Brainman

My time at work is dwindling which causes a bit of reflective thinking over the past year and a half I've spent in customer service and retail.

I work in a bookstore and like most retail outlets I am encouraged to push our products and stir up interest in our services. To be honest, it is truly fulfilling to sell books for a successful independent store. While there is still an abundant amount of annoyances to the job, one aspect in particular that I enjoy (and will miss) is holding some influence on what our customers read. Although my recommendations are highly encouraged by my employers, I tend to keep them modest and reserved for titles that stimulate me enough to engage conversation. Even though it is good business practice to actively promote The Secret for instance, it feels kind of cheap to peddle something you don't value. Or sometimes, a bit perverse and fun.

After finishing Born On A Blue Day this past weekend I have reformed a lot of my opinions and thoughts over autism and savant syndrome. The author, Daniel Tammet, only a few years older than me, is an autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome. He also experiences synesthesia, an unusual neurological syndrome that enables him to experience numbers and words as shapes, colors, textures and motions. The number two, for instance, is a motion, and five is a clap of thunder. Day is Tammet's memoirs chronicling the trials of his young life. Incredibly, and in his own words, he manages to articulate his abstract thought process in a voice that is confident and detailed, none of it being over sentimental and indulgent. It is one of the most inspiring and honest pieces of literature I've read in sometime. Tammet continues to be a huge asset for scientists and researches working to unlock the secrets of autism.

He is also the subject of a few docutmentaries. Here's a clip from The Boy With The Incredible Brain: