I Think we have a terminology issue here. When I think of I am thinking of the (simple?) step of just obtaining the raw information 'gathering' versus a broader 'gathering with interpretation'. There is also an issue 'information' of being in its simpler form just the raw info vesrus the meta data that the 'intelligence' uses to interpret any data (and then my point of what conclusion it gets from that and what it does with it afterwards. The contigencies and how they are 'carried out' by the intelligence is yet another kind of data (this is also a broad AI consideration that 'code' also can be/is 'data'.

I might also add that the 'processor' itself is involved in the 'intelligence' -- encoding into data (?) the process which does all of the above (and maintains itself I suppose too) either as hardware or hardware+software.

An even further 'data' element for a truely 'intelligent' entity is the 'data' of what/who is qualified/authoritive to supply/be accepted for use of the different aspects mentioned above.

So, 'gather information' is a rather loaded term depending on how it is used or what the audience is. If we swing into philisophical approach then might the term 'gathering wisdom' then also apply in that 'basically' definition of what intelligence is (Ive told people before many times that that intelligence and wisdom are two different things, but we are also loosely employing the term "intelligence" here in place of 'think')

Ah but the Blind man can hear correct? Then wouldn't he have heightened hearing, thus making it possible to hear the differences in the environment and depict the tree in detail. Let alone the ability to touch the tree feel it and describe it in a way that someone with sight would never imagine. Hawking A clear example of someone who is cripple and Mute let alone brilliant has found a way to share mass amounts of information. We live in a day and age where a "handicap" is not means for a limit of what one can do. Personally, I feel that the person with all of their senses would be the one with the true handicap. They have a under appreciation for everything in life and will never experience what the other two could even begin to thus making him Less "brilliant:

Depends on application. Contemplating the entirety of the universe versus evading that hungry tiger (these days it might be evading a moron in an SUV).