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Removed "and enjoys nothing more than driving a good tee shot or sinking a long putt." That seemed less encylopedic and more colloquial than necessary. Istvan 02:58, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

             I agree --ThisDude415

Can anyone verify quote from book about Tammet's memory ability?

Quote from the article: "In this book Tammet claims to remember everything from the point of conception in the womb to present 'as lucidly as yesterday'."

Does anyone know upon which page of the book "Born on a blue day" this claim is written? This is an extraordinary claim to make, and I'm sure many scientists would claim it is highly unlikely that anyone has a memory like this, even a savant. I've read some of the book but have not come across such a claim. If Tammet does have an extraordinary autobiographical memory he could be a case of "Hyperthymestic syndrome", a condition which appears to be linked with autism and savantism (or may be just a variant of savantism).

I emailed Daniel Tammet and he replied "No, it is completely untrue - nowhere have I ever stated this." Until we get a more specific reference, I will remove the statement. 80.235.57.239 (talk) 11:16, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Gay?

Most of the comments in this section are absolutely absurd and offensive. Hasn't anyone bothered to read his autobiography before posting comments about Mr Tammet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.206.39.207 (talk) 02:43, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I noticed he's on a list of gay/bisexual people, but his sexual orientation was not mentioned in the article. I plan to remove him unless someone can verify this. --jp3z 00:49, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, according to the first external link which says:

"He met the great love of his life, a software engineer called Neil, online. It began, as these things do, with emailed pictures, but ended up with a face-to-face meeting. "Because I can't drive, Neil offered to pick me up at my parents' house, and drive me back to his house in Kent. He was silent all the way back."

Apparently he is homosexual. Should we add that? 67.84.82.127 22:18, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

It's very intriguing that he is also gay! 75.24.193.39 21:59, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Since people who are autistic savants are almost always asexual is it not odd that Tammet is a homosexual. --NikolaiLobachevsky 02:09, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

unless you are a doctor or otherwise an expert on the subject of asbergers, i'd characterize that statement as a load of crap....--emerson7 | Talk 03:09, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

If they are almost always asexual, it is odd that he is not asexual, namely homosexual.--Urod 22:09, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

It is not a load of crap. Studies have shown that autistic usually do not respond very much to emotion and usually are asexual. --NikolaiLobachevsky 18:27, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Crap. Both studies, and anecdotal evidence within the LGBT and Science Fiction Fandom communities, reveal a wide, Kinseyian range of intimate behavior amongst persons with AS. There have been recent articles in magazines discussing Tammet's relationship with his partner, as well as persons who are thought to have AS. I'll get some more cites in the next few days. Bearian 22:39, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

I am adding the cite (The Advocate) and minor edits now. BYW, yes, some autistic persons may be asexual, but so are some "normal" people. Bearian 17:15, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Almost all "autisitic" "savants" describe themselves as Homosexual and have male sexual partners. To say that they are generally unresponsive to emotion is a fallacy because unproven.

Wickers Poet (talk) 00:45, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

Could you prove that? I've heard that most of them are heterosexuals because there's no relation between sexuality and autism. e.g. savants Jerry Newport, known for his calculating skills, is married (his wife Mary is also autistic), Gilles Tréhin french artist ditto. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zoomazooma (talk • contribs) 13:32, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Tammet remained completely heterosexual until 1997 when he chanced upon the idea of epileptic seizures, savant syndrome, homosexuality - ditto! SEMTEX85 (talk) 23:37, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Source? He was like 14yo at the time, do you think that a epileptic autistic would have much sexual experiences at that age?

Human mind likes to make associations, this is good, because it allows to develope logic connections, this also the basis for racism and prejudice in general, if you see a person with a particular trait making something, you might associate "trait makes person do something", even if the trait has nothing to do.--189.89.238.194 (talk) 13:06, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

Surname

The article states that he chose Tammet as his surname. If you know the original, please include it. ◄ИΞШSΜΛЯΞ► 13:29, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

I believe his original surname is "Paul", but I could be mistaken. ~ Oni Lukos _ct 14:11, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

paul what? i'll be the first to voice an interest in the training/upbringing & family line of this savant.

His original name is Daniel Corney. In 2000 he competed in the World Memory Championships in London and finished in 4th place: http://www.msoworld.com/brain/mental/_mso4memorypopup.html Curiously he won the names and faces event, yet in the 60 minutes documentary he tells the interviewer that he will not remember their face after the interview.

The article doesn't mention anymore, that he "chose" his new surname, why is that? It's pretty confusing that the article mentions his "real" name but doesn't say anything where the "new" name comes from. 95.222.140.174 (talk) 12:01, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Autistic?

