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All Reading Is Skimming

There is only one book: the world book.

And all books are volumes of this one book. And all pages are pages of this world book.

Now, there are billions of pages in this book. And you’re never going to read them all. Not. Ever.

You’re already skimming. You’re already skipping over. You’re already not reading all the pages of the book.

So stop freaking out about a couple…hundred…skipped pages in one volume. You skip entire volumes, after all. What’s a few more? Functionally, that’s what most pages are there for: to be skipped. You’re a skipping billionaire, and you’re here nickel-and-diming over a pittance? Don’t you have better = funner = more productive things to do with your time?

Reading is not all or nothing. It’s some or nothing. It’s easy or nothing.

So take it easy. Skip. Skim. You have the right. Yes, even (especially) if you’re still a noob. Skip to the fun-looking parts. Skip to the pages with pictures. Skip to the funnies (I ALWAYS did this when I was a kid…it doesn’t seem to have impaired my ability to read English…I dunno, maybe I’m illiterate and just don’t know it :P).

Don’t save the best for last. Take the fun right now. Be a pro-active fun-seeker. If you don’t have fun now, today will be the beginning of the end as far as Japanese is concerned, believe you me.

Reading is skipping pages. Reading is skimming. Reading is not-reading.

  10 comments for “All Reading Is Skimming

  1. Agent J
    August 1, 2011 at 19:40

    Khaaaatz!!! Write long articles again. T___T

    • khatzumoto
      August 1, 2011 at 23:27

      やだねったら・・・やだね♪♪

  2. ライトニング
    August 2, 2011 at 01:56

    I always do this when I read manga, and sometimes wikipedia articles.

    I’ll be reading gantz and i’ll skip 2/3s of it just to see the gore and action with simple words/commands/ウウウウウウウオオオオオオオオオオオオオオオ Spams

    Less with wikipedia, I like reading articles with pictures, but it seems 90% don’t, or maybe I just always search for the ones without pictures.

    I read about windows and bomberman 🙂

  3. Carl
    August 2, 2011 at 03:17

    I love you, man. (Not in the romantic way, of course)

  4. fooman
    August 2, 2011 at 05:09

    Whew! I’m glad I’m not the only one skipping ahead in Manga to the nekkid people and sword fights.

  5. Ryan
    August 2, 2011 at 18:30

    Ironically I skimmed much of this post – still rate it though Khatz. BTW, did you get on the jumbo cola or something today?

  6. August 11, 2011 at 08:40

    Thanks a lot for this post. I finally started reading my college books thanks to this!
    Not that I’ve been skipping many sentences, but still. You helped me chill out and now I’m actually doing what I’m supposed to do.

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