Underground Knowledge — A discussion group discussion

Excerpt from GENIUS INTELLIGENCE: Secret Techniques and Technologies to Increase IQ:


One of the most important skills our Pedemont orphans possess is the ability to speed read. Having vast amounts of knowledge, or being walking encyclopedias, is a common trait in geniuses, and even more so in polymaths.

Probably the simplest way to gain this amount of knowledge is to learn to read very, very fast.

Speed-reading is therefore at the core of the radical education program we designed in our conspiracy thriller series. However, our orphans’ technique is much more advanced than the majority of speed-reading programs currently available to the public. Many such programs simply offer complementary reading skills rather than allowing for a whole new way to absorb the written word.

As we say in The Ninth Orphan, “It wasn’t so much speed-reading as mind photography – a technique where the practitioner taps into the brain’s innate photographic memory. The orphans were taught how to use their eyes and open their peripheral vision to mentally photograph the page of a book, magazine or newspaper at the rate of a page per second. Then they’d consciously recall every detail as if they’d read the material at normal, everyday reading speed. Tens of thousands of books, on all manner of subjects, were sent to the Pedemont Orphanage to keep up with the children’s prolific reading habits.”

The technique we wrote about was inspired by the most sophisticated speed-reading methods in the real world, as well as analysis of renowned speed-readers. It’s also based on the brain’s scientifically proven ability to pick up things subliminally and rapidly. By incorporating peripheral vision and photographic memory, it’s possible to pick up or photograph entire pages at a time rather than one word at a time.

This method enables the Pedemont orphans to read at the rate of about 20,000 words per minute. That’s many times faster than most readers can manage. In fact, the average reading speed is only 300 words per minute, or about one page per minute.

Although some skeptics – along with one or two book critics who reviewed our series – have expressed doubt over whether the human brain can absorb such vast quantities of data all at once, speed-reading is not fiction. And it has some famous devotees.

Various US Presidents were confirmed or rumored speed-readers. They include Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, a self-taught speed-reader, is reported to have read a book before breakfast every single day while serving as president. Teddy’s recall was said to be perfect and he could often quote from the books he read.

Kennedy studied under American speed-reading expert Evelyn Wood who could read at an impressive 6000 words a minute. JFK claimed he could read at around 2000 words per minute with a very high comprehension rate.

Carter, who also studied speed-reading during his time in the White House, took courses with his wife Rosalynn.

The fact that Dwight D. Eisenhower said “Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book” may well allude to the fact he was yet another US president who could speed read. Who else but a speed-reader would have the time or ability to read every book in their local library?

Bestselling author, life coach and motivational speaker Anthony Robbins practices speed-reading and recommends it to audiences, personal clients and his readers.

In 2007, when J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published, six-time world champion speed-reader Anne Jones was the first to read it. Jones finished the 200,000-word, 759-page hardcover book in 47 minutes flat. Immediately afterwards, she completed a book review and sent it out to media outlets to prove her total comprehension of the story.

Jacques Bergier, French Resistance fighter, spy, journalist, chemical engineer and author of the bestselling book The Morning of the Magicians, was a born speed-reader. He started reading magazines and newspapers as a toddler, and by the age of four was fluent in three languages. By the time he reached adulthood, Bergier was reading 10 books a day.

New Yorker and State University graduate Howard Berg was listed in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s fastest reader. His reading speed was clocked at a remarkable 25,000 words per minute. Berg says his skill was developed out of boredom. He spent his childhood in the library, which was apparently the only place in the world that interested him.

Autistic savant Kim Peek is one of the world’s foremost speed-readers. The real-life inspiration for Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1988 movie Rain Man, Peek reads at between 10,000 and 20,000 words per minute and has a 98% comprehension rate. His method is to read two pages simultaneously, one with each eye. Spending most of his days in the public library in Salt Lake City, Utah, Peek has read many thousands of books.

