Cover Photo: A student aspiring for the 6E Scholar Program during the Mensa Test, with a monkey-cap reading ‘GENIUS’; Captured by Mr. Kishore Asthana during a testing session.
From the Editor:
Submissions:
It is a race against time… Here we are back with a new issue in less than a month… And just when the final draft of the magazine was being given finishing touches, there came in some great news which implied the cover headline would need to change - 66 had become 99! Mensa India Delhi has now identified 99 children for the Underprivileged Gifted Child Program (6E Scholar Program) in a very short span of time. It is a commendable effort given scale of the project and numerous other challenges. This definitely had to be our Cover Story for the issue. Do let us know what you would like to read here. Remember – it is your magazine. ~Durva Mayee, Editor, Mind Contents
Page no.
About Contributors
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Mensa Initiatives: 6E Scholar Program
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Mensa Active: Kayaking (Mensa Mumbai Outdoor SIG)
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Tech-Talk: How To Unboil A boiled Egg
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The Puzzle Page
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Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavioural Biases -II
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Movie Review: The Imitation Game
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Lensa
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Wordsmith: In A Blink
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Send in your articles and contributions in plain text format and pictures in high resolution .jpg format to: editor.mensaindia@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All contents in this magazine are opinions of the individual authors and contributors. Neither Mensa India, the society, its office bearers nor the editors are responsible for any content or views expresses.
Feedback: Like it, love it or hate it? Tell us how to make the MInd magazine better. Write in to the editor at editor.mensaindia@gmail.com
ABOUT CONTRIBUTORS:
Shreya Gupta is a second year student pursuing B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IGDTUW. Hailing from New Delhi, she enjoys music along with singing and dancing. A passion for learning about the new technological innovations and presenting her ideas to the world is what inspires her the most. The link to her blog is: http://developmentandopinions.blogspot.in/ Puneet Khurana is an equity investor who after his associations with various India focused hedge funds is now involved in managing money for friends and family. He runs Stoic Advisors, a niche consulting firm involved in Financial and Behavioral strategy consulting. He is also an educator who teaches MBA and CFA students and occasionally gives guest lectures at various investing workshops and seminars. He blogs at www.pragmaticinvesting.wordpress.com
Krishna Vora is a Psychologist and a Special Educator by profession. She spends all her free time exploring different genres of reading. Link to her blog: https://krishnasvora.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/the-imitation-game/
Krishnamoorthy N V loves to write poetry. When he doesn’t have his nose inside a good book, he can be found playing football at Juhu Beach; practicing his Veenai; writing code on Cathy (ya, he names his computers); or aimlessly perambulating in his neighbourhood. He has recently started taking Salsa lessons. Krishna has worked in the fields of education, mental health, digital media, eCommerce and software development. As penance for having earned an Engineering degree, he sacrificed a large part of his youth to IT. He is now dedicating the next phase of his life to the pursuit of an MBA degree from HEC, Paris
Peter Joseph is a budding scientist, currently pursuing Master of Technology in Material Science from IIT Bombay. He is interested in many things around the world, and has a skill for putting it gracefully into words. He likes to brag about his lifelong dream of solving the Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute. The guy can make you yawn to death in four, no five languages, one being sarcasm for those who understand it (if you don’t, we love you!). He claims himself to be a member of Mensa; although his poems suggest it is MensXP. Blog: http://ardhasampoorna.blogspot.in/ Prasanna Seshadri is a Puzzler and Puzzle-Master at Grandmaster Puzzles; was the Indian Double Champion in 2013, having won both the Indian Sudoku and Indian Puzzle Championships. As a puzzlemaker, Prasanna has contributed puzzles to the World Puzzle Championship, the 24HPC, and several other national championships; Associated with Logic Masters India. Blog: https://prasannaseshadri.wordpress.com/ More of his puzzles can be found at: http://www.gmpuzzles.com
Surya Basu is from Kolkata living in Mumbai since 2011. Photography is one one of his hobbies. He started with it in college (Jadavpur University) that had an excellent photography club. He learnt the basics when digital was not in the mass market. The club had cranky old film cameras which they could borrow and take out for a day. So the initial phase in photography was all on films which is a very good thing as the limitations enforced by the medium makes you a much better photographer. Then as with others he moved to digital and photography that has been a part of life ever since.
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MENSA INITIATIVES: 6E SCHOLAR PROGRAM
The Story:
Taking
Project Dhruv forward, MENSA India Delhi launched the underprivileged gifted child program on 1st October 2014. Mensa India now designates this date as National Intelligence Day. This program derives its inspiration from Dr. Narayan Desai’s Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program. Dr. Desai has been active in this field for over a decade and has helped identify and nurture a large number of underprivileged children through the TMNP Program.
Test in a park: Gurunanak Sewa Trust Rs. 100 per month for the youngest children to Rs. 1,000 per month for those in undergraduate college classes. A small allowance for purchase of educational material will also be given.
On 4th of November 2014, to celebrate the delivery of their 100th A-320 aircraft, IndiGo decided to sponsor 100 underprivileged gifted children through Mensa India Delhi. A subset of the Dhruv Project, the program for 100 children is designated the 6E Scholar Program, in honor or IndiGo’s call sign, 6E.
b) Each Scholar will participate in 11 four hour 'nurturing' sessions conducted by experts such as Dr. Narayan Desai. c) One personal 'mentor' will be assigned to each Scholar. The Mentor will keep in touch with the Scholar, his/her teachers and parents and will ensure that the Scholar's education remains smooth and thae Scholar’s weak areas are addressed.
The Program is in keeping with the objectives of MENSA which are: • • •
To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity To encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and To promote stimulating intellectual and social opportunities for its members
d) Special tutoring will be arranged wherever required and is possible. e) An Aptitude Test and a Personality Profile Test will be conducted by JPIP in Class IX. Based on this the Scholar will be counseled as to further course of study.
Under the 6E Project, Mensa India Delhi is testing a large enough number of students which will yield 100 gifted children. The tested children, who are in the age group of 10-14 years, are presently studying in NGO run schools and Government Schools. Their parents of selected children are working as labourers, rickshaw pullers, auto-drivers, gardeners, cooks etc.
f) The program team will try to ensure that the Scholar is admitted to the best schools in the Scholar's neighborhood, under the Economically Weaker Section quota. g) At appropriate stages, the Scholar will be counseled regarding employment opportunities. These would include all options - NDA, Merchant Marine, Civil Services Exams, Engineering, Medicine, Hotel Management etc. We will try to help the Scholar obtain a bank loan for further studies if needed.
The 6E Scholar will receive a number of benefits through this program. a) Each will receive a nominal scholarship from now till they graduate. The amount varies from
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MENSA INITIATIVES: 6E SCHOLAR PROGRAM h) IndiGo Airlines has agreed to consider those 6E Scholars who graduate, favourably for a job with the Airline.
end. Vendor registration and all other formalities have been completed with IndiGo and Mensa hopes to receive the funds for the selected scholars within March. Disbursment of stipends to these students is likely to begin from the 1st April 2014. Kishore Asthana who spearheads this project will be meeting Mensa India’s Supervisory Psychologist Dr. Watve and TMNP’s Dr. Narayan Desai, along Ratan Singh Rathore and some other members involved with the 6E Scholar Program to finalise the modus operandi for implementing the operational details of the program shortly.
