As a start-up you do not always have the luxury of hiring an assistant to, well assist you. There are several aids and alternatives out there that can really help with your workflow and productivity. The one I have been using lately is the “Speech” function built into all Macs. You can find it by going to the application in the top navigation bar and clicking “Services” and then “Speech” (e.g. Mail>Services>Speech).
Now that you know where it is, go to any application and highlight the text. Then go to “Speech” and select “Start Speaking Text.” You can choose from a variety of voices and speaking rates through System Preferences>Speech. I use Vicki at one notch above “Normal Speaking Rate.”
You can use it to read long e-mails and website content when multi-tasking, proof read a letter or just have a conversation with you when you are lonely. But seriously, I use Speech everyday and especially to proof all blog posts. With the new OS X due out in the near future, Speech is supposedly far better and much more clear. Give it a try.
Here is how this post sounds via Vicki.
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