Meh, some study, and others can develop an interest in something that makes . . . well more, increases their intelligence. But Py. . .she was just brilliant, nothing more to it, than that.
Speaking to typing speed, I hit about 85 - 100 words per minute, so I'm way outside normal, but once you get in the habit of typing things out -- which is what I learned when I learned to type in grade school, rather than learning to type abbreviations to text later in life -- it's pretty damn fast.