# Just something I noticed today...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 23, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202 "2001-10-23T23:58:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sei\_taer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sei_taer)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/1 "2001-10-23T23:58:58Z")
I was going over a set of blueprints with some of my coworkers and since there was no room on one side of the table, I went to the other side. I was looking at the prints upside down from this side. I began to quote some things off the plans and all 5 of them looked at me like I was the antichrist and asked me how in the Hell I was reading upside down…none of them could do it!!! I had never thought about it, I guess I just assumed everyone could read upside down, am I in the minority or can everyone here also read upside down as well as they can right side up?
I have no problem either way…as a matter of fact I wanted to write this upside down, but I could’t figure out how to do it (if there is even a way).
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/2 "2001-10-24T00:01:00Z")
I can usually read quite well upside down as well as sideways.
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### Author:  [@Kbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kbean)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/3 "2001-10-24T00:01:31Z")
What’s so hard about reading upside down? Or maybe I have the gift too…
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### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/4 "2001-10-24T00:03:48Z")
I thought everyone could do it.
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/5 "2001-10-24T00:04:27Z")
I can read upside down. And right-side up, too!😉
Sometimes for fun I’ll read along with someone who has the daily paper or whatever. Freaks 'em out:D
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### Author:  [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/6 "2001-10-24T00:07:10Z")
Chalk me up as someone who also thought everyone else could read upside down too. Although sometimes if I do it long enough, the words begin to appear right-side up and reversed, which messes with my head.
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### Author:  [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/7 "2001-10-24T00:11:50Z")
I can read upside down, though not as fast as right side up.
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### Author:  [@lenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lenin)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/8 "2001-10-24T00:12:19Z")
I, too, assumed everyone could read upside down, but not until a few months ago did I fully hone my skills. My flatmate and I have to share one copy of the New York Times between us, since neither of us feels like ordering another subscription. Rather than split it up so that one person gets the front “good” section and the other gets the random news from third-world countries, he now spreads it flat on the table and reads it right-side-up while I sit on the other side and read it upside down.
Win-win. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/9 "2001-10-24T00:22:03Z")
I can read and write upside down and backwards. I think I could always do it, but I honed my skills working in pre-press, where you look at upside-down, bass-ackwards text all the time.
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### Author:  [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/10 "2001-10-24T00:23:26Z")
I read a little slower upside-down. Wait, I mean, I read more slowly when my **reading material** is upside down. I think I have to take a little more time to avoid making transposition errors and misreading u’s as n’s. I bet if I practiced a little I’d have no trouble at all. It’s surprising to me that anyone would be completely unable to read upside down.
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### Author:  [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/11 "2001-10-24T00:23:29Z")
I have a secret shame.
You see, I read from left to right.
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### Author:  [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/12 "2001-10-24T00:25:21Z")
I used to wow my classmates when I would write upside-down. Big deal, I thought.
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### Author:  [@Erika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erika)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/13 "2001-10-24T00:44:05Z")
I can do it. I know many people who can…but also a good number who can’t. I’m not at full speed, but I have no significant problems doing it. It was reasonably recently, though, that I found out it wasn’t a universal skill.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/14 "2001-10-24T01:13:27Z")
Yeah, I can read upside down too. But here is one thing that I found kind of weird. Trying reading a reflected upside down image.
I can do it, but at first glance, you’d swear you were looking at a Cyrillic alphabet. It’s harder than it sounds.
I find myself doing it on the train … I read other people’s papers in the window reflections.
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### Author:  [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/15 "2001-10-24T03:35:21Z")
Am I the only one who’ll admit to not being able to read upside down?
I actually _can_ do it after a fashion, but it’s very slow and I get a headache after a while. I always thought that Mr. Legend and our older Myth had a special gift for it (probably connected to their left-handedness) until I read this thread. They always take pity on me and let me have the right-side-up view when we play Scrabble.
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### Author:  [@TheOtherOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOtherOne)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/16 "2001-10-24T03:54:24Z")
I can read upside down just fine, and I can usually write upside down at about the same speed as I can normally. I’ve had a few people comment on the writing, but the reading part is not big deal, I figured everyone could do it.
[sub]yet another “Me too!” post…sorry![/sub]
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### Author:  [@JuanDeCuba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuanDeCuba)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/17 "2001-10-24T03:55:22Z")
I’m waiting for someone to post about turning their monitor upside down to read this thread.
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### Author:  [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/18 "2001-10-24T04:05:49Z")
I can do it, but not very fast. And if the print’s too small, forget it!
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/19 "2001-10-24T04:09:09Z")
Hang on, let me check.
Yes, I can read upside down.
I’m surprised this is the first time in my life this has come up.
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### Author:  [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-something-i-noticed-today/89202/20 "2001-10-24T05:50:10Z")
[This](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=torah+%22upside+down%22+read+jewish+yemen) moderately interesting google search (which took me about 10 minutes to refine sufficiently 🙂 ) illustrates a (an?) historical religious necessity behind reading upside-down and sideways.
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