Brr - Terminal Speed Reading Tool

A fast, lightweight CLI tool for speed reading using the RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) technique. Displays text one word at a time with the optimal recognition point (ORP) highlighted in red.

Features

• 🚀 Adjustable reading speed (100-1500 WPM)
• 🎯 Optimal Recognition Point highlighting
• ⏯️ Pause/resume controls
• 📊 Real-time progress tracking
• 📄 Read from text files (.txt) and EPUB books (.epub) or stdin
• ⚡ Lightweight and fast
• 🎨 Clean terminal UI with ANSI colors

Installation

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

# Install the TUI version
brew install metcalfc/brr/brr

# Install the GUI version
brew install metcalfc/brr/grr

Quick Install (macOS/Linux)

Downloads the latest release to current directory:

# brr (TUI)
curl -sL "https://github.com/metcalfc/brr/releases/latest/download/brr_$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/metcalfc/brr/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d'"' -f4)_$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')_$(uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/').tar.gz" | tar -xz brr

# grr (GUI)
curl -sL "https://github.com/metcalfc/brr/releases/latest/download/grr_$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/metcalfc/brr/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d'"' -f4)_$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')_$(uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/').tar.gz" | tar -xz grr

From Source

# TUI version
go install github.com/metcalfc/brr@latest

# Or build both versions locally
git clone https://github.com/metcalfc/brr.git
cd brr
make build

Usage

Basic Usage

# Read a file
brr article.txt

# Read an EPUB book
brr book.epub

# Read from stdin
cat book.txt | brr
echo "Speed reading is awesome" | brr

# Specify reading speed (words per minute)
brr -w 500 article.txt

Interactive Controls

While reading:

• SPACE - Pause/play
• + or = - Increase speed by 50 WPM
• - - Decrease speed by 50 WPM
• Q - Quit

Examples

Start at 300 WPM (default):

brr sample.txt

Start at 900 WPM for experienced readers:

brr -w 900 sample.txt

Read from a pipeline:

curl -s https://example.com/article.txt | brr -w 400

How It Works

The RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) technique works by:

1. Displaying words one at a time at a fixed position
2. Highlighting the Optimal Recognition Point (typically 1/3 into the word)
3. Eliminating eye movement across lines and pages
4. Allowing focus purely on comprehension rather than tracking

This technique can significantly increase reading speed while maintaining comprehension. Most users can comfortably read at 400-600 WPM with practice, and experienced speed readers can exceed 900 WPM.

Tips for Speed Reading

• Start at 300 WPM and gradually increase as you become comfortable
• Keep your eyes focused on the center where words appear
• Don't try to "read ahead" or look around the screen
• Practice regularly to build speed and maintain comprehension
• Take breaks during long reading sessions to avoid eye strain

Development

Running Tests

go test -v

Running Benchmarks

go test -bench=.

Viewing the Manpage

man ./brr.1

Technical Details

• Language: Go 1.21+
• Dependencies: golang.org/x/term for terminal control
• Platforms: Linux, macOS, BSD (any UNIX with terminal support)
• Terminal Requirements: ANSI color support, raw mode capability

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Author

Chad Metcalf

Inspiration

This project was inspired by this video demonstration of RSVP speed reading, which shows words presented one at a time with the optimal recognition point highlighted, starting at 300 WPM and scaling up to 900 WPM.