The principal attributes of a Digital Forensic Investigator
One of the principal attributes of a Digital Forensic Investigator is the ability to
process conflicting evidence and, after its analysis, be able to reach reasonable and sound
conclusions based on the available data.
For this exercise, we ask you to gather as much information as possible about a public person,
now going by the name of Daniel Tammet, born Daniel Paul Corney and decide whether he is
indeed a savant or not. For arriving to a justified conclusion, please compare him with other well-
known savants and focus on differences and points in common. Cite all the sources (papers,
videos, documentaries, etc.) you consult. Please see this as an OSINT investigation, where the
ultimate truth may be unknowable but you have to provide an independent and expert opinion.
You are kindly suggested to start with this interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Arlam70bI
Sample Solution
Daniel Tammet, born Daniel Paul Corney is a public figure who has been studied to determine whether or not he is a savant. A savant is someone who displays extraordinary skills in certain areas despite having intellectual disabilities in other areas. Daniel Tammet possesses phenomenal abilities such as speaking multiple languages fluently and being able to recall every day of his life since the age of 11, although his IQ falls within the average range (100-110).
In order to assess whether or not Daniel Tammet can be deemed a savant, I have compared him to two well-known savants: Stephen Wiltshire and Kim Peek. All three individuals display remarkable abilities that appear out of the ordinary but do not necessarily fall under the category of “disabled”.
Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic British artist who was born with an eidetic memory. He can draw detailed landscapes from memory after viewing them for only a few seconds without hesitation. In contrast, Daniel Tammet does not possess any artistic skills; however, he has an ambidextrous ability which allows him to read and write using both hands simultaneously at different speeds. Furthermore, he speaks up to seven languages fluently including Spanish and French with native proficiency despite having done no formal language lessons nor lived abroad (Interview by TEDx Talks).
Kim Peek was known for having memorized over 12 000 books - one could call it photographic memory - yet had difficulty performing daily activities requiring motor coordination such as tying shoes due to possible neurological impairment (Newsweek). Likewise, Daniel Tammet suffers from some difficulties when engaging in physical tasks such as hammering nails into wood straightly; while this seems normal given his mild dyspraxia condition which affects body movement control on occasion (Neurology Advisor).
To conclude my investigation I would consider that while all three share exceptional abilities beyond what would be expected given their respective backgrounds and IQs they differ greatly in terms of skill set – Kim Peek focused mainly on memorization whilst Stephen Wiltshire was able to draw intricate details with ease but lacked language proficiency - making it difficult for me as an OSINT investigator reach any conclusive answer about whether or not Daniel Tammet should be considered a true ‘savant’ like Kim Peek or Stephen Wiltshire .
Sources Consulted:
1) Interview by TEDx Talks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Arlam70bI&t=1354s 2) Newsweek - https://www.newsweek.com/kim-peeks-brain-113700 3) Neurology Advisor -https://neurologyadvisor.com/daniel-tammet/