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Comment on Why the Smart Reading Device of the Future May Be Paper

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For years, before Instapaper and Readability, I used a little script that copied the text out of the current page and pasted it in plaintext, then printed it from TextMate monospaced and 4-up. I'd shove the pages in a pocket or the backseat and read them in my free time.

It's a great way to take notes, circle interesting bits, and compare them later. I haven't been able to replicate that system digitally.

Is there a reason you chose a monospace font? I recall reading that they have lower legibility for prose.

I remember it being a mix of tinyness, printer quality, and TextMate's limitations. It had the side effect of lending everything a particularly neutral tone.

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