If you have spare time, David Passell recommends you look at this online magazine which focuses on science fiction. It's a mix of originals and reprints from a variety of authors.
More on Easier to Read
In addition to CMD-+ and CMD - to enlarge screen, there is another way which can be used. David Passell walks us through the process: "The Firefox Browser has a way to change the appearance of a web site. (Double click to enlarge these illustrations.)
1. Go to system preferences.
2. Select Universal Access and the Seeing tab
3. Turn Zoom ON
4. Click on Options and set up similarly to below. You can experiment with other settings. If you are going to do this select 'Show Universal Access....' so you you can quickly return to the preference to make changes.
If you are using a Mouse with a scroll wheel, you will see keys to press while you scroll. NOTE: for an unknown reason OPT (or ALT) and CMD seems to be my default; and I cannot change it. (CMD and Shift also has worked on occasion.)
After you do this you will find you can hold down the keys and as you turn the scroll wheel the image will zoom out. Release the wheel and it stays zoomed and you can move around the enlarged screen to parts no longer visible.
Hold down the keys and scroll the other way until the getting-smaller stops. Then you are back to normal viewing.
IF YOU ENCOUNTER ONE OF THOSE WEB SITES WITH STRANGE COLORS AND TEXT COMBINATIONS AND ARE USING THE FIREFOX BROWSERS (e.g. Black text on red, purple on blue, etc.) you can get rid of these quirks with Firefox menu selection: View > Page Style. then change from Basic Page Style to No Style.
As an example our Newsletter normally looks like this in Basic Page Style:
After changing to no style, it looks like this:
The Opera browser has a similar selection which is titled Author Mode (= Basic Page Style) and User Mode (= No Style).
I haven't been able to find any equivalent selections in Safari. Does anyone else know if such exists?"
Make It Easier to Read
Missed today's PMUG meeting? Here's today's handout:
Make It Easier to Read. You Can Even Listen to It.
Do Command and + to enlarge the screen view of the page you’re looking at. You can do this 7 times to make the type REALLY big. Do Command and - (the minus sign) to reduce the size of the type.
Does some site have white lettering on a dark background? Want to make it easier to read? Do Control and Option and Command and the number 8. You don’t have to touch all four simultaneously. It toggles to the opposite. Toggle the same to go back to the original look.
You’re writing something, and you need to make it easier on your eyes. Enlarge the type as above, maybe even changing the type font. When you’re ready to print it out change the type font and size of type to the look you want in the finished product.
You can print out something from a website in larger type, but notice the preview view of the page. You may need to go to landscape mode, instead of portrait mode, to get the page from margin to margin printed. Print one sample page first and make needed adjustments.
See a nice, big Preview before you print. Do Command + P > PDF > Open PDF in Preview. Click Print at bottom of that page. (Double click on illustrations to enlarge them.)
Using Pages 09 you can click on Inspector, go to T, and put more space between lines, not just space, space-and-a-half, and double space. You can also put additional space between paragraphs, using Inspector.
You can even put more space between the characters you’re writing.
Distracted by all that stuff in the background of your computer window? Do Option and Command and U to Enter Full Screen. Everything blacks out except the page you are writing. Do Esc to return to regular view.
Would VoiceOver help? Find this under Help on the Finder menu. VoiceOver provides an interactive Quick Start tutorial.
Hear your computer speak selected text?
Go to the main Help menu. Type in Speech and there you'll find useful directions.
Go to System Prefs > Speech.
Try the various choices.
Click on the Question Mark for a list of options and some helpful descriptions.
When you’re using Pages do control click on highlighted words to bring up Speech, Start Speaking. The voice speaks those words out loud.
Hear your mail. Go to Mail > Edit > Speech and listen to what you’ve selected.
Whatever . . . Mac makes it easy & fun & productive!