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.
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
CHILDREN UNDER 18 – Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
GIFTED YOUTH PROGRAM EVENTS: sfmensa.org/gifted-youth-program/gy-events/
WEEKLY EVENT
Every Sunday
4p SPR (Sex, Politics, and Religion) Revival. Sex, Politics, and Religion – everything you are not supposed to discuss at the dinner table. This is for those people who would like to participate in a group that fosters considered, civil discussions, that is open regarding subject matter, i.e., this is not for those who want to “shock somebody” or “troll”. Optionally brown bag for those who would like to pay homage to SPR’s history as a San Francisco dinner/restaurant discussion group. This is a Zoom event: Meeting ID: 996 5500 8587, Passcode: 279931. Hosted by James Monschke. PC (RSE Su)
End of March
March 29 – Sunday
2p Robot Games at Hollister High School, 1220 Monterey St., Hollister 95023. For rules, other details, and a video, see April 4, except note that this competition runs Saturday and Sunday. PC, NXM, ACW
April 1-7
April 1 – Wednesday
First Wednesday Lunch is permanently cancelled.
4 – Saturday
10a How You Say It Discussion. We will be reading How You Say It: Why We Judge Others by the Way They Talk – and the Costs of This Hidden Bias by Katherine D. Kinzler, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 7: A Linguistics Revolution. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
2p Robot Games at Berkeley High School, 1980 Allston Way, Berkeley 94704. High School teams compete as two alliances of three robots each. Student-designed, built, wired, and programmed 52-kg metal robots collect 15 cm balls to shoot into their tall hexagonal goal, against defense from the other three-robot alliance. The game also includes robot(s) climbing on a multiple-rung tower at each end of the 8m x 17m field. The first 20 seconds of each 2:40 match are Autonomous, where the robots operate independently of their student operators. New this year, the robots may climb on the tower during Autonomous, but then have to get back down on their own! Thereafter the ’bots are driven wirelessly by students; at the end of the match the robots can climb multiple rungs of the tower, trying to accommodate multiple robots on that same tower. Robots are constrained on size, components, and weight. See the game animation at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fybREErgyM. The competition runs Friday and Saturday, with the finals beginning Saturday at 2p. SFRM’s Gary Koerzendorfer mentors team 2643 “Dark Matter” from Santa Teresa High School in San Jose. Admission and parking are free. PC, NXM, ACW
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
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)
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)
April 8-14
8 – Wednesday
5:30p Lafayette Trivia. Enjoy some delicious fare as we play against local teams in a fun-filled two-hour competition hosted by Head Games Trivia at Headlands Brewery, 3420 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette 94549. An RSVP is required, as teams are limited to six players each. We meet at 5:30p for the 6p start time. Daniel Phillips, umpolung13/a/t/yahoo.com, (304) 975-0066. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW, WCP, NXM (RSE 2W)
9 – Thursday
11:45a South Bay Lunch. Meet at Bill’s Cafe, 1401 Kooser Rd., San Jose 95118 (off Hwy. 85 at 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)
11 – Saturday
10a Embodiment Discussion. We will be reading Embodiment and everyday cyborgs: Technologies that alter subjectivity by Gill Haddow, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 1: Ambiguous embodiment and organ transplantation. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
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. This month’s topic is “Patterns of the Paranormal” with Dan Punzak. In the vast expanse of the unknown, patterns of the paranormal often emerge, challenging our understanding of the world around us. From near-death experiences to telepathy and psychokinesis, the paranormal encompasses a wide range of mysterious phenomena that defy conventional explanation. In this article, we will delve into the realm of the paranormal, exploring the patterns that have perplexed and fascinated humanity for centuries. Dan Punzak is a 51-year member of Mensa, a Life member, and LocSec of Sangamon Valley Mensa. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and recently attended his 60-year reunion. He is retired from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Please register at space-talk.link/APR. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with the login information. PC (RSE 2 Sa)
4p Big Ideas Reading Group. Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life by Shigehiro Oishi. On Zoom. Oishi’s award-winning work has proposed a third dimension to a good life: psychological richness, a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration, and a variety of experiences that help us grow as people. He explores the shortcomings of happiness and meaning as guides to a good life, pointing to complacency and regret as a “happiness trap” and narrowness and misplaced loyalty as a “meaning trap.” Psychological richness, Oishi proposes, balances the other two, offering insight and growth spurred by embracing uncertainty and challenges. For May 9 on Zoom: Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Life by Viktor Frankl with forward by Alexander Vesely-Frankl. On Zoom. 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)
12 – Sunday
2p Robot Championships at the Cow Palace in Daly City for teams winning the competitions above. This event runs Friday through Sunday. Winners advance to the world championships in Houston, TX. PC, NXM, ACW
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)
