Savant Syndrome & Extraordinary People

Savant syndrome is not a recognized medical diagnosis but researchers define it as a rare case where a person has developmental disorders but has one or more areas of expertise, abilities or brilliance.

A well-known case is Kim Peek the real person behind the character played by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. Around 50% of savants are autistic and the other half suffer from various disorders. Kim Peek is a savant but is not autistic. He has a photographic memory and can read a book in about an hour (speed reading) and remember about 98.7% of everything he has read. He can recall the content of 12,000 books from memory :D. He is also a natural calculator. The fame he received due to being the "real rain man" has improved his social skills.

There are other well-known savants including writers and musicians. Some people develop their abilities later in life as a result of an accident, illness or trauma. Alonzo Clemons was a normal boy until he suffered brain damage as a result of a fall. After that he could build accurate animal sculptures from clay using his photographic memory. Some scientists believe the potential to become a genius is actually in all people but is hidden by normal functioning intellect. Savants suffer from damage to the brain which disrupts normal functioning and allows the brain to access these hidden skills.

There are some extraordinary people out there. I saw some documentaries about these people. A young boy who lost his eyesight due to disease could actually "see" using sound waves. A man that can survive unbelievably cold temperatures. A woman that can see sound in the form of color ribbons. Rudiger Gamm is a mental calculator who gained his amazing ability at the age of 21. He can calculate complex math in his head. He can also speak complete sentences backwards :D. He can also calculate calenders and has proved mathematic theories due to his remarkable ability. Rudiger Gamm gained his ability almost overnight as he was reading a book of numbers which had a table of the powers of numbers. He says that anyone can do what he does, "There is just a table of numbers to learn then anyone can do it". His case was examined and he was not classified as a savant but rather as a case of genetics. You can see a clip about him here. You'll find more links to extraordinary people from there.

This is interesting stuff!

Types of Intelligence

Psychologist Howard Gardner proposed a "theory of multiple intelligences" to more accurately define the concept of intelligence and to address whether techniques of measuring intelligence were scientifically sound.

He classified intelligence into the following:

1. Bodily-kinesthetic (intelligence linked to physical activities)
2. Interpersonal (intelligence in interaction with others)
3. Verbal-linguistic (spoken and writing intelligence)
4. Logical-mathematical (intelligence in logic, abstractions, reasoning and numbers)
5. Naturalistic (nature, nurture and relating info to one's natural surroundings)
6. Intrapersonal (introspective and self-reflective capacity)
7. Visual-spatial (visual and spatial judgment)
8. Musical (intelligence in rhythm, music and hearing)

The classification was originally seven but Gardner later added an eighth (Naturalistic intelligence).

Gardner also suggested and explored other intelligences including spiritual, existential and moral but excluded them from the classification because they overlapped with the 8 above and were hard to determine compared to the other intelligences.


So which is your strongest intelligence?

Full article: here

Movie Mania: Benjamin Button and Slumdog

I've watched two movies this past week and both have blown me away.

The first is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the second is Slumdog Millionaire.

My advice is go watch them both! They're both intriguing films.

The first one started me thinking about how if we had experience in life at a young age, how different we would live our life - in other words - If I had all the experience of years of living, how different would I live my life as a youngster. It also got me thinking about how similar our lives are at the beginning and near the end. We need to be taken care of and nursed on both ends of the line. We loose control over our brain. We no longer become conscious of our memories.

The Slumdog movie was thrilling! It's a symbol of love and hope. Lots more in there by the way, so you should check it out.

Pretty interesting films!

Farewell of Fury

Farewells...I hate them but we can't live without them. Unfortunately we have to bid farewell sometimes and take alternative paths in life. Today is my first day in that alternative path and I'm caught in a nostalgia of the past year and eight months. I'll miss is, but after all, changes are the spices of life. Without them life would be dull and monotonous. A change is needed every once in a while :D.

I was given a farewell fit for the famous :D. I was beaten up, written on, pushed around, sat on, poked with a fork, chased around, given a beautiful and tasty cake and was about to be put in the shower with my clothes on. There was even an attempt to take off my shoes and tickle me to death :). What a farewell!!!! :D. It was fun.
All in the name of fun and the expression of joy to see me leave...lol.

This is what I looked like after the farewell. Unfortunately i didn't have my camera that day so you'll have to accept the primitive quality of the cake-picker's iphone :P.