New York Times columnist David Pogue ran his 5th annual list of great tech ideas and concluded with the "Readability" plugin tool that takes an article you've found worth clicking on and transforms it into a full screen, big print, easy-to-read-and-focus-on pleasure without blinking ads, too-small font and a dozen other distractions.
It takes moments to install and makes it easy to concentrate on the thing you're reading by silencing the noise trying to block out the signal.
Here's the best part: unlike many other plugins that seek to block online ads out of dislike for ads (and a short-sighted lack of understanding about how websites earn enough money to create content), Readability doesn't wipe all ads from your experience– it just suppresses them when you're highly engaged with the content.
While you're navigating through a website, looking for something to read, letting your mind hummingbird around the monitor looking for a spot to alight, you'll see all the ads. Only once you've decided to read the article do the distractions disappear.
Will advertisers still dislike it? Sure. Will some publishers? Yeah.
Tough. I love this plugin.
By the way: Arc90, the creators of Readability, just went high on my to-meet list.
