2021 December 25 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See December 6.

26 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Decorations. See January 2. (RSE Su)

7p Channing Club. See January 23. (RSE 4 Su)

27 – Monday

Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting is cancelled for December. (RSE last M)

29 – Wednesday

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Eagleman one chapter a week. In Livewired, you will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman’s own laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices that revolutionize how we think about the senses. This week we’re reading Chapter 12, Finding Otzi’s Long-Lost Love. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Mickie Winkler and Maria Gomez. PC (RSE W) 

30 – Thursday

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 14, The Paradigm’s Margins – New Insights in the Second Decade of the 21st Century. See January 6. (RSE Th)

2022 January 1 – Saturday

6p Start The Month Right. At Elna and Adrian Tymes’ home in Mountain View. Come celebrate the 41st year and longest running monthly social event in all of American Mensa (at Elna’s home every month since 1981)! Potluck dinner, unstructured socializing, games, and talk. We provide the main dish; you bring salad, bread, or dessert to share and YOB. $1 donation requested. No reservations needed. Info (650) 969-6650. Guests of Mensans must be accompanied by the member. Masks optional. PC, SO, WBC, WCD, C/D (RSE 1 Sat)

2 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Language without gender. 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. 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)

3 – Monday

6p Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. If you’re new, please create an account at boardgamearena.com and follow the setup instructions. We’ll meet online with Zoom to establish voice contact, and 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

4 – Tuesday

5:30p Tuesday Tipplers. Due to the surge in COVID cases we have decided to meet on Zoom again. If you are not on our e-mail list please let me know and we will send you a link. Carole Taylor, caroleptaylor/a/t/sbcglobal.net or (415) 472-1207. 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)

5 – Wednesday

6p Basic Economics Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell. Basic Economics is a citizen’s guide to economics, written for those who want to understand how the economy works but have no interest in jargon or equations. Sowell explains the general principles underlying different economic systems. In readable language, he shows how to critique economic policies in terms of the incentives they create, rather than the goals they proclaim. This is the first book for anyone who wishes to understand how the economy functions. This week we’re reading Chapter 1: What Is Economics? This is a joint Oregon Mensa and SFRM Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith and Jeff Fisher. PC (RSE W)

6 – Thursday

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading The Network of Time: Understanding Time & Reality through Philosophy, History and Physics by Alon Halperin one chapter a week. Whether you know nothing about the subject or are a professor of physics, Alon Halperin will tell you exactly what you need to know: from philosophical questions about the perception of reality, time travel, determinism, and free choice to the mysteries rooted in quantum theory, up to the complexity theory, and the strikingly fresh insights it gives rise to regarding us and the entire world. This week we’re reading Chapter 15, The Science of Choice – Free Choice in the Network of Time. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Larry Iwasaki and Maria Gomez. PC (RSE Th)

7 – Friday

7p Palo Alto Dining at the INDO Restaurant and Lounge, a Southeast Asian restaurant at 3295 El Camino Real, Palo Alto 94306 (south of Page Mill Rd., on the east side). The entrance is actually on Lambert Ave. (with a parking lot). Their website is www.indorestaurant.com. Check out their tasty menu. As always, good food and good conversation. The entrees are mostly $10 to $30. To reserve, contact Susan Heimlich at (650) 714-4972 or at susan.heimlich/a/t/gmail.com by Wednesday, January 5. Be sure to get a confirmation. For last minute changes, call or text cell (650) 714-4972. PC, NMPCW

8 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group: Until the End of Time by Brian Greene. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal. From particles to planets, consciousness to creativity, matter to meaning – Brian Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmos. For February 13 on Zoom: Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World by Carol Bergstrom and Jevin West. 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)

9 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: When is positivity toxic? See January 2. (RSE Su)

10 – Monday

11:30a Monday Munchers. Back from the pandemic, rising up from the old Ethnic Dinner, a lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we visit La Toscana, 3751 Redwood Hwy., San Rafael 94903, (415) 492-9100, www.ristorantelatoscana.com. RSVP by Thursday, January 6, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE 2 M)

4p San Francisco Pub Get-Together. Stop by after work or, if you don’t work downtown, just come anyway. All Mensans and their guests are welcome, provided that they are at least 21, at Patriot House in 2 Embarcadero Center (Sacramento St. between Front St. and Davis St.), SF 94111. Take the inside escalator to the 3rd floor, then turn right. Look for the Mensa logo on our table or ask one of the waitresses to find us. Starting at 4p, but arrive when you can and leave when you’re ready. We will be there for several hours. They have discounted dinners from 4p until 6p, with the kitchen closing at 8p and the bar closing at 9p. RSVP preferred on Mensa’s Meetup site at www.meetup.com/SFMensa, less preferred by e-mail to Barry Krasner at bwkbwk/a/t/pacbell.net. If you find that you can’t come after RSVPing “Yes”, please change your RSVP to “No” before the event takes place. Don’t forget that you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and be able to prove it, in order to be inside of any public venue in San Francisco that serves food or drinks, including this venue. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 2 M)

