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About noticing details and observing people. Previous  1, 2, 3  Next  
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Kinme
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rebbieh wrote:
Kinme wrote:
I don't know HOW that couldn't matter to other people (what you noticed)... It would matter to me. I notice the direction trees sway in the wind, patterns on the ground- things like that. If I ever told people half the things I look at or watch/find interesting, they'd think I was nutty. It makes life more exciting, does it not?


Yes, it definitely makes life more exciting! I love details. For a while I thought everyone saw just as many details as I do but since people have pointed it out and called me weird for it I don't think that's the case. What else do you usually notice?


Unfortunately they don't a lot of the time. -.-... I've pointed at something really obvious, and a lot of them just go "Oh." And then look away. Hairs on people's faces, unevenly shaped faces, patterns in things- I can't remember any right now-, mostly RANDOM and off-the-wall stuff... In paintings I notice things that look like mistakes, and then I analyze whether or not it's a mistake. I do that with a lot of stuff. Do you not only notice the details, but over-analyze them as well? Whether or not they're correct. why they are there, that kind of thing... <-- That's the MAIN reason why I think I'd be called nutty.
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lundygirl
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like to observe and I notice little details other people tend to miss. I also quickly spot patterns and whether they are repeated - and if so, how often. And I notice if some minor detail is changed, eg on food packaging and things like that.

TV programmes and films are my thing - if there's any inconsistency or inaccuracy, I'll spot it and comment on it. Details that just don't make sense tend to irritate me a lot.

I also have a thing for spotting errors in written documents, newspapers etc - eg missing apostrophes, incorrect use of a word, grammatical errors.
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Kinme
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lundygirl wrote:
I like to observe and I notice little details other people tend to miss. I also quickly spot patterns and whether they are repeated - and if so, how often. And I notice if some minor detail is changed, eg on food packaging and things like that.

TV programmes and films are my thing - if there's any inconsistency or inaccuracy, I'll spot it and comment on it. Details that just don't make sense tend to irritate me a lot.

I also have a thing for spotting errors in written documents, newspapers etc - eg missing apostrophes, incorrect use of a word, grammatical errors.


That's a good one. Food packaging and if ingredients changed in them. Spelling errors! Oh, this kills me! I want to write on the paper and correct it.
That reminds me that I like to look in the background when I'm watching shows, to see if anyone looks like they're doing a poor job acting or just at the scenery in general. Entertaining.
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kinme wrote:
Unfortunately they don't a lot of the time. -.-... I've pointed at something really obvious, and a lot of them just go "Oh." And then look away. Hairs on people's faces, unevenly shaped faces, patterns in things- I can't remember any right now-, mostly RANDOM and off-the-wall stuff... In paintings I notice things that look like mistakes, and then I analyze whether or not it's a mistake. I do that with a lot of stuff. Do you not only notice the details, but over-analyze them as well? Whether or not they're correct. why they are there, that kind of thing... <-- That's the MAIN reason why I think I'd be called nutty.


Yeah, I do over-analyse details sometimes. I'm not exactly sure what I usually think of when I analyse them but I know I just rant on and on about it. Out loud. I tend to verbalize my thoughts. Sometimes when analysing things the things I say aren't really coherent. I say something and then several minutes later I start talking about it again and people are like "what are you on about?". Do you know what I mean?
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Kinme
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rebbieh wrote:
Kinme wrote:
Unfortunately they don't a lot of the time. -.-... I've pointed at something really obvious, and a lot of them just go "Oh." And then look away. Hairs on people's faces, unevenly shaped faces, patterns in things- I can't remember any right now-, mostly RANDOM and off-the-wall stuff... In paintings I notice things that look like mistakes, and then I analyze whether or not it's a mistake. I do that with a lot of stuff. Do you not only notice the details, but over-analyze them as well? Whether or not they're correct. why they are there, that kind of thing... <-- That's the MAIN reason why I think I'd be called nutty.


Yeah, I do over-analyse details sometimes. I'm not exactly sure what I usually think of when I analyse them but I know I just rant on and on about it. Out loud. I tend to verbalize my thoughts. Sometimes when analysing things the things I say aren't really coherent. I say something and then several minutes later I start talking about it again and people are like "what are you on about?". Do you know what I mean?


Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I do these SAME things on a daily basis. That's why I'd rather be tired all the time so I don't stimulate myself to the point of my brain wanting to explode.
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lundygirl wrote:
I also have a thing for spotting errors in written documents, newspapers etc - eg missing apostrophes, incorrect use of a word, grammatical errors.


This!
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kinme wrote:
rebbieh wrote:
Kinme wrote:
Unfortunately they don't a lot of the time. -.-... I've pointed at something really obvious, and a lot of them just go "Oh." And then look away. Hairs on people's faces, unevenly shaped faces, patterns in things- I can't remember any right now-, mostly RANDOM and off-the-wall stuff... In paintings I notice things that look like mistakes, and then I analyze whether or not it's a mistake. I do that with a lot of stuff. Do you not only notice the details, but over-analyze them as well? Whether or not they're correct. why they are there, that kind of thing... <-- That's the MAIN reason why I think I'd be called nutty.


