From the Editor:
Submissions:
So, the New Year is no longer all that new… And yet, just as the colours of the sun captured in a camera do not get old with time, Some stories just refuse to age or fade away.
Send in your articles and contributions in plain text format and pictures in high resolution .jpg format to:
Here we have the first issue of the year – with interesting stories – some that you know and some that you do not. Some that you have heard and others that you should hear – The good work that Mensa Delhi is doing through Project Dhruv is one such story. Other Articles are written by fellow Mensans about their areas of interest…We know that the reaction on reading some of these articles is ‘No one can eat just one’. So, links to their blogs are provided under “About Contributors” where you can quell your curiosity. We have introduced some fresh columns while retaining the popular ones. A feedback about the changes is most welcome. 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: Project Dhruv
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Tech-Talk: Autonomous Cars
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The Year Ahead: Some Events to watch out for
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Lensa: A Clothes-line at Kumbha
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Thinking Out Loud
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The Puzzle Page
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Wordsmith: Poems
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Promotions: The Nidhi Kapoor Story (Book)
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Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavioural Biases
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Book Review: A Walk in the Woods
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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
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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://economydecoded.com/2015/01/auto-pilot-rescue-era-autonomous-cars.html
Puneet Khurana: had an interest for investing and understanding markets during his graduation years that converted into a passion during post graduation years at MDI Gurgaon. This passion took him to read famous investors and their philosophy. Link to his blog: https://pragmaticinvesting.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/charlie-mungerand-behavorial-biases-part-2/
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/2015/01/20/bryson-humour-2/
Samarth Sharma, 17, is an aspiring music producer, passionate poet, enthusiastic about the little things. Freethinker, and a full-time dreamer.
Rajashree Agrawal is an autonomously schooled teenager; or 'too cool for school.' She made the decision to forego traditional schooling in the 9th grade and has been contemplating ways to bridge the gap between the 'real world' and school. Rajashree loves math, ice cream (her mother doesn't allow her to have too much), and confetti falling from the ceiling. (Only sometimes, it's a guilt-pleasure).
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
Rachita Narsaria: Doctor by profession, MD and Consulting Homeopath from Mumbai MENSA Cover Photo by: Surya Basu :
More about the photo and Surya Basu in LENSA
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MENSA INITIATIVES:
On
PROJECT DHRUV The Underpreviledged Gifted Children Program of
the basis of the 2011 census, there were about 360 million children in the age group of 0-14 years. In India, in a standard IQ test, about 7.2 million of these would qualify in the top 2 percentile. These children can be said to have genius level intelligence. In the normal course, the genius of about 5 million of these, who belong to the underprivileged strata of society, is likely to remain un-recognized and under-utilized. Apart from being a matter of personal loss for these gifted children and their families, this would also be a major waste of our nation’s intellectual resources.
1. Identification: Internationally recognized IQ tests will be administered to underprivileged/ rural children and those who qualify in the top 2 percentile, as per Mensa’s worldwide norms, will be made a part of this Gifted Child nurturing program.
2. Nurturing: This will include counseling through regular sessions, constant mentoring, administering Aptitude Tests to help suggest a vocation and providing financial assistance through scholarships for studies during formative years.
Mensa India Delhi’s 3. Counseling Parents: Very Project Dhruv project In India alone, the genius of about 5 often, parents of gifted has been initiated with million children - with high IQ but children do not have a clear the objective of belonging to the underpreviledged idea of how to deal with identifying and section of society - is likely to remain their child’s genius and help mentoring as many of un-recognized and under-utilized in the it mature. MENSA has these underprivileged normal course. expert counselors in this geniuses as we can, so field. that their giftedness can flower in their interest as well as that of their communities and our 4. Training Teachers: Teaching gifted children country. requires special skills and techniques. Mensa India Pune’s excellent Tribal Mensa Experienced psychologists at Jnana Prabodhini Program that has been successfully doing this for the last decade has been the source of inspiration Institute of Psychology (JPIP) are experts at this. JPIP has a UGC-approved program for training for DHRUV Program. teachers for gifted children and has sanctioned funds for this. Project Dhruv has five closely interlinked components: 5. Developing Course Materials: Apart from 1. Identification of gifted children identifying and nurturing gifted children in rural 2. Nurturing gifted children & slum areas, the Program will help JPIP in 3. Counseling Parents developing special course materials meant for 4. Training Teachers for Gifted Students teaching gifted children. 5. Developing Course Materials / Curriculum for the Gifted Children
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MENSA INITIATIVES
The Project Dhruv Team: Project Dhruv is administered by a Managing Committee, which has highly qualified and experienced psychologists, activists in the field of giftedness, corporate executives and entrepreneurs. The Committee is divided in three groups, 1. The Technical Group 2. The Advisory Group, and 3. The Management Group The Management Group is responsible for the overall Project implementation, including coordination between all groups.
How can we participate in this initiative? 1. Volunteer: Volunteering can be in any area administrative work, helping in the testing, counseling and nurturing or fundraising 2. Mentor: Choosing to mentor a young mind will give you the opportunity to see a genius flower in your hands. 3. Donate: Enabling brilliance to be identified and nurtured is a worthwhile cause. It is major a step in nation-building. Companies can donate a part of their CSR funds and individuals can divert some of their charitable donations towards this very important activity.
