Calendar of Events

September 28 – Sunday

7p Channing Club. See October 26. (RSE 4 Su)

30 – Tuesday

5:50p Dinner, Drinks, and AI for Learning. Join us for drinks, dinner, and another great science-based Wonderfest presentation at the HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato 94945. We meet for drinks and dinner at 5:50p. At 6:50p we’ll move to the session room for the talk, “AI for Learning” with Dr. Kelsey Urgo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of San Francisco. AI tools are everywhere now, promising to help us write, solve, understand, and create faster and more easily than ever. But there is a growing concern: Are these tools actually helping us learn, or just making it look or feel like we know something? Can we develop AI systems to support deep human learning? Truly useful systems don’t just give answers, but help us to build metacognitive skills to think critically, reflect, and adapt as we learn. Complete details of this free event are at wonderfest.org/category/event/coming-events. More information on HopMonk’s menu, etc. is here: www.hopmonk.com/novato. RSVP on the SFRM Meetup (preferred) or e-mail Valerie Taylor (northbay/a/t/sfmensa.org). PC, NMPCW, WCE, NS, NC, NXM

October 2 – Thursday

6p Africa Is Not a Country Discussion. We will be reading Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin, 20 to 40 pages per week (or however the chapters fall). Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Part 4: The Story of Democracy in Seven Dictatorships. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)

4 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. If you’re new, please create a (free) 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 (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)

5 – Sunday

Albany Hill Hike will not meet in October. We will return in November. (RSE 1 Su)

7 – Tuesday

5p Tuesday Tipplers will meet at San Rafael Joe’s, 931 4th St., San Rafael 94901, at 5p for drinks in the bar and then move on to dinner in the dining room after an hour. Park on the street or in the city garage behind the restaurant. If you have questions e-mail Ed Sabrack at edsabrack/a/t/comcast.net or call (415) 472-3725. 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)

9 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. (NOTE PERMANENT CHANGE OF LOCATION.) Meet at Bill’s Cafe, 1401 Kooser Rd., San Jose, 95118 (Near Hwy 85 and the Camden Ave. exit at the corner of Kooser Rd. and Stanwood Dr. near Blossom Hill Rd.), (408) 264-1900. Cocktails available, large menu (online), friendly fast service, Breakfast and Lunch, closes at 2p. Sandra Anderson, (408) 997-3187. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)

6p Africa Is Not a Country Discussion. We will be reading Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin, 20 to 40 pages per week (or however the chapters fall). Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Part 5: There Is No Such Thing as an African Accent and Binyavanga Wainaina Is Still Right. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)

10 – Friday

6:30p Peninsula Dining. Join us for Indian cuisine at Namaste Indian Cuisine at 447 California Ave., Palo Alto 94306, across from Country Sun. Meat and vegetarian options. Good food, good conversation. We have a limit on group size, so reserve early or expect to be on a waiting list. To reserve, contact Susan at Susan.Heimlich/a/t/gmail.com or at (650) 714-4972 (call or text) by October 8. Be sure to get confirmation. At the restaurant, ask for Susan, and please bring cash. PC, NMPCW

11 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group: The Secret Life of the Universe by Nathalie A. Cabrol. On Zoom. Cabrol, a celebrated astrobiologist, takes us on an odyssey by exploring how life began on Earth in order to understand what’s necessary for its existence elsewhere. While Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn are among the top contenders, with more than 300 million exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars in the Milky Way alone, to think we are alone, or the only advanced intelligent civilization, may be little more than nonsense. For November 8 on Zoom: The Science of Systems: A Unified View of Nature’s Patterns by David Shugar. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and invitations to our Zoom meetings please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)

13 – Monday

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 2nd floor, turn right twice, and then follow the sign to the stairs to the 3rd floor. The restaurant’s entrance is near the top of those stairs on the 3rd floor. 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 a Happy Hour from 4p until 6p, with the kitchen closing at 9p and the bar closing at 10p. 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. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 2 M)