Yeah, I do over-analyse details sometimes. I'm not exactly sure what I usually think of when I analyse them but I know I just rant on and on about it. Out loud. I tend to verbalize my thoughts. Sometimes when analysing things the things I say aren't really coherent. I say something and then several minutes later I start talking about it again and people are like "what are you on about?". Do you know what I mean?


Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I do these SAME things on a daily basis. That's why I'd rather be tired all the time so I don't stimulate myself to the point of my brain wanting to explode.


Yes, I often feel like my brain could explode at any moment because there's always so much going on in there. But I enjoy it. Most of the time. Not when I worry and not when I'm anxious though. Anyway, I enjoy noticing details and thinking about them and I wonder what a life without doing that would look like. Like I said before, I think details make life exciting!
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Lockheart
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lundygirl wrote:
I also have a thing for spotting errors in written documents, newspapers etc - eg missing apostrophes, incorrect use of a word, grammatical errors.


Me too. There have been times when I've literally felt dizzy because of a spelling mistake or misplaced apostrophe.

I never thought of myself as observant in any other way, until I got the diagnosis and began to pay more attention to my quirks and strengths. I've noticed that NTs, in general, don't notice a lot of things that I'll see immediately. On the other hand, I don't recognise faces very well. I think I pay more attention to my surroundings than people.
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whalewatcher
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actually love peoplewatching, in streets and shopping malls. Just as long as I can be in an unobtrusive situation. I also see small details in the environment and come up with connections to the 'bigger picture'.

I see the macro and the micro, I just don't notice the things in the middle.
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

whalewatcher wrote:
I actually love peoplewatching, in streets and shopping malls. Just as long as I can be in an unobtrusive situation. I also see small details in the environment and come up with connections to the 'bigger picture'.

I see the macro and the micro, I just don't notice the things in the middle.


I'm not really good at seeing the bigger picture. Maybe I do that without even realising it but I don't think I do. Might be a stupid question but what does "seeing the bigger picture" mean? Or, I know what it means but have you got any examples of seeing the bigger picture?
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raylit20
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rebbieh wrote:
I'm not really good at seeing the bigger picture. Maybe I do that without even realising it but I don't think I do. Might be a stupid question but what does "seeing the bigger picture" mean? Or, I know what it means but have you got any examples of seeing the bigger picture?

When you first look at a recently completed jigsaw puzzle do you see the individual lines and patterns the pieces make, or do you see the farm house and the animals?
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

raylit20 wrote:
rebbieh wrote:
I'm not really good at seeing the bigger picture. Maybe I do that without even realising it but I don't think I do. Might be a stupid question but what does "seeing the bigger picture" mean? Or, I know what it means but have you got any examples of seeing the bigger picture?

When you first look at a recently completed jigsaw puzzle do you see the individual lines and patterns the pieces make, or do you see the farm house and the animals?


Hmm. I recently completed a jigsaw puzzle of the Wall of China. I remember I first (just for like a couple of seconds) looked at the whole picture and thought "there we go, it's done" but then I started to look at all the lines of the bricks and the lights from the villages around the Wall, and the colour of the mountains etc. Would you say that's looking at the whole picture or at the details?
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Ann2011
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think most people don't notice details because they have an inherent trust that things will continue as they are. I have always lacked this trust. I notice the slightest changes and subtleties. People often think I'm off base, but later they realize I was right.
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Clickie
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a font geek because of my penchant for noticing details. I'm also a great copy editor because of it as well. I've never really understood why counterfeit things are often so sloppily copied...it seems to me like it's a dead giveaway when things are poorly copied.

For example, I once got a DVD set on eBay that I had to report for fraud because it was so clearly a counterfeit. There were lots of quality and font clues, but one of the most egregious was that there were two different (non-standard) fonts on the UPC code. I mean, is that so hard to check? I would imagine that Aspies would make amazing counterfeiters or counterfeit detectors.

On the flip side, I once noticed that my paychecks had a line at the top about anti-counterfeit measures that was completely bonkers: it said "ORIGINAL DOCUMENT HAS ULTRAVIOLETY FIBERS AND AN ARTIFICAL WATERMARK." I had to get the payroll person to verify that this was a real check, because c'mon, you can't even check for typos in the fraud line? That's ridiculous.

This trait is also helpful in my line of work, which may be the most Aspie-favorable line of work possible. I'm a systematic botanist. I get to professionally obsess over details between types of plants and categorize them. It's awesome.
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rebbieh
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ann2011 wrote:
I think most people don't notice details because they have an inherent trust that things will continue as they are. I have always lacked this trust. I notice the slightest changes and subtleties. People often think I'm off base, but later they realize I was right.


I notice changes and differences all the time. Sometimes I feel that something has changed but I can't figure out what it is. I just know something's different. Then it drives me crazy until I realise there's one new graffiti word on the wall, a tree has been cut down or someone's cut their nails or whatever it is that I've noticed. Does that happen to you too?
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