Adapted from the Executive Summary of Project Dhruv for the Mind Magazine
Mensa India’s technical advisors on giftedness are psychologists associated with the well-known Jnana Prabodhini Institute of Psychology in Pune. These include Dr. Girish Bapat - Director, JPIP; Dr. Sujala Watve - MENSA India's Supervisory Psychologist; Dr. Devasena Desai Gifted Child Educator and Researcher; and Dr. Narayan Desai - head of the Tribal Mensa Program.
For more details, contact: Mensa India Delhi, D-173, SushantLok 1, Gurgaon, Haryana 122002 email: projectdhruv@gmail.com Tel: + (91) 9818148602 Most importantly, change cannot happen unless you truly and completely believe it should!
Advisors for Project Dhruv include Dr. Paromita Roy - Dy. Director of Jagadis Bose Science National Talent Search, Kolkata; Mr. Nirav Sanghvi - President of Mensa India; and Mr. Gowri Shankar - President, Mensa India Chennai.
Next In Mensa Initiatives: 6E Scholar Program
Some Myths about Gifted Children Gifted Kids are so smart they do fine with or without special programs: They may appear to do fine on their own. But without proper challenge they can become bored and unruly. As the years go by, they may find it harder and harder as work does become more challenging, since they never faced challenge before.
Project Dhruv's implementation team includes Mr. Kishore Asthana - President of Mensa India Delhi, Mensa India Delhi proctors Rohit Agarwal, Hari Bala, Ratan Singh Rathore and Ankur Garg and Mensa life members, Shrey Goyal and Vikas Kumar.
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TECH H-TALK K: AUTO O PILOT TO T THE RESCUE R E
AN ERA OF AUTON NOMOUS CARS C
nd Volvo co ome into namees like Googgle, BMW an the picture.
~Shreya Gupta G
I alwways wonderred what it would w be likke to drive by myself m and; when I fina ally turned 18, 1 I thought peerhaps a cha auffeur driveen car was beetter in all thee traffic. Ho owever, som mewhere in the middle of this transitio on, I though ht of, a car that could drivve by itself!- because no one wants to sit in a car with w a stinkin ng chauffeurr full of attitu ude! Clearly th his era has seen techno ological marvvels, setting new w milestones for developm ment such ass the driverless trains and d the auto-pilot facilityy in nd it to more m airplanes, why not just exten commercia ally viable veehicles?
T Technology u used The autonomous a cars built so o far mainly use the Velod dyne LIDAR R systems, to enhan nce the capab bilities of thee car. Velodyyne LIDAR is based on th he science tha at we studied d back in high school - how w cracks inside a mounta ain or buildiings and monu uments are detected; d thrrowing in a beam b of laser and the reflected r ligh ht received by the pment tells us u how deep p the crack is. In a equip
Crazyy Brainstorm ming One thingg that was qu uite clear to me was thatt we needed a machine to behavve human--like, somethingg that could d not only see everything located neear it but also o far away. This T made it clear c that long range r and sh hort range seensors with high accuracy must m be requ uired so as to o enable a sim milar vision-like approach fo or the mach hine to substitute for the hu uman vision, while drivin ng. Not as much m
as an ‘eyee for an eye’ as a it is a senssor for an eye ye!
It is miracculous to thin nk about thee working off the human brrain, as not only does it i rememberr the routes butt also keepss in mind th he surroundiings, thereby leeading to the t hand eyye coordina ation which shiifts the gearrs in the ca ar and makees it possible to o slow down or speed up accordin ngly. This cleareed up the piccture furtherm more. We wo ould then requiire long rang ge and short range sensorrs to work simu ultaneously with w a GPS device d along with automatic transmission n - for an autonomous ca ar to form high h precision maps m of its surroundinggs as well as po ossible routess for the carr that it can take up and also alter the speed of the carr in accordancce with the trraffic and surrroundings - like the ones that are used d in aerial imagery by AT TLIS. To exploree more abou ut the feasibility of such a car, I started working w my way w through the internet and well, we know thingss just get seerious when big
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simila ar manner Velodyne LID DAR placed on o top of an au utonomous car would allow a the veehicle to generrate a 3D ma ap of the envvironment; but this is clearlly not enouggh. The maps generated are thus comb bined with high defin nition inch-p precision mapss of the world d and the ma aps generated by the GPS systems to enhance thee capabilities of the nomous car. auton
B names on Big o Auto Pilot Googgle’s autonom mous car- a two-seat, alll-electric proto otype that dispenses with w the tra aditional steeriing wheel an nd accelerato or and brakee pedals in favvor of just a start and stop button; with a
TECH--TALK:: AUTO PILOT TO O THE RESCUE R tagline “M Making it safeer, easier and d more enjoyyable to get aro ound”. The car’s c front en nd includes fo oam and a softt windshield to dampen the blow of any potential collision witth soft-bodieed objects - no more worrries for cycclists and peedestrians ab bout losing theiir lives by gettting hit by th his car.
devellop this technology to heelp the mars mission roverrs for other fu uture space exploration. e BMW W also competes with these t with its i “The ultim mate driving machine!”. The questiion that arisess is - IS IT(th he autonomo ous car) ACT TUALLY THE ULTIMATE MACHIN NE OR IS S MAN MOV VING TOWARDS IT’S OWN DEST TRUCTION??
