Currently Reading: Born on a Blue Day - Daniel Tammet

I saw this guy, Daniel Tammet, on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago. He is in his twenties, lives in Kent, and is an autistic savant - think Rain Man. The difference between Daniel and Dustin Hoffman's character is that while Daniel displays characteristics of savantism, he is not as afflicted by social anxiety as most other savants.

He experiences synesthesia, which means that he experiences numbers as shapes, colors, and sensations. "In his mind, he says, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel, that he can "see" results of calculations as landscapes." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Tammet).

This guy is really amazing. The really cool thing about his situation is that he is one of the few savants who are capable of explaining how he does the things he does.

I would suggest checking this guy out, either by reading his book, which is very good so far, or by looking up more information about him on the interwebs. The URL for wikipedia is already listed above, and he has his own website, http://www.optimnem.co.uk/, where you can get more information about him and buy his book.

He is probably one of the most interesting people I have learned of in a long time.