Frequently asked questions

How can a writing paper be ergonomic?  

A: The human body is made up of a skeletal framework which is based on pivoting about a joint, which creates an arc-like motion. No part of the human body is designed to move in a straight line. Thus to write, you have to compensate one movement of one body part by moving another body part.  While most people use four for five muscle groups, many people were never properly taught or have physical issues which impact such that they can take up to 9 muscle groups. One former President was such a person, using muscles all the way to his lower back. With ErgoScript, you simply move your forearm, wrist, and finger muscle groups. Why us up to nine when three will do? We make the writing paper conform to your body, instead of forcing your body to conform to a straight line.

Are there any health factors associated with being ergonomic?

A. Absolutely. For one thing, by using fewer muscles, you can now relax your death grip on the writing instrument, the most common complaint of writers being writer's cramp fading with it. This significantly reduces any threat of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or Repetitive Stress Injuries, especially in the workplace. That should be good news to insurance companies and firms who have to pay huge medical and legal expenses due to worker injuries.

Why is it easier to read ErgoScript and ErgoText? 

A. It would take a long discussion involving the science of how the eye and the mind are used in the reading process to fully explain. The simplest answer would be that the process of reading is as much about what we subconsciously see in our peripheral vision just right of our focus point (called a fovea). When reading on a straight line, you get only a linear view of words as you approach them, a kind of one-dimensional snapshot. But with our methods, the mind is seeing the word at multiple angles both right and upward or downward from the reading point, and further, the word is positioned at an oblique angle compared to adjacent words. This gives one a kind of 3-D snapshot which the mind is better able to grasp.   

We have since learned that it activates both the left- and right- hemispheres of the brain instead of just the left- hemisphere as is common for traditional reading. As it happens, the right brain is normally used in audio and graphics information processing. So when you look at a PowerPoint and hear the speaker read the same material while you read along, your retention and comprehension are improved because you are using both brain halves. Same thing with our processes, except that you don't need a projector or someone to read to you.

Is reading ErgoText and ErgoScript considered ergonomic?

A. We believe it is. The definition of ergonomic is pretty simple. If it takes less effort to get the job done, then ergonomic benefit is derived. If you can read faster without errors because of our methods, then we think the criteria is met. Health professionals and linguistic specialists who deal with physical and/or reading handicaps consistently tell us that they can see all manner of usefulness to clients they work with. We doubt that would be true unless it was considered ergonomic.

Why is it faster to read ErgoScript and ErgoText?

A. This is easier to explain. You simply don't make as many errors. Because of the improved 3-D view effect described in the above question, it is almost impossible to misread a word unless the writer has mangled the sentence and destroyed context, or used a wrong word. Because the ends of the arcuate lines point up and down, they act like pointers and hooks to keep you going in the right directlon, so it is almost impossible to line skip (read a wrong line or reread a line). In fact, so powerful is this ability that many people say they don't even get lost if they are distracted and look away without marking their last read spot. If you don't make mistakes and reread things, you automatically read faster — without having to learn speed reading. 

Why can you read longer without tiring using ErgoScript and ErgoText?

A. Most people understand the problem a driver can face who has been on the road too long without sleep while driving down a monotonous highway. Straight lines of text are like that — hypnotic strobbing of (think highway lines) words past the retina can lead one to zone out, lost focus, and destroy comprehension and retention. Yawn... I get sleepy just thinking about it.  But our processes are more like curvy roads, roads which force driver attention and are more interesting, giving exactly the opposite effects: one's comprehension and retention is improved, and the reading session can thus be prolonged considerably longer if the reader wishes it.

Why do you say ErgoScript is a memory aid?

A. We tend to memorize things best when we can employ some form of memory trick. One of the most common is memory by association. We've all used it in one way or another even if not aware. If trying to remember a long speech in plain text, the only association you can make is perhaps between topics or words. That's not a bad solution except that when there is a lot of it, you end up with a lot of different associations of all manner, essentially creating confusion and whole new sets of things to try to remember. But with Ergonomic reading material, the actual angle of a given word/word phrase on the page relative to the prior (the differences), is its own visual relationship. The mind subconsciously and at times even consciously notes this. With only one unique association, perhaps augmented by some more obvious ones which will pop up in terms of topic and the rest, there are many fewer details to recall. The material logically flows, one item linking to the next by more easily mastered associations. 

This is perhaps even easier to see in lists. Suppose you had to make a list of employee numbers, account numbers, and serial numbers, all of which tended to look somewhat alike in terms of randomness and structure. Imagine that list organized on the arcuate line just as described: employee numbers would all angle up, account numbers would have no notable angle, and serial numbers would all angle down. So now you have three distinctly different lists visually discernible. If you see any number slanted up, you know it is an employee number. Moreover, if trying to commit this kind of material to memory (this author had done this, and knows it works: memorizing federal stock numbers, Technical Order Figure and Index numbers, Manufacturer part numbers, and nomenclatures for parts required to service a jet engine). In regular paper, it is a two dimensional problem with no visual cues other than location such that you have to remember vertical relationships, and then horizontally using a mass of text that all looks alike. In ErgoDox technology, the angles of the words relate the horizontal relationships as described above so naturally that you can spend less energy trying to memorize that, and more on the vertical. It simply goes easier that way. It is a true memorization aid.

What is 'heuristic' and why do you say it applies to ErgoScript and ErgoText?

A. A thing or process which is heuristic is something which improves or amplifies the mind's ability to learn and become smarter by it.  If a given thing used for a task produces a given learning quotient, but another thing used in the same task produces a much higher learning quotient, that second thing is by nature heuristic. Since reading words in either ErgoScript or ErgoText increases comprehension, retention, and can be described as a memorization aid, and does it remarkably better than straight line paper, it is truly heuristic.