What a great guy. Respectful, kind, soft spoken, highly intelligent. I see zero issues with his social communication skills . Actually wish more of Dave's guest's could do as well as he did.
lol i think he is perfectly normal in social skills its just nowadays all these overconfident idiots who has no feeling of shame is considered social and normal.
Dave was a product of a lot of male empowerment, thus his creepy coming into women, etc. But at the same time, women loved him and came onto him and people forget that. He was best late night host to ever do the job. The late Norm Macdonald said it time and time again and he was correct. It's because comedy came first. And second to that was education. You watch Jimmy Fallon or Kimmel and it's just trying them trying to be personable and crack silly jokes. But the host themselves aren't funny, nor can they bring the funny out in a situation quite like Letterman. Conan is a close second best and then Ferguson. Everyone else is entirely forgettable. Honestly James Lipton had more funny in him than Fallon or Kimmel.
He didn't attempt to even make the lightest joke out of any comment or topic until into the 2nd half of this, which is what made it better than his usual interviews. I wonder how he'd have been in serious political interviews and the like. He was very good here.
It's a skill he has learnt. He explains this in his book "Born on a blue day". It doesn't come natural to him, like for most people, so he's had to learn it. Very fascinating read, I highly recommend it.
I don't think Asperger's is anti-social. Humans have always needed people with long term thanks and knowledge at one side and the bubbly girl/confident man of the hour on the other side.
Why can't we have more guests like him on talk shows where we actually learn something of importance? We seem to only have insubstantial conversations.
But isn't this anecdotal? I mean I can see how studying him might teach us something, but the interview in itself could've been about the guy who can eat 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes and it would've taught us just as much.
Nock Ternull (the late night Librarian), said, David Letterman retired, although, i cannot confirm this, as i have not watched the Telly, since David Letterman retired. No Letterman=No Education
well to be fair, he was there to promote his documentary, almost certainly at the request of some promoter/manager/agent person... That's basically what talk shows are for. Everything else is secondary.
@@Poptee1 to be fair, we don't exactly learn much when some singer goes on to talk about his new album or a movie star talks about their new film. At least with this guy it was on a personal level.
Boxing Supraves chill man, just because someone is different it doesn’t mean they need to prove they are the best thing since sliced bread. Jesus, he’s interesting and thats that. No1 said he was a fucking neurosurgeon
@@joys8634 You clearly have a massive chip on your shoulder...Daniel is not obliged to do anything. His abilities are impressive as fuck and I'm sure not every Indian, in a country of over a billion people could recite Pi to over 22k places. I'm not sure what your point is or what you're getting out of attacking this guy, but you gotta relax and humble yourself. Ignorant ass.
He also was able to learn the Icelandic language almost fluently in a week. That's just insane. They tested him by doing an interview with an Icelandic reporter and they said he nailed the language.
No joke. Wow. Makes you feel stupid as heck don't it! His ability, however it may have come about, suggest that our brains, if "wired" a certain way are capable of far more than how they come wired from the "factory". Sounds funny I know but how else can a non-savant express it! Haha. Take care.
This man isn't a goddamn maths genius- he just perceives maths differently but can't actually perform functional mathematics, has no training or education in mathematics and all his books are about language not maths, he just has a very good memory which isn't the same as being good at maths.
@@gordonramsdale this young man had something traumatic happen to his brain..most of what happened was not good. His memory skills with numbers are an enigma side effect. But ALL other aspects of his life will never be what you and I would consider "normal". His brain injury came with a heavy price. If for no other reason can you at least give him encouragement rather than feel the need to publically tear him down. It makes you sound petty, small and needy. And I dont think that's what you really want others to think of you. Have a little compassion and be grateful it wasn't you that sustained his malady. Give this young man a hand up.. not a boot on his neck. Can you do that? I'll be the first one to cheer for you if you find the courage. Take care.
What an interesting man. I hope I'm in the majority when I say this interview beats any of the 'new celebrity' interviews. David Letterman is a legend with the way he kept everything going. Let's celebrate real people who contribute to world and life in real ways.
He doesn't seem socially hindered at all. Seems more polite than 99% of the population. Maybe we say that he's social hindered because he's not a douche like the rest of us.
It takes far more energy to perform "normal" in front of people. If you spend enough time then you will begin to see irregularities in his coherence with the conversation at hand and the context. I've been autistic my entire life but have had to learn how to operate without being caught but sooner or later I have to get alone and recharge or the stimulus shuts me down. For example going to the beach will overcharge me so much that I have to go lay down and I'll be twitching the whole time I sleep. The energy of people is erratic and I pick up on all of it. Sooner or later I break down. It's the same for him I'm sure. He has to focus and concentrate on numbers to calm himself down from all the erratic chaos we've created in nature.
he was always extremely socially hindered as a child, but was taught and used his memory skill to overcome it. Not too hard, just learn simple social cues, jokes, etc. far tougher for regular aspbergers sufferers who don't have the same capability of learning and remembering
As an American, I'm watching this, and waiting for the "socially inept" part. He really just came across as a typical Brit to me: quiet, witty, and polite.
As a Brit, I don't get this criticism of Letterman. He's always seemed to me to be one of the funniest, friendliest and most self-deprecating talk show hosts around, I loved his shows especially his interviews with Ricky Gervais where they took the pee out of each other relentlessly.
@fifthof Yes we certainly can lol. I've lived in the US and they beat us hands-down for politeness. Nobody ever calls me "sir" in a shop here in England lol. Where I live they throw your change at you and say "Yeah whatever, shut the door on the way out".
Shame that's the first thing you see and/or thought to comment on. Despite the charming generalisation we Brits are not all 'quiet, witty, and polite'. If anything you're projecting your pre-judice onto him. What I see is a intelligent human being who has a story to tell, oh, and happens to be British, actually I found that irrelevant.
The one on one socialization makes it easy to recite the lines you're expected to speak. Group dynamics is where it gets difficult. I'm not a savant. I'm prone to social ineptitude. For normal people social situations flow naturally. For someone that can't shut off the part of their brain that makes them analyze every small detail it can be maddening. Being in large groups (especially places like malls) for an extended period of time gives me a headache and leaves me feeling drained. During college parties I'd hide on the couch, pull my hat over my face and try to pretend I was asleep. I'm not trying to make this about me. I hope my statement gives some insight into why he says he struggles with social interaction
Perhaps having limited social skills actually reduces anxiety in those types of situations as you may be less aware of the social dynamic going on around you and the stakes involved... Just a theory
I suspect he's learned to direct his focus on one person, even in crowded situations like this. Sensory overload is a big problem with a lot of autistic savants, but if they can learn (or be taught) to focus on one point of attention, the anxiety can be minimized. He seemed to be very in control of the situation, while still being able to demonstrate his incredible abilities with numbers. Very cool stuff!
What you don't see is how much he has had to overcome to just get to the point wherein he could speak with someone like Letterman. Its far more than just getting over a case of the jitters most of us would have on TV. You can tell by his body language that he is far more proud of overcoming his autistic disabilities than his memory/math skills. Good for him.
What makes Daniel Tammet unique isn't necessarily his gifts in being able to combine or memorize numbers or learn a difficult language in a fraction of the time a regular person can (which is rare but not totally unique), but his ability to also communicate and socialize and explain how his mind works. Many people with gifts like his (think Rain Man) can barely function in society.
I watched a documentary on this gentleman several years ago and he is quite unique. I specifically remember that he learned the Icelandic language in about two weeks, and it's supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn. He went on a Icelandic talk show and the host was amazed by how well he spoke.
@Sydney Rooster _ I think he did those things for the audience. for those who missed when the first time it was spoken and for those who does not know to express thoughts the way it was spoken. And also he might have done that for comic fun as well. I have seen him catching things so intricate that could make you think of him as a genius. In fact, his ability to manipulate the audience in the studio and the ones at home proves him intelligent enough.
You were the principle's nephew, and I had the early shift. They gave me OT to go in and correct your gibberish before the doors opened. Every damned day. It's been long enough now so I can tell you.
I wrote an opera in spanish. No one listens to it though so I'm working on improvisation in the classical style like alma deutcher. I'm not smart but my goal is to out write beethoven by sheer work
Its amazing how the brain works and how unique we all are. I have epilepsy and I don't wanna brag but I've memorized my 7 tables. Good luck Daniel i wish you good health and happiness.
@@strateeg32 did you actually just say that? What have you developed. This guy is possibly the cleverest person in the world and you just said hes not smart
@@gravinboginagis6568 having a good memory is not smart. Smart is if he could solve actual complex problems or be on the frontier of any of the natural sciences. This guy is good at memory and arithmethics. There are way more difficult fields in mathematics so to call him a mathematical genius is just pure ignorance.
@@strateeg32 it’s not just good memory. He has extremely advanced mathematical ability which is superior to almost everyone ever, which can solve extremely complex problems. Ever seen good will hunting? Similar to that capability
Only because he's talking about what interests him and controlling the conversation. If they were talking about something he didn't care about he wouldn't be able to converse much at all.
oliskranz I'm guessing you haven't done much high level maths, then (something which he would be required to actually do to call him a maths genius), for there are far fewer numerical calculations than you'd think, and in any case even if they are they are almost never the goal of the mathematician, for he can just type the numbers into a computer and get the next step quickly. Calculations are a way of getting to the next step in proving a theorem, almost never the end result. Look up Terence Tao, if you want to know of an example of an actually mathematical genius.
He is very bright; he was challenged to learn Icelandic in a week, and he did it, becoming conversational. Even if its mostly memorization, he is quite smart.
a strange sort of smartness, though, like not very useful. I doubt he is very good at math, meaning complex theoretical math. Simply being a human calculator does not make you good at math.
Not only math but this man has also learned the typical social behavior and thats exactly what he mimics with his jokes and the way he talks, definitely a smart guy
If you 'mimic' whatever long enough it becomes part of you and also becomes natural. Everything you know is from mimicking your parents, teachers and other forms of social interaction. Nothing special everyone does it. :-))
@@taunteratwill1787 I don't know if you know this, but Aspergers or High Functioning ASD doesn't mimic in a similar manner to say a normal Neurotypical individual. It's closest parallel is that of a computer in how it stores data and then acts on that data or simply how it recites that data, at least for me.
@@taunteratwill1787 Here are some resources if you are interested in learning more about ASD and "Mimicry" www.autism-help.org/communication-echolalia-autism.htm s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/48190092/s0163-8343_2801_2900155-420160819-6305-eqz00m.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DAsperger_s_disorder_in_the_emergency_psy.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20191211%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20191211T205803Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=e05e2ad457423d21adef1b34587b23beb0b12261eb06d15d7de2d1aeba33ab84 www.theneurotypical.com/aspergers-and-mimicry.html
@@dracomaneer Don't you ever fucking give up? I don't give a flying fuck about ASD or any other peculiar behaviour. UA-cam is fuckedup enough for me thank you! :-)
@Mike Durant So he claims. He might be very good at learning languages, but "insanely" is probably an exaggeration. I think he may also have an exceptional memory, but nobody can calculate square roots the way he demonstrates. It's not like calculating a rational number, say, 153 / 71 to ten decimal places. Note that he didn't demonstrate it here. I believe the man is a con artist.
So I looked up the dates. April 12, 1947 and indeed it was a Saturday and then I searched April 12, 2012 and it was Thursday just like he mentioned. Spot on!
zasabiibasaz Hahaha owned. This dude has synaesthesia, something scientists or anyone else really has a full understanding of yet. But he has an extreme form of it. To him, numbers appear in his mind as a shape or a combination of shapes so he is able to trace the shape in his mind in order to find the number he is looking for. Most people with synaesthesia (like me) only really get useless combos like for me, I see letters and numbers as having it's own colour or shade. It's not very useful, lol. Some people have musical types of synaesthesia though which can allow them to create amazing music.
Katie Dubbs I have synaesthesia :3!! It is not allways as awesome as it sounds. There are alot of things which I can't eat, cloths which I cant wear or people I have hard to socialize with. Either because there is a colour that smells bad, or a name with a colour that smells bad :/ ... But music apears to me as pictures in my head (>^ω^
This guy controls his Apergers incredibly well, he comes across as well as anyone I know with no mental disadvantages whatsoever. Seems like a really interesting, nice guy.
