Daniel Tammet is a very high-functioning autistic savant. He can do math without thinking about it. He can learn a new language in a week. He can multiply 37 by itself - three times, or divide 13 by 97 - to 100 decimal places. He memorized and recited in public the number Pi to 22,500 decimal places.
Embedded above is the British documentary "The Boy With The Incredible Brain," about Daniel and some other famous savants. What is important about the video is not just the "WOW factor" of his skills, but the simple, somewhat subtle revelation about the utterly amazing capabilities of the human brain, some of which are suddenly revealed after head trauma.
This is a 48 minute video; it's worth the time. You can watch it in larger format by clicking the "expand" icon at the bottom of the embed, or by going to Google Video.
Found at Ovablastic.
I watched a show on him about the (US) Science Channel's 'Secret Life of the Brain' this past weekend. It might be a re-narrated version of the same show.
ReplyDeleteI have recently read Daniel Tammet's book "Born on a Blue Day." This guy is absolutely amazing in many different aspects. He has Asperger's Syndrome, epilepsy and synesthesia. He is the oldest out of 9 children. When he was younger he had to have bath time with his 3 younger brothers. He watched his siblings interact with eachother and their friends and wondered why he could not be like them. He wanted to be their friend but struggled with social interactions. He hated school. The only classes he liked were math and social studies. The only friends he made were people from different countries.
ReplyDeleteIt is incredible what he can do with numbers and words. Learning 22,500 digits of pi in only a couple of weeks, reciting them without much hestitation in 4 hours. Having Asperger's and wanting to travel to Lithuania or the United States knowing that he would be uncomfortable.
In his early 20s, he met his life partner through the computer and quickly fell in love. With help from Neil, Daniel learned how to love and show emotions he was not used to.
He was not diagnosed with Asperger's until he was 25 years. I am curious how Daniel's life would have changed if he was diagnosed earlier on in his life. If school would have been easier on him; would people have treated him differently.
I found it heart-warming that near the end of the book, he talks about how he wants to help those like him and his younger brother. He does not want people on the Autism Spectrum to go through the struggles that he went dealt with. He also talks about he has finally learned to love his family and realizes all they have done for him.
I would recommend reading his book and to watch his videos on him on Youtube.com. He has met Kim Peek, the guy RainMan was based around; this meeting is on Youtube.com. His book and the Youtube videos help explain the rare disorder synesthesia and his experience with Asperger's syndrome.