04-20-2015, 11:49 AM
People with a rare medical condition called Hyperthymesia (also known as hyperthymestic syndrome, highly superior autobiographical memory, and HSAM) have some remarkable mental abilities. Give them an event in their lives and they'll tell you the year, month, date, and day of the week and tell you about their day as if they were telling you about what they did today.
Bob Petrella can tell you the name of every player and describe every game ever played by a fictional basketball team he created when he was 13, as if he had witnessed it firsthand. Six months later, he was quizzed by a psychiatrist who determined Petrella wasn't just making it up. He has basically memorized a novel he wrote in his head.
It occurs to me that this may represent a small demonstration of what a nearbaseline or superior brain might be capable of.
Bob Petrella can tell you the name of every player and describe every game ever played by a fictional basketball team he created when he was 13, as if he had witnessed it firsthand. Six months later, he was quizzed by a psychiatrist who determined Petrella wasn't just making it up. He has basically memorized a novel he wrote in his head.
It occurs to me that this may represent a small demonstration of what a nearbaseline or superior brain might be capable of.