Dave handled this gentleman great. He could have made him uncomfortable easily by forcing answers and needless banter but dave guided him through like the boss he is. This had to be very hard for this man to confront his uncomfortably in puplic let alone on national t.v
@@Wotevs Oh man, Letterman could be such a total dick at times too. I think some of it was his awkwardness with beautiful women so he'd say the wrong thing trying to be clever. Sophia Loren scared him to death. You could see it the whole time she was there. He was unusually kind with this guest. He wasn't just after having on a guy who could do trick after trick with numbers, which is why some commenters here are disappointed. Having a form of synesthesia myself, it's interesting that was brought up as a memory aid.
I love unique people! He's truly experiencing a slice of reality that's out of our realm. Glad that he's high-functioning (socially) to have a good life. 💃
I can recite PI quickly to 50 places and people are highly impressed by that when I do it. It just blows their minds and they think I'm some sort of super genius. This guy being able to do it to over 22,500 places makes my ability so insignificant it's invisible.
I came here after reading his autobiography "Born on a Blue Day" which my mom just handed over to me out of nowhere. It was such an amazing read, and it was nice knowing about this man. What an inspiration he is
This guy is not just a genius with numbers but also words. He can learn a language in 7 days. He was tested on this, asked to learn Icelandic, one of the most difficult languages and after 7 days, he was to go on live Icelandic TV and speak the language. He passed with flying colours. Extraordinary chap.
Yes, it's fascinating. It's pretty clear that whatever happened to his brain drastically increased his capacity for short- *and* long-term memory, both of which play a huge role in language learning (well, all learning, really).
@@armybeef68 Let me guess, English is your native language? I would be very surprised if you had to learn English and deem it to be one of the hardest languages. Because it is not. It has a very large lexicon but its structure is relatively simple. Obviously, it depends on one's own mother tongue how easy English is to learn but there are a lot more complex languages out there.
Great interview. Of course we know how amazing Letterman was at his job, but also Tammet was very well spoken, interesting and injected just the right amount of humor into his answers.
I had Kim Peek, 'the Rainman', come onto my aircraft once and we greeted him, he smiled, shook my hand and then asked my birthday. I told him and he started telling me what day I was born on, and then told me what day my next birthday would be on as well. An amazing thought process from truly interesting young men.
What an awesome guy! I'm sure it's very difficult for him to socially interact (a few ppl with Asperger's in my family) and you can tell he's practiced and gotten very good at it. Obviously very talented, wish him the best!
@@mathaismaraj9253 By the time the ems came my half of tongue was dead and they were able to replace it with a cow tongue... Now that I am a GOD to the ladies Nickname me Cowcunt
+The Anti-Theist That's happened to me before too. And the age of some of my close family (that I live with). Suffice to say, I save money on birthday gifts.
It is generally surprising how little money many geniuses make, the difference in intelligence between academics & the richest businessmen is generally staggering let alone geniuses(who many fit in either or both categories).
I love their interaction.... A lot of people say they aren't social but I think in reality, it is that they aren't willing to bullshit. If you weren't talking crap, how much do you think you'd actually say? We can talk all day because we fill our days with meaningless stuff. Some people need a real reason to talk to you or speak... I think he was very kind and polite and so was the host.
AppleAssassin It only took him two weeks, I feel the world record spent years or had photographic memory or something. Haha. Don't forget this guy doesn't spend all of his time remembering Pi, he also speaks like 10 languages. (He learnt one of the hardest languages in 7 days if I can recall).
yes, and that condition is called dream within dream, in which you are dreaming that you are dreaming so there is your overlapping sleeping hours...in fact, my own condition allows me to sleep about 30 hours a day, because of my multiple levels of recursive dream within a dream - good one you have there, though
In the tv show he learned a language (I think Icelandic) in 2 weeks and then went on an Icelandic tv show and was interviewed in the language. Very impressive
And area of such pizza is Pi(number 3,14..)z•z Pizza as a word in english, or rather a pronaunciation of it, is a good example of anti conseqvent character of pronaunciation/spelling in that language: sound ay is spelled i ( letter i is called/pronaunced as "ay") and letter e is called/pronaunced "ee"), yet there is ski (ski as a sport) or pizza...And genuine pronanciation of that number (3,14...) is actually " pee", not "pay".
I come back and watch this video once a year or so and laugh every time still. This is a brilliant performance by Letterman playing the dumb guy and letting Daniel take the spotlight
What a great guy. Respectful, kind, soft spoken, highly intelligent. I see zero issues with his social communication skills . Actually wish more of Dave's guest's could do as well as he did.
Id love to hang out with this guy
Until a smoke detector goes off.
lol i think he is perfectly normal in social skills its just nowadays all these overconfident idiots who has no feeling of shame is considered social and normal.
"I see zero issues with his social communication skills " Because he worked fucking hard to get to that point
He is someone I could talk to over tea (or wine or a Pint) for hours.
Lovely guy. Rather socialise with him than 99% of the population.
@alexander usyk Haha.
definitely
Then you're clearly antisocial.
how special do you think you are lol
He probably wouldn't feel the same
Damn this dude is so chill, and his voice is so soothing.
Facts. But i feel like if you get on side bad side he can reck you existence.
@@not.enoughto.go.around6176 Intp dude. Intp... they'll throw hammers at you if you're not careful.
You could wake up to him every morning, I'm not gay, but I mean he could make my coffee in the morning nude...
10/10 should narrate stuff
He seems like a nice guy. When I was in school the smart kids didn't like me.
In a weird way, this might have been one of the best interviews Dave ever did.
He’s a genuine and interesting guest
Dave was a product of a lot of male empowerment, thus his creepy coming into women, etc. But at the same time, women loved him and came onto him and people forget that. He was best late night host to ever do the job. The late Norm Macdonald said it time and time again and he was correct. It's because comedy came first. And second to that was education.
You watch Jimmy Fallon or Kimmel and it's just trying them trying to be personable and crack silly jokes. But the host themselves aren't funny, nor can they bring the funny out in a situation quite like Letterman. Conan is a close second best and then Ferguson. Everyone else is entirely forgettable. Honestly James Lipton had more funny in him than Fallon or Kimmel.
