Capturing the Ways We Read

New Ways to Read Digital Talking Books

In this paper we present new ways to read Digital Talking Books (DTBs). DTBs aim to provide better access to literary contents for the visually impaired population. However, these books offer limited capabilities when reading the book freely. Only continuous reading or jumping through sections of the text is allowed. This lack of flexibility leaves out many of the types of reading users usually...

Why We Read Wikipedia

Wikipedia is one of the most popular sites on the Web, with millions of users relying on it to satisfy a broad range of information needs every day. Although it is crucial to understand what exactly these needs are in order to be able to meet them, little is currently known about why users visit Wikipedia. The goal of this paper is to fill this gap by combining a survey of Wikipedia readers wit...

We Move in Mysterious Ways

Four ways we approach ethics.

Most people use four different approaches when making ethical decisions. Some people use one approach predominantly, while others vary their approaches according to the circumstances. In either case, the approaches usually are chosen unconsciously. A main source of conflict in decision making occurs when two parties argue or negotiate their positions from different moral approaches, for these d...

Why we need to read and understand literature: literariness and Hans Rosling’s Factfulness (2018)

My article addresses the qualities of “good” literature and how an understanding of the nature of literary devices, so-called “literariness”, can enhance the reading experience. Focusing on Hans Rosling’s Factfulness (2018), I discuss some of the most important features of good writing. Six literary devices have been selected for special attention: point of view, tone, amplification, anecdotes,...