All Testing is being conducted by Certified Mensa Proctors, as per Mensa norms. Evaluation is done by JPIP Psychologists under the supervision of Dr. Watve, the Supervisory Psychologist of Mensa Inda., Nurturing and nourishing will be under the direction & oversight of eminent scholars on the Project Dhruv panel which has been covered in the Jan 2015 issue.
News from the field and latest updates: Testing for the program has required intensive work on the part of Mensa India Delhi. There have been challenges on various fronts including identification of test centers, persuading school principles to give access to students and scheduling tests so that these do not interfere with academic and extracurricular activities. These, coupled with the stringent testing standards and requirements of Mensa and the scale of the project have made the on-field execution a challenging task. The time frame of six months is also a constraint requiring intensive testing and 6E Scholar tests have been going on apace in various locations. One such test was conducted at an all-girls school run by Literacy India, in a deprived neighbourhood in the interior of Brijwasan village on the Delhi-Gurgaon border. All the girls sat on the floor for the test. Another one was administered at a small roadside school run under tents, by the Gurunanak Sewa Trust. Till now 99 6E Scholars have been identified out of the total 100 that Mensa is aiming for. Results for about 300 more candidates are expected shortly. The identification phase of the 6E Project is expected to be completed by March
Test being administered at the all-girls’ “Literacy India School”, Brijwasan
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MENSA ACTIVE KAYAKING AT GIRGAUM
… Continued from mensa initiatives Mensa India Delhi are considering this as a Pilot Program for the Dhruv Project. Once we have implemented this to our satisfaction, we will approach other sponsors for the next phase.
For more details about 6E Scholar Program, contact: Mensa India Delhi, D-173, SushantLok 1, Gurgaon, Haryana 122002 Email: mensa_delhi@yahoo.co.in Tel: + (91) 9818148602
Volunteer Mentors are being nominated and readers are welcome to offer their services as a volunteer (unpaid, of course) if you are in Delhi/NCR. It is not essential to be a Mensan to volunteer. This is a very worthwhile nationbuilding project and your help will be most appreciated.
Errata: The contact number for Project Dhruv/ 6E Scholar Program was erroneously mentioned as + (91) 98181486 in the previous issue. It has been corrected in this issue. Please note the correction.
Story : Mumbai Mensa Outdoor SIG: Kayaking@Mafatlal (22nd Feb)
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly; but
About Mensa Active “Mensa Active” is a column that showcases any activity
when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
that a Chapter or an SIG undertakes.
It could be a fun activity or a serious discussion, or even an organization committee meet. Whatever you do under the banner of Mensa or a Mensa SIG, it will be captured here and shared with fellow Mensans. If you want to plan a meet/ share any thoughts on a particular SIG/ start a discussion that could lead to the formation of an SIG you so wish was there – then Mensa Active is your platform to give a call to the like-minded. Or it can even act as a loud-speaker to announce your events.
At the 8th hour of a Sunday morning, 12 brave souls and 1 kind Samaritan gathered to kick off the first Mumbai Mensa Outdoor SIG event of the New Year. Mensan, Manisha Mehta, organized a kayaking event at the Pransukhlal Mafatlal Hindu Swimming Bath and Boat Club. Located at Marine Lines, and overlooking the beach at Chowpaty, the Mafatlal club affords its patrons many activities including boating, water-surfing and, of course, kayaking. Nirav—national Mensa president, Mafatlal club member, and the earlier Samaritan alluded to—showed up just to sign in the non-members as guests. But disrespecting the efforts of the 13 intellectuals in waking up at so early an hour, the petulant Arabian Sea refused to come to shore until past 10. But not those to be confounded by liquid whims of Erythraean waters, the adventurers inverted the day’s schedule and began with breakfast instead.Over dosas, Jain samosas, countless plates of Jalebi-gathia and
The Kayaking Group – Waiting For The Waves At Breakfast Table. enough glasses of orange juice to secure citizenship to the state of Florida (a certain
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MENSA ACTIVE KAYAKING AT GIRGAUM management consultant may have had a morethan-healthy intake of liquid citrus), the assembly acquainted within itself.
paddle. And then, after that initial rush to row fast towards the open sea, the water and the wind calm your mind. Kayaking isn’t to get anywhere (at least not when practiced as a leisure sport)—it’s to be where you are, when you are there. Movement in stillness, and being in motion. From the kayak, the city is a moving picture on muted sound. The sea gulls are good company to watch this silent, floating movie called Bombay.
Well-fed and still waiting for the Sea to show up, the gathering then sat down for a round of Cards Against Humanity. Despite the efforts of Game Master Qadir, one under-age member snuck in to participate illegally. Half-way through the game, ex-Mumbai Mensa president, Rajib arrived. And just as the game was starting to get intense, the Sea finally decided to punch in the clock and show up at work. There are two types of kayaks—Sit on tops, and Cockpit style. For our activity, we used the easier Sit on tops. There were two-person kayaks, as well as single-person ones. 13 life-jacket-clad Mensans set out to battle the waves with only paddle stick and plastic vessel.
40 minutes later, dripping wet and back on shore, 12 Mensans awaited a management consultant (presumably still high on orange juice) to return from his swim. After photo-ops the crowd moved to Manisha’s place where she hosted another round of Cards Against Humanity (CAH). During the game, Rajib gave a quick crash-course on put-call options, as Dhoni and Co limped to 300 in their world cup match against South Africa. The earlier-mentioned under-ager had now become a seasoned player. She easily trounced the rest of the gang over an entire round of CAH. With the sand still clinging to their skins; the taste of Jalebi-ghatias still on their tongues; enough vile thoughts against humanity embedded in their minds; and great memories of a Sunday morning well spent, the gathering broke up amidst tearful goodbyes.
Kayaking:
At first there is an uncertainty whether you’ll be able to row for any length of time, to any distance. But a few strokes into it, you realize that the vessel and the water respond to your
Disclaimer: Actual events may have varied from description.
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TECH--TALK:: TO UN NBOIL A BOILED D EGG
(U Un)boil the recipe! r
Ande Ka K Funda a
So o, you musst’ve heard doctors saying how good itt is to have egggs, and how much m proteinss they have in i them, and all a the beau utiful things in the world, to convincee you to ha ave eggs even when w you do on’t like theem. Well these proteins p are what w fold up p to form aggregates when an egg is boiled; recoverry of these proteins p is in nefficient and challenging for larrge-scale industrrial processess.
~Shreya Gupta G
Givven my intereests for new innovations in the field ofo science, I have a nastty habit of poking aroun nd people an nd f new stuff to write abo out. Recently,, I searching the internet for was just surfing s the internet i wheen I read a headline tha at instantly caught my ey ye. at if I told yo ou - “Scient ntists found a new way to t Wha unboil a boiled b egg!”” Exactly myy reaction - I read it, an nd then I read the head dline again, because I just couldn n’t believe myy eyes. This was like, fa alsifying all th he chemistryy I had learn nt back in ju unior school, where theyy taught us about a physical and chem mical processees; and I cleearly rememb ber boiling an a egg was a chemical irreversible process. p After reading th his article the ground had d shifted from m beneath my feet. Whatt’s next? Unb burning a bu urnt matchstick? Innovations like thesse make me wonder, arre scientists actually so talented an nd innovativee or are they y just so idle that they wake w up in th he morning and a think, “Oh! A new w morning, let’s just trry hanging upside u down from the ceeiling today and a make th he blood flow w to the feett instead of the t brain!; or o maybe lett’s just have an a omelette of o an unboil((ed) boiled eggg today!”. Whattever the case is, this reesearch is going g to be a breakthrou ugh in the fiield of mediccal sciences, especially fo or treatment of cancer.