It says he is but that it doesn't affect social interaction, yet the article on autism says that part of the definition of autism is that it affects social interaction Mernst 01:35, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Quite simply, he got lucky. Autism doesn't exactly hit the same way in everyone, and he was lucky enough not to be affected socially. ~ Oni Lukos _ct 02:17, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Has he been clinically diagnosed with autism? Obviously he is brilliant, but where is the evidence he is autistic. Is this merely speculative because he has abilities attributed to people who are otherwise handicapped? I can't find anywhere outside of wikipedia that claims he is autistic.

Autistic people don't like to interact, they can't live alone, they ussually can't compute if lets say some item, candy, a meal is expensive or not. They can 't ussualy estimate if they buy something, there will be change left over. They go berserk when things are not the way they are or changed a little. Is he like that?--Jondel 00:22, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

JOndel, that is very narrow minded and simply quite wrong... it sounds like you got most of your information from rain man... these behaviours you have mentioned can be true in some autistics, but it is important to keep a very open definition when speaking of autistics in general... there is a HUGE diversity.

Not at all. According to the Science Channel special, he exhibited autistic behaviour as a small child but eventually outgrew it. He still gets a little uneasy in certain situations, such as strolls through big cities (the skyscrapers cause his mind to project a lot of 9's, which he says "can be intimidating"). Prior to learning about this remarkable man, I didn't know that autism could be outgrown.

People with handicaps learn how to MANAGE their problems, which may look like they have outgrown them, but they are still there. Deaf people learn to lip read. If they become good at it, it still does not mean they can hear! There's no luck in it - just real hard work. I should know, I have my own handicap and it is hard work every day, but it will never stop me trying to do what I want to!! Geoff2DoThat 10:37, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

..and they always seem to be rather self-absorbed.209.131.62.113 (talk) 16:06, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Well then, by definition, he now has Asperger Syndrome, not Autism, right? --Farry 19:22, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Asperger's is definitely on the Autism spectrum... ~ Oni Lukos _ct 22:51, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Asperger's isn't considered to be a form of high-functioning autism anymore. Asperger's affects the left brain, while autism affects the right (or vice versa, I don't remember). Autism also affects the amygdala, while Asperger's doesn't. Compare Rainman and Forrest Gump: Forrest Gump's IQ was 75, yet he was able to attend mainstream school, graduate University of Alabama, join the US Army, interact with people, start and run his own business, get married, and have a child. That's high-functioning. Now with Rainman, he had to be institutionalized because he couldn't take care of himself. He couldn't even go out in the rain. That's low-functioning. High-functioning has to do with one's functioning ability, not one's intellectual ability. ForestAngel (talk) 01:17, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

uh, I apologize if anyone was slighted or offended. Well, how would autism be defined? Concerning Daniel Tammet himself , the truth is I have great admiration for him and his language and other mental skills.--Jondel 20:54, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

• On 60 Minutes they said it was it Asperger's Syndrome. -LtNOWIS 14:45, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

How could we be asking whether or not he is autistic, of course he is. All idiot savants are autistic, although not all autistic people are idiot savants. It is not possible to have as great brain power as he has and not have some serious disabilities. NikolaiLobachevsky 00:35, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Kim Peek, the inspiration for Rainman, doesn't have autism.

He taught himself how to interact. He said in the 60 minutes interview that as a child he was very autistic but learned how function "normally" because he had a big family and felt forced to "learn" how to interact and socialize and so on. He still displays certain elements of autisms such as compulsivity, slight agoraphobia or social disorder and certain brain deficiencies. As he mentioned he can only remember details but cannot remember the whole. This is truly a astonishing individual not only for talents but because he can describe basically "how autism works". Instead of running tests he can straight out tell us what his cognitive deficits and abilities are.24.203.165.168 21:54, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It's difficult to say his mental condition. Obviously, he has a great deal of mathematical skill, but from interviews and such, it is clear that he does not show autistic symptoms, or at least he shows very little. Wikipedians who edit this article need to make sure that he is diagnosed autistic, not just assume that he is. I realize that the 60 minutes interview provides a great deal of information, however, we need more than just that source. We need to be sure of our facts when writing any article, especially one about a living person. Thunderlord 23:11, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

See People speculated to have been autistic. Bearian 22:44, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Concerning whether or not Daniel Tammett is autistic (or more strictly, on the autistic spectrum) none other than Simon Baron-Cohen one of the world leaders on austism spectrum disorders (ASD) has interviewed and tested Daniel, and agrees that he shows the major features of the ASD. Daniel discusses this in his autobiography, which, please note is subtitled "Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant". That is, Daniel self-identifies as someone with ASD. Finally, when I was doing my PhD with V.S. Ramachandran I met Daniel, and noted that he showed many of the features of high functioning ASD. Although my own anecdotal evidence is not citable, the "Brainman" (a slightly edited version of which appears as "The Boy with the Incredible Brain in" the U.S.) documentary, and the follow-up with Morley Safer are. I don't think there's any doubt that Daniel is "on the spectrum" but he is clearly high-functioning. Edhubbard 08:14, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

I take issue with the whole idea of Asperger's Syndrome and Savant Syndrome. Almost all good creative artists worth their salt, poets and musicians have lives as socially abnormal outsiders, often leading unreal childhoods doing unusual things and playing unconventional games.