He was on fire. This was his version of Johnny’s interview with Fischer. Both masterclasses
He didn't attempt to even make the lightest joke out of any comment or topic until into the 2nd half of this, which is what made it better than his usual interviews. I wonder how he'd have been in serious political interviews and the like. He was very good here.
This was 3.14 times more interesting than your average celebrity guest.
MD pi-tiful attempt at a joke
Love it
Much better than a Kardashian “interview”...they’re useless humans
RebelDuck prison reform
I see you are trying to get your piece of the "pi" with likes..😋
This man is literally perfect at socializing. He has the social skills I wish I had. Also, the smarts.
It's a skill he has learnt. He explains this in his book "Born on a blue day". It doesn't come natural to him, like for most people, so he's had to learn it. Very fascinating read, I highly recommend it.
I don't think Asperger's is anti-social. Humans have always needed people with long term thanks and knowledge at one side and the bubbly girl/confident man of the hour on the other side.
Alot of people with aspergers learn social skills through intelectualizing them instead of knowing them intuitively its called masking
When I was a kid, I fully memorised the multiplication table of 5...I did it in about 12 days flat.
True story.
Hahahah
+peleti027 No bro, seriously. I did.
;)
+Ankur Baruah When I was a kid in third grade, I memorized all of them to 12 in two months. True story.
it took that long
+vvffhhbxdfgjkmmkigv meow!
i like how david gave him the time to articulate and express his views/answers without constantly interrupting like many other hosts
So true... imagine Fallon w this guy for example
Because this guy actually had something to say that was worth hearing.
Daniel: So I'm a savant ...
James Corden: "blah blah blah"
Beautiful speaking, amazing voice. Very pleasant and intelligent.
my constitution professor could lull anyone to sleep with his soothing voice
how many colours does he want over
Read his book. It’s great.
And the guest wasn't half bad either.
Dorin I think you're in love😉
Why can't we have more guests like him on talk shows where we actually learn something of importance? We seem to only have insubstantial conversations.
Joe Rogan!
But isn't this anecdotal? I mean I can see how studying him might teach us something, but the interview in itself could've been about the guy who can eat 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes and it would've taught us just as much.
Nock Ternull (the late night Librarian), said, David Letterman retired, although, i cannot confirm this, as i have not watched the Telly, since David Letterman retired. No Letterman=No Education
well to be fair, he was there to promote his documentary, almost certainly at the request of some promoter/manager/agent person... That's basically what talk shows are for. Everything else is secondary.
@@Poptee1 to be fair, we don't exactly learn much when some singer goes on to talk about his new album or a movie star talks about their new film. At least with this guy it was on a personal level.
what strikes me is that this man is so humble, gentle and has no false pride about his abilities
He is a genuinely lovely person. It’s not a trick or anything. He can at times be socially awkward but still very nice.
Boxing Supraves hahaha the fraud 😂
Boxing Supraves chill man, just because someone is different it doesn’t mean they need to prove they are the best thing since sliced bread. Jesus, he’s interesting and thats that. No1 said he was a fucking neurosurgeon
@@joys8634 You clearly have a massive chip on your shoulder...Daniel is not obliged to do anything. His abilities are impressive as fuck and I'm sure not every Indian, in a country of over a billion people could recite Pi to over 22k places. I'm not sure what your point is or what you're getting out of attacking this guy, but you gotta relax and humble yourself. Ignorant ass.
@@chriscoulson7684 some dude a few comments threads up said "he reminds a little of Jesus of nazareth" lol... uhhh christ I have a headache now
He also was able to learn the Icelandic language almost fluently in a week. That's just insane. They tested him by doing an interview with an Icelandic reporter and they said he nailed the language.
No joke. Wow. Makes you feel stupid as heck don't it!
His ability, however it may have come about, suggest that our brains, if "wired" a certain way are capable of far more than how they come wired from the "factory". Sounds funny I know but how else can a non-savant express it! Haha.
Take care.
This man isn't a goddamn maths genius- he just perceives maths differently but can't actually perform functional mathematics, has no training or education in mathematics and all his books are about language not maths, he just has a very good memory which isn't the same as being good at maths.
@@gordonramsdale is your opinion as low of yourself as it is of others?
@@rapturebound197 Well I am not claiming to be a math genius when i'm not.
@@gordonramsdale this young man had something traumatic happen to his brain..most of what happened was not good. His memory skills with numbers are an enigma side effect. But ALL other aspects of his life will never be what you and I would consider "normal". His brain injury came with a heavy price. If for no other reason can you at least give him encouragement rather than feel the need to publically tear him down. It makes you sound petty, small and needy. And I dont think that's what you really want others to think of you.
Have a little compassion and be grateful it wasn't you that sustained his malady.
Give this young man a hand up.. not a boot on his neck.
Can you do that? I'll be the first one to cheer for you if you find the courage.
Take care.
This guy went on to become the lead singer of Coldplay. Good on him!
I literally just laughed out loud. This so spot on! 😂
his singing obviously didn't get better
Don’t be so ridiculous……..David Letterman looks nothing like Chris Martin
I'm the reverse savant, I have trouble doing things everyone else finds easy.
Yeah, I'm like an idiot savant. Without the "savant" part.
😆😆😆
Jeffery Evans 🤣
@@taytayswiftie13-o1d we can't keep politics out of this?
Jeffery Evans yes. I deleted my comment.
sounds like a humble dude. good fore him wish him the best in life
for* stupid auto I swear
+Jonathan Pontel fore*
+Jonathan Pontel Four?
It was suppose to say "for" not fore or four you guys are confusing
Three point one...four?
He sounds like the voice of Hal 9000 and he’s talking to “ Dave” too. how ironic.
Lmao so accurate, impressed how you remembered that. Must've watched it recently.
Hahaha not recently but who can forget the voice of Hal, so unique:)
Will I dream?
Douglas Rain wasn't British.
A very rare correct use of both "to" and "too". Congrats & I mean that.
What an interesting man. I hope I'm in the majority when I say this interview beats any of the 'new celebrity' interviews. David Letterman is a legend with the way he kept everything going. Let's celebrate real people who contribute to world and life in real ways.
He doesn't seem socially hindered at all. Seems more polite than 99% of the population. Maybe we say that he's social hindered because he's not a douche like the rest of us.
