"Rain Man" dies. Inspiration for character in the movie.

[techs]

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/father-utah-man-who-inspired-rain-man-dies-ap

Father: Utah man who inspired 'Rain Man' dies (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY - The man who inspired the title character in the Oscar-winning movie "Rain Man" has died.

Kim Peek was 58. His father, Fran, says Peek had a major heart attack Saturday morning and was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.

Peek was a savant with a remarkable memory and inspired writer Barry Morrow when he wrote "Rain Man," the 1988 movie that won four Academy Awards.

In his later years, Peek was classified as a "mega-savant" who was a genius in about 15 different subjects, from history and literature and geography to numbers, sports, music and dates. But his motor skills were limited; he couldn't perform some simple tasks like dressing himself.


I've always wondered if savants are geniuses because they use parts of their brain for their talents at the expense of other parts.

 

[dahunan]

I would have offered 50 US politicians lives so he could have lived

 

[guyver01]

I would have offered 50 US politicians lives so he could have lived

I would have offered 500 ATOT poster lives so he could have dressed himself.

 

[RedArmy]

Every time I hear about a savant I wonder if we'll ever be able to unlock the secrets to why their brains work the way they do. I think it would be a great achievement if we were able to use our brains to the extent that this man could without the inherent side effects. Obviously we have the capacity for such things buried inside us...I just wonder if we'll ever find out where such feats stem from.

 

[techs]

Every time I hear about a savant I wonder if we'll ever be able to unlock the secrets to why their brains work the way they do. I think it would be a great achievement if we were able to use our brains to the extent that this man could without the inherent side effects. Obviously we have the capacity for such things buried inside us...I just wonder if we'll ever find out where such feats stem from.

Yes, you understood the point I was trying to make. Exactly.

 

[RedArmy]

Yes, you understood the point I was trying to make. Exactly.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm. I'm leaning toward 'yes' though.

That was just the first thing I thought of when I read the post, that's all.

 

[techs]

I can't tell if this is sarcasm. I'm leaning toward 'yes' though.

That was just the first thing I thought of when I read the post, that's all.

No, not sarcasm. I didn't think I expressed my thoughts very well, but your post did a much better job.
Thanks.

 

[SunSamurai]

Most knowledgeable man to ever have walked the earth.

 

[sohcrates]

I saw a whole show about him. They showed all the lectures he did, never for profit though. His father basically took care of him his whole life unfortunately. Fascinating guy.

 

[Bignate603]

I saw a whole show about him. They showed all the lectures he did, never for profit though. His father basically took care of him his whole life unfortunately. Fascinating guy.

His father must be a good man.

 

[techs]

I saw a whole show about him. They showed all the lectures he did, never for profit though. His father basically took care of him his whole life unfortunately. Fascinating guy.

His father must be a good man.

Or he went to Las Vegas often.

 

[Syringer]

Here's an amazing documentary on him, very heartwarming:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2T45r5G3kA

There's a great line in there about parents who have children with disabilities, where the dad talks about how he really doesn't want to die before Kim does, since Kim is completely dependent on him, Kim can't shave, brush his teeth or even get dressed properly--but it's even more heartbreaking to see his child die before he does, which has now happened.

 

[zerocool84]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

 

[BUTCH1]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

It's a valid point, maybe "completely amazing" might be a better description, I wonder if any of those who observed/studied him ever got a clue as to what gave him such fantastic memorization skills. RIP Kim, your determination against a condition that would have caused most man to give up was an inspiration to everyone..

 

[RedArmy]

From watching that documentary that Syringer linked, it seems he had a condition known as agenesis of the corpus callosum. What that means, as described by the video, is that he lacked the main connection between the right and left sides of his brain. Therefore, where the normal connections in our brain would connect with that area, Peek's branched out to different areas of his brain due to the lack of that main connection point. Apparently that's what some researchers believed was the reason for his incredible skills.

 

[SunSamurai]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

gen·ius (j

n

y

s)n. pl. gen·ius·es
1.
a. Extraordinary intellectual and creative power.
b. A person of extraordinary intellect and talent: "One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius" (Simone de Beauvoir).
c. A person who has an exceptionally high intelligence quotient, typically above 140.

