On 06 February 2007 14:42, Robert Cummings wrote:

No, I didn't have to read it. I had to look at it and see its shape, and I may
or may not have grokked it, but I didn't read it. I still have no idea what's
actually *in* the arrays, I just know there are arrays and how they're
structured. My brain, virtually instantaneously, goes, "Oh, brackets, nested
arrays, 2 short arrays nested in an enclosing outer one!". I don't class that as
reading, just visual comprehension.

With the long version, my thought process goes more like "Uh, oh, indentation,
must be some structure here. Can't see any obvious syntactic markers, just a
mush of characters, so better read it. 'array', uh, ok an array, what's in it?
explicit index 1 is, oh, 'array' again, ok, so we've got nested arrays,
presumably this line is a self-contained inner array? let's see, 'pears',
'apples', and, oh yes, a proper matching close parenthesis; next line similar,
explicit index 2, 'juice', 'oranges' and a close parenthesis, yup and a proper
closing parenthesis for the outer array; right, 2 short arrays nested in an
outer enclosing one." See how I've actually had to read and process *every*
*single* *word* *and* *character* on the page? See how much slower it was? Now,
that's what I call reading.

My brain may be weird and unusual in working this way, but it does so I've
become accustomed to it! I know it's off the norm in other areas (I have no
problem keeping a dozen or so PINs in my head and reliably producing the right
one without hesitation, and I generally remember personal ID, bank account and
credit card numbers without even trying) so it wouldn't surprise me to find I'm
way off the curve here too. Just permit me my little foibles, eh?

Cheers!