With NAS SA and NIS SSAN workking togetherr to compete with w Volvo and Google in this area a of research and a developm ment, just made m it clear that autonomo ous cars aree the future. Nissan used u
Limittations/ Impro rovements req equired But, as a they say, a machine m is a machine m every and machinee has its own lim mitations. A hum man will know which obstaclee on the would road actually cause a and hurdle won’t, which ample, a for exa brick lyying on the roa ad or a rock of a small which size w wouldn’t possiblyy cause a hurd dle and the carr could go overr it and continuee on the same path would appear urdle to as a hu an au utonomous car c and the car c might ch hange its lane; similarly wh hile travellingg at high speeeds, if a car ca an’t change its lane and a dead anim mal (road kill) is lying on the lane a human miight not t the sittuation into account, a changge the lane taking but th he autonomo ous car migh ht just stop to o wait to changge the lane.
NASA’s reesearch on neutral n bodyy posture in lowgravity con nditions to develop moree comfortablee car seats. Butt hardware and a softwaree for self-driiving cars coulld prove to o be somee of the most m transforma ative techno ologies to reach mainstream acceptance in the co oming years. Not only does d m to make au utonomous ca ars commerccially NASA aim available, by collabora ating with NISSAN, N but also
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TECH-TALK: AUTO PILOT TO THE RESCUE Also, humans take weather conditions into account and if it’s raining or snowing , etc. according to the change in the weather we change the speed of the car to make sure an accident doesn’t take place, but an autonomous car in bad weather might not take into account such precision and an accident might just take place; although the LIDAR systems take rain into account however there is always a high risk of wrong precision mapping which might take place due to some technical inconsistency during systems synchronisation with one another.
Waiting for the future With further technological advancements such limitations could be eliminated; coupled with similar technologically developed roadways using smart street lights and cars we could hope to achieve the dream of autonomous cars and much more civilized traffic. The cars would be able to communicate with each other making travelling less chaotic, and much more honest – as then, well, no one will be able to bluff about being stuck in traffic as an excuse for arriving late at events or meetings! With this technology- there will be lesser accidents due to drunk driving, fatigue and other various human tendencies due to which so many lives are lost every year; the roads would be far less congested and fuel consumption could reduce. All in all it’s a win-win situation and we might even see autonomous cars on the road before we can possibly see human clones.
March, Secularist Yair Lapid goes against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Lapis’s party running for the first time- won 19 out of 120 seats in the Parliamentary election against Netanyahu’s party who won 31. It may be naive to expect sudden peace and harmony if a new leader is elected, but it is a step in the direction
Important Summits: United Nations General Assembly: 70th Session 15-22nd Sept Group of Seven Summit: 6-7th June Conferences Of Parties 21, Paris: 30th Nov 11th Dec
Movie Release: Shamitabh: 6th Feb Detective Byomkesh Bakshi: 3rd April Spongebob out of water: 24th April Dil Dhadakne Do: 5th June Inside Out: 19th June Minions: 10th July MS Dhoni: The untold story: 22nd Oct Star Wars Episode VII-The force wakens:18th Dec
The Year Ahead: Some interesting lists Sport events: to keep an eye on! Australia Open(Tennis): 19 Jan- 1st Feb: Cricket World Cup: 14-29 Mar IPL: 8- 24 May World Table Tennis Championship: 26th Apr 3rd May Wimbledon Championships (Tennis): June 29 ‐ July 12 Tour de France(Bicycling): July 4-26
Elections: Sri Lanka: 8th January Greece: 25th Jan Delhi : 7th Feb Israel: 17th March UK: 7th May Bihar: 29th Nov The Arvind of Israel: Perhaps an election that we all look forward to is the Israeli election. This
~All lists compiled by Rajashree Agrawal
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LENSA
Clothes Line At Kumbh Mela: ~ Surya Basu
About LENSA:
Different people have different methods of approaching photography. But in general it is very important to visualize the photograph before taking it. In a nutshell the way I approach it is to look for a good back ground, check for the angle that gives the best lighting effect and then populate the subject(s). This approach works for me because of the type of photography I like doing, street and people.
This Photo was taken at Allahabad during Kumbha. It is an evening shot. Some people were drying the clothes after taking a dip in the confluence. The back lighting was perfect for getting the layered feel of the sarees. The rest was basically finding a suitable subject to bring the most out of the setting. So in a sense the surprise on seeing the result is not there as the picture is case of execution gone right. 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
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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
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.