Of all the examples of speed-readers, living or deceased, Peek’s methods are closest to those described in The Orphan Trilogy. We sincerely hope in years to come scientists will figure out exactly how Peek so readily absorbs information from books so that children can be taught the technique the world over.

Since the term speed-reading was coined by Evelyn Wood more than 50 years ago, the skill has featured in various TV series and Hollywood movies. In the 1996 feature film Phenomenon, lead character George Malley, played by John Travolta, exhibits extraordinary speed-reading skills. Dr. Spencer Reid, one of the main characters on the hit TV series Criminal Minds, is also a speed-reader.

There’s a speed-reading scene in the 2004 spy film The Bourne Supremacy, starring Matt Damon, in which CIA agent Pamela Landy, played by Joan Allen, is seen reading agency files at rapid speeds. Landy uses her finger to run up and down over text on each page. This finger pointing method is a real speed-reading technique known as Meta Guiding. In Good Will Hunting – another Matt Damon movie – Damon, who plays natural-born genius Will Hunting, is seen alone in his apartment flipping through page after page of a book without pause. Whether these two films on the actor’s resume are just a coincidence or whether he’s a speed-reader himself, is anyone’s guess.

“In junior high, Robbins took a speed-reading course and began consuming what would be nearly 700 books through high school, mostly on psychology and personal development.” –December 27, 2013 article about Anthony Robbins in Investor's Business Daily.

“Modern research has shown that your eye-brain system is thousands of times more complex and powerful than had previously been estimated, and that with proper training you can quickly reap the benefits of this enormous potential.” –Tony Buzan

Any seeker serious in becoming a genius should put speed-reading at or near the very top of his or her list of necessary skills to acquire.

We recommend avoiding any of the common speed-reading courses that mention terms and phrases like chunking, skimming, skim-reading or reading whole sentences at a time – or indeed any courses that only promise students the ability to read 2-5 times quicker than the average reader.

Instead, we advise seeking out less common reading methods that claim to allow readers to absorb knowledge at or close to one page per second reading speeds. At least 10,000 words per minute would be a wise guideline for seeking the most advanced reading systems. Telltale signs of super advanced speed-reading techniques are mentions in their promotional material of such terms and phrases as peripheral vision, mental photography, subliminal learning, limbic system, subconscious learning, photographic memory and the midbrain.

A video showing Kim Peak (the real "Rain Man") who could read at about 1 page a second and with a 98% comprehension rate... https://www.goodreads.com/videos/7500...

I am about the slowest reader on the planet! my dad can read a huge novel in about half an hour! and know what he read!
maybe because I like to savor the books I read, I read them more slowly?
now...there are some things that I can take a quick glance at, and know what is going on...but a book, or article...I always read slowly...if I try to rush through (as I see it that is what speed reading is) I don't absorb anything.

now..depending on the books...I can get through some faster than others...but still slower than would be speed reading.

I think The Six Million Dollar Man either could speed read and or have photographic memory. I kinda think they would pretend to be first person point of view and click the camera for his eye.

I had read issues as well. But I know a lot of walking encyclopedia that don't think as clearly as I think I do. I think that when you have a peak in one place you are likely to have a valley or deficit in another. I don't think all geniuses are speed readers or can necessarily read very well. I know that dyslexic people have been known to have exceptional thinking ability and yet they can't say they have read any where close to 900 books....a 10th of Kim Peaks. It is not unusual to find people that are really good at math to say they hate reading or visa versa.

But when it comes to school we reward a certain type of genius and discriminate against other kinds. This is why school does not create Thomas Edison type children. He was home schooled when his mother took him out of school after the school master called him an imbecile.

I think that swipe has really helped those of us that have reading issues/spelling to communicate without fear of embarrassment. It is a good thing because it gives people a chance to hear something other than just the regurgitation of "the facts and nothing but the facts". Hard Times

James wrote: "Any seeker serious in becoming a genius should put speed-reading at or near the very top of his or her list of necessary skills to acquire.

