Posted on 01/15/2022 4:05:10 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
A professor in one of my first 2 years of college required subjects, taught a Psy I and a Psy II courses. He was really good, and one of his subjects for a few lectures was: “Cases of people with acquired savant syndrome.”
His lectures on this subject included musicians, artists, solo sports or 1 on 1 sports like wrestling, boxing, karate and target or skeet shooting. He felt that everyone had one or two areas where they became expert savants for events, sport and often recreation. Each acquired savant syndrome might be very helpful in our careers or personal life.
If we could find our acquired savant specialty and use it in business and our careers, or we could use in a sport and really enjoy that sport.
My mother and one of her sisters had a GPS mind and never got lost once they had been to a certain area/home/building.
This was in the 1950’s to 2010. A sibling has that same skill, her adult daughter and grandkids have that same skill.
Both of our adult sons have this skill. One uses it hunting and fishing, and the other uses his skill to drive and from point A to point B.
We recently celebrate Christmas and Easter on 2 Jan, and I had ordered pizza from a fairly hard place to get to. He wanted to drive, and he got us there with no problem. While picking up the pizzas, a nixle alert came over his phone warning about traffic problems on the main street to get back to my home.
He hadn’t driven that route for 30 + years. He had been a pizza delivery guy for awhile. He had me drive and go over roads basically he remembered. Roads, I never drive on. A few minutes later we were back on our side of town.
We call that the GPS acquired savant specialty. Our grandkids have it, so does my wife and her siblings and their children.
I used acquired savant skills in the Navy, as a special helmsman, drill team member and as a premium anti shark protector for our divers. Those skills have enabled me to shoot 100 in both skeet and trap. I didn’t miss deer with my rifle and scope even if they running at 100 yards plus.
My wife, as an RN can listen to a heart beat with her stethoscope and tell the docs what the patients EKG looks like. If she heard music played on a piano, organ, sax or flute, she could basically play back that music with or without choir members and music.
Both my wife and I have zero ability to look at a paper diagram telling how to assemble or repair something. Our grandkids have zero problems with that. If I see it on You Tube or some other tv how to repair or do it, I’m reasonably able to follow and get the job done. One Dil can’t do that and the other is a You Tube queen.
My son recognizes trucks going by on the highway from ads in paper
—”Lately I’ve been thinking about developing the knowledge to place the time and locations of old photos.”
Like this?
Civil War Battlefields Then and Now
As a defining event in the history of the United States, the Civil War has no equal. Civil War Battlefields Then and Now looks at the battlefields where it all took place, covering the broad sweep of events from the Southern capture of Fort Sumter to the Battles of Gettysburg and Appomattox. Historical illustrations and archival photographs of these sacred locations are compared with specially commissioned photographs of the battlefields as they are today, accompanied by descriptive and interesting text.
https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Battlefields-Then-Thunder/dp/1571458654
See post 7.
See post 7.
“He felt that everyone had one or two areas where they became expert savants for events, sport and often recreation.”
My son was having trouble hitting any trap targets so I figured I’d spring for an hour with an expert. At the end of it my young daughter who had tagged along was offered a chance to shoot.
She had shot a .22 but never the shotgun. The expert gave her some basic instructions (and impressed with her safety skills). She is OCD and has a hard time if things don’t go just right. I warned her that the clay pigeons are easy to miss so don’t get frustrated.
She proceeded to hit 8 out of 10 birds out of the trap machine (although he did dial the speed down a bit). She joined the shooting team, the expert offered her free instruction, etc.
She got pretty good. The main thing was that it was really good therapy. She wouldn’t get frustrated when she would miss birds. It took her awhile to build up the confidence to do skeet, but once she did it she worked at it had was good at that too. Then sporting clays. In most things she is so up and down in her emotions. With shooting it was just focusing on the shooting and she wouldn’t get down if she missed or excited if she hit it.
Although there were times after getting a perfect score at a sporting clay station that she would crack a smile!
Bookmark.
HaHaHA, can’t believe no one else replied yet ;)
I have exactly one gif of exactly one pedophile.
It seems I couldn’t post it enough to stop him from becoming “President”.
(Banned from Twitter and and elsewhere to try and stop me from showing what
was broadcast live on national television during Biden’s inauguration, along with
plenty of other meme-unition.)
“Creepy” is making excuses for the creep, like you have.
~Easy
Mine was memorizing useless numbers. I could go shopping for a weeks worth of groceries for 6 people - rush through the whole process, only glancing at prices and have every price memorized when at the cash register. It was fun in the 70’s and 80’s when stores would give you the item free if they priced was wrong. Other than that it’s a totally useless skill.
Thanks for sharing this great story about your daughter.
You and she have found a sport where she can excel.
Sometimes, that is like opening doors to better activities and creating more confidence.
I’m a firm believer in using pros like you did with your daughter to teach a complex skill to kids.
The priest of a village in rural France advertises for a new bell ringer to replace the guy who retired.
The first day, an applicant shows up who has no arms. The priest says, "I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can do this job".
The job-seeker says, "Just watch," and he strikes the bell with his forehead.
But the sound is nowhere near loud enough, and the priest tells him so.
He says, "Wait, let me try again," and he leaps at the bell with all his might, making a much louder noise with his forehead.
The priest says, "That's impressive, but I'm afraid it still isn't loud enough".
The guy says, "Wait! Please, give me one more chance." He backs up all the way to one edge of the bell tower, takes a running start, and throws his entire body at the bell, face first. Unfortunately, he misses the bell and goes sailing out over the other edge of the tower, rolls down the roof, and winds up seriously injured on the ground.
After the ambulance leaves with him, the gendarme asks the priest, "Do you know this guy's name?"
The priest answers, "No, but his face sure rang a bell".
PART II:
The exact same thing happens the 2nd day, with yet another armless applicant. Only this time, the fall kills the poor guy.
The gendarme questions the priest: "I don't suppose you know who this guy is, either?"
The priest says: "No, but he sure was a dead ringer for the first guy".
I may remember some faces, but usually forget their names until familiar, and even then I can forget.
Got a thing where I hear a voice and always place it with its correct owner unless it’s one of the rare people gifted with true vocal flexibility (Mel Blanc, etc.). Would never have placed Animated Joker with Mark Hamill if not for closing screen credits. Otherwise I can usually identify people by hearing alone if I’d seen and heard them before. Neat ability with zero profitable application LOL.
“People I have talked to who have this ability, or a reasonable facsimile, say it is as much a curse as a gift. “
Yes, the ability CAN detract from a person’s satisfaction in life, especially if that person does not understand how much of a gift it is.
My wife has an amazing ability to recognize a face in different contexts, even after having not seen that face for a long time.
But that ability often causes her distress, especially when others do not likewise recognize her. “Did you see that?” she’ll demand, “She just walked past me as though I wasn’t even there!”
It has taken me decades to persuade her that she has a gift that most people do not have. But what do I know? I’m just her husband! Finally, she is starting to believe me. The above article helped a lot.
Maybe they used to. Most casinos now use facial recognition the moment a customer walks in the door.
How Many?
Can’t remember.
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