2.
a. A strong natural talent, aptitude, or inclination: has a genius for choosing the right words.
b. One who has such a talent or inclination: a genius at diplomacy.



Here is what I learned:

• You're an idiot.
• He was a genius.

 

[KLin]

I wonder if his father will donate his brain to science so it can be examined?

 

[TehMac]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

genius tends to mean "exceptional." Genius comes from the Roman word genius (bet you could have figured that out) that refers to the "supernatural" side of an individual. Or their soul.

In that sense, genius has come about because it refers to the supernatural or uncanny abilities of humans. I'd definitely say this guy has supernatural abilities, but they're hampered by his inability to properly care for himself.

 

[Syringer]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

You're missing a word or three in there Einstein.

 

[FallenHero]

Here's an amazing documentary on him, very heartwarming:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2T45r5G3kA

There's a great line in there about parents who have children with disabilities, where the dad talks about how he really doesn't want to die before Kim does, since Kim is completely dependent on him, Kim can't shave, brush his teeth or even get dressed properly--but it's even more heartbreaking to see his child die before he does, which has now happened.

As sad as it is for the family, his dad can live on perhaps content and proud knowing that his son was paid tribute to by a hollywood movie, brought a massive amount of awareness about his disability into people's lives, and probably changed or made some impact in countless others. I would think that as a father, that is really something to be proud of.

 

[angminas]

I know I'm ganna get flamed here but just because someone has awesome memorization skills makes them a genius??? A genius to me is someone who creates something new and remarkable. New technology or reinvents something drastic. He had greater memorization skills than almost anyone in the world but that's not a genius to me.

You're right in that he wasn't a genius, but your attitude makes me sick.

Kim Peek was a sweetheart, and he's DEAD. Can you seriously not man up just this once and take a pass on making sure everyone knows that you know that he wasn't the smartest person who ever lived?

I can't believe you actually clicked submit on that. I CANNOT BELIEVE you actually clicked submit on that.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I'm awed by the care his father provided, he had to be horribly afraid that if he died, his son would have gone to a nursing home or an institution.

His father represents some of the absolute best of humanity.

 

[SunSamurai]

You're right in that he wasn't a genius, but your attitude makes me sick.

Kim Peek was a sweetheart, and he's DEAD. Can you seriously not man up just this once and take a pass on making sure everyone knows that you know that he wasn't the smartest person who ever lived?

I can't believe you actually clicked submit on that. I CANNOT BELIEVE you actually clicked submit on that.

No, he isn't even right as outlined by yours truly. And I agree with the rest.

 

[MrMatt]

From watching that documentary that Syringer linked, it seems he had a condition known as agenesis of the corpus callosum. What that means, as described by the video, is that he lacked the main connection between the right and left sides of his brain. Therefore, where the normal connections in our brain would connect with that area, Peek's branched out to different areas of his brain due to the lack of that main connection point. Apparently that's what some researchers believed was the reason for his incredible skills.

I'm surprised the anterior commisure didn't compensate for the lack of CC. You see that happen in seizure patients who have their Corpus severed in an attempt to reduce particularly virulent epilepsy. It leads to a fascinating phenomenon where a person may be getting dressed with their left hand, while their right hand is following up and unbuttoning the shirt they just put on, or whatever. There's a whole litany of interesting things that happen in people without the Corpus Callosum.

 

[Geocentricity]

I would consider this man as extraordinary, but not a genius.

Based on SunSamurai's dictionary post, the talent/ability has to be NATURAL. You can argue all you want about the disorder being natural, but the fact that he does not possess the simplest of living functions (dressing himself?) is not natural. There are cases of people with tumors in their brain that can demonstrate inhuman feats of memory and.... you put two and two together.

IMO, and I bet most will agree with me on this one, a genius is one who demonstrates amazing talents/abilities NATURALLY and can apply them towards even greater achievements. The mathematicians of old, Mozart, Einstein, THESE people are geniuses.