It takes far more energy to perform "normal" in front of people. If you spend enough time then you will begin to see irregularities in his coherence with the conversation at hand and the context. I've been autistic my entire life but have had to learn how to operate without being caught but sooner or later I have to get alone and recharge or the stimulus shuts me down. For example going to the beach will overcharge me so much that I have to go lay down and I'll be twitching the whole time I sleep. The energy of people is erratic and I pick up on all of it. Sooner or later I break down. It's the same for him I'm sure. He has to focus and concentrate on numbers to calm himself down from all the erratic chaos we've created in nature.
he was always extremely socially hindered as a child, but was taught and used his memory skill to overcome it. Not too hard, just learn simple social cues, jokes, etc. far tougher for regular aspbergers sufferers who don't have the same capability of learning and remembering
Oscar Wilde he missed the pi joke..... that is how you can tell Asperger.
also the shape of his ears
I would encourage you to read his book, "Born On A Blue Day" then come back to what you said.
As an American, I'm watching this, and waiting for the "socially inept" part. He really just came across as a typical Brit to me: quiet, witty, and polite.
Yeah, Brits are like the most polite folks. I don't know why. Maybe they were trained, due to the whole royal family thingy there.
It's called "self respect"
As a Brit, I don't get this criticism of Letterman. He's always seemed to me to be one of the funniest, friendliest and most self-deprecating talk show hosts around, I loved his shows especially his interviews with Ricky Gervais where they took the pee out of each other relentlessly.
@fifthof Yes we certainly can lol. I've lived in the US and they beat us hands-down for politeness. Nobody ever calls me "sir" in a shop here in England lol. Where I live they throw your change at you and say "Yeah whatever, shut the door on the way out".
Shame that's the first thing you see and/or thought to comment on. Despite the charming generalisation we Brits are not all 'quiet, witty, and polite'. If anything you're projecting your pre-judice onto him. What I see is a intelligent human being who has a story to tell, oh, and happens to be British, actually I found that irrelevant.
This dude is very cool and he has such a wonderful smooth relaxing voice
The guys social skills seemed fine to me ... Wayyyy better than I could do on TV.
The one on one socialization makes it easy to recite the lines you're expected to speak. Group dynamics is where it gets difficult. I'm not a savant. I'm prone to social ineptitude. For normal people social situations flow naturally. For someone that can't shut off the part of their brain that makes them analyze every small detail it can be maddening. Being in large groups (especially places like malls) for an extended period of time gives me a headache and leaves me feeling drained. During college parties I'd hide on the couch, pull my hat over my face and try to pretend I was asleep. I'm not trying to make this about me. I hope my statement gives some insight into why he says he struggles with social interaction
Perhaps having limited social skills actually reduces anxiety in those types of situations as you may be less aware of the social dynamic going on around you and the stakes involved... Just a theory
I suspect he's learned to direct his focus on one person, even in crowded situations like this. Sensory overload is a big problem with a lot of autistic savants, but if they can learn (or be taught) to focus on one point of attention, the anxiety can be minimized. He seemed to be very in control of the situation, while still being able to demonstrate his incredible abilities with numbers. Very cool stuff!
@islanti Aspergers is not something that can disappear when you get older. You can only learn to work around the negatives.
His social skills are irrelevant. It is INDEPENDENT of being a mathematical prodigy.
Are you kidding me, he’s brilliant at socializing!
He's actually just really good at faking it, but that's fine, better than most of us.
@@ben6089 how would you know he's just faking it? You're in his head? Lol
@@pikin2 He uses rehearsed, deliberate responses. Can't explain to aspies, but it's very obvious.
Yep, years and years of practice. Going through the motions, not feeling.
What you don't see is how much he has had to overcome to just get to the point wherein he could speak with someone like Letterman. Its far more than just getting over a case of the jitters most of us would have on TV. You can tell by his body language that he is far more proud of overcoming his autistic disabilities than his memory/math skills.
Good for him.
What makes Daniel Tammet unique isn't necessarily his gifts in being able to combine or memorize numbers or learn a difficult language in a fraction of the time a regular person can (which is rare but not totally unique), but his ability to also communicate and socialize and explain how his mind works. Many people with gifts like his (think Rain Man) can barely function in society.
Rain man's skills as a savant were meaningless to him.
I watched a documentary on this gentleman several years ago and he is quite unique. I specifically remember that he learned the Icelandic language in about two weeks, and it's supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn. He went on a Icelandic talk show and the host was amazed by how well he spoke.
Thank you for sharing that. I'm interested in language acquisition...
savant: I recite pi to 22,514 decimal places.
letterman: how many digits is that?
@Sydney Rooster _ I think he did those things for the audience. for those who missed when the first time it was spoken and for those who does not know to express thoughts the way it was spoken. And also he might have done that for comic fun as well. I have seen him catching things so intricate that could make you think of him as a genius. In fact, his ability to manipulate the audience in the studio and the ones at home proves him intelligent enough.
He's a comedian. One of the best if I say so myself.
I cant remember my cell number 😥
"Worldwide" (Digits), is the correct answer.
I believe the correct answer is 22,515
"thats so kind of you to say" i love that expression i wish i used that
Its a very English top tier private school boy term
kurumais You’d sounds like a pompous ass to most people who’d find it condescending
When?
@@selfishstockton6123 only ignorant insecure ones would.
Mike Kotowski Says you. I’m not even even English
This guy makes me feel so calm.
I’ve seen this guy here in the UK. He learned Icelandic in one week. Literally. He’s an absolute genius
I’m just a janitor and sometimes I solve math problems on this board outside of a classroom, but whatever.
my best friends matt damon
You were the principle's nephew, and I had the early shift. They gave me OT to go in and correct your gibberish before the doors opened. Every damned day. It's been long enough now so I can tell you.
Nobody is "just" anything. When you need a janitor, you need a janitor, not a . So cheers to you.
Do you like apples?
when baked...
I once thought I was a savant, but I was just an idiot.
But I bet you have a great sense of humor.
You probably have a good sense of humour
I wrote an opera in spanish. No one listens to it though so I'm working on improvisation in the classical style like alma deutcher. I'm not smart but my goal is to out write beethoven by sheer work
@@erik878 How interesting.
