You raised your prices? How DARE you! (longish)

[Imogene]

so Rubi can do cotton balls and I can do bus directions...

Edited for preference.
I'm far, far, far better at figuring out movie titles before people know what the hell they're talking about.
"I'm looking for that one movie, with that guy who was in the thing?"
"Clerks 2? With Jason Lee? Who is still in My Name is Earl?"
"Yeah. That one."

[Brightglaive]

Actually Smiley & Juwl, what you guys have is a very keen mind for minute details, possibly an ability to read body language and expression, likely a sharp memory, and predictive logic. Sometimes this can be something that you do totally unconciously and you don't even realize what you are doing. Other times this can totally be a learned behavior and can be stepped through. Anyone can learn to do this. The more you do it the more ingrained it becomes until you start doing it unconciously.

Of course, the best example was Sherlock Holmes. His was a sort of stylized (spelling?) deductive reasoning and logic. He used it to determine origins of people and things. Along with his (I'm guessing) photographic memory, penchant for trivia and details and a knowledge of things outside his ordinary world locale. It helped him come up with solutions to cases that boggled the minds of ordinary law enforcement at the time. It's sort of like forensic pathology applied to life and living situations. Add a touch of emotion, a smidgeon of imagination and that instinctual intuitive leap beyond logic and you have what most people call "reading minds". Of course it helps when one can figure out the subject matter before trying to "read" someone's mind. The responses are then limited and ultimately... predictable.

Trying to "read" someone is also easier if one is familiar with the person in question and their behavior and interests, gripes, favorite subjects etc. I can actually finish multiple sentences of my wife in converstion sometimes. (No, I'm not talking about when we bicker and argue. I'm talking about meaningful conversation unrelated to our relationship.) It is totally like I'm reading her mind when I'm just using deductive reasoning and logic. My wife and I call this "being on the same wavelength". She and her twin used to finish eachother's sentences when they both were talking to another person at the same time.

Still, it is always an impressive feat when you do "read" the other person's mind and give them an answer to an unasked or unformed question still percolating in their mind.

And it's ULTRA COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smileyeagle1021]

likely a sharp memory,

yeah now that you mention the memory thing... I think I gave that guy directions before so that might have been part of why I could kinda read him.