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Sttep 1: On ne way to separate s these perfectly folded protein ules, from th he aggregatess, are to molecu rotate the solutiion at verry high rotation nal speeds.T The solution starts to form micrometer-th m hick, thin flu uid films, which flow with th he same speeed and directio on as the wa all of the gla ass tube; this gen nerates a vellocity gradien nt within the thiin fluid film m, which inttroduces shear stress s into th he solution. It’s like puttingg a slimy ball b in a gla ass and rotatingg the glass with high ro otational speeds; such that th he slimy ball starts to w the speeed of the glass inside rotate with it, and d it starts separates into the contents of the slim me. w, this shea ar helps Sttep 2: Now dissem mble the aggrregates. Onee of the basic concepts off science iss, when m bonds are formed or when molecules join to ogether, transsfer of energgy takes place- in the form m of gain orr loss of heat energy. e Now w, to recoverr folded protein n moleculles from these aggregates we requ uire energy which w is he high ro otational facilitatted by th speeds. The “soft”” energy in the thin film off solution helps to reco over the folded protein molecules, m without h of th he solution. actual heating
THE PUZZLE PAGE TECH-TALK continued…
Again relating to the ball of the slime in the rotating glass- in normal conditions, it would require heat or some kind of energy to separate the contents of this slimy ball, which in this case is provided by the high rotational speeds.
Next step in the recipe: This research could help in the field of cancer treatment - specifically in cases where cells aggregate to form the tumours. Let’s just hope that we have machines that could unboil boiled eggs; maybe we could just boil a few eggs when needed, stuff them inside bags- while travelling- and unboil them when we reach the destination. This way we don’t have to worry about the eggs breaking maybe. It’s a win-win
situation!
Solution to the January Puzzle of the Month(MASYU):
ODD SUDOKU: Odd Sudoku is a very common variation of the well-known Classic Sudoku. It has appeared in multiple National and International Sudoku Championships and is a regular feature in Beginner-oriented Sudoku sets. There are a few small variations within this variation, like having Even digits shaded instead of Odd ones, or having a system where digits in circles are odd and digits in smaller squares are even. All Sudoku variations, unless explicitly mentioned otherwise, still follow Classic Sudoku rules. This means solvers can usually solve variations using Classic techniques to a point and then gradually mix in the added constraint provided by the extra rule TIPS FOR ODD SUDOKU: Even though the added rule focuses on Odd digits, it is usually easier to fill in Even digits first by avoiding shaded cells while placing them. All in all, remember that each row, column and 3x3 box must have 5 odd digits and 4 even digits (1-3-5-7-9, 2-46-8) So if you have a separate marking for Odds and Evens, the whole Sudoku can become easier.
For more puzzles and Sudoku tips like these and to know more about the Indian National Championships for puzzles/ for all puzzle matters - you can visit the Indian website, Logic Masters India – logicmastersindia.com
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THE PUZZLE PAGE
ODD SUDOKU Place the digits 1 through 9 into the empty cells in the grid such that: 1. Each digit should appear exactly once in each of the rows, columns, and bold outlined 3X3 boxes. 2. Additionally, each shaded cell must contain an Odd digit (1 3 5 7 9).s.
A Solved Case:
Puzzle Of The Month:
Puzzle Information and Tips Note about Logical Pencil Puzzles in general: These are puzzles which have a step-by-step procedural and logical path. No guesswork is required, and there is no need to force a solution in the entire puzzle immediately. Each clue will come into perspective gradually, and using them a little at a time and spotting where the next step is, is part of the challenge and generally increases the feeling of satisfaction when they puzzle is solved. It is advisable to solve with a pencil and not a pen, so that erasing and backtracking is possible in case of an error. Also, these puzzles can generally have pleasant and artistic visual themes to them. For example, in this Sudoku, the shaded cells are in the pattern of the letters ’MIND’. Solution to the “Puzzle of the Month” will be published in the next issue.
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Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavorial Biases – Concluding Part ~ Puneet Khurana Availability bias and investing: In the last issue, we saw the vicious circle of confirmation and availability bias and the reasons we get trapped in them. Let us now see how these affect our investment habits. First, let us understand how investors ‘suffers’ because of ‘When-I-am-not-near-the-girl-I-love, Ilove-the-girl-I-am-near’ fallacy and then see what can be done to avoid it. This behaviour is typically observed in the panic/euphoric markets. A sporadic event causing a sudden reaction in the markets - like a terrorist attack causing a marketcrash - is the example of this bias. At times like these, it is imperative for investors to take themselves mentally away from the scene and think objectively as to why the value should be affected. We all know that value is affected only by two variables – (1) Cash flows and (2) Interest rates. If there is no reason for these two to change, there is no reason for prices to change. These markets create opportunities for rational investors. Another way this bias affect us is during the evaluation of business prospect. We have a natural tendency to over-weigh the current or past few quarters for the simple reason that these can be quickly recalled from the recent memory. Combine this with the vividness provided by TV business channels and experts telling you day in and day out what’s great or bad about the company and that makes you overoptimistic or over-pessimistic about the prospects. Even the contrarian in you sometimes feels overwhelmed and may succumb to “they must know something I don’t” syndrome. This can be avoided by taking a longer operating history of the business while evaluating it. Look for a long operating history - preferably 10 years or more. (In a lot many Indian companies, 10 years history may not be available, but take as much as you can and then evaluate the business.)
Important: I am not asking you to ignore the recent quarters. The aberration in recent quarter results may or may not be just aberrations.
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Structural changes are also very subtle. But the idea is to look at the picture from both far off (10 years) and close (recent quarters) without overemphasizing any view. Another way in which availability bias impacts investors is by the inclination shown towards an idea (let’s take a stock idea for example), the moment it strikes us. The sources of the idea may differ. You may have heard about a company from an intelligent friend or a known stock picker, or worse, a TV stock expert, and you work on it and you agree with the prospect. Now don’t get me wrong here! It is good to be excited about something you just ‘discovered’. I am just pointing out that the tendency is to give undue importance to one idea. After all, the stock doesn’t know we own it. Always remember…
An idea or a fact is not worth more merely because it’s available to you.
The examples are many, like: Being overoptimistic about an upcoming IPO because your previous IPO investment made money. (Completely disregarding the fact that in general, IPOs have been losing propositions for investors.)
Selling a security just because it has risen up substantially in the recent times without giving the regard to the value-price gap. Buying something just because it has fallen 80% from the peak. (this is also called anchoring bias but I will discuss it later) Giving undue importance to price movement of recent past…Giving undue importance to stocks that are covered by the media and ignoring the ones those are not. And so on…..
But what can rational investors do to deal with this bias? The solutions have to be
customized according to the investor. But here is a general broad guideline that has have helped number of investors. 1) Since most of the biases are psychological, unless you are trained to think about them yourself, a written reminder is of utmost use. Infact, we can almost remove all inefficiencies from our thinking process if we follow written procedures (general guidelines).
Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavorial Biases – Concluding Part This idea has been explained by Atul Gawande in his book “The Checklist Manifesto”. The idea of checklists have been used and promoted by some very savvy investors including Buffett, Munger, Mohnish Pabrai, and Guy Spier. As a defense against our cognitive disability of remembering everything, checklists help us avoid first conclusion bias. However, the effectiveness of the checklist will be determined not only by its existence but by its exhaustiveness and its ability to accumulate your learning - be it direct or vicarious. Checklists differ for different kinds of investors and the more you read, the more you will be able to develop one. For me personally, checklists serve two important purposes: a) Since mistakes made in recent investment operations are recallable easily but mistakes done few years back are not, a checklist serves as a reminder to avoid those. b) It incorporates learning not only from your own investment operations but also from the other investors’ and hence adds the vicarious learning benefit to your process. Mistakes are very costly in the markets. There are some mistakes we can’t avoid but some we can. As Buffett have told us a number of times,
“An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistake.” To do: Don’t do all the mistakes yourself. Learn from others, add to your checklist and follow it religiously.
2) Another way of avoiding Availibility Bias is a conscious change in the cognitive thought process. This is what I learned from Darwin, something he wrote in his autobiography, “I have followed a golden rule for many years whenever a published fact, a new observation or a thought comes across me, which is opposed to my general results, I make a memorandum of it without fail at once; for I have found by experience that such facts and thoughts are far more likely to escape from the memory than the favorable ones.”
This extremely powerful idea is based on the simple notion that ‘One can never conclusively prove anything but one can conclusively disprove something.’ This is the same idea we use in Statistics where we
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either ‘reject the hypothesis’ or we ‘fail to reject the hypothesis’. We never accept the hypothesis. Sighting of 100,000 white swans doesn’t conclusively prove that all swans are white but sighting of one black swan disproves the notion. And hence the idea is to consciously seek disconfirming evidences. As there is a natural tendency to seek out what is consistent with our view, it becomes absolutely imperative to seek out things which disprove us. Many great investors have made this idea such a habit that now they do it subconsciously. It becomes the way of operating. And this is not only true for investors, but prominent thinkers, politicians, humanists, businessman and countless successful people. For example, if I have a view on a stock, I don’t read the research reports with the similar conclusions. In fact, if I have a bullish view, I make it a point to read all the analyst reports which have a sell on the stock and discuss their viewpoint with them. Remember, there is no right or wrong, just points of view. Right and wrong are always in hindsight. When I am studying one school of thought, it is important to understand other schools of thought to get the complete picture. If I am a proponent of Austrian school of economics, then it is imperative not just to read Hayek but make it a point to read Keynes, Krugman etc. to get varied point of views and then decide. Don’t assume some strategy will work because some investor told you so. More so, why not challenge yourself and read Soros and not just Buffett every time. Or, when reading Dawkins work on atheism, you don’t just read his ‘The God Delusion’ but also read David Bernilski’s ‘The Devil’s Delusion’. To do: Have lots of ideas. Have opposite point of views and constantly seek out disconfirming evidence. It is a very essential trait in a profession where our major enemy against our success is our psychology. Finally, always remember the wise words of Emile Auguste Chartier, ‘Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it’s the only one you have.’
Movie Review: The Imitation Game Review by: Krishna Vora Ever since I have known, I have been a fan of everything psychology. I love reading books written by psychologists, their biographies etc. but nothing has been as gripping as the movie imitation game. And casting Cumberbatch as Turing was simply icing on the cake. For those of you who might not have seen the movie and don’t intend to, it is based on the true story of ‘Alan Turing’, fondly known as the Father of Artificial Intelligence. Well he was a genius mathematician and it was only natural for him to be hired by the government during the World war II to help crack a German code (among many other fellow mathematicians). His team mates spend the whole day manually trying to decode the code which had more than a million possibilities. Turing realising the futility of this venture, decides to build a computer that can work just a tad bit faster than humans at figuring out the code. The machine is required to be faster than the combined forces of top 5 mathematical minds of that country, cause the Germans change the settings for their machine each day and a day is not enough to fish among a million options. After working through the bureaucratic hurdles and convincing his peers to work alongside him, they finally manage to build a machine that can decode it. But you see that’s not the point. The movie is much more than that. It’s a lot about the journey of a prodigy being bullied through school life, struggling to find his foothold among people who regard him differently cause of his obvious eccentricities, getting over the loss of his friend and finally holding his secret, that of his homosexuality, to himself. You also get a taste of how different life experiences are for a person with high intellect and poor social skills. You watch with awe and horror as he and his team discover how to break the code but let a major attack pass solely to avoid suspicion. For, if it becomes obvious that they have cracked the code, the Germans would change their strategy overnight and their work worth two years would be futile.
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They mutually agree that they will have to avert attacks which are just enough to avoid suspicion and avert maximum amount of damage. The whole movie is amazing uptill the point where you realise that he has to go through chemical castration (because homosexuality is an offence at that time), the side effects of which render him incapable of pursuing intellectual work. He is frustrated to the point where he commits suicide a year later. He died in early 40s. He was a man whose work saved 2 years of war and a million lives. We can only imagine his contribution had he lived any longer. Ironically, no one in the government or society seem to mind his sexual preferences when they need to serve his country. But once done he was treated like a misfit, drugged and left to fend for himself. It’s these kind of things that make you wonder if you should give your best to society? Is it worth to risk being different? Or thinking of things others are not capable off? As we all know, it isn’t the first time where the collective phobia of masses has take precedence over an individual intellect. I end with a dialogue said by Joan Clarke towards the end of the movie
Do you know, this morning I was on a train that went through a city that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for you. I bought a ticket from a man who would likely be dead if it wasn’t for you. I read up, on my work, a whole field of scientific inquiry that only exists because of you. Now, if you wish you could have been normal… I can promise you I do not. The world is an infinitely better place precisely because you weren’t
LENSA
Graveyard, Goa
This black and white photo was captured in Vagator just as the sun was about to go down. Basically, I wanted to accentuate the patterns of the crosses while using the low angle of the sun. Incidentally one of my friends walked by and the off focus shoots of grass in the foreground lent the shot a feeling of depth. So in a sense the surprise on seeing the result is not there as the picture is case of execution gone right.
About LENSA: Are you a camera-crazy Mensan who believes in trapping the light around you in picture frames? Then LENSA is your gallery where you throw light on these frames. Send in your contributions in high resolution .jpg format to: editor.mensaindia@gmail.com You can also let us know what comes to your mind when you see these beautiful captures in the LENSA section. We are sure that the thoughts these picturess invoke are no less than poetry. Your responses to these images could get published under ‘A LENSA Mind’ in the next issue.
~ Surya Basu
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WORDSMITH
In A Blink
About Wordsmith: “Wordsmith” is a column that invites poems, stories, essays and anything else that weaves with words, paints with prose or evokes vivid scenes, smells and sounds through artistic assembly of letters.
The first time I blinked, I saw a stone face, sensing a severe, lack of God’s grace. The second time I blinked, I saw sad eyes, a cringing nose, a face marred with lines. The third time I blinked, was a smile back at me, halo on high, radiant was he. The fourth time I blinked, the pattern was rave, a blink to be happy, a blink to be grave. The fifth time I blinked, this secret I think, emotions are short, wait for the blink. ~Peter Joseph
The following pages are from the Mensa World Journal
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mensa w o r l d j o u r nal International SIGHT - AUSTRIA (p4) february 2015 issue #024
Inside... p3 - from the Executive Committee p6 - International SIGs p11 - Puzzles p5 - LEAP closing date: March 15 p10 - news of Photographer of the Year 2015 Gwen Korinek adjusts her helmet before ziplining in Vienna at “Spider Rock” Photo: Toni Harrauer
Also...
