I wonder if it's possible to train to read text encoded as one colored pixel per letter, or even per token.
userbinator 9/14/2025|
Given how people can learn languages, absolutely yes.
wingmanjd 9/14/2025||
I wish I had this back capability when I used to program my TI graphing calculators back in highschool!
strawberrysauce 9/14/2025||
Wow, can't be used as a braille alternative that people with sight can also understand?
pclmulqdq 9/14/2025||
It can be used as a braille alternative that blind people can't even read.
a3w 9/14/2025||
Observation:
Braille is 3 px in height. But only 2 px wide and monospaced, while this font is variable width.
Oh, and several characters share representation in this, say other threads here.
kps 9/14/2025||
X has had a 2 pixel bitmap font, `nil2`, from time immemorial (i.e. it's in X10).
BSOhealth 9/14/2025||
I love this. It speaks to me in a similar ways as a lot of the AI zeitgeist—why shouldn’t we optimize for how the brain actually operates at scale versus hundreds-years-old ideas about ligatures designed for reading in candlelight? (In the AI case, a romanticism for having to learn and prove memory in such a rote way)
Lalo-ATX 9/14/2025||
I wonder what happens if you allow greyscale, even if just 2-4 bits per pixel
shmerl 9/14/2025||
I can't really read anything with that, so somewhat readable is very moot.
matznerd 9/14/2025||
okay but what about "c" being nearly the same as "z", neither of which look like the character and are nearly(?) identical. Is our brain supposed to just be able to figure it out?
sharkjacobs 9/14/2025||
O and 0 are very similar in lots of typefaces. And I and l and 1. Even u and v. Your brain's pretty good at figuring it out. Context helps a lot.
efreak 9/15/2025||
With narrow spacing and poor kerning it can get much worse, especially if you're reading printed text; I've seen some extremely bad fonts used in print, (usually in italics or titles, but sometimes in the body text as well):
m and rn, cl and d, lo and b, jo and p, ijl1, GC0OQ, italic Q2.
cal85 9/14/2025||
yeah I can read it ok
ccvannorman 9/14/2025||
finally, my vim window can hold 200+ lines on my laptop screen!