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 January 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 December
December 27 – Sunday
11a Cafe Discussion: Myths. Can we still learn from them? See January 3. (RSE Su)
Channing Club is cancelled for December. PC (RSE 4 Su)
30 – Wednesday
Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for December. PC (RSE last W)
January 1-7
January 1 – Friday
Movies That Matter is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 1,3 F)
2 – Saturday
Start the Month Right is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 1 Sa)
3 – Sunday
11a Cafe Discussion: New Year Resolution. What will bring you joy in 2021? 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 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)
5 – Tuesday
Tuesday Tipplers (as an in-person event) is cancelled for January, 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)
6 – Wednesday
Math Lovers’ Lunch is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 1 W)
8p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 1, by Philip Ball, Demographics. 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)
7 – Thursday
8p Podcast Discussion: How to Build a Bionic Human. BEFORE Thursday, set side 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
January 8-14
8 – Friday
6p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 1, Less Like Sweden. 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 F)
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. Zoom information: Meeting ID: 836 2401 4828, Passcode: 276090. PC (RSE 2 F)
Missing Mid-Month Mex (MMMMex). Were it safer to do so, we would have met, eaten, and rested our feeten at Tito’s, 15508 E. 14th St., San Leandro 94578, 1,500’ NE of the exact geographic center of the Bay Area. Twixt 580 and 880, and close to Bay Fair BART, this is where Mensans might have met in the middle and gone, “MMMM!” In the better days to come, come for the Mensans and the margaritas (or just for the Mensans), along with the marvelous Mexican meal you’ve been missing after 7p. Cohosted by Hank Stephenson, hank888/a/t/earthlink.net or (415) 793-0300 (cell), and Peter Midnight. Come when you can to see why Tito’s has been there for more than 60 years, directly across E. 14th St. from Bay Fair Mall. Someday we’ll see you again at Tito’s! No Pets. PC, WCE, NMPCW, NC, SO, NXM (RSE 2 F)
GenX Food and Movie Night is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 2 F)
9 – Saturday
4p Big Ideas Reading Group: The Doomsday Calculation: How an Equation that Predicts the Future Is Transforming Everything by William Poundstone. (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.) Thomas Bayes devised a theorem that allowed him to assign probabilities to events that had never happened before. Now, as the foundation of big data, Bayes’ formula has become a linchpin of the digital economy. It can also be used to lay odds on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, on whether we live in a Matrix-like counterfeit of reality, on the “many worlds” interpretation of quantum theory being correct, and on the biggest question of all: how long will humanity survive? For February on Zoom: Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo. 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)
10 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Admitting ignorance or claiming knowledge. Which will move humanity forward? See January 3. (RSE Su)
2p Monthly Gathering: Marty Nemko – “My Wish for 2021”. 2020, to use the technical term, sucked. Dr. Marty Nemko will talk about what he’d wish for 2021, going well beyond vaccine wishes (e.g., length of immunity conferred) to reinventing education, election reform (2-week campaigns, publicly funded), replacing the income tax with a VAT, and how to address the likely permanently eviscerated job market. When Marty doesn’t write his regular column for the Intelligencer, he is a career coach, among the nation’s most sought after experts on both career and education issues. Marty has been interviewed by hundreds of major media, e.g., The Today Show, The Daily Show, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TIME, even CosmoGirl. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC
11 – Monday
Monday Munchers is cancelled for January. PC (RSE 2 M)
San Francisco Pub Get-Together is cancelled for January. 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
12 – 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)
13 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 2, by Gaia Vince, The biosphere. See January 6. (RSE W)
14 – Thursday
South Bay Lunch is cancelled for January. (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. Chapter to read: chapter 2, Straight Locally, Curved Globally. See January 8. (RSE F)
8p Podcast Discussion: The Human Voice. See January 7.
January 15-21
17 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Superstition. Helpful or harmful? See January 3. (RSE Su)
20 – Wednesday
7p What the Future Looks Like Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 3, by Julia Slingo, Climate change. See January 6. (RSE W)
21 – Thursday
7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 3, Everyone is Obese. See January 8. (RSE F)
January 22-31
22 – 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. Meeting ID: 819 0431 6965. Password: 162034. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)
24 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: What is real? Can we see the world in someone else’s shoes? See January 3. (RSE Su)
2p Speaker Meeting: Christopher Branson Lowman, PhD. – “The Seven Myths of Archaeology”. 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. Chapter to read: chapter 4, by Adam Kucharski, The future of medicine. See January 6. (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. Chapter to read: chapter 4, How Many Is That in Dead Americans? See January 8. (RSE F)
8p Podcast Discussion: Origin of Numbers. See January 7.
30 – Saturday
6p Online Board Games. See January 11.
31 – Sunday
12n Cafe Discussion: Happiness: Is it a universal or individual feeling? See January 3. (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
FUTURE FLASHES
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. Chapter to read: chapter 5, by Aarathi Prasad, Genomics and genetic engineering See January 6. (RSE W)
4 – Thursday
7p How Not to Be Wrong Book Discussion: One chapter a week. Chapter to read: chapter 5, More Pie Than Plate. See January 8. (RSE F)
5 – Friday
6p Movies That Matter. PC (RSE 1,3 F)
6 – Saturday
6p Start The Month Right. PC (RSE 1 Sa)