Blue brainiacs by default

In a triangle whose sides are 23,145,789 yards, 5,642,732 yards and 54,965 yards, how many cubicle one-eighths of an inch exist?
Good cocktail question for a lull in your yuletide party. Pass the mistletoe, Mary. I haven't a clue.
But an adult named Jedediah came up with the correct 28-digit answer. It took him five hours to do the figuring. In his head! Equally mind boggling, he couldn't write his name and had only the mental age of 10.
At the end of his synaptic tour de force he asked eagerly, "Would you like the answers backwards or forwards. I can give it either way." (Note: I can't even do fractions. Out of curiosity, how many of you PG readers can?)
Jedediah is a "savant" whose mental acrobatics are the subject of "Extraordinary People: Understanding the Savant Syndrome," by Dr. Darold A. Treffert.
For unexplained reasons, savants – who are included in the Autism Syndrome Spectrum – are usually male. Their skills have questionable practicality: recitation of railroad schedules, perpetual calendars, cross-country city populations, rapid calculation of large numbers. (Decades of football scores?)
Among the best known of savants was Blind Tom, who lived in the 19th century. A slave from birth, he played self-taught piano (sneaking to the instrument at night when everyone was sleeping), and later could remember any composition he heard once, no matter how difficult.
Blind Tom's repertory numbered about 5,000 pieces. He could improvise when playing piano duets against professional musicians. His owner made a fortune by touring him in this country and in Europe. Lacking coping skills, Blind Tom died poor when left to fend for himself following the deaths of his care givers (and exploiters).
How the three-pound universe, as our brain is often referred to, does these mental gymnastics is a mystery. That the brain is a delicate instrument is all too obvious. Drugs, stress, disease can unhinge it from its reality moorings. Two examples come to mind.
A guy by the case name of Henry M had a brain operation for epilepsy in 1953. His hippocampus was removed. The result: he was only able to recall information stored before that date. For the rest of his life if asked who was president would reply, Harry S Truman. (Source: "Brain In Your Pocket," by – appropriately named – Christopher M. Strange.)
A viral encephalitis changed the life of musician and conductor Clive Wearing. After 15 seconds he's unable to form new memories. Each time he sees his wife, he welcomes her with tears, seeing her "for the first time." Oddly enough, he can play musical compositions from beginning to end.
A recent and contrasting example of exceptional brain functioning is that of Daniel Tammet, who was born in London 29 years ago. Savant Daniel can learn and speak a new language fluently in a week. He sees numbers as shapes, colors and textures. He can do astounding math in his head.
His autobiography, "Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir of Asperger's and an Extraordinary Mind" came out to acclaim in 2006. (Foreword by Dr. Treffert.) Daniel writes, "I was born on January 31. A Wednesday. I know it was a Wednesday because the date is blue in my mind, and Wednesdays are always blue, like the number nine or the sound of loud voices arguing."
When asked to multiply 37 to the power of 4, he answered with little hesitation, 1,874,161. He's also gay and living happily with partner, Neil. They met online. It all adds up (and out).