We recommend avoiding any of the common speed-reading c..."

Have you checked out www.zoxpro.org ?

Kevin wrote: "James wrote: "Any seeker serious in becoming a genius should put speed-reading at or near the very top of his or her list of necessary skills to acquire.

We recommend avoiding any of the common s..."

Am not aware of that that one no. Does it teach speed reading?
Most commercial courses in speed reading are pretty ordinary in my opinion (having tried a few of them) and simply teach a slightly faster way to read instead of whole new ways to digest the written word. And sellers of such courses tell you that's "as good as it gets". And yet there are individuals processing with high comprehension books at about a 1 page per second reading speed...

Their method seems like a direct reply to what you're looking for... Reading at 2 pages per second... Peripheral vision... Mental photography.

Anyway do check it out and let me know...

Actually, yes, I know of that one = I was confused there momentarily as that ZoxPro system used to go by another name (Subliminal Dynamics or Sub Dyn).

Sub Dyn, and a US offshoot called Photoreading, are better than most other commercial speed reading systems as they attempt to get readers processing at very fast rates (as you say). And some (maybe 1-5%) who try these methods are able to have very high comprehension/recall levels after reading a book via these methods at a page per second.

However most (95% or more) who try these 2 systems are unable to get the comprehension rates i.e. they cannot consciously recall much of what they'd read. And I believe that's because there's a missing link in Sub Dyn and Photoreading. And that missing link is most probably entering the right brain waves. We know the mind is capable of remembering anything and everything it sees (no matter what the speed). For example, when witnesses of crimes are regressed the mind can bring up details of things they only saw for a split second. So it is all possible, but probably one needs to enter a trance-like/hypnotic state for speed reading to work fully...In that state the subconscious takes over and one is in the all-important whole brain state (as opposed to left brain or right brain dominant state that we usually all experience).

So these 2 systems are close and on the right track, but unfortunately not scientifically advanced enough to teach people exactly how to prepare themselves and guide their brains into the perfect mental state.

but...you also have to account for witnesses to crimes can also err in their recall....not intentionally, necessarily...but it can hapen...so that isn't necessarily true...that the brain recalls everything..is it?

Catherine wrote: "but...you also have to account for witnesses to crimes can also err in their recall....not intentionally, necessarily...but it can hapen...so that isn't necessarily true...that the brain recalls ev..."

I believe that somewhere in our brains, at the very deepest level, everything would be recorded. There's too much evidence from studies etc to suggest otherwise. We all have perfect photographic memories and the key is somehow accessing that dormant gift. But like you say, sometimes during regressions witnesses make errors and I think that'd be more the failure of the hypnotist than the human brain. If the hypnotist or psychiatrist is skilled enough in conducting regression, I would say every single detail would exist in the individual's brain.

Photoreading

I taught myself to speedread, or more precisely, speedlearn, starting at the age of seven. Got up to 20,000 wpm. It has made a huge difference in my life.

See http://constitution.org/tools/cs_read...

"I taught myself to speedread, or more precisely, speedlearn, starting at the age of seven. Got up to 20,000 wpm. It has made a huge difference in my life.
"

Brilliant!

James wrote: "Any seeker serious in becoming a genius should put speed-reading at or near the very top of his or her list of necessary skills to acquire.

James, I am not convinced, although it may be that I just don't have what it takes. However, I believe that the faster you receive information, the less you understand it. If I am reading a scientific paper, while I skim the usual hand-waving parts, or the bits that have to be there but are not relevant to my needs (like the experimental details if I am not going to do it) I am painfully slow on the critical logic steps, because I have to verify in my mind that the author has not overlooked something.

The key concept is speed learning. If you get good at it you are comprehending and remembering at the same rapid pace.

As i said, maybe I am stupid. Nevertheless, I would have to concede if someone can rapidly learn quantum physics and understand it.

