Rich Ziade, who lives and works in NY, explains why he created the Readability bookmarklet.  

He explains, that as a reader, he wants to be left alone while he's reading. I know the feeling very well..  

It's the mirror image for why I, as a writer, strive for the most readable website possible. It's so simple. I want you to read what I've written. I want it to look inviting, and when you dive into it, I want you to get lost in the words, and then the words melt away and the ideas come into view.  

I want my voice to appear in your head. The way the words look is, at that point, totally unimportant. What matters is that they act as a vehicle for my voice, as if I were there with you while you are reading. 

In writing it's not the journey that's the reward -- it's the story. "> 

I strive to write words worth reading. I do not want the "design" of the website to interfere with that. 

When I go to a great restaurant I don't want the waiter to interfere with the experience. I came there to eat and be with my friends. Same thing with software and with websites. I came there to read and to learn and to be inspired. The website can help, but it isn't the show. The website is there to transmit ideas. 

I'm going to meet Rich tonight, and I'm going to shake his hand and thank him for contributing to the readability of the web. Then we're going to talk about what else we can do.