CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Codes
ACW all children welcome; BYOB bring your own beverage; CO clothing optional; C/D cat/dog at residence; FE fictitious event; FFE fragrance-free event; FFO finger food only; LCR light carpet rules (no red wine or other staining substances; can also mean no shoes); MO members only; NC no children; NPC, PC no public calendar, public calendar; NMPCW new members, prospects, and candidates welcome; NS, S, S/NS, SO no smoking, smoking, provisions for both, smoking outside; NXM not exclusively Mensa event; RSE regularly scheduled event; WBC well behaved children; WCD, WCE, WCI, WCP wheelchairs difficult, easy, impossible, possible; RSEs are reprinted verbatim unless an update is received by the deadline for the issue in which a change is requested.
Note: Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Web Calendar Policy
Our policy is not to list events on the Web calendar unless requested to do so by inclusion of the “PC” (“public calendar”) code. If the PC code is not included, your event will default to NPC (no public calendar) and will not be included in the Web calendar. Home addresses (and directions to same) are not listed on the Web, but city and contact information such as telephone and e-mail are unless requested otherwise.
Meetup
SFRM maintains a MeetUp group for events announced on short notice. See meetup.com/SFMensa
To List Your Event
Length limit: 120 words. Submit items to the Calendar Editor at . Items must be received by the deadline listed in the calendar to guarantee inclusion. Items must include host’s name, date and time, location, and applicable codes (above), and should also include phone (including area code) or e-mail address. Notices are published on a space-available basis subject to the discretion of the Calendar Editor. The policy for inclusion in the calendar is based on the SFRM bylaws.
Note to Readers
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, most April events have been cancelled, and are so noted below. The remaining events are virtual or employ effective social distancing. Please continue to check here for updates as well as join our Meetup group where we have several impromptu virtual events happening.
WEEKLY EVENT
None at this time.
End of March
March 28 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Why do people fear losing things that they do not even have yet? See April 4. (RSE Su)
7p Channing Club. See April 25. (RSE 4 Su)
31 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 13, by Jeff Hardy, Energy. See April 7. (RSE W)
Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for March. PC (RSE last W)
April 1-7
April 1 – Thursday
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The size instinct. We’re reading Factfulness – Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. Instead of discussing the whole book in one sitting, we discuss the subject matter in more depth one chapter at a time. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)
2 – Friday
Movies That Matter is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 1,3 F)
3 – Saturday
Start the Month Right is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 1 Sa)
4 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Legacy. We leave one no matter what. Let’s explore the idea of legacy and see where it leads us: human relationships and community, personal growth, and human spirit. The idea of legacy seems closely connected to death, but it’s really about living. In case you were wondering, the cafe discussions have so far been lively, interesting, and you always come away with something to think about in the week to come. Drop in and stay for as long as you like. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Su)
4p Albany Hill Hike. (NOTE: This event is on, since the trail is still open as of this posting and is amenable to social distancing. Contact Roberta as below just before the event to make sure that that is still the case.) Join us for a one-hour scenic and historic hike up and around Albany Hill. The trail is steep in spots, but the views are expansive. Special bonus: We have scheduled the Sather Tower Solar Beacon to shine directly upon us as we arrive at the top of the hill. Meet under Pacific East Mall Jumbotron just behind the bus stop on the east side of Pierce St. between Central Ave. in El Cerrito and Washington Ave. in Albany. Free parking is available in the mall lot, which is seven tenths of a mile from the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Please contact Roberta Maguire to make sure she is in town at robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com or (510) 292-6370. PC, ACW, NMPCW, NS, WCI, NXM (RSE 1 Su)
5 – Monday
