Explanation tips

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If I'm very lucky, I'm talking to someone with enough experience of Us Lot to figure out how communication has broken down. Otherwise, it's up to me to steer the conversation back on track. That's so hard I usually just give up, frankly.

Perhaps one of the reasons that I’ve received no help is that I meticulously prepare my request, as well as my description of the problem I am facing, by translating it into a format that the listener can under-stand. In doing so, I am consciously and conscientiously, masking my thought processes. It might be helpful to think of this as ‘co-dependent communication’ as I am taking responsibility for the listener’s understanding. In doing so, I am presenting to the listener as neurotypical which is an immediate barrier to receiving help.

8. I know, I know. Pi was the number everyone was talking about - including the number people would talk about memorizing. It was too long ago to remember for sure, but I'm guessing that my taking up 'e' was less about 'e' and more about rejecting 'pi' - and by extension, rejecting 'them'.

One of the advantages of being a social pariah with no friends is that you have lots of time to commit things to memory.

That said, and speaking of Rain Man (who I am most definitely not), I did get blacklisted from the blackjack tables in Vegas back when they still did that. They stopped that about thirty-five years ago, and now they just "flat-bet" you, which means that you can continue to play and you can bet any amount you want, but you can't vary the size of your bet. Anyway, I find it fascinating that I can count cards with the best of them - but I can deal the game ...adequately only. And the reason that I am only, at best, adequate is that...example time:

You have a 7 and a 6 for thirteen.
I say, "Player has 13."
You say, "Hit."
I turn over a five.

My brain doesn't go, "13 + 5 = 18"
My brain goes, "Okay, I have a 5 and a 6 and a 7. How do I want to arrange these? Oh look, the 5 is one less than the 6 and the seven is one more than the 6, so the average is 6 and 6 x 3 is 18"

Or you have a 7 and a 6 for thirteen and I turn over a 3. Once again, I don't say 13 + 3 = 16. Rather, I look for ways that all three numbers interact - in this case, after looking for unrelated patterns. Examples might be: They are all red or black, they form a 'run' like the 5,6,7 from the last example, they are multiples of two or three or four, all the cards are from the major suits (spades and hearts) - or the minor suits (clubs and diamonds), etc. Which slows me down to 'adequate' speed only.

The problem with normies is that they don't interpret questions literally. They tend to make assumptions about why people ask questions, and then they address this assumed reason instead of addressing the actual question.

WOW. You could be killer ...if you just stayed focused on the main card count. Like those MIT guys and gals in the book "21"- math geeks who broke Vegas at the blackjack tables for a long profitable run...until Vegas broke them. They made a straight to video movie, starring John Cusack, entitled 21 based on the story.