14 – Tuesday

5:30p Apt To In Aptos Mensa Bar Group is held at Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen at Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos 95003, www.seacliffinn.com/santa-cruz-restaurants on the second Tuesday of the month, running until about 7:30p. Come join Central Coast Mensans: Forget last month’s feces and anticipate this month’s blindsides. T(R)oast past friends, find new ones, and introduce current ones, all while contemplating how it all defaults to QM scaled. Courtesy e-mail to host Stew Gibson at LooseId/a/t/ix.netcom.com with subject “Sevy” for restaurant head count is appreciated, but not required. Tip 20% on the bill, with separate checks. PC, NMPCW (RSE 2 Tu)

6:30p Puzzled Pint. 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. If Game Control has arranged a pub, it’s probably on Shoreline Blvd. in Mountain View, or downtown San Jose. Otherwise, the event host will select a non-pub location, probably in Campbell. PC, NMPCW, NS, NXM (RSE 2 Tu)

15 – Wednesday

5:30p Re-BORG. Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group is reborn and revived in honor of the incomparable Cathy Roha, who initiated this event and hosted it for many years. Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. Bring cash, your vaccination card, and a mask. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for location up to a week ahead. RSVP by 3p on Tuesday, October 14. Roberta Maguire, robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com, (510) 292-6370. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 3 W)

16 – Thursday

6p Africa Is Not a Country Discussion. We will be reading Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin, 20 to 40 pages per week (or however the chapters fall). Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Part 6: The Case of the Stolen Artefacts. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)

19 – Sunday

2:30p Speaker Series: A Trip to the Center of Our Galaxy with Anna Ciurlo. On Zoom. The heart of the Milky Way is home to Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole approximately four million times the mass of the Sun. Although it remains largely quiet today, it is surrounded by a turbulent sea of gas, dust, and exotic objects that could one day trigger dramatic outbursts. This presentation delves into this extreme environment, exploring the large-scale gas clouds and the closer-in structures that fuel the black hole. It examines how molecular hydrogen manages to survive intense ultraviolet radiation and introduces a newly identified class of enigmatic objects orbiting perilously close to Sagittarius A*. Observed over two decades with the Keck Observatory, these objects may represent the remnants of stellar collisions or merged binaries, offering valuable insights into how matter behaves under immense gravitational forces. Mapping this region helps to illuminate the intricate interplay of stars, gas, and gravity at the core of the galaxy. Ciurlo is an assistant researcher and adjunct assistant professor in the Galactic Center Group at UCLA. Please register at livepresentation.link/OCT. You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Zoom that will contain the link needed to join the presentation. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC

20 – Monday

6p Online Board Games. See October 4. (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)

22 – Wednesday

5:30p Trivia Night at the Patriot House gastropub in San Francisco. The contest is free, starts at 6p, and lasts about 2 hours, but please arrive about 5:30p, so that we don’t lose the table that I’ve reserved. If you’re a member of our SFRM Meetup group, RSVP on Meetup if you’re planning on coming, so that I can be sure to reserve a large enough table. If you’re not a member of our SFRM Meetup group, RSVP by e-mailing host Barry Krasner at bwkbwk/a/t/pacbell.net. Guests are allowed, so be sure to include the number of guests that you’re bringing when you RSVP. If you RSVP “Yes” and then find that you can’t attend after all, it’s very important that you change your RSVP to “No” as far in advance as possible. The Patriot House is located in Embarcadero Center #2, on the 3rd (top) floor. Enter from Sacramento St. between Front St. and Davis St. Take the inside escalator to the 2nd floor, then turn right twice and follow the sign to the stairs to the 3rd floor. The restaurant is near the top of those stairs. You’ll recognize our group by the Mensa logo that I will have on top of our table. If in doubt, ask the wait staff for “The Mensa Group”. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 4 W)

23 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. See October 9. (RSE 2,4 Th)

12n Thursday Munchers. (NOTE ONE-TIME CHANGE OF WEEK.) A lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Piazza D’Angelo, 22 Miller Ave., Mill Valley 94941, 415-388-2000, piazzadangelo.com/. RSVP by Monday, October 20, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE Th after 2 Tu)