I learned quantum physics as rapidly as some of my brighter classmates, but understanding takes building a conceptual framework into which the concepts can be organized. That takes time. For some subjects like quantum mechanics that is a never-ending process. But I can read about things like string theory and have most of it make sense to me quickly. I have the pigeonholes in place.

My problems include having my own interpretation of quantum mechanics (like the pilot wave, but with the addition of a requirement from Euler's complex number theory, and the physical requirement that the phase velocity should equal the particle velocity. For some reason, nobody seems to have considered these.) and planetary formation (chemistry, not gravity driving the start). That means if I read a paper, I have to first remove all assumptions from the other paradigm before evaluating it. For me, that takes time.

I took a speed reading course at Loyola University back when I was in college(for fun 😉) and I still use it every day 14 years later ! I only use it for when I need to read non-fiction or business materials-it helps train the eye on where I’m going without losing concentration. It also allows for you to skim quickly to important topics. When I read fiction, however, I feel like it’s better to take my time and savor.

B. wrote: "I took a speed reading course at Loyola University back when I was in college(for fun 😉) and I still use it every day 14 years later ! I only use it for when I need to read non-fiction or business ..."

Also useful for skimming sections of novels when the author waffles on a bit about something that doesn't advance the story.

Lance, you got me...I have done this from time to time, but I always feel like I am cheating haha!

B. wrote: "Lance, you got me...I have done this from time to time, but I always feel like I am cheating haha!"

It's ok B. Just don't tell anyone!

I am a bit out of practice, but in University I was able to read 600 page books in 1.5 hours. (The crammed single spaced 8pt. font kind) I had given myself 3 hours and surprised myself.

I was reading 2000-5000pages a week. And had major incentives.

By nature I think I am lazy and it will take a while to get myself retrained to the point I was and comprehend at that speed.

Any advice for finding incentive to speed read for someone who wants to get back into it? The thought of the work it takes to get me reading at that level again makes my brain want to cry. It’s been about 3 years since I was at that level…. I sacrificed my time getting my masters degree teaching high schoolers and eventually college students how to write.

Another question that interests me regarding speed reading is whether the discipline lessens a reader's enjoyment of a fiction book. I don't doubt accomplished speed-readers process the information they read. That's been proven. But, in the case of (critically-acclaimed) novels and other fiction scripts, do they enjoy it as much as the average reader who savors each para and even each sentence?

James wrote: "The fact that Dwight D. Eisenhower said “Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book” may well allude to the fact he was yet another US president who could speed read. Who else but a speed-reader would have the time or ability to read every book in their local library?"

I think he was simply telling people to read widely.

Lance wrote: "Another question that interests me regarding speed reading is whether the discipline lessens a reader's enjoyment of a fiction book."

I agree. Picking up facts is one thing, but a story requires timing, atmosphere, and a lot of other things that are more than mere words.

Scott wrote: "Lance wrote: "Another question that interests me regarding speed reading is whether the discipline lessens a reader's enjoyment of a fiction book."

I agree. Picking up facts is one thing, but a st..."

Yes Scott and the fact remains that many authors (incl. some great ones) devote entire paragraphs, even an entire page or two, to describing the texture of an object, or the color of an interior wall or the fluffiness of a cloud - all extraneous text which in my opinion the reader (in this case me) can skip. Does that make me a speed-reader, I ask in jest?

Reading a page per second sounds too good to be true.
I admit I haven’t done enough research on this topic and you seem to know more. But I think anything above 600 wpm isn’t realistic. I’ve read this post yesterday and I have been thinking about it all night. I would love to learn more tho.

Salahuddin wrote: "Reading a page per second sounds too good to be true.
I admit I haven’t done enough research on this topic and you seem to know more. But I think anything above 600 wpm isn’t realistic. I’ve read ..."

Welcome to the club!
I suspect all those (like me) who don't have a photographic memory would have trouble getting their heads around this incredible statistic. I can't even imagine reading one page per second.