7:30p Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting. In 2021, MCM will hold a monthly Zoom meeting on the first Monday of the month. This will be a standing event, and we send out the link to our members the night before. We will plan presentations, speakers, and games nights via this online platform, so watch your e-mail for regular updates. If you wish to participate send e-mail to MCM LocSec Heidi Van der Veer at LocSec/a/t/monterey.us.mensa.org. PC (RSE 1 M)
6 – Tuesday
Tuesday Tipplers (as an in-person event) is cancelled for April, but watch the sources mentioned above in Note to Readers for Zoom Tipplers. PC (RSE 1 Tu)
Intelligencer Deadline. Deadline for calendar events, advertising, members’ free ads, and all other content. See above for information on submitting events. PC (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)
7 – Wednesday
Math Lovers’ Lunch is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 1 W)
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading chapter 14, by John Miles, Transportation. We’re reading What the Future Looks Like: Scientists Predict the Next Great Discoveries – and Reveal How Today’s Breakthroughs Are Already Shaping Our World by Jim Al-Khalili (Editor). Instead of discussing the whole book in one sitting, we discuss the subject matter in more depth one chapter at a time. The chapters are so different that it is no problem if you are only joining this week. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE W)
April 8-14
8 – Thursday
South Bay Lunch is cancelled for April. (RSE 2,4 Th)
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The generalization instinct. See April 1. (RSE Th)
6:17p Bay Area Restaurant Group (BARG). A new version of BARG-It-Yourself: Please support one of your local restaurants by ordering take-out or delivery to enjoy in your own home. Tip generously! And for great conversation, consider phoning one of your Mensa friends. PC (RSE 2 Th)
9 – Friday
6:30p M Weisley’s Café. Ever wanted to hang out with all the space pilots at Mos Eisley’s Café (Star Wars 1977)? Unfortunately Tatooine is rather a long commute just for a Happy Hour so we wisely located M Weisley’s in hyperspace where it can easily be accessed instantly by Zoom. No matter where in the universe you are located, you will not experience any light speed delays in your communications. So now you can experience all the ambience of our seedy cantina crowded with numerous alien races in our virtual meet up. All aliens and humans are welcome at M Weisley’s. Mix up your favorite beverage, gather up some munchies and join in our out of this world Happy Hour. To attend as an alien visit Snap Camera snapcamera.snapchat.com and download their software. Choose from hundreds of available avatars which will move and act with your movements in video conference. If you’re creative, you can use their software to create your own avatar. Or of course you could do it the old-fashioned way and actually put on a costume. To join the Zoom meeting see Meetup. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 2 F)
GenX Food and Movie Night is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 2 F)
10 – Saturday
4p Big Ideas Reading Group: Lifespan: Why We Age – and Why We Don’t Have To by David A. Sinclair, Ph.D. (NOTE: We are meeting online via Zoom. E-mail host Chris Boyd as below if you might want to be included in the online meeting or to be updated on any changes in venue.) As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” This eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the frontlines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs – many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard – that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging. For May 8 on Zoom: Fundamentals: Ten keys to Reality by Frank Wilczek. April is the start of our 13th year. We have just finished elections and have books planned through year 13. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and directions please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)
11 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Authentic. What does it mean to be authentic? If you are a liar and you lie, are you then being authentic? Who gets to judge? See April 4. (RSE Su)
2p Speaker Meeting: “Bringing Out the Best in Your Gifted Child” with Marté J. Matthews. Matthews is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a special interest in gifted and talented and twice-exceptional youth, and personal experience with them, too! She is a former parent representative for the local region to the California Association for the Gifted (cagifted.org/). She is now the Clinical Director of Child & Family Counseling Group (www.childfamilygroup.com/) in San Jose, and the consulting child therapist to Stanford University’s Center for Allergy and Asthma Research (med.stanford.edu/allergyandasthma.html).This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC
12 – Monday
Monday Munchers is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 2 M)