THINKING OUT LOUD
About Charlie Hebdo Massacre
I Need A Normal Person
~Rachita Narsaria
~Samarth Sharma
I am generally cool headed, my medical training has made me thus; shaken not stirred by petty politics and random assaults on characters of famous personalities by the media. But here I am, grossly disturbed by the Charlie Hebdo killings that took place, like million others. One question is ringing in my brain ever since the massacre- who are We? Who, not what. We are humans, are we not? Living breathing souls? What is this world coming down to? What are we all being reduced to--are we just non-muslim for the Taliban and non-white for the blacks? Does coffee have to have sugar for taste? Are we not humans with beliefs and experiences, joys and pains, feelings and habits? Are we just anti this or pro that? Why does one have to be categorised and boxed? Who are we? Are we just the millenials who dont 'look up' or are we the frail octogenarians who preferred walking miles to get just a glimpse of their loved ones? Are we just the consumers who companies are trying to lure into buying their latest product, targeting our emotions? or Are we the sophsiticated slaves of these governments who keep us drowned in their white noise? Who are we? Are we just the color we were born with or religion our parents raised us into? Is this world so steeped into negativity that words like faith, love, honesty, trust, truth are all but drownwd by the sounds of bullets and fearful screams? Are we so blinded by our desire for success that the 10% succesful have chosen to ignore the remaining 90% of humanity that suffers and pines for 2 square meals a day? Who are we? Are we no different than these blinders-on, gun-totting, heartless, irrational men that have no iota of tolerance to someome else's opinions and beliefs? WHAT ARE WE? Are we human anymore
I need a normal person. I need him so badly. The need is turning into urgency. I need him to teach me the skill of ignorance. I need him to teach me how to look at the stars and not wonder what's beyond, how to look at the clouds and not wonder what shapes they form, how to listen to birds chirp and not admire innocent nature's melody, how not to think what nightmares those birds imagine when they look inside our homes. How do I go on a whole day without making anyone smile? How to look at a million unknown faces and not pity broken dreams, evident in their eyes, in the slumped shadows even when the body is erect. How not to see through smiles. How to just accept sweet lies and believe it to be a fact that aspiration and passion dies. How not to get the irony when people feel bad for zoo animals, for living a caged life.
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I detest these these thoughts and feelings for they make me feel alien. Feels strange, not being able to recognize my own species. They have the same features as me. They evolved into the same future with me. How is it that I see this and they don't? Maybe they do as well, but if they do, how do they hide it so well? Intolerable, this business of standing out. Dear Teacher, I know you are, like a billion coherent others, lost in the crowd. But please, hurry, I need you now.
About THINKING OUT LOUD: It is your first reaction to the happenings around you. If you just wish to blurt out your thoughts on an event or wish to express you elation or anguish, just scribble it down and see if it is echoed by the rest.
THE PUZZLE PAGE
MASYU Draw a single closed loop connecting the centers of cells horizontally and vertically. 1. The loop doesn't touch or cross itself anywhere. 2. The loop runs through all black and white circles. 3. The loop turns in every black circle and goes straight through both adjacent squares. 4. The loop goes straight through every white circle and turns in at least one of both adjacent squares.
A Solved Case:
Puzzle Information and Tips Note about Logical Pencil Puzzles in general: These are puzzles which have a stepby-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, the circles are in the pattern of the letters “MIND".
Puzzle Of The Month:
For more information and tios, check the next page. Solution to the “Puzzle Of The Month” will be published in the next issue.
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THE PUZZLE PAGE
. MASYU: Masyu was first published in 2000 by Nikoli in quarterly Communication 90; the original authors were 矢野龍王 (Yano Ryuoh) and アセトニ トリル (“Acetonitrile”). Masyu followed an earlier loop puzzle that used only the white circle rule. The original name was Shiro Shinju Kuro Shinju (“White Pearl Black Pearl”), but a misreading of the kanji for shinju by the president of Nikoli gave it the name Masyu meaning “Evil Influence”. Source http://www.gmpuzzles.com/blog/masyu-rules-andinfo/
Tips: There are a few useful patterns to know with the Masyu puzzle type depending on the behavior of the circles. Look at the example to help understand the rules. The first three tips listed below are specific to Masyu; the fourth one is a generic tip for all Loop puzzles. 1. For a white circle in an extreme row/column next to the edge of the grid, there will always be a straight line drawn through it parallel to the edge. 2. For a Black circle which is either in an extreme row/column or a penultimate row/column, there will always be a line perpendicular to the edge it is nearest to, moving away from the edge, from the black circle. 3. If a line passes in series through two white circles, it has to turn on both ends immediately. 4. At any point while solving, if you feel circles aren’t immediately helping progress, take a look at the different loop paths and generally it’ll be obvious that if the paths turn a certain way then the loop will close prematurely and the solution will end up having more than one loop. Always avoid this andS turn the other way.
Some Myths about Gifted Children: Gifted and Talented means the same thing: not necessarily. There is no rule that states that a child who is capable of scoring to the high ninety percentiles on group achievement testing must be considered gifted.An Academically Talented student may do well at school, but further individualized IQ and out of level academic testing must be given before we can define that child as "Gifted". At the same time, there is no rule that states a child identified as gifted should be Achieving to high standards in the classroom. This type of stereotyping can do serious and irreversible damage to both groups. Gifted Kids are like cream that rises to the top in a classroom: Not necessarily. Gifted Children can have hidden learning disabilities that go undiscovered because they can easily compensate for them in the early years. As time goes on though, it becomes harder and harder for them to excel. Which can lead to behavior problems and depression.