11 – Tuesday

6:45p Puzzled Pint. (NOTE: If Game Control has not chosen a pub, 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)

12 – Wednesday

6p Basic Economics Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 2: The Role of Prices. See January 5. (RSE W) 

13 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. Meet at Scrambl’z, 5055 Almaden Expressway, San Jose 95118 (near Hwys. 85 & 87), (408) 269-2900. Voted one of the best breakfast restaurants around. Extensive menu online at www.scramblzalmaden.com. Sandra Anderson, (408) 997-3187. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)

5:55p 263rd and FINAL Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group (BORG). Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. Please mask up when not eating and/or drinking. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for the location on or after January 6. RSVP by 5:55p on January 12. Fully vaccinated attendees only, please. Cathy Roha, catroha/a/t/gmail.com, (510) 207-2345. PC

14 – Friday

6:30p Happy Hour at 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. Please RSVP on Meetup for the Zoom Link. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 2 F)

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

15 – Saturday

7p Teton Tea. Teton Tea Parties are folk-singing parties going back to the 1950s. We welcome both traditional folk singing and singer/songwriters. 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 3 Sa)

16 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Cloning. See January 2. (RSE Su)

2p Speaker Series: “Hunting for E.T.” with Dr. Seth Shostak. It has been nearly 60 years since the first attempt to find radio signals that would betray the existence of intelligent beings beyond Earth. So far, nothing has been heard. Why? Could it be that we simply need to give these experiments more time? Or should we put more emphasis on other strategies? We discuss the fundamental assumptions that underlie our current SETI searches, and how we might lessen their inherent limitations. What else should we be doing to look for E.T.? Hosted by Pia Smith. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

19 – Wednesday

6p Basic Economics Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 3: Price Controls. See January 5. (RSE W) 

21 – Friday

5p Pub Trek. Join us for the resurrection of Pub Trek, where we can sample new beers at brew pubs, breweries, or tap houses each month. This month’s event is at Clandestine Brewing, 980 S. First St. (Suite B), San Jose 95110, (408) 550-0220, www.clandestinebrewing.com. With humble beginnings in 2014, a group of homebrewers started San Jose’s first nano-brewery and taproom. In 2018, they moved to their current location, a newly built taproom that now hosts much more seating space, an expansive outdoor patio, and the infrastructure to support the weekly rotation of over 12 beers on tap. Clandestine Brewing is a small batch producer of craft beers including lesser-known styles like Maibock, Gose, or Roggenbier alongside favorites like IPAs, lagers, and porters. Their “Agent Provocator” won the Gold Medal for Doppelbock at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival. Please check Meetup for any updates: www.meetup.com/SFMensa/events. RSVP and/or contact Rosemary Greenlaw with any questions or suggestions for future events at (408) 206-4905 or rbgreenlaw/a/t/gmail.com. PC, NMPCW, NXM, SO (RSE 3 F)

5:30p Marin Mexican Happy Hour. Start the year right! Join your fellow Marin Mensans for happy hour and dinner at The Cantina, 651 East Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley 94941, thecantina.com. The Cantina’s Happy Hour is from 3p to 6p; our official time is 5:30p to 7:30p, but feel free to come early! New and lurking members are particularly welcome. Let’s make this the start of a year with some great Marin Mensa events. We will follow the restaurant’s COVID procedures – masked unless eating or drinking. We will try to get an outside space (they have heaters). RSVP through the SFRM Meetup group (preferred), or e-mail Valerie Taylor at northbay/a/t/sfmensa.org, so that we know how many to expect. PC, NMPCW, NC, NS, WCE

22 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See January 3.

23 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: People first. See January 2. (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)

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

6p Basic Economics Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 4: An Overview of Prices. See January 5. (RSE W) 

27 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. See January 13. (RSE 2,4 Th)

28 – 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. Please RSVP on Meetup for the Zoom Link. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)

30 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Second Chances. See January 2. (RSE Su)

2p Speaker Series: “Ask Not What AI Ethicists Can Do for You” with Masheika Allgood. We’ve all seen the headlines of AI gone horribly, horribly wrong. There are books, presentations, even movies on AI ethics and the danger of biases in AI systems. But you’re not a data scientist; what does any of this have to do with you? We desperately need more people of different backgrounds and lived experiences to participate in the decision-making if we want to avoid the dystopian future we’re currently building. Come learn about the conversation on AI and its role in society. Hosted by Pia Smith. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

31 – Monday

8p Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting. MCM holds a monthly Zoom meeting on the last Monday of the month. This is 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 last M)

February 1 – Tuesday

5:30p Tuesday Tipplers. See January 4. (RSE 1 Tu)

2 – Wednesday

6p Basic Economics Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 5: The Rise and Fall of Businesses. See January 5. (RSE W) 

5 – Saturday

6p Start The Month Right. See January 1. (RSE 1 Sat)