Artists/"geniuses" both externally and internally actively 'alienate themselves from the collective' in order to a have a Hawk's Eye perspective of the world.

Wickers Poet (talk) 00:51, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

In Tammet's autobiography he says he was diagnosed with AS at the ARC in Cambridge. A documentary shows Tammet being given a clinical interview by Prof. S. Baron-Cohen of the ARC, a world authority on autism. I'm sure Tammet's mother was also shown at that interview, which strongly suggests that she was asked about what Tammet was like as a young child for the diagnosis. Baron-Cohen wrote a foreword to Tammet's autobiography, so if the claim about being diagnosed with AS was false, presumably the professor wouldn't have written this piece. Another foreword by international expert on savantism, Dr Darold Treffert, confirms Tammet's diagnosis of AS/HFA. How much more evidence could anyone want to show that this person is autistic? It's a fact, accept it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.206.39.207 (talk) 03:48, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

My point was not to deny that Tammet has autism at all but that it makes him unique in the world. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SEMTEX85 (talk • contribs) 23:17, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

• laugh* Try looking at it from the opposite direction. If his diagnosers had known first how he perceived numbers for as long as he can remember (and it does not match conventional synaesthesia either), for example how he perceived the skyscrapers of NYC as looming "9's" -- and then took into account the incapacitating schizophrenia suffered by his father: tell me which diagnosis they would come up with? - Tenebris —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.112.26.209 (talk) 23:49, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Birthdate

Regarding WP:BLP#Privacy_of_birthdays .. Tammet is a public and famous person, he has had film documentaries and has published his personal memoirs... His birthday is even included in the Guardian article which has already been linked as a source in the article. He is using fame and notoriety for personal gain and benefit, he has purposefully disclosed personal information to the public in his memoirs. -- Stbalbach 17:30, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

i'm in partial agreement with your position. somewhere i saw an image of his passporte in an article also. i'm not all that convinced about his privacy being violated. --emerson7 | Talk 17:46, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

actually, i found it. it's in the five-tv piece at 1 min 22 seconds into to video, showing his passporte and date of birth. whatever privacy he once may have had was surrendered with that shot. --emerson7 | Talk 17:58, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

Icelandic language

The two citations to support Icelandic's status as one of the world's most difficult languages to learn are to a survey without any data and a typo-riddled forum page. Surely this is unacceptable? Goodnewsfortheinsane 21:49, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Jirojuki Goto

Does anyone know anything about Jirojuki Goto, the man described in the article on the University of Oxford website as the world record holder for reciting Pi to 42,195?

There is nothing on Misplaced Pages and a quick Google search doesn't reveal much. Anotheruserhere (talk) 22:28, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

No wonder since his name is Hiroyuki Goto. --ざくら木 12:01, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Merge Mänti

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.

The content of Mänti has now been merged into Daniel Tammet.  LinguistAtLarge • Msg  15:14, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

I propose a merge of Mänti with the Daniel Tammet article for the following reasons. (1) There is not enough information available on the language for it to ever be more than a stub. (2) Persumably no one but Tammet knows or uses the language. (3) The Tammet article is not so long that this information needs to be broken out to a separate article. Please state your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with me below.  LinguistAtLarge  16:44, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

• Support per nom Λύκος 17:54, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
• Support since neither topic is remotely notable enough on each's own merits.--KJRehberg (talk) 18:45, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

The Boy With The Incredible Brain -- Critiqued

Should the claims by the author of this blog be somehow included in this article? http://infopractical.livejournal.com/77298.html Namely, that Tammet is largely a showman who is not gifted more than other memory and calculation "hobbyists". The blog entry seems to present an extensive critique of Tammet's abilities as presented in The Boy With The Incredible Brain. Askedradio8 (talk) 08:51, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

This looks like it would fall under Misplaced Pages:RS#Self-published_sources_(online_and_paper). Haukur (talk) 13:05, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. If I find a reference that looks appropriate, I'll post it. Askedradio8 (talk) 07:20, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Major Article Clean-Up/Edits

This article needed major clean-up and editing of all poorly-sourced claims. There was almost no information on Tammet's two published works (there really ought to be a separate article for 'Blue Day'). I don't know how to add links to the article so will post a couple important ones here:

http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=1850180

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3341454/A-life-that-is-beginning-to-add-up.html

The Kirkus and Publisher Weekly reviews are easily found online. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.200.253.214 (talk) 09:03, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Sections can be tagged asking for better/more sources, rather than removing information and the sources themselves.Utopial (talk) 09:17, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

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