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Daniel Tammet

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Author

The Resume

    (January 31, 1979- )
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome
    Considered a high-functioning autistic savant
    Set a European record by reciting Pi from memory to 22,514 digits (March 14, 2004)
    Subject of the British TV documentary 'The Boy with the Incredible Brain' (2005)
    Founded the website Optimnem offering language courses
    Invented a language, Manti, based on Finno-Ugric languages
    Wrote 'Born on a Blue Day' (2006) and 'Embracing the Wide Sky' (2008)

Why he might be annoying:

    Stories about him are fond of using the phrase 'Brain Man,' a la the film 'Rain Man.'
    He has to splash water on his face exactly five times each morning, has to drink tea at the same time each day, and cannot leave the house without counting each item of clothing he is wearing.
    He and fellow savant Kim Peek bonded when they met by doing calculations based on their birthdates.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Researcher Allan Snyder noted, 'Savants can't usually tell us how they do what they do. It just comes to them. Daniel can describe what he sees in his head. That's why he's exciting. He could be the Rosetta Stone.'
    As a challenge for a documentary, he learned Icelandic in a week.
    Booklist wrote that 'Born on a Blue Day' displayed 'some of the clearest prose this side of Hemingway.'
    He said that since writing his memoirs, 'My life is less rigid now and I have been able to do more and more. My social skills have improved, my ability to talk to people, to express myself, to not feel too limited by the things that I still find difficult, that is a very positive thing.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 26 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying