell House: Raspberry Galaxy

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