Re: CHAT: Boston miniconlangcon photos

H. S. Teoh scripsit:

> Perhaps :-) I've been known to mis-identify people on the street before
> (leading me to be overly hesitant and not greeting people I do know).
You may have the same brain-wiring problem that I have: if I meet someone
that I see every day in the wrong context, the chances are excellent
that I won't recognize them, and I have the most amazing problems with
pictures of the dead and famous: this day, Gale showed me a picture of
Marlon Brando from _Streetcar Named Desire_, and I guessed that he was
James Dean.  Now even I can tell these people *apart* when I see them
pictured side-by-side, but I was picking up on the generally Dean-ish
traits of Brando in this particular movie.  Similarly, I can identify
Einstein by his hair and Castro by his beard-with-cigar.

I once had to write an abject letter of apology when I received one from
my neighbor, who wondered if I was systematically cutting him dead!
I explained my problems, plus the fact that I'm good at recognizing
voices, and now he makes a point of greeting me first.

--
John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  www.ccil.org/~cowan  www.reutershealth.com
"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I am surrounded by dwarves."
        --Murray Gell-Mann

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