THE COLORS, DUKE!

[bloodyrosemccoy]

In regard to the last post on Martian colors, check this out: pixel39 and biomekanic say that some humans are tetrachromats already! Yes, some people can see more shades of color than the rest of us!

I'm not sure if I qualify—I see a spectacular range of color, and I don't have much to go on. But I've got a couple reasons to suspect I'm not a superpowered color-distinguisher:

Reason #1: My synesthetic senses do perceive colors with such subtle differences that they are difficult to duplicate in reality. I mentioned trying to think up new colors, yes, but I didn't count these because they don't seem like new colors—just odd combinations of normal colors. And I have never actually seen these combinations outside my head—rather like the colorblind* synesthete whose synesthesia perceived "Martian colors" he'd never actually seen. Suggests to me that I never see these colors because I lack the equipment.

Reason #2: Look what I can do I unrepentantly love Lisa Frank. And I'm pretty sure the cover of the notebook I bought yesterday would kill a tetrachromat dead.


*Not sure which kind of colorblind.

Comments

[ravenofdreams.livejournal.com]

Test is here: http://www.blogadilla.com/2008/06/08/are-you-a-tetrachromat/

[nobleplatypus]

... Well, so much for that.

But I DO have perfect color vision.

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

Read the comments. Known tetrachromes can not see the variations in that test, probably related to display equipment.

[nobleplatypus]

Iiiinteresting. I do have a 2008 Mac like that one poster mentioned.

To be honest, I find the whole idea kind of baffling, if only because in the original linked article, nothing the tetrachrome interviewees had to say sounded all that remarkable to me. Looking at two near-identical shades of grey and saying, "Well, this one has more yellow in it while this one is more reddish-blue," is something that can be done by non-tetrachromes--my dad can do it, because he has excellent color vision and training in the color correction field.

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

Excellent point.

Can I exact color match (*) two different fabrics (a heavy weave slub linen and a light brushed silk satin) across 10 years because I may be a tetrachrome, or because I've been in theater and costume my whole life and probably had more color awareness before the age of 6 than most of the people I know?

* - Long term exact color memory is one of the anecdotal observed traits of tetrachromes.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I kind of agree--sounds like tetrachromacy it just makes color distinction much more fine-tuned.

Also, I wonder how the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds up with this theory--I'd be interested to talk to tetrachromats with different color language.

I admit I was kind of hoping it was an ability to see in ultraviolet or infrared, too. Oh, well.