Chapter 11

SOLVING PROBLEMS

Speed Not Fast Enough

Go to the Memory Control Panel and make sure the Modern Memory Manager is turned on. Make sure no ram doubler is active. Make sure the Caps Lock is not pressed. Close down unnecessary applications. Make sure no system control panel windows are open.

WordPerfect Not at Top of Apple Menu

Retitle name of WordPerfect alias in Apple Menu in System Folder to "a1 WordPerfect alias".

Can't Type Correctly or Save

You probably have just left a macro running in WordPerfect. Go to WordPerfect and type: Command+period to stop any macro. Usually you will see a note in the status bar that a macro is running, if you have left a macro in this condition.

Keystroke Commands Won't Work

You need to reselect the PR Keyboard from the keyboard section of the Preferences window. Alternatively, you may need to reload your WordPerfect preferences into the Preferences folder of the System folder. You can tell what is necessary to do by pulling down the Tools menu to Macros. If you see the PR macros and no keystrokes than you just need to reselect the PR Keyboard. If you don't see any PR macros or any PR keystrokes, than you need to reload the WordPerfect preferences in to the Preference section of the System folder (or reinstall the Proportional Reading software and preferences).

Computer Freezes While Text Is Reading Out Loud

There are two likely causes. First: You may need to allocate WordPerfect more basic memory and/or more working memory. To raise the basic memory increase the minimum memory. The working memory is the difference between the minimum memory setting and the preferred memory setting. To raise this number, increase the preferred memory.

Second: Reset Automatic Backup
If you are having text read out loud and WordPerfect tries to automatically backup up your text, the computer may crash as it can't do both actions simultaneously. To avoid this problem, deselect automatic backup. However, do remember to frequently manually save your typing as you go along.

Voice and Highlighted Text Don't Match

Make sure the Find/Replace window is closed. If this window is open, you will probably not be able to have text displayed correctly as it is read out loud.

Computer Freezes Before Reading Out Loud with Real Human Voice Starts

If you are using real human voice, you must have the Speech Manager active. Check this extension in the Extension Manager, if necessary, and restart your computer.

Keystroke Commands Not Visible

Appropriate keyboard not selected.

Silent Reading Does Not Run Correctly or Fast Enough

The caps lock is on. Turn it off. Secondly, you may have control panel windows open. Close them.

Scanner Won't Activate

Scanner is not turned on. Appropriate scanner has not been selected with the Chooser. SCSI ID. NO. is wrong. Termination is not correct. DeskScan and Omnipage software have not been installed.

PROBLEMS READING

If you or a student you know experience difficulty reading with PR, the cause may be found in the following points.

Too Much Screen Brightness or Contrast

If the screen is too bright or there is too much contrast between foreground print and background, many people simply will not be able to look at the screen, especially as text motion speeds up. See the sections on lowering brightness and contrast. Also see the section on lightening the shade of the highlight or changing it into a color like red or green. The overall room light also needs to be kept even. The problems of brightness and contrast can be easily solved. The faster you try to read, the more important it becomes to address these issues.

Falling asleep while reading is also very often a consequence of too much contrast and brightness.

If You Still Fall Asleep While Reading Silently

Try reading with Extra Pause format. Many people get into a sleepy trance from constant motion at a predetermined rate when walking in a crowd at a trade show, or by constant exposure to changing colors and images while walking the isles of a supermarket. The solution in either case is to stop the motion for a moment. This is what happens in Extra Pause format. In this format, a substantial pause occurs at the end of every paragraph. These pauses prevent any sleepy trance from starting, regardless of reading speed.

Trying to Focus on Each Word

Any person in a car who looks directly over the front of a moving car at the short white lines on the street will become dizzy very quickly. Nobody does this for long while driving. Nor do they do this while watching TV. Instead, they just let images flow in without refocusing the eyes. This is how you should view silent Proportional Reading. Don't move your eyes.

Not Allowing for Changing Pattern of Displayed Words

As you read text at faster and faster speed, the same word changes its appearance. A word seen at 1/100 of a second does not look the same as the same word seen at 1/2 second. Many people are actually afraid that they can not know or recognize the same word at the quicker speed because it looks different. These people need to understand that the mind learns the changing pattern of the same word, as speed increases. These readers need to concentrate on their inner voice which will come through with a nonverbal internal presentation of the sound of this word. They need to have confidence that their mind will successfully see and perceive a quickly presented word as a different pattern of the same basic concept. Concentrating on fear of failure makes concentration on ones internal voice impossible. Faith and belief in ones ability to understand words, which do not look the same way as in static viewing, must be stronger than fear and doubt.

Water in Eyes

Most people concentrate incredibly hard when they read with PR. Focus and attention is so directed that some people forget to blink their eyes. As a result their eyes water or get dry. The easy way to solve this problem is to train yourself to blink in the pause between sentences.

Demanding Control

Some people are so rigid and controlling that they are terrified of surrendering to another person or entity. Reading Proportionally requires one to be open minded and receptive, much like one is in prayer or meditation or when listening to someone speak. Without displaying this receptiveness one can not begin to realize what is easily doable.

Visual Dizziness

A very, very small number of people get dizzy whenever they move their hands along a picket fence. They also get dizzy looking at arcade games. These people usually know that they should not watch any TV or view any screen motion. These people should not try to do PR.

[End]

Home, Contents of Manual