7p Wonderfest. Join us for Cosmology and Evolution, another great dual science-based Wonderfest presentation at the HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato 94945. We meet in the Lecture Room at 6:30p when it starts to fill up. Our host Hugh Bonney will be sitting at a Lecture Room table with a Mensa sign on it. You can order food from the menu to be served in the Lecture Room. Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers. Following short talks these two Science Envoys will answer questions. The first Science Envoy will be Stanford physicist Mahlet Shiferaw on Learning Cosmology from Galaxies. The Universe is shaped by an invisible “cosmic web” of dark matter that guides where galaxies form. By comparing observations of galaxies to predictions from models, we can probe the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Cosmologists are now developing new modeling and inference techniques to unlock even more information from upcoming galaxy surveys. Next will be Stanford biologist Sebastian Somolinos on Give Evolution a Chance. When was the last time you watched evolution happen? Evolution is nature’s most powerful problem solver, yet creatures like horseshoe crabs remind us that it can also be slow and stubbornly conservative. To unlock evolution’s full creative potential, and to appreciate evolution more fully, we must learn how to accelerate it. We need to give evolution a chance. Details at wonderfest.org/pulsar-physics-gradual-blindness/. HopMonk’s menu is at www.hopmonk.com/novato-menu. RSVP on SFRM Meetup (best) or e-mail Hugh Bonney, hfbonney/a/t/sonic.net. PC, NMPCW, WCE, NS, NC, NXM
April 15-21
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. Please bring cash. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for location up to a week ahead. RSVP by 3p on Tuesday, April 14. Roberta Maguire, robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com, (510) 292-6370. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 3 W)
16 – Thursday
12n Thursday Munchers. A lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Golden Gate Bistro, 7380 Redwood Blvd., Novato 94945, (415) 408-3333, www.goldengatebistronovato.com. RSVP by Sunday, April 12, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE Th after 2 Tu)
18 – Saturday
10a Embodiment Discussion. We will be reading Embodiment and everyday cyborgs: Technologies that alter subjectivity by Gill Haddow, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 2: Choosing between animal, mechanical, and me? This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
12n Saturday Sizzle. Meet fellow Mensans for lunch at Sizzler restaurant, 1515 Fitzgerald Dr., Pinole 94564, sizzler.com/locations/sizzler-pinole/. Is their menu only for carnivores? No, they also have a large salad bar. RSVP to Lorna at lornagruber/a/t/yahoo.com by noon the day before so that we can put together a large enough table. Look for a Mensa sign on the table, in case you’re new. PC, NMPCW, NS (RSE 3 Sa)
19 – Sunday
12:30p Peninsula Dining is enjoying a dim sum brunch at the Tai Pan Restaurant, 560 Waverley St., Palo Alto 94301. Good food, good conversation. I really like the extensive menu at the restaurant. To reserve, contact Susan at Susan.Heimlich/a/t/gmail.com or at (650) 714-4972 (call or text) at least two days before the event. Be sure to get a confirmation. At the restaurant, ask for Susan, and please bring cash. PC, NMPCW
2:30p Speaker Series: The Role of the Amygdala in Social Thinking: Your ‘Lizard Brain’ Talking with Dr. Rodrigo Braga. New findings from human brain mapping studies show that when we think about other people, we recruit a network of brain regions that includes an evolutionarily ancient structure called the amygdala. The amygdala works with parts of the brain that have expanded dramatically in recent human evolution, including regions called the “default network” that are used for introspective thinking. This has arguably been key to our ability to coordinate extremely large social groups and civilization. Dr. Braga will talk about the evolution of the human brain, the functions of the default network, and then describe how the amygdala may be selectively talking to the parts of the brain involved in social thinking. On Zoom. Please register at livepresentation.link/APR. 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 April 4. (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)
April 22-30
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 April 9. (RSE 2,4 Th)
25 – Saturday
10a Embodiment Discussion. We will be reading Embodiment and everyday cyborgs: Technologies that alter subjectivity by Gill Haddow, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 3: Reclaiming the cyborg. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
7p East Bay Game Night. Join us for fun and games in North Oakland! We’re playing word games, card games, board games, all kinds of fast-action social games (not long strategy games). Please 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 15 to 25 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)
FUTURE FLASHES
May 2 – Saturday
10a Embodiment Discussion. We will be reading Embodiment and everyday cyborgs: Technologies that alter subjectivity by Gill Haddow, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 4: Everyday cyborgs and the love-hate cybernetic relationship. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
6p Online Board Games. See April 4. (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)
4p Albany Hill Hike. See April 5. (RSE 1 Su)
5 – Tuesday
5p Tuesday Tipplers. See April 7. (RSE 1 Tu)
Intelligencer Deadline. See April 7. (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)
9 – Saturday
10a False Discussion. We will be reading False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things that Aren’t True by Joe Pierre, MD, one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading Chapter 1: Delusions, Distortions, and Misbeliefs, Oh My! This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)
2:30p M-Wisely’s Café. This month’s topic is “Artificial Intelligence Promise & Perils” with Lance Erlick. PC (RSE 2 Sa)
4p Big Ideas Reading Group. See April 11. (RSE 2 Sa)