James Horton, Ph.D
1 min readOct 6, 2022

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I can remember most sounds I've heard right down to the texture of the vibrations. Un-CV-able because I can't actually use the skill for anything or communicate to people exactly what it is I'm remembering. Lordy, though - it makes a Pink Floyd album fucking amazing.

Also, the associated kryptonite to my superpower; I cannot visualize things. At best I can conjure to mind some phantom contours.

Interestingly, that last bit never impacted my spatial awareness and ability to navigate via a mental map. Back when Google Maps was just starting to become a thing I glanced briefly at a map of an unfamiliar city at the location of a friend's apartment. Then I lost the map. Two days later I navigated through the city in my car on nothing but intuition and when I finally caved in and called them it turned out I was a half block from their house. It's not quite the same as your HUD display of the local terrain. But it's served me well.

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James Horton, Ph.D
James Horton, Ph.D

Written by James Horton, Ph.D

Social scientist, world traveler, freelancer. Alaskan, twice. Writes about psychology, well-being, science, tech, and climate change. Ghostwriter on the side.

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