@@SuperWoolfolk I out play the other pianists at guitar center with improv you see
He is so well mannered and soft spoken. I loved him describing himself as exceptional. I believe he truly is! Thanks for the upload.
Its amazing how the brain works and how unique we all are. I have epilepsy and I don't wanna brag but I've memorized my 7 tables. Good luck Daniel i wish you good health and happiness.
Kitchen table, dining room table, ....
Daniel is such a classy guy. Very kind and humble person.
Not only is he very smart, but he’s a sweet guy too.
how is he smart? He can perform tricks.
He cant actually invent something new or progress science.
You’re a sweet guy
@@strateeg32 did you actually just say that? What have you developed. This guy is possibly the cleverest person in the world and you just said hes not smart
@@gravinboginagis6568 having a good memory is not smart. Smart is if he could solve actual complex problems or be on the frontier of any of the natural sciences.
This guy is good at memory and arithmethics. There are way more difficult fields in mathematics so to call him a mathematical genius is just pure ignorance.
@@strateeg32 it’s not just good memory. He has extremely advanced mathematical ability which is superior to almost everyone ever, which can solve extremely complex problems. Ever seen good will hunting? Similar to that capability
that feel when a guy with aspergers is probably a better conversationalist than you :(
+Alex Romanov Lol I was thinking the same damn thing lol!
Only because he's talking about what interests him and controlling the conversation. If they were talking about something he didn't care about he wouldn't be able to converse much at all.
LMFAO, forreal
Certainly better than Letterman.
Alex Romanov probably bc they strain their eyes reading all the time
Men like this should garner public attention. Not these skill less celebrities who have it now.
He has the calmest voice, lovely!
Oh fuck off
Worlds greatest human calculator.
Math and calculation are completely different.
dumbest comment 2014, congrats.
oliskranz Yours? Seeing how you think maths is calculation
LordNethesis dude, if there are numbers in the equation it´s going to require calculations.
oliskranz I'm guessing you haven't done much high level maths, then (something which he would be required to actually do to call him a maths genius), for there are far fewer numerical calculations than you'd think, and in any case even if they are they are almost never the goal of the mathematician, for he can just type the numbers into a computer and get the next step quickly. Calculations are a way of getting to the next step in proving a theorem, almost never the end result. Look up Terence Tao, if you want to know of an example of an actually mathematical genius.
LordNethesis doesn´t matter, calculation is a vital part of math , without it you don ´t get anywhere, calculation is the way you solve math problems.
He is very bright; he was challenged to learn Icelandic in a week, and he did it, becoming conversational. Even if its mostly memorization, he is quite smart.
quite
a strange sort of smartness, though, like not very useful. I doubt he is very good at math, meaning complex theoretical math. Simply being a human calculator does not make you good at math.
Being able to learn languages at a conversational level in one week is incredibly useful
they have instant audio translation apps now
wiremessiah Not as good as human translation, and not able to understand humor to any passable degree.
Not only math but this man has also learned the typical social behavior and thats exactly what he mimics with his jokes and the way he talks, definitely a smart guy
If you 'mimic' whatever long enough it becomes part of you and also becomes natural. Everything you know is from mimicking your parents, teachers and other forms of social interaction. Nothing special everyone does it. :-))
@@taunteratwill1787 I don't know if you know this, but Aspergers or High Functioning ASD doesn't mimic in a similar manner to say a normal Neurotypical individual. It's closest parallel is that of a computer in how it stores data and then acts on that data or simply how it recites that data, at least for me.
@@dracomaneer I'm not talking about Aspergers or ASD, i'm talking about 'mimicking'. :-))
@@taunteratwill1787 Here are some resources if you are interested in learning more about ASD and "Mimicry"
www.autism-help.org/communication-echolalia-autism.htm
s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/48190092/s0163-8343_2801_2900155-420160819-6305-eqz00m.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DAsperger_s_disorder_in_the_emergency_psy.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20191211%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20191211T205803Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=e05e2ad457423d21adef1b34587b23beb0b12261eb06d15d7de2d1aeba33ab84
www.theneurotypical.com/aspergers-and-mimicry.html
@@dracomaneer Don't you ever fucking give up? I don't give a flying fuck about ASD or any other peculiar behaviour. UA-cam is fuckedup enough for me thank you! :-)
What a charming considerate young man, besides numbers good deeds is also on his mind.
Most con artists are very charming and considerate. Their success is largely dependent on feigning such qualities.
he is insanely good at learning languages too
@Mike Durant
So he claims. He might be very good at learning languages, but "insanely" is probably an exaggeration. I think he may also have an exceptional memory, but nobody can calculate square roots the way he demonstrates. It's not like calculating a rational number, say, 153 / 71 to ten decimal places. Note that he didn't demonstrate it here.
I believe the man is a con artist.
it is possible he is fake, but he actually has been on camera doing sums too 100 decimal places. yet alone ten lol. he can do those sums.
So I looked up the dates. April 12, 1947 and indeed it was a Saturday and then I searched April 12, 2012 and it was Thursday just like he mentioned. Spot on!
it is easy, when you learn it. i pressed pause and calculated Saturday. Nothing really hard, but effective. never need calendar to look up day.
jaroshus if its so easy then explain the math behind it
zasabiibasaz Hahaha owned. This dude has synaesthesia, something scientists or anyone else really has a full understanding of yet. But he has an extreme form of it. To him, numbers appear in his mind as a shape or a combination of shapes so he is able to trace the shape in his mind in order to find the number he is looking for. Most people with synaesthesia (like me) only really get useless combos like for me, I see letters and numbers as having it's own colour or shade. It's not very useful, lol. Some people have musical types of synaesthesia though which can allow them to create amazing music.
Katie Dubbs in the future we will genetically engineer all babies to have synaestheisa
Katie Dubbs I have synaesthesia :3!! It is not allways as awesome as it sounds. There are alot of things which I can't eat, cloths which I cant wear or people I have hard to socialize with. Either because there is a colour that smells bad, or a name with a colour that smells bad :/
... But music apears to me as pictures in my head (>^ω^
This guy controls his Apergers incredibly well, he comes across as well as anyone I know with no mental disadvantages whatsoever. Seems like a really interesting, nice guy.