6p Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. To prepare, it’s best if you create an account at boardgamearena.com and walk through the “Can’t Stop” tutorial. We’ll meet online with Zoom to establish voice contact, then we’ll decide on a game to try out. RSVP on the Meetup calendar if possible, otherwise contact Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594. PC, NMPCW, ACW
San Francisco Pub Get-Together is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 2 M)
13 – Tuesday
6:45p Puzzled Pint. (NOTE: If shelter in place is still in effect, this will instead be a virtual event on Zoom. Contact Karl as below for instructions on how to connect.) Who likes PUZZLES? The kind where part of the game is to figure out what you need to be doing in the first place? Want to do it as part of a team, so you can bounce ideas off each other, and let someone else do the parts that you find uninteresting? This is a monthly event held in the Bay Area (and simultaneously elsewhere in the world), at a convenient pub where we might order food and drink before or during the game. RSVP to Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594 (voice or text) to reserve your spot and learn the address; it’s almost always either Sunnyvale or Mountain View, near Central Expressway. PC, NMPCW, NS, NXM (RSE 2 Tu)
14 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 15, by Noel Sharkey, Robotics. See April 7. (RSE W)
April 15-21
15 – Thursday
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The destiny instinct. See April 1. (RSE Th)
18 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: One world, one language. Esperanto failed. Can another language succeed? See April 4. (RSE Su)
2p Monthly Gathering: “Concepts of Intelligence” with Thomas Hally. Hally’s talk will be based on his book Concepts of Intelligence. He is a featured writer for the Mensa International Journal and currently the Vice President of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry (ISPE). The book is a collection of 30 individual essays about intelligence theory as it relates to a broad range of concepts, from “Are physically attractive people more intelligent?” to “What is Wi-Fi and how does it work?”. The talk should present interesting ideas and a different point of view on how intelligence relates to various aspects of life. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC
21 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 16, by Louisa Preston, Interstellar travel and colonizing the solar system. See April 7. (RSE W)
April 22-30
22 – Thursday
South Bay Lunch is cancelled for April. PC (RSE 2,4 Th)
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The single perspective instinct. See April 1. (RSE Th)
23 – Friday
6:30p Virtual Happy Hour. Mix up your favorite beverage. Bring out some happy-hour munchies and join us for a virtual relaxing time. To join the Zoom meeting see Meetup. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)
24 – Saturday
6p Online Board Games. See April 12.
25 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Mindfulness. Is it humanly possible to be mindful or is it an unattainable goal we should all strive for but never will be able to reach? See April 4. (RSE Su)
7p Channing Club is a wide-ranging discussion group which has been meeting, in one form or another, for over half a century. There are no assigned topics; we discuss whatever is on participants’ minds. Our meetings are currently on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/6912937135?pwd=WVlpMEs1SCs0c1FoZk5seUhoREVaZz09. Meeting ID: 691 293 7135. Password: berkeley. Hosted by Kevin Langdon, kevinlangdon86/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 4 Su)
28 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 17, by Lewis Dartnell, Apocalypse. See April 7. (RSE W)
Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for April. PC (RSE last W)
29 – Thursday
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The blame instinct. See April 1. (RSE Th)
FUTURE FLASHES
May 1 – Saturday
6p Start The Month Right. PC (RSE 1 Sa)
2 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Topic TBA. See April 4. (RSE Su)
4p Albany Hill Hike. See April 4. (RSE 1 Su)
3 – Monday
7:30p Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting. See April 5. (RSE 1 M)
4 – Tuesday
6p Tuesday Tipplers. PC (RSE 1 Tu)
5 – Wednesday
11:30a Math Lovers’ Lunch. PC (RSE 1 W)
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. The future of online AI, quantum computing, and the internet. We’re reading chapter 18, by Jim Al-Khalili, Teleportation and time travel. See April 7. (RSE W)
6 – Thursday
6p Factfulness Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading The urgency instinct. See April 1. (RSE Th)
7 – Friday
6p Movies That Matter. PC (RSE 1,3 F)
8 – Saturday
4p Big Ideas Reading Group. See April 10. (RSE 2 Sa)