~ Adapted from “Project Dhruv Executive Summary” for the Mind Magazine
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Wordsmith
Quest
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.
Imprisonment to death. and yet old leaves fall, the tired sun sinks into the water, the deer runs, and the tiger brings it down, the glass river shatters into the ocean, battered forts rammed by wind and rain, green walls crumble loose, the eagles dive, on the rabbit fields, apathy is my friend, imagination my food, shackle my body, you may; but shackle my mind, you can’t.
Promotions: Facebook: https://fb.me/TheNidhiKapoorStory
Website: www.tnks.in Order on- Amazon: http://bit.ly/tnksA Flipkart: http://bit.ly/tnksFK Twitter: http://twitter.com/saurabh
~Peter Joseph
Written by MENSAN Saurabh Garg,
The Nidhi Kapoor Story is set in contemporary Mumbai. It is a fastpaced thriller that chronicles the lives of Nidhi, Rujuta, Prakash and others.
The Pursuit of True Happiness He stood at gates of afterlife His fate in the hands of the gatekeeper Confronted by the most important question 'Have you achieved joy?' The man pondered upon his life As the gatekeeper looked into his mind He found the answer. With his mighty voice, the gatekeeper Gave him the last question 'Has your life given joy to others?' As the man pondered again, He was lost. He thought his life was filled with happiness Unaware that true happiness, Does not lie with self. Seeing that, the gatekeeper Granted him his life back Grateful, the man took off In pursuit of true happiness. ~Samarth Sharma
Just when Nidhi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actress, was to start shooting for her much anticipated film, unwarranted incidents start to happen around her. Her pets are found maimed in her very home. An anonymous letter threatening her and her family is discovered in her study. The high-profile case forces ACP Prakash Mohile to lead the investigation himself. Rujuta Singh, a photojournalist shadowing Prakash for a project, gets embroiled in the case. Despite intervention by the police, attacks continue to mount on Nidhi and the unknown assailant gets bolder and more vicious with each attack. The assailant is adamant on taking away from Nidhi everything that she holds dear – her career, her home, her reputation, her family and her life. In absence of any clues or motives, Prakash and Rujuta are forced to dig deeper in the past of the Kapoors and they uncover a violent tale of lies, betrayal, treachery, infidelity and murder. A tale that the Kapoors want to guard at any cost.Who is the unknown attacker? Why is Nidhi Kapoor a target? What are the Kapoors hiding from the world? And, can Prakash and Rujuta save Nidhi?
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Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavorial Biases ~ Puneet Khurana Are you planning to buy a specific car? Go out and you will start noticing that so many people have the same car. You never noticed it was so damn popular! Astrology column told you that your lucky number is 999, and miraculously you started seeing that number frequently (house numbers, phone numbers, license plates and even the shares quoting at that price). In fact, you see the number so frequently that you feel the universe is trying to tell you something. Going through a tough breakup? Sadly, every song on the radio is about heartache. As if somebody told the RJ that you were listening. Or on a more positive note, you are in love and somehow every song is romantic! Ever witnessed any of those? If yes, it’s called ‘divine intervention’. Or atleast that’s what we are told most frequently. On a serious note though, psychologists have a different term for it. It’s called ‘Frequency Illusion’ – the fact that something becomes more frequent in your observation once your mind is introduced to it. There’s more to it. The phenomenon explained above doesn’t stay in its natural occurrence. Human beings have a natural propensity to take this illusion from its passive existence to an active pursuit and the result is that rather than waiting for things to appear more frequent you start looking for them. Psychologists call this as Confirmation Bias. Do you suffer from Confirmation Bias? Let me explain it a bit more. Even though we like to believe that we are objective human beings with rational thought process, nothing can be far from truth. Human beings as a species are extremely curious, constantly seeking answers to the puzzles existing in the Universe. But unfortunately, our brain has a very limited circuitry and it’s a natural propensity for us to look for easy answers to complicated questions. Due to this propensity, the mind has the tendency to jump to conclusions. The first plausible answer that the mind finds to a question becomes the
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‘near-truth’ and there is a natural resistance to seek more answers and accept it as a conclusion. This is popularly known as the ‘first conclusion bias’. Once this idea/thought/conclusion is accepted by the brain, human beings tend to push aside any other observation which disregards the initial conclusion. So, if we think about it, our whole thought process since childhood is an outcome of subconsciously seeking out books, writings, evidences in support of the ideas we believed to be true (and disregarding the evidences which oppose it). Just like a vicious circle, the very act of this selective seeking of supporting evidences makes the initial ideas even more prominent till a point we are absolutely convinced that nothing else is truth. This is what I introduced above as ‘Confirmation bias’. Francis Bacon puts it succinctly: The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion (either as being the received opinion or as being agreeable to itself) draws all things else to support and agree with it. Since now you are aware of the two biases, let me come to the big gun. This one was explicitly mentioned by Munger in his speech – ‘The Psychology of Human Misjudgment’ as ‘Availability-Mis-weighing’ tendency. It builds on the two biases explained above and states that the mind, due to its limited capacity, works with what is easily available to it. The things are easily available to mind for variety of reasons. 3 reasons we fall for Availability Bias Reason #1 – Recent activity: Something which is more recent occupies more recalling power in the brain compared to something that happened long ago and hence we tend to weigh that activity as more important than others. For example, your tendency to go in a train after a train blast (unless you absolutely have to) is extremely low immediately after a bomb blast. Similarly our tendencies to avoid areas which had
