January 24 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: What is real? Can we see the world in someone else’s shoes? See February 7. (RSE Su)

2p Speaker Meeting: “The Seven Myths of Archaeology” with Christopher Branson Lowman, PhD. Archaeology is the inspiration for action adventure movies and TV specials, but the reality is far more nuanced, diverse, and relevant to living people today. In this talk, he will dispel common myths about archaeology by addressing the discipline’s colonial origins, highlighting the field methods and technologies that help us understand the past, and discussing the interdisciplinary and community collaborative research currently changing the field. Lowman’s research combines historical archaeology, museum anthropology, and ethnography to explore the history of science, especially colonialism, race, gender, and policy since the 19th century. His recent research included working on the Arboretum Chinese Quarters project in Palo Alto, California involving collaboration with descendants and excavation at a Chinese American home and workplace. He also conducted a survey and analysis of Ainu objects in museums in the US, Canada, and Japan to understand their circulation in the past and form connections with their present-day communities of origin. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

Channing Club is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 4 Su)

27 – Wednesday

Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for January. PC (RSE last W)

7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. The future of US medicine, genetics, and transhumanism. We’re reading chapter 4, by Adam Kucharski, The future of medicine. See February 3. (RSE W)

28 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 2,4 Th)

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 4, How Many Is That in Dead Americans? See February 4. (RSE Th)

8p Podcast Discussion: Origin of Numbers. BEFORE Thursday, set aside about an hour to listen to the podcast. We will use the podcast to start off the discussion. This is a Zoom event. The login details and a link to the podcast are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC

30 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See February 15.

31 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Happiness: Is it a universal or individual feeling? See February 7. (RSE Su)

2p Gifted Children Talk: Melody Lowman – “Looking Ahead to College”. Information and anxiety reduction for students 8th grade and older, and their parents. Choosing and applying to colleges have changed dramatically in recent years. Knowing how to plan ahead to choose and apply to colleges will reduce stress on students and their families. Melody helps families plan to increase the likelihood of getting into colleges students prefer, and might even help save some cost of attending college. For additional information see the Educational Consulting page of Melody’s website. Did you know that sometimes private colleges don’t cost more than public ones? Did you know that admissions officers can, and do, check out students’ social media? Do you know the single most common reason qualified students are declined from colleges? Parents are encouraged to submit their questions and concerns by email to melodymlowmanma/a/t/gmail.com prior to the presentation and discussion. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

February 1 – Monday

7:30p Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting. In 2021 we are planning to hold a Zoom meeting on the first Monday of each month. This will be a standing event, and we send out the link to our members the night before. Our most recent meeting was last month on Monday, January 4, and we had 12 participants! We will plan presentations, speakers, and games nights via this online platform, so watch your email for regular updates. SFRM members who wish to participate may contact MCM LocSec Heidi Van der Veer at tarquiniaq/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 1 M)

2 – Tuesday

Tuesday Tipplers (as an in-person event) is cancelled for February, but watch the sources mentioned above in Note to Readers for Zoom Tipplers. PC (RSE 1 Tu)

3 – Wednesday

Math Lovers’ Lunch is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 1 W)

7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. The future of US medicine, genetics, and transhumanism. We’re reading chapter 5, by Aarathi Prasad, Genomics and genetic engineering. 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)

4 – Thursday

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 5, More Pie than Plate. We’re reading How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg. 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 Th)

5 – Friday

Movies That Matter is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 1,3 F)

6 – Saturday

Start the Month Right is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 1 Sa)

7 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: What does it mean to understand? 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)

2p Monthly Gathering: “Tereen Talks Travel” with Tereen Hough. How can you incorporate more travel into your life? Truths and myths about travelling inexpensively. Travelling during a global pandemic – should you? Everyone says you should travel light….true? There will be something for every level of traveler from neophyte to expert. Southern Nevada MensanTereen Hough is a popular speaker who is a flight attendant and concierge travel consultant. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

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 this 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)

8 – Monday

Monday Munchers is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 2 M)

San Francisco Pub Get-Together is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 2 M)

9 – 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)

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)

10 – Wednesday

7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. The future of US medicine, genetics, and transhumanism. We’re reading chapter 6, by Adam Rutherford, Synthetic biology. See February 3. (RSE W)

11 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for February. (RSE 2,4 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)

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 6, The Baltimore Stockbroker and the Bible Code. See February 4. (RSE Th)

12 – Friday

6:30p M Weisley’s Café. Ever wanted to hang out with all the space pilots at Mos Eisley’s Cafe (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 Zoom. 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. See Meetup for Zoom information. PC (RSE 2 F)

The Mortality of Mid-Month Mex (MMMMex). We are sorry to announce that Mid-Month Mex is no more. Tito’s is alive and well, although currently serving take out only. Nothing has happened to your cohosts, either. However, we will no longer be gathering with friends for our monthly dinners together, not even after life returns to more as it was. Many thanks to all who have enjoyed Mid-Month Mex with us over the years, whether every month or only a few times. You are what Mensa is all about. Be well. 

GenX Food and Movie Night is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 2 F)

13 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group: Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo. (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.) Figuring out how to deal with today’s critical economic problems is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time. In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Banerjee and Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times makes a persuasive case for an intelligent interventionism and a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary achievement, one that shines a light to help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world. For March 13 on Zoom: Infinite Powers by Stephen Strogatz. 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)

14 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Are thoughts and reactions the same? See February 7. (RSE Su)

15 – Monday

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

17 – Wednesday

7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. The future of US medicine, genetics, and transhumanism. We’re reading chapter 7, by Mark Walker, Transhumanism. See February 3. (RSE W)

18 – Thursday

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 7, Dead Fish Don’t Read Minds. See February 4. (RSE Th)

21 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: What is equality? See February 7. (RSE Su)

2p Speaker Meeting: “PFAs, the Forever Pollutants, and What Can We Do About Them” with Christopher Olivares. What are PFAs and why are they forever? These highly fluorinated pollutants are present in non-stick pans, chocolate cake mix, polar bears, take-out wrappers, firefighting foams, and in our blood. This family of chemicals, 4700 and growing, has been associated with increased cholesterol, cancers, and impacts to the immune system. Environmental engineers and scientists are researching ways of destroying these chemicals but we’re a long way from having full-scale efficient destruction technologies. While we get there, let’s become informed consumers to avoid discharging more PFAs into the environment. Christopher Olivares is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, where he researches how we can treat per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAs) and their fate in the environment. Dr. Olivares is excited to share that he will be starting as Assistant Professor at UC Irvine where his lab (see olivareslab.org) will study interactions between pollutants, microbes, and extreme weather events. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

24 – Wednesday

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 8, by Naomi Climer, The Cloud and Internet of Things. See February 3. (RSE W)

Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for February. PC (RSE last W)

25 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 2,4 Th)

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 8, Reductio Ad Unlikely. See February 4. (RSE Th)

26 – 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. Join the Zoom Meeting (see Meetup for login details). Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)

27 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See February 15.

28 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: I am who I think you think I am. See February 7. (RSE Su)

Channing Club is cancelled for February. PC (RSE 4 Su)

March 2 – Tuesday

6p Tuesday Tipplers. PC (RSE 1 Tu)

3 – 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 9, by Alan Woodward, Cybersecurity. See February 3. (RSE W)

4 – Thursday

7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading chapter 9, The Internationals Journal of Haruspicy. See February 4. (RSE Th)

5 – Friday

6p Movies That Matter. PC (RSE 1,3 F)

6 – Saturday

6p Start The Month Right. PC (RSE 1 Sa)