This young man should be very proud of himself. Very congenial, and pleasant.
Dave handled this gentleman great. He could have made him uncomfortable easily by forcing answers and needless banter but dave guided him through like the boss he is. This had to be very hard for this man to confront his uncomfortably in puplic let alone on national t.v
Dave set the high water mark for all TV hosts.
Letterman is all class... sorely missed.
@@Wotevs Oh man, Letterman could be such a total dick at times too. I think some of it was his awkwardness with beautiful women so he'd say the wrong thing trying to be clever. Sophia Loren scared him to death. You could see it the whole time she was there.
He was unusually kind with this guest. He wasn't just after having on a guy who could do trick after trick with numbers, which is why some commenters here are disappointed. Having a form of synesthesia myself, it's interesting that was brought up as a memory aid.
I agree. Save could have really bullied this kind of a guest but I think he realizes it would be inherently wrong.
@@yeltsin6817 yeah I agree, Dave must be an incredibly good person to resist the urge to bully his guest!
i know all the numbers that are in pi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0. :D
+1SuperRobloxman1 haahaahahaa
ha ha
+1SuperRobloxman1 You missed 3.1
God ur dumb Andrew
+Hermit574 stop trying to sound smart
I love unique people! He's truly experiencing a slice of reality that's out of our realm. Glad that he's high-functioning (socially) to have a good life. 💃
I can recite PI quickly to 50 places and people are highly impressed by that when I do it. It just blows their minds and they think I'm some sort of super genius. This guy being able to do it to over 22,500 places makes my ability so insignificant it's invisible.
spiegel , your ability is fantastic too.
I can recite it to 3 places, so ya got me beat there, bud.
I've been doing 35 places all my life. It surprises people, or at least it used to long ago when I'd tell people about it occasionally.
Id bet most people don’t even know 3 digits
It gets easier the further you get into it
Dude is SO much less awkward than Zuckerberg
Who isn't?
Because the Zucc is a lizard
Because he's not a jew
This dude is more human than Data- I mean, Succ-emberg.
There should be no comparison with this gentleman and Mr. Zuckerberg who lives in an entirely different world.
I came here after reading his autobiography "Born on a Blue Day" which my mom just handed over to me out of nowhere. It was such an amazing read, and it was nice knowing about this man. What an inspiration he is
This guy is not just a genius with numbers but also words. He can learn a language in 7 days. He was tested on this, asked to learn Icelandic, one of the most difficult languages and after 7 days, he was to go on live Icelandic TV and speak the language. He passed with flying colours.
Extraordinary chap.
thats right I remember that nice catch!
Yes, it's fascinating. It's pretty clear that whatever happened to his brain drastically increased his capacity for short- *and* long-term memory, both of which play a huge role in language learning (well, all learning, really).
Actually English is one of the hardest languages
beatleystoned I learned Icelandic in 3 days and passed with flying colors!
@@armybeef68 Let me guess, English is your native language? I would be very surprised if you had to learn English and deem it to be one of the hardest languages. Because it is not. It has a very large lexicon but its structure is relatively simple.
Obviously, it depends on one's own mother tongue how easy English is to learn but there are a lot more complex languages out there.
Dave was the best. No one can take his place. Absolute legend.
His voice is so calm and soothing
There is a book written about him. My sister who lived in Switzerland gave it to me years ago. "Born on a Blue Day." Truly an amazing story.
This guy needs a podcast.. or a narrated meditation/sleep app.
His voice is very similar to Andy Puddicombe's (Headspace founder)
I think he’s absolutely lovely. The video is several years old I hope he’s out and about and having fun in life.😊❤
Wow, very high functioning and well spoken. He interviews just as well as career actors
Ninth Cinema Down makes you wonder if aspbergers is bullshit and a cover up for people who werent exposed to social situations.
Well about ten minutes of Googling will provide you with the answer to that.
People with Asperger's can learn social skills. It needs to be trained deliberately though. Normal people pick it coincidentally.
Actors don't have any talent. They're just related to someone who has done it before
Ninth Cinema Down u
Great interview. Of course we know how amazing Letterman was at his job, but also Tammet was very well spoken, interesting and injected just the right amount of humor into his answers.
I had Kim Peek, 'the Rainman', come onto my aircraft once and we greeted him, he smiled, shook my hand and then asked my birthday. I told him and he started telling me what day I was born on, and then told me what day my next birthday would be on as well. An amazing thought process from truly interesting young men.
Damn. You are a very lucky guy. I always dreamed to meet him.
Reat in peace, Rain Man.
This guy is so brilliant that even when they do the "pi script'" his face is disconcerting.
We need more people like Danny.
What an awesome guy! I'm sure it's very difficult for him to socially interact (a few ppl with Asperger's in my family) and you can tell he's practiced and gotten very good at it. Obviously very talented, wish him the best!
I had multiple seizures and the only thing i got out of it was a half a tongue
I wanna see that '_'
@@mathaismaraj9253
By the time the ems came my half of tongue was dead and they were able to replace it with a cow tongue... Now that I am a GOD to the ladies
Nickname me Cowcunt
Lmao dude
Dark humour
Anthony DeMarco 17 why, did the seizure cause you to bite down on it?
And I have trouble remembering what today's day is...
GamingInSlowMotion I forgot how old I was a few months ago, so that's a thing... :( :P
+The Anti-Theist
That's happened to me before too. And the age of some of my close family (that I live with).
Suffice to say, I save money on birthday gifts.
I can't even smell properly.
I can't remember the Day se are!
I have trouble remembering the year
This is the only time I have seen Dave 100 percent respectful. Was a great and interesting video
I close my eyes and I can see Nigel Tufnel explaining how 11 is 1 louder than 10
This comment made me pee a little...well played good sir
this one goes to........!!!!!!
" i find D-minor the saddest of all keys", this one here is called Lick my love pump"!
I tried it, but I just kept getting Letterman as a cheesy version of David St. Hubbins.
Excellent comment...
This is good inspiration for me to learn the multiplication table of 1 by the end of this century.
You must be an American.
Stone W - Why? Because he has a sense of humor?
Because he thinks he has one.
What is 1 times zero?