Investing: Charlie Munger And Behavorial Biases terrorist attacks in recent times despite the fact that the place is safer immediately next day after the blast than let’s say 10 years after it. Gamblers fallacy is a classic phenomenon explaining this bias because of recent events. Investopedia defines it this way: When an individual erroneously believes that the onset of a certain random event is less likely to happen following an event or a series of events. This line of thinking is incorrect because past events do not change the probability that certain events will occur in the future. For example, consider a series of 20 coin flips that have all landed with the “heads” side up. Under the gambler’s fallacy, a person might predict that the next coin flip is more likely to land with the “tails” side up. Reason #2 – Personal Experience: Something which has happened to us is easy to recall compared to something which has not. Since your all senses are involved in personal experiences, the impression in the memory is significant and hence it’s easily recallable. Reason #3 – Vividness: The more vivid the thing, the easier it is to recall for the brain. The technique (vividity) which works as a brilliant memory tool, ironically, also acts as an impediment in logical reasoning due to our tendency to overweigh the importance of a vivid event compared to a ‘not-sovivid’ event. Add to all the above our tendency to further look for confirming evidences and we have things so strong that they are most often recalled by our brains during the decision making process. Some of you might be wondering, “Yes, wonderful, very elegant all this is, but can we please switch to investing and stocks? If you haven’t noticed, the author claims to write for a site called Safal ‘Niveshak’!” (Availability bias and investing To Be Concluded in the Next Issue)
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Some Myths about Gifted Children Giftedness is something to be jealous about: This is perhaps the most damaging myth. More often than not gifted children can feel isolated and misunderstood. They have more adult tastes in music, clothing, reading material and food. These differences to other children can cause them to be shunned and even abused verbally or physically by other children. Experts in the field of gifted education are beginning to address the higher incidences of ADHD and Spelling/Handwriting disabilities in the gifted population verses those in the much larger normal population.
~ Adapted from “Project Dhruv Executive Summary” for the Mind Magazine
Book Review: A Walk in The Woods
Author: Bill Bryson Review by: Krishna Vora My best friend is one of those who requires you to follow a strict guideline while reading her books. Under no circumstances should you eat while reading this book, no folding pages, no pen marks and when returned- it should look exactly the way it did when she had placed it in my hand. She also happens to own a copy of ‘A walk in the woods’ by Bill Bryson :) Displeased at the thought of not being able to highlight appealing Brysonisms or scribble notes in the book, it wasn’t until much later that I realised that she must really love me to let go off the book when she was only halfway through it. Either that or my relentless pursuit of the book and tonnes of emotional blackmail forced her to succumb. Coming back to Bryson, I must admit that I am really smitten by him. One fine day he decides to take a walk in the woods- by which he means Appalachian Trail in Eastern United States. Accompanied by a reluctant friend he decides to traverse through approximately 2200 miles, roughly 3500 km. Normally you would expect him to share his experience of extreme weather conditions, beautiful scenic places, encounters with wild animals, stories of surviving in the woods, introduction to the flora and fauna etc. Well he does that and much more. On the outset it looks like a simple narration of his hike. But if you are a keen reader, you would notice how easily he introduces you to the history of every city or state he goes through. He describes the current state of it, what it might have been decades back and also talks about what transpired in between for the whole transition to take place. He has a knack of bringing to your notice issues such as rapid decline of vegetation or reckless mining of coal while simultaneously making you laugh over the miseries of his experiences on the trail. Indeed he explains his encounter with a fellow woman hiker as ‘…I have long known that it is part of God’s plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on Earth and Mary Ellen was proof
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that even in the Appalachian woods I wouldn’t be spared.’ There are other few examples that I prefer to directly quote as I do not think I can do enough justice to his ideas if I paraphrase them. With reference to the bunk he is about to spend the night in- ‘ ……if stains are anything to go by, a previous user had not so much suffered from incontinence as rejoiced in it.’ With reference to his experiences with annoyingly stupid cab drivers in a particular town- ‘What is it with this town? I have blown more intelligent life into a handkerchief…’ Throughout the book he makes you laugh and at the same time makes a shiver run down your spine when he speaks of uncontrolled mine fires that run for decades and narrates in detail the incident at Centralia. Popularly known as ghost town it sits atop a coal mine that has been burning since 1962. Such was the intensity
Following Pages are from the MENSA WORLD JOURNAL
me nsa w o r l d j our n al
january 2015 issue #024
Mission: Mensa in Africa (p5)
Alain Seris with Aby Traore conducting a testing session at Ziguinchor University in Senegal, Africa.