High heels may enhance a man’s instinct to be helpful (p2) Study finds brain abnormalities in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients (p7) Supernova explosion - fireball expanding at 1.3 million mph (p8) Sealed with a kiss...and bacteria (p9) The early chimp gets the fig (p12)
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m ensa wor ld j our na l High heels may enhance a man’s instinct to be helpful A French study is the first to investigate the effect of a woman’s shoe heels on men’s behaviour.
what happened when a woman in flat shoes asked people to complete a survey, and whether or not they complied more readily when she was wearing high heels. He also tested whether or not people’s spontaneous If it’s help a woman needs, maybe urge to help changed when the same she should wear high heels. That’s the woman - again wearing shoes with message from Nicolas Guéguen of different heel sizes - dropped a glove. the Université de The findings show Bretagne-Sud that men’s helpin France, after fulness increased he observed how along with the helpful men are height of the heels towards women in a woman was high heels versus wearing. However, those wearing flat, heel height had no sensible shoes. The influence on other study, published in women’s willingSpringer’s journal ness to help. Archives of Sexual In the final exBehavior, is the first ever to invesperiment, Guéguen found that men tigate how the height of a woman’s in a bar were quicker to start chatting shoe heel influences how men behave with a woman wearing heels than towards her. when she was wearing flat shoes. Research across various cultures “Women’s shoe heel size exerts a has shown at length how important powerful effect on men’s behaviour,” physical features, such as body size summarizes Guéguen, who argues and the style and colour of a woman’s that the results of these studies once clothing, influence a man’s behaviour again reveal how men focus on womtowards and judgement of a woman. en’s physical attributes when judging Even though a link between highand interacting with members of the heeled shoes and sexiness is implied opposite sex. by the many models wearing such He believes that more research shoes in magazines and adult films, must be done to examine whether only one previous study has tested the this effect depends on a woman’s shoe effect of women’s shoe heels on men’s heel size and on any change of gait judgement. due to wearing high heels. Guéguen therefore set out to conduct field experiments to test the extracted from http://www.sciencedaily.com/ influence of different shoe styles on releases/2014/11/141119084719.htm?utm_ men’s helping behaviour. He watched source=feedburner mensa world journal february 2015
from the editor, International SIGs and SIGHT feature in this issue with Mensa Pakistan in the SIGs spotlight (p6). A few of the SIGs are described, but for more information, please contact the SIG Coordinator, Dr. Wasiq Faraz, at sig-pk@mensa. org. He will let you know which of their SIGs are available for members outside Pakistan to join. A ‘young’ Mensa, Pakistan also recently admitted its youngest member to date, six year-old Khulood Fatima Zia. Gwen Korinek (pictured on the front cover) is a member of Mensa Austria and a keen enthusiast of the SIGHT programme. On p4, she tells of her experiences as both a SIGHT host and SIGHT visitor. She also coordinates the “WaghalSIG” (freely translated to “daredevil SIG”) in Austria (waghalsig@mensa.at). Also included in this issue, the Director of Development outlines testing, and the establishment procedures for new Mensas (p3), and an article on recent research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is on p7. News of the International Photographer of the Year 2015 is on p10. Therese Moodie-Bloom’s Brain Teasers are included, as usual, on p11. Happy reading!
With warm regards, Kate mwjeditor@mensa.org 02
m ensa wor ld j our na l from the executive committee... Planet Mensa Stockholm, Sweden. This time of year, you see the stars already at three in the afternoon. Traditionally, today on the first of Advent, people put up chandeliers in the windows everwhere, little triangles of light to brighten up the long night and remind us all of the returning sun. Thanks to Mensa, we also have interesting company and intelligent conversations to light up our days but what of all those countries where there are no groups?
Several Mensa members with connections to foreign countries have contacted us asking for help to set up Mensa abroad. Here are a few basic principles we want to follow:
1 - Get your board on board. The board of the established Mensa group should agree to help. We would much rather have the support of an entire country behind the individuals who do the travelling and testing. 2 - Approved proctors only. The member who travels to another country in order to test and reWe at Mensa International are cruit has to be a proctor trained changing our procedures for testing in countries without a Mensa group, and approved by their own board, or their appointed testing comin order to have steady and orderly growth. As part of this, we are asking mittee or similar body. The training of proctors in any country needs to established groups and travelling have the approval of the National members for help. Adopt a country! Supervisory Psychologist. Full National Mensas can set up “off- 3 - Test as usual. Mostly. When testing abroad, make use of your domesspring� groups abroad. However, it is absolutely critical that no member tic routines and processes for scoring and evaluation of the candidates. starts crossing borders to test new people without first getting approval Notwithstanding, deciding what test to use should be done together with from Mensa International, from Mensa International. the Director of Development and 4 - Recruit DIMs. The new members the International Office. We want will become Direct International to expand, but in a controlled way. Members of Mensa. They will pay Each national Mensa has authority dues to Mensa International and and responsibility to test within its own borders. Mensa International is not to the country who is generously assisting. here to coordinate what takes place 5 - Find a psychologist. Apart from elsewhere. Cooperation is the way recruting members, finding a psyforward. If you are a proctor in your chologist to collaborate with is also country and you want to go abroad important. This person may eventuto test - do nothing until you have ally assume the role of National received a clear go-ahead from us.
mensa world journal february 2015
BjĂśrn Liljeqvist
Supervisory Psychologist, which is necessary for the new group to become independent and manage its own testing. 6 - Do not train new local proctors. Once you have a go ahead to start testing - do so. But refrain from teaching the locals to be proctors themselves. This is a very crucial step that requires cooperation from Mensa International. Any new test proctor in a new country must be approved by Mensa International until there is an established process in the new country, with its own NSP. 7 - No pay. We do not do this for the money, it is all volunteer work. The model described here depends on individuals travelling on their (continued on p5)
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m ensa wor ld j our na l
International S.I.G.H.T SIGHT - a member’s experiences Strange snoring sounds coming
from your sofa, communication by e-mail only, visiting places you’ve never been before because you always walk past them as a local... Does this sound familiar? Welcome to the world of SIGHT! Why participate in SIGHT? There are many ways to benefit from SIGHT. Personally, I use the service
tiring, I like being a SIGHT host as well. This feels like going on a holiday without actually going. Since I live in Vienna, I frequently get requests and am happy to host travellers. So far, I’ve hosted Antonio, a translator from Mexico, and Vladan, a physics student from Serbia. Sometimes, SIGHT guests do not require accommodation but are grateful for sightseeing advice or are simply interested in meeting other Mensans. Dave from the US and I took a walk in the city centre of Vienna and enjoyed local cafés and pubs. Everyone I’ve met so far has been very agreeable and great company.
How SIGHT inspires the local The TRIGA Mark II Mensa group when I need accommodation for tri- reactor in the Viennese Having enjoyPrater is part of the athlon competitions. It’s great to get Institute of Atomic and able times with to know fellow Mensans and couch- Subatomic Physics other Mensans surf at the same time. I would like to is not the end thank my hosts Andreas, Roger and of the benefits of SIGHT. It can Tom. Another advantage of staying also inspire your local Mensa group with SIGHT hosts is that they tend because SIGHT hosting makes you to know a lot of interesting sights aware of things to see you normally and places to go – things you might wouldn’t think of. miss by staying in a hotel! continued on p05 Although hosting others can be
mensa world journal february 2015
by
Gwen Korinek
from the SIGHT Coordinator of Mensa Austria...
I’d like to thank Gwen for her valuable input. I have invited her to share one of her recent experiences as a SIGHT host, and it seems that she is enjoying meeting and hosting Mensans from other parts of the world, just as travelling members from anywhere enjoy meeting local Mensans wherever they go. This is what makes my “job” - serving for the benefit of our members - so special and enjoyable. Please feel free to join our facebook site, but of course you are welcome as well to contact me the “old fashioned way” through SIGHT@mensa.at. Can’t wait to hear from you! Fritz Schachinger SIGHT Mensa Austria
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m ensa wor ld j our na l from p04
a lot of countries founded their own SIGHT group on facebook. In my view, this is a very positive development because it enables Mensans worldwide to get in touch with SIGHT hosts of their country of interest quickly and may facilitate organisation. If not already done, I would like to encourage everyone to found a SIGHT facebook group for their country! I founded a facebook group for Austrian SIGHT hosts and people who are interested in visiting Austria. There are also links to other national SIGHT facebook groups. If you like, feel free to join - and hopefully we’ll see you in Austria soon!
International SIGHT facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/176942022394979/ Austrian SIGHT facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ SIGHTMensaAustria/
potential is good. Many Full National Mensas already sit on lots of material that can be recycled and adapted to the new territories. As soon as there are members, there Of course, testing is not must be activiall. We also need PR, ties, starting with setting up posters at unithe basic building versities, contacting the block of Mensa: media etc, in order to atthe recurring tract people. The concept of a high-IQ society is still very novel meeting at a local restaurant or coffee in many parts of the world so the PR house. From this group must eventu-
ally emerge a team that will formalize a society, draft a constitution and get recognition from Mensa International. It is not that difficult after all, since all current chapters have travelled this road.
Since Vladan studies physics, we visited Austria’s only nuclear reactor currently in use. Located in the Viennese Prater, it is used by the Vienna University of Technology for scientific purposes only. Although this was a very spontaneous visit and others couldn’t join us, there was such a strong resonance in the local Mensa group that twelve people visited the reactor in a second excursion! This demonstrates that your local Mensa group can benefit from SIGHT activities. SIGHT on Facebook Facebook is pretty useful for organising (Mensa) events. Recently, quite
Gwen Korinek Gwen also coordinates the “WaghalSIG” (freely translated to “daredevil SIG”) in Austria (waghalsig@ mensa.at). For enquiries re International SIGHT, contact Pierpaolo Vittoria, the International SIGHT Coordinator on sight@ mensa.org
continued from p3
own money, maybe with support from their national board. Of course, testing and PR material and the like are paid for by Mensa.
“As soon as there are members, there must be activities...”
If you, as a member reading this, want to help out, contact me and we will see how we can proceed.
Björn Liljeqvist Director of Development
Leadership Exchange Ambassador Program Share and gain knowledge with volunteers all over the world Applications close March 1, 2015
For all details, see January 2015 Mensa World Journal or email leapcomm@mensa.org with your questions mensa world journal february 2015
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m ensa wor ld j our na l International SIGs - Pakistan Mensa Pakistan first became a Provisional Mensa in 2007, and just this year, they received considerable publicity for admitting six-yearold Khulood Fatima Zia as the youngest member in Mensa Pakistan. Knowing that getting Mensans together to talk about shared interests is one of the best ways to keep them involved and interacting, Mensa Pakistan started growing their SIGs program right away. The large variety of SIGs offered in Pakistan include: Gadgets SIG – As many SIGs tend to start, the Gadgets SIG began when local members in the capital city of Lahore, when Mensa members were passing their personal electronics around the table at a restaurant gathering.
Book SIG – Members of Mensa Pakistan are no different from Mensans worldwide in that they love to read. This SIG also has a mechanism for sharing and trading books, both online and in person. Game SIG – If you visit any of Mensa Pakistan’s online venues, it will become apparent that they love puzzles and games. Regular puzzles are posted on their Facebook page and official website, and also played in person.
For more information about Mensa Pakistan and its SIG program, visit http:// www.mensapk.org/ or https://www. Movies SIG – This SIG discusses facebook.com/mensapakistan. You anything from short films found can also contact the SIG Coordinaon the internet to big blockbusters. They’ve held in-person movie gather- tor, Dr. Wasiq Faraz, at sig-pk@ mensa.org and the Chairman of ings in Lahore and have discussed Mensa Pakistan, Hasan Zuberi, at actually making a movie together! chairman-pk@mensa.org. Photography SIG – SIG members can post their photographic work online, discuss camera equipment, and meet for photography outings. mensa world journal february 2015
Barbara Kryvko International SIGs Coordinator sigs@mensa.org
Khulood Fatima Zia
Deadline for submissions to May 2015 issue is March 1, 2015 mwjeditor@mensa. org
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m ensa wor ld j our na l Study finds brain abnormalities in chronic fatigue patients Radiology researchers have
patients to those of 14 age- and sexdiscovered that the brains of patients matched healthy volunteers with no history of fatigue or other conditions with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have diminished white matter causing symptoms similar to those of and white matter abnormalities in the CFS. right hemisphere. Three key findings The findings could lead to more definitive diagnoses of the syndrome The analysis yielded three noteworthy results, the researchers said. and may also point to an underlying First, an MRI showed that overall mechanism in the disease process. white-matter content of CFS It’s not unpatients’ brains, compared common for CFS with that of healthy subjects’ patients to face brains, was reduced. The term several mischar“white matter” largely denotes acterizations of the long, cablelike nerve their condition, tracts carrying signals among or even suspicions broadly dispersed concentraof hypochondria, tions of “gray matter.” The before receiving a latter areas specialize in prodiagnosis of CFS. cessing information, and the The abnormalities identified in the study, published Oct. former in conveying the information 29 in Radiology, may help to resolve from one part of the brain to another. That finding wasn’t entirely those ambiguities, said lead author Michael Zeineh, MD, PhD, assistant unexpected, Zeineh said. CFS is thought to involve chronic inflamprofessor of radiology. “Using a trio of sophisticated im- mation, quite possibly as a protracted immunological response to an as-yet aging methodologies, we found that unspecified viral infection. InflammaCFS patients’ brains diverge from tion, meanwhile, is known to take a those of healthy subjects in at least particular toll on white matter. three distinct ways,” Zeineh said. But a second finding was entirely The Stanford investigators comunexpected. Using an advanced impared brain images of 15 CFS
“This study was a start... it shows us where to look.”
aging technique — diffusion-tensor imaging, which is especially suited to assessing the integrity of white matter — Zeineh and his colleagues identified a consistent abnormality in a particular part of a nerve tract in the right hemisphere of CFS patients’ brains. This tract, which connects two parts of the brain called the frontal lobe and temporal lobe, is called the right arcuate fasciculus, and in CFS patients it assumed an abnormal appearance. Furthermore, there was a fairly strong correlation between the degree of abnormality in a CFS patient’s right arcuate fasciculus and the severity of the patient’s condition, as assessed by performance on a standard psychometric test used to evaluate fatigue. Right vs. left Although the right arcuate fasciculus’s function is still somewhat mysterious, its counterpart in the brain’s left hemisphere has been extensively explored. The left arcuate fasciculus connects two critical language areas of the left side of the brain termed Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas, which are gray-matter structures several centimeters apart. continued on p08
Log into the International website at www.mensa.org for the calendar of national events mensa world journal february 2015
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m ensa wor ld j our na l from p07
These two structures are important to understanding and generating speech, respectively. Right-handed people almost always have language organized in this fashion exclusively in the left side of the brain, but the precise side (left or right) and location of speech production and comprehension are not so clear-cut in left-handed people. (It’s sometimes said that every left-hander’s brain is a natural experiment.) So, pooling left- and right-handed people’s brain images can be misleading. And, sure enough, the finding of an abnormality in the right arcuate fasciculus, pronounced among righthanders, was murky until the two left-handed patients and four lefthanded control subjects’ images were exempted from the analysis.
Under Glass
Finnish Mensan, Saila Seppo, has written a book based on her son who has Asperger syndrome. The narrative is written from the mother’s point of view and is a family-oriented book about both the joys and sorrows of everyday life. It tells the story of the deep feelings of a mother who shares her life with her children. Through the narrative, the book reveals different aspects of Asperger syndrome, a disorder that is often mensa world journal february 2015
Bolstering these observations was the third finding: a thickening of the gray matter at the two areas of the brain connected by the right arcuate fasciculus in CFS patients, compared with controls. Its correspondence with the observed abnormality in the white matter joining them makes it unlikely that the two were chance findings, Zeineh said. Although these results were quite robust, he said, they will need to be confirmed. “This study was a start,” he said. “It shows us where to look.” The Stanford scientists are in the planning stages of a substantially larger study. Extracted from http://med.stanford.edu/news/allnews/2014/10/study-finds-brain-abnormalitiesin-chronic-fatigue-patients.html Bruce Goldman
understood far too narrowly. As Pekka (the son) grows up, he comes face to face with many complicated situations both at home and at school. The family includes five children, and Pekka’s siblings
Just Super Yale News, October 27, 2014. “A Fireball in Space Reveals the Nature of Novae.” (Nature) In astronomy these days, things happen very slowly or very quickly. A case of the latter developed when Yale fellow Tabetha Boyajian showed up for scheduled observatory time at California’s Mount Wilson Observatory. She was told that a nearby supernova had been seen to explode just hours earlier. Astronomers have seen plenty of old supernovas, but nobody had studied one so soon after the explosion. Original work was set aside, and all effort went into observing the exploding star. In a single day the fireball was as big as Earth’s orbit around the sun. In 43 days it had grown to the size of our solar system. It continues to expand at 1.3 million miles per hour.
john blinke
also encounter difficult situations owing to Pekka’s condition. Through it all, however, Pekka still seems like an ordinary child – almost. Following a number of serious situations, his mother is forced to learn how to adapt. The book expands on this and also touches on some parts of the philosophical issues underlying Asperger syndrome. Saila’s book is available from https://www.etsy.com/ listing/202896624/a-novel-whotells-about-asperger?ref=shop_ home_active_4
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m ensa wor ld j our na l sealed with a kiss... and bacteria As many as 80 million bacteria are transferred during a 10 second kiss, according to research published in the open access journal Microbiome. The study also found that partners who kiss each other at least nine times a day share similar communities of oral bacteria. The ecosystem of more than 100 trillion microorganisms that live in our bodies -- the microbiome -- is essential for the digestion of food, synthesizing nutrients, and preventing disease. It is shaped by genetics, diet, and age, but also the individuals with whom we interact. With the mouth playing host to more than 700 varieties of bacteria, the oral microbiota also appear to be influenced by those closest to us. Researchers from Micropia and TNO in the Netherlands studied 21 couples, asking them to fill out questionnaires on their kissing behaviour including their average intimate kiss frequency. They then took swab samples to investigate the composition of their oral microbiota on the tongue and in their saliva. The results showed that when couples intimately kiss at relatively high frequencies their salivary microbiota become similar. On average it was found that at least nine intimate kisses per day led to couples having significantly shared salivary microbiota. mensa world journal february 2015
Lead author Remco Kort, from TNO’s Microbiology and Systems Biology department and adviser to the Micropia museum of microbes, said: “Intimate kissing involving full tongue contact and saliva exchange appears to be a courtship behavior unique to humans and is common in over 90% of known cultures. Interestingly, the current explanations for the function of intimate kissing in humans include an important role for the microbiota present in the oral cavity, although to our knowledge, the exact effects of intimate kissing on the oral microbiota have never been studied. We wanted to find out the extent to which partners share their oral microbiota, and it turns out, the more a couple kiss, the more similar they are.” In a controlled kissing experiment to quantify the transfer of bacteria, a member of each of the couples had a probiotic drink containing specific varieties of bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. After an intimate kiss, the researchers found that the quantity of probiotic bacteria in the receiver’s saliva rose threefold, and calculated that in total 80 million
bacteria would have been transferred during a 10 second kiss. The study also suggests an important role for other mechanisms that select oral microbiota, resulting from a shared lifestyle, dietary and personal care habits, and this is especially the case for microbiota on the tongue. The researchers found that while tongue microbiota were more similar among partners than unrelated individuals, their similarity did not change with more frequent kissing, in contrast to the findings on the saliva microbiota. Commenting on the kissing questionnaire results, the researchers say that an interesting but separate finding was that 74% of the men reported higher intimate kiss frequencies than the women of the same couple. This resulted in a reported average of ten kisses per day from the males, twice that of the female reported average of five per day. To calculate the number of bacteria transferred in a kiss, the authors relied on average transfer values and a number of assumptions related to bacterial transfer, the kiss contact surface, and the value for average saliva volume. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141116211033.htm
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m ensa wor ld j our na l MENSA INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2015 The art of photography is an area where Mensans from over 50 countries with different languages, customs and traditions can converge with a single, visual language! Use your creativity, skills, and technical expertise to produce your entry in this year’s PhotoCup competition. The theme for 2015 is Urgency! Let your imagination run wild. If your Mensa chapter is holding a national competition to select entries for the International phase, a set of the rules and closing dates will be available from your national office or board. Direct International Members and members from countries not holding national contests are eligible to enter the International competition directly. Details of entry for Direct International Members will be in the March Mensa World Journal.
The Mensa International Photographer of the Year 2015 could be you! Therese Moodie-Bloom, Director of Administration admin-mil@mensa.org
officer directory Chair: Ms Elissa Rudolph, 14210 Nesting Way Apt C, Delray Beach, Florida 33484 USA chairman-mil@mensa.org Director Admin: Ms Therese Moodie-Bloom, 17/23 Waiwera St, Lavender Bay 2060 Australia admin-mil@mensa.org Director Development: Mr Björn Liljeqvist, Knektvägen 1, 196 30 Kungsängen Sweden development-mil@mensa.org Treasurer: Mr Rudy Challupner treasurer-mil@mensa.org Dir. Smaller National Mensas:: Mr Lars Endre Kjølstad, Grønligata 20a, NO3188 Horten, Norway
dsnm-mil@mensa.org Hon. President: Dr Abbie Salny, 407 Breckenridge, Wayne NJ 07470 USA Tel: +1 973 305 0055 SIGHTCoordinator: Mr Pierpaolo Vittorio SIGHT@mensa.org Int. SIG Coordinator: Ms Barbara Kryvko sigs@mensa.org Ombudsman: Mr Martyn Davies ombudsman@mensa.org Executive Director: Mr Michael Feenan, Slate Barn, Church Lane, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EL, UK Tel/Fax+44(0)1400272 675 mensainternational@mensa.org
Editorial Staff Editor: Ms Kate Nacard, 407/23 Corunna Rd, Stanmore NSW 2048 Australia mwjeditor@mensa.org T: +61 2 9516 1024 Science: Mr John Blinke Johnb44221@cs.com Books: Mr Tom Elliott tme@verizon.net The Mensa World Journal (MWJ) is produced under the auspices of the Mensa International Board of Directors. Mandatory content as identified by the MWJ editor must be published in every national Mensa magazine. Publication of other content is recommended but optional. Opinions expressed in the MWJ are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other individual or any official Mensa body. Submission Guidelines: Language: English only. Text: MS Word (Windows), .rtf (Word/Mac), plain text, PageMaker (Windows), InDesign (Windows) Length: 500 word limit. Send by e-mail, fax, snail mail to the Editor. The Editor reserves the right to include or edit submissions for space and content considerations. All unoriginal submissions must be accompanied by written permission for publication from the original author.Permission is granted for MWJ articles to be reprinted in any Mensa publication provided that the author, MWJ and MWJ’s editor are acknowledged. Permission must be sought from the MWJ editor for reprinting of any part of the MWJ in non-Mensa publications. mensa world journal february 2015
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Therese Moodie-Bloom 2008
OWED
SIS
GOING
BLOWN
GO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------8. Which word meaning AIR can be pronounced differently to mean TURN?
e) SMART STORE
d) DULL POET
c) CEREAL OUTHOUSE
b) SIDE FLESH
a) SEES POLES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------7. If HALT MAIL = STOP POST and EVENING OBJECT = NIGHT THING, which pairs of anagrams are synonyms for:
BCDEHI KNOX
-------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Reflect on the following letters and decide which one does not fit in with the rest of the group.
Now read down the centre boxes to find out what inquisitive people sometimes say they’d like to be.
STONE
BA
SO
GAD
SOD
5. Find a word for each pair of words below, which can be added to the end of the first word, and also to the beginning of the second word, to make two new words.
24
14
83
26
3
5
9
17
33
?
We all though him really quite weird.
When he wanted some _____________
For his teeth would be _____________
Of whom we were all quite a’feared.
There was an old man with a _____________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------13. The letters of a common English word can be rearranged to form two other words. Can you put the word and its anagrams in the spaces to complete the limerick?
2
Consecutive letters of the alphabet
Consonants
Vowels
-------------------------------------------------------------------------11. Each colour represents a different letter. Use the clues below to fill in the blanks to form a wordsquare. The square will have just three different words in it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14. How many smaller words can you see in the 10. If it takes three cats 4 hours to devour 600grams word REALLY? You may skip letters but cannot of dried catfood, how long will it take eight cats to change the order of the letters. finish a one-kilo packet, eating at the same rate?
45
19
9. The number on each stone represents the difference between the numbers in the two stones on which it sits. Can you work out the five two-digit numbers on the bottom stones? Each of the digits 0-9 is used once only in the bottom row.
If you would like to discuss answers directly with MENSA, you can email Therese at therese@mensa.org.au 12. What comes next?
12 – 14 Genius material 9 – 11 Excellent lateral thinker 6–8 Very good 4–6 Good 0–4 Bad hair day
YOUR SCORE
SCORECARD: SCORE 1 POINT FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER
You can download the full-colour version of the Mensa World Journal from www.mensa.org
4. Which seven-letter word describing an egotist can be made by using seven only of the first nine letters of the alphabet?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
predetermined
form
appoint
regulate
fix
establish
place
-------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Which single word can mean all of the following?
AIMVINTB
2. Decipher the puzzle in the box to find something we all need.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Can you find a four-letter COUNTRY that can its letters rearranged to spell a word meaning CHASTE?
MENSA MINI IQ CHALLENGE
1. Peru (Pure). 2. Vitamin B complex. 3. Set. 4. Bighead. 5. A fly on the wall. 6. N. The others all look and read the same when flipped down. 7. a) Spots posts b) Team meat c) Bran barn d) Drab bard e) Posh shop. 8. Wind. 9. 69 71 24 83 50. 10. 2.5 hours. 11. Barb, Area, Rear Barb. 12. 65. (Double each term and minus 1). 13. Beard, bared, bread. 14. 8. Rally, Ray, Re, Real, Rely, Ell, All, Ally. (Rea and Rall are not counted.)
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m ensa wor ld j our na l The early chimp gets the fig - wild chimpanzees plan their breakfast time, type and location How do our close relatives, the chimpanzees, acquire sufficient food when times are lean? By studying wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, provide a clear example of how great apes can acquire extra energy needed to maintain large, costly brains. They show that chimpanzees make their sleeping nests more en route to breakfast sites containing fruits that are more competed for by other daytime fruiteaters than other fruits. Moreover, the researchers found that they leave their nest earlier (and often in the dark when leopards are more likely to attack) for these fruits in order to arrive before others, especially when the breakfast sites were far away. Not all tropical fruits are equally desired by rainforest foragers and some fruit trees get depleted more quickly and carry fruit for shorter periods than others. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have now investigated whether a ripe-fruit specialist, the chimpanzee, arrived earlier at breakfast sites with very ephemeral and highly sought-after fruit, like figs, than sites with less short-lived fruit that can be more predictably obtained throughout the entire day. To this aim Karline Janmaat and her colleagues recorded when and where five adult female chimpanzees spent the night and acquired food for a total of 275 full days during three fruit-scarce periods in the west-African mensa world journal february 2015
Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire. The researchers found that chimpanzees left their sleeping nests earlier (often before sunrise when the forest is still dark) when breakfasting on very ephemeral fruits, especially when they were further away. “It was thrilling to see chimpanzee mums and their young carefully treading the forest floor during twilight, behaving skittishly and on guard while moving towards their early morning breakfast figs. One fifth of these mornings they left before sunrise and the rest of the forest seemed sound asleep”, says Karline Janmaat. “It got even more exciting when our analyses indicated that they were departing earlier when the figs were far away and that the females were likely making up for travel time to arrive before competitors!” Furthermore, the researchers found that the females positioned their sleeping nests more in the direction of the next day’s breakfast sites with ephemeral fruit compared to breakfast sites with other fruit. By analysing departure times and nest positioning as a function of fruit type and location, while controlling for more parsimonious explanations such as weather conditions, they found evidence that wild chimpanzees flexibly plan their breakfast time, type and location after weighing multiple disparate pieces of informa-
tion. “When following chimpanzees in the forest, I have always had the feeling they know much more than me. This study helps to clarify some parts of this feeling; chimpanzees before making their night nests to sleep were as well planning for their breakfast tree the next morning!”, says Christophe Boesch, director of the Department of Primatology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. The study reveals a cognitive mechanism by which large-brained primates can buffer the effects of seasonal declines in food availability and increased inter-specific competition to facilitate first access to nutritious food. This may have been particularly important for hominoids, like early humans, that specialized on stationary, energy-rich and highly ephemeral food, such as ripe fruit, abandoned meat carcasses or aquatic fauna trapped in receding waters. “Long-term, detailed information from the field can reveal the value of high levels of cognition and behavioural flexibility for efficiently obtaining critical food resources in complex environments. Being able to reveal how environmental complexity can shape cognitive based behaviour is especially exciting”, says co-author Leo Polansky. (http://www.mpg.de/8716153/chimpanzees-planbreakfast)
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