6p Africa Is Not a Country Discussion. We will be reading Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin, 20 to 40 pages per week (or however the chapters fall). Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Part 7: Jollof Wars: A Love Story. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)

25 – Saturday

7p East Bay Game Night. Join us for fun and games in the East Bay! We’re playing word games, card games, board games, all kinds of fast-action social games (not long strategy games). Choose from my shelves of games or bring your own fast-action social games. Please also bring a snack to share. The fun is in Oakland near Piedmont Ave. and Pleasant Valley Ave. No RSVP needed; just show up at 7p (when I unlock the door) or later. We have about 20 people every month, most of whom do not RSVP. For more information or directions, contact Alan at alan.winson/a/t/gmail.com or (510) 653-2685 (voice only). Please pull forward to park four cars in my driveway. Free street parking is available in the neighborhood; don’t give up! SUPER-SPREADER EVENT NOTICE: If you haven’t kept up your vaccinations, or don’t feel well or may have Covid, a cold, or anything else contagious, please stay home and join us next month! PC, NMPCW, NS, WCP (RSE last Sa)

26 – Sunday

1:30p Vallejo Symphony. Please join me for the opening concert of the Vallejo Symphony’s 2025-2026 season. It will include the world premiere of a work by John Williams (yes, the Star Wars guy). The concert starts at 3p in the Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St., Vallejo 94590. There will be a pre-concert talk by our Maestro Marc Taddei at 2p. I will be in the theatre’s lounge (to the left as you enter the hall) before the show by 1:30p, with a stuffed owl on a table. We can gather there afterward as well to review the music. Arrive when you like to socialize in the lounge, for the talk, or just for the concert. Tickets (all seats are reserved) are available at VallejoSymphony.org, along with additional information about the program and venue. Let me know if you plan to attend so that I can get a count: Samantha Fordyce, smf7/a/t/georgetown.edu. PC

28 – Tuesday

5:50p Dinner, Drinks, and Three Intelligences. Join us for drinks, dinner, and another great science-based Wonderfest presentation at the HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato 94945. We meet for drinks and dinner at 5:50p. At 6:50p we’ll move to the session room for the talk, “Three Intelligences” with Dr. Alison Gopnik, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley. She is also Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at Cal, and a member of the Berkeley AI Research Group. A common model of AI suggests that there is a single measure of intelligence, often called AGI, and that AI systems are agents who can possess more or less of this intelligence. Cognitive science, in contrast, suggests that there are multiple forms of intelligence and that these intelligences trade off against each other and have a distinctive developmental profile and evolutionary history. Exploitation (the pursuit of goals, resources, and utilities) characterizes adult cognition. However, exploration (seeking information about the world) characterizes childhood cognition, and empowerment (of others, through care and teaching) characterizes cognition in elderhood. The combination of these three different kinds of intelligence, across the course of a life, explains human success. Complete details of this free event are at wonderfest.org/category/event/coming-events/. More information on HopMonk’s menu, etc. is here: www.hopmonk.com/novato. RSVP on the SFRM Meetup (preferred) or e-mail Valerie Taylor (northbay/a/t/sfmensa.org). PC, NMPCW, WCE, NS, NC, NXM

30 – Thursday

6p Africa Is Not a Country Discussion. We will be reading Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin, 20 to 40 pages per week (or however the chapters fall). Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Part 8: What’s Next? This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Th)

November 1 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See October 4. (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)

2 – Sunday

4p Albany Hill Hike returns. 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)

4 – Tuesday

5p Tuesday Tipplers. See October 7. (RSE 1 Tu)

5 – Wednesday

6:30p SFRM ExComm Meeting. See October 1.

8 – Saturday

2:30p M-Wisely’s Café provides thought provoking presentations to intelligent beings throughout the galaxy. The presentations focus on space science, speculative science, and science fiction. The topic for our Grand Opening is “Hunting for Aliens: The Search for Artifacts Near Earth” with Professor Avi Loeb, Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation, Harvard University. Visit our website for more information at m-wise.click/INFO. PC (RSE 2 Sa)

4p Big Ideas Reading Group. See October 11. (RSE 2 Sa)