also inside: from the director of administration
p3
international SIGHT - where is it going? p4 if you’re over 60, drink up!
p7
the internet sleeps - in some parts of the world p8 new millipedes found in China
p8
brain simulation raises questions supplementally
p10
puzzles
p9 p11
international elections 2015 reminder
p12
...and
more...
m ensa wor ld j our na l A rich vocabulary can protect against cognitive impairment Some people suffer incipient dementia as they get older. To make up for this loss, the brain’s cognitive reserve is put to the test. Researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela have studied what factors can help to improve this ability and they conclude that having a higher level of vocabulary is one such factor. ‘Cognitive reserve’ is the name given to the brain’s capacity to compensate for the loss of its functions. This reserve cannot be measured directly; rather, it is calculated through indicators believed to increase this capacity. A research project at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) has studied how having a wide vocabulary influences cognitive reserve in the elderly. As Cristina Lojo Seoane, from the USC, co-author of the study published in the journal Anales de Psicología (Annals of Psychology), explains: “We focused on level of vocabulary as it is considered an indicator of crystallised intelligence (the use of previously acquired intellectual skills). We aimed to deepen our understanding of its relation to cognitive reserve.” The research team chose a sample of 326 subjects over the age of 50 222 healthy individuals and 104 with mild cognitive impairment. They then mensa world journal january 2015
measured their levels of vocabulary, along with other measures such as their years of schooling, the complexity of their jobs and their reading habits. They also analysed the scores they obtained in various tests, such as the vocabulary subtest of the ‘Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale’ (WAIS) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. “With a regression analysis we calculated the probability of impairment to the vocabulary levels of the participants,” Lojo Seoane continues. The results revealed a greater prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in participants who achieved a lower vocabulary level score. “This led us to the conclusion that a higher level of vocabulary, as a measure of cognitive reserve, can protect against cognitive impairment,” the researcher concludes. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141021085524.htm?utm_ source=feedburner)
from the editor, It’s hard to believe that 2014 has vanished and a new year has started! During the year, there were so many Mensa highlights, all reminding me of why I joined Mensa in the first place. Like many members, I didn’t think for an instant that I’d get in and once I did was worried that every meeting would be full of very wise and clever people talking about quantum physics or something equally esoteric - and all completely foreign to me. What a relief it was to meet people who were interested in just about any subject - and who, in the main, got the point at hand, and didn’t need a sub-textual explanation! I’d like to hear why you joined Mensa, what your expectations were, and if your membership has lived up to them. Anything from a few words to a few paragraphs would be welcome! Please send me your thoughts before March 1 for publication in the May issue. I’m also looking for a Features Editor, whose role would be to write a 500-600 word article on recent research into intelligence - in in any of its aspects - each month. If you’re interested in this, please email me for more details. I hope you all enjoy this month’s issue!
With warm regards, Kate mwjeditor@mensa.org 02
m ensa wor ld j our na l from the director of administration... enough attendees to make the event financially viable and a special and memorable occasion. To facilitate publicity for your event, Mensa International has an Events Coordinator. The role of International Event Coordinator is to encourage members To be innovative, creative and interof national Mensa groups and DIMs esting while remaining within the to participate in events held by other Mensa Infrastructure can be quite national groups. Mark Dettinger challenging. The good news is that from Switzerland (events@mensa. Mensa International is here to help org) has recently been appointed to you with a number of International the office and Mark can help you Officers,Committees and services! publicise your events by making Here is a sample of them. information about it available for the International website and promoting The International SIGs Officer your event to members from other If you are coordinating a SIG and countries. Mark maintains a diary wish to attract members from other countries, the International SIGs Of- of such events and can also advise ficer, Barbara Kryvko from the USA organizers, where requested, on what locations, timing and events might be (sigs@mensa.org), has recently been reappointed to the office, and can help best to attract members from other national groups. you do just that by publicising your SIG. Barbara also maintains a means of communications for National SIGs Mensa World Journal Editor There is nothing like a source of Coordinators and chairs of International SIGs to exchange ideas. If you tangible, hard copy information about are having trouble developing SIGs in Mensa International, its members your country, Barbara can serve as a and different aspects of Intelligence in general. The recently reappointed consultant in this area and can help resolve problems that may arise when Editor of the Mensa World Jourthe coordinator, editor and/or mem- nal, Kate Nacard, from Australia bers of a SIG are located in different (mwjeditor@mensa.org) provides just countries. If you do not have a nation- that. The full, colour version of the MWJ is available in the Members al SIGs Coordinator, Barbara will facilitate and publicise the formation Only section of www.mensa.org, and of SIGs in countries in which there is certain segments are reproduced in national magazines. If you would like no national Coordinator. to see more of the MWJ published in your country, let your national Editor Events Coordinator One of the biggest worries to organ- know! It is worth noting again that national newslettes are also available izers of Mensa events is attracting on the website. If yours is not there,
mensa world journal january 2015
Therese Moodie-Bloom
Sometimes Mensa volunteers can be quite overwhelmed by the amount of administrative work that needs to be done at both regional and national levels.
