A short talk explaining why Greader mode is needed, demonstrating its normal
use, some interesting features, some interesting customization variables, and
so on. Greader is a text-to-speech minor mode written by Michelangelo
Rodriguez. For various reasons, I find it hard reading long things on the
computer screen. Using Greader greatly helps me with that. I use it to read
sites on EWW, books with Nov.el, blogs with Elfeed, and various other texts I
copy from other programs and yank to a randomly named C-x b alsdkfjoewjfocm RET buffer. The author had also provided some interesting features he would
like me to cover.
About the speaker:
I am a mere user who loves reading, but damned to be a slow reader. Alas!
Thankfully, there's Emacs and Greader mode.
Note: This talk will be narrated by a
text-to-speech engine because of a request from
the speaker.
Hi, I'm Yuval Langer.Some may know me as cow_2001 on IRC.I'd like to tell you about greader mode,a versatile text-to-speech packagewritten by Michelangelo Rodriguez.Sometimes you want to read a bunchand cannot be bothered, right?You'd rather plop on your chairand let the words come to you.You can do it using greader Mode.
What is greader mode?Greader mode is a text-to-speech minor modewith which you can read any buffer using the point.You move your pointright before the text you want to readand run greader-read command.You can then use the left and right arrow keysto jump to the previous sentence or the next sentence.
Installing GReader:Greader is available on the GNU Emacs app storeand its copyright assigned tothe Free Software Foundation.To install Greader,you can run M-x list-packages RET.look it up with C-s greader,press i to mark it for installation,and then press x to execute the installation.
Basic usage:We can now open a text file and start reading.Let's open The Willows by Algernon Blackwood.I've never read the story,but HP Lovecraft said it was the best horror storyhe had ever read, so it is in my reading list.Now load greader using M-x greader-mode.To start reading, press C-r SPC.The Project Gutenberg ebook of The willows.This will run the greader-read command.To stop, press the SPC key.This will run the greader-stop command.
Navigation:You can navigate like you normally do,but using the left or right arrow keyswill move the point between sentencesinstead of characters.So... This ebook is...You may copy it, give it away,or reuse it if you are not.Let's move to the start of the story."After leaving Vienna,and long before you come to Budapest,the Danube enters a regionof singular loneliness and desolation,where its waters spread away on all sides,regardless of a main channel,and the country becomes a swamp for miles upon miles,covered by a vast sea of low willow bushes."
Reading rate: this reading rate is rather slow.Let's pick up the pace using the plus key.This will run the greader-inc-rate command.You must do that while greader is reading.Now it is too fast.We can slow down using the - key.This will run the greader-dec-rate command."In high flood this great acreageof sand, shingle-beds, and willow-grown islandsis almost topped by the water,but in normal seasons the bushesbend and rustle in the free winds,showing their silver leaves to the sunshinein an ever-moving plain of bewildering beauty."