Sure, the USA consists of pacifist angels that only care about the welfare of the rest of the world.
If there's no money to be made being a genius this dude could rake in hella UA-cam bucks doing ASMR
It is generally surprising how little money many geniuses make, the difference in intelligence between academics & the richest businessmen is generally staggering let alone geniuses(who many fit in either or both categories).
It was a pure pleasure to hear someone speak so eloquently and pronounce their words correctly unlike another unmentioned person of late.
Daniel Tammet: "I recited Pi to 22,000 decimal places".
David Letterman: "I like bananas"
:))
It seems like David Letterman is turning to Homer Simpson.
He was always a boring, middle of the road, person
That's the joke.
MarksmanTV Dave is the perfect wing man!
I can recite 22,000 numbers too. In numerical order.
I can do that backwards, too.
I bet you'd make a mistake
Mr Beast did a million
But not in five hours.
okay,start now. let us know when you're done. we trust you.
I love how Dave luckily but confidently guessed Wednesday.
The staff could've had the info ready beforehand.
I love how I always read a comment and then the part the comment is talking about happens immediately.
And this is why Mr Latterman is simply the best He listens and puts folk in a restful place how good is that and what a talent !!!!!!!!!!!
I love Latterman for the same reason.
6:20 David: "guess my birthday".
Daniel: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that".
hahahaha
Finally someone got it hahaha
Uluvu Inception :)
Lol. It was in my mind that he sounded like someone but I didn’t make the connection till you mentioned it. Thanks!
Solaris Daniel never says “I’m sorry I can’t do that”
This is beautiful. One of Letterman's best.
Amazing that he's come this far without any legs too.
LOL!
It's a standard feature of savants that they're half chameleon.
@Eric ... make an effort.
Eric Yamalen look at the color of his pants and the color of the chair.
Mark Welch fucking classic
We need more people like him in the world today. How blessed.
It's pretty neat that he wore the perfect camouflage pants for that chair.
His voice is so soothing
ASMR
Hi, Neighbor!
It sure is, love him.
Watch Davie Mcphail UA-cam videos
Sounds a little bit like Da Ali G!
Yeah he'd be a good narrator
My intelligence grew by 1 after watching this. Thank you you’re so kind
Very interesting and humble bloke. When my son was ages 6-10 he had the same ability to figure out day of the week for birthdays.
whoa youtube recommendations are like time capsules now
I can’t figure why dafuq it recommended this video to me? But it really wanted me to watch it...
Yeah what gives I'm getting rinsed with MLB videos and I'm from England
They don't want current news to get out....it protects the narrative.
Very polite , well mannered, and an engaging personality
‘The boy with the amazing brain’. Absolutely mind blowing documentary
"You're very handsome man, I have to say..." Awwwww, I thought that was really really sweet of him
This man has great social skills and seems like a pleasure to talk to.
I would've liked to hear his book in his own voice. It's so smooth and calming to my sense. Lovely emotion
Fantastic interview. Letterman outdid himself on this one.
How I miss the old late night talk show hosts. The ones today are garbage.
Letterman was garbage too. Just hid it better.
@@jovetj well hes definitely got really bad lately.
conan is good
@@jovetj No he had charm, something that James Corden simply doesn't have . . he's just gimmicky and crass.
Ones today are garbage because they are propaganda - actors paid to push an agenda, whatever flavor of the week that might be.
the only genius that is not awkward and has a sense of humor
ONE FVCK1NG MINUTE John Lennon?
I love their interaction.... A lot of people say they aren't social but I think in reality, it is that they aren't willing to bullshit. If you weren't talking crap, how much do you think you'd actually say?
We can talk all day because we fill our days with meaningless stuff. Some people need a real reason to talk to you or speak... I think he was very kind and polite and so was the host.
22500 numbers of pi remembered... FUCK
***** It isn't even close to the world record which is the amazing thing. The world record is something like 65k decimal places.
AppleAssassin Took him 2 weeks to do 1/3 of the world record though :)
Yeah i dont even remember last pi i ate
AppleAssassin It only took him two weeks, I feel the world record spent years or had photographic memory or something. Haha.
Don't forget this guy doesn't spend all of his time remembering Pi, he also speaks like 10 languages. (He learnt one of the hardest languages in 7 days if I can recall).
+The Anti-Theist Yes, Icelandic
Very well done and Daniel was so respectful of David.
Excellent interview with a very intelligent guest. As with others, would be great to see more of this.
I have a rare condition that allows me to sleep 25hs a day
yes, and that condition is called dream within dream, in which you are dreaming that you are dreaming so there is your overlapping sleeping hours...in fact, my own condition allows me to sleep about 30 hours a day, because of my multiple levels of recursive dream within a dream - good one you have there, though
Me too brah
Same here. It's called "impossibly laziness"
My rare condition allows me to go through jars of vaseline and adult videos whenever I'm home alone
You are a true savant my man. Congratulation for your gift!
In the tv show he learned a language (I think Icelandic) in 2 weeks and then went on an Icelandic tv show and was interviewed in the language. Very impressive
It was Icelandic. However it is part of a genre of Old Norse languages and if he had learned any before he wouldn't have been starting from scratch.
David Letterman is an absolute LEGEND in the nighttime talk show host. His sly humor is so effortless. You can't help but LAUGH.
Did you know that a pizza of radius "z" and thickness "a" has a volume =
Pi.z.z.a
lmfao
not bad
Great, man! Beautiful example of being good BOTH with non verbal and verbal inteligence.
And area of such pizza is Pi(number 3,14..)z•z Pizza as a word in english, or rather a pronaunciation of it, is a good example of anti conseqvent character of pronaunciation/spelling in that language: sound ay is spelled i ( letter i is called/pronaunced as "ay") and letter e is called/pronaunced "ee"), yet there is ski (ski as a sport) or pizza...And genuine pronanciation of that number (3,14...) is actually " pee", not "pay".
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this!!! great one!!!
This guy is genuinely amazing. Watch the documentary on him
I come back and watch this video once a year or so and laugh every time still. This is a brilliant performance by Letterman playing the dumb guy and letting Daniel take the spotlight
I was recommended this video only today for the first time, I can see why you keep coming back...
It really is. They both seem to really enjoy the interview.