advise your national editor so it can become available to members worldwide. Documentation The Mensa International rules, mainly contained in the ASIE (Actions Still In Effect) document available in the members only section of www.mensa.org have not been formulated to hinder or restrict, but have come about through the pooled experience of all national groups to save your group from falling into the same traps – traps that are disadvantageous to Mensa and its members as a whole. Those who went before you discovered pitfalls and experienced unexpected detrimental effects from some initiatives. Years of collective experience and pooled resources have ended up as Rules and Guidelines formulated by the heads of national Mensas – the members of the International Board of Directors. All formal documentation is contained on the website. (continued on p04)
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m ensa wor ld j our na l The Governance Papers Advisory Committee (GPAC) chaired by Dan Burg of American Mensa (dburg42@gmail.com), is charged with examining all the documents published there, and can recommend appropriate changes. You or your Board can contact any of its members with suggestions you think may be helpful. The Constitution Review Officer, Direct International Member JeanMarc Rakotolahy (rakotolahy@ freenet.mg) should be contacted if your Board is thinking of making changes to the National Constitution. This may save a lot of time and false starts! Should your group wish to raise revenue or raise awareness of your public Mensa profile, there are International committees to help and advise. The Licensing Advisory Committee chaired by John Sheehan from the USA (doctorsheehan@gmail. com) advises on licensing agreements in all countries The committee maintains a file of all commercial uses reported to it, examines possible International ramifications of the agreement, and can advise when it sees potential problems with a use granted by a national Mensa. This Committee may actively seek out commercial opportunities as well as considering proposals which are addressed to it. So if your country has any licensing contracts, or is considering any, or would like ideas on seeking contracts, this is the Committee to consult. (continued on p06) mensa world journal january 2015
International S.I.G.H.T Where is SIGHT going? There is a lot of talk going on lately in the SIGHT community as more and more people wish for an evolution towards a web-driven, more flexible user experience. As of today, SIGHT applies a traditional approach where you write an email to the local coordinator for the area you plan to visit (make sure you are registered on Mensa.org first!), attaching a word document where you describe your wishes and let him or her put you through to someone in the area that will try to help you find a match via personal contact and local mailing lists. What I’ve gathered so far is that this system tends to either work very well, where there is an active coordinator and lively local scene, or not work at all where the former are lacking. Many are pushing for a wider adoption of Facebook as a place to seek SIGHT assistance, to make things a bit more dynamic, and this is gaining support from some local coordinators too. From my point of view, it can be left up to the appointed coordinator: experiment and innovation is welcome, as long as the traditional, e-mail service is still guaranteed as it is more universally reachable than social networks.
Pierpaolo Vittoria
“SIGHT” stands for “Service for Information, Guidance, and Hospitality to Travellers” and it is embodied by a network of SIGHT officers available to facilitate contact between Mensans in their home country and Mensans from abroad wishing to visit it and meet local members. You can find all relevant information about the service at https://www.mensa.org/sight.
Pierpaolo Vittoria is the current international SIGHT Coordinator, and can be contacted at sight@mensa.org
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m ensa wor ld j our na l Man on a Mission: Mensa in Africa French Mensa member Alain Seris has a dream: to see many more
non-caucasian Mensans around the world! It was Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency of the United States that prompted Alain to realise that the only Mensans in Africa were white. To this end, with the approval of International Mensa, Alain has travelled to the French-speaking countries in Africa four times – at his own expense – giving many pre-tests and tests. Finally, thirteen students have been admitted to Mensa, five of whom are now enrolled in French universities. Two of these students are supported by French Mensans. Alain joined Mensa in 1987 and was Chairman of Mensa France from 2002-2012 and under his leadership, membership jumped from 500 to 1500. During this time, Alain travelled to meetings around the country at his own expense and the national committee met monthly at his office. A native of Metz in Northern France, Alain is an industry representative for 4,500 companies, loves sailing and skippered renowned orchestral
Alain (facing the camera wearing a pink tie)discussing Mensa with the President of Senegal
conductor Herbert von Karajan’s yacht for ten years. He’s written many books on subjects as diverse as cooking, intelligence puzzles (with Jean-Marc Baggio), unemployment, wine, and happiness, and is co-authoring an extended essay on the philosophy of cooking with international chef Michael Roth. When asked what motivated him to pursue his dream and travel to Africa, Alain replied simply, “My conscience, and my desire to ensure equality, not only within Mensa, but in the wider community globally.”
online journals Check out the mensa.org website to read and download the full, colour, 12-page version of the Mensa World Journal and many other national journals. You must be a member in good standing in your national Mensa. Register at www.mensa.org if you haven’t already done so. Direct International Members contact mensainternational@mensa.org with any queries. mensa world journal january 2015
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m ensa wor ld j our na l (continued from p04)
The Marketing and Product Advisory Committee (MPAC) chaired by Ed Lomas (USA) at relomas2@ gmail.com, is closely allied to the Licensing Advisory Committee, and is charged amongst other things, with generating viable ideas for the commercial use of the Mensa brand, in both cooperation with existing companies, and by new initiatives undertaken by a national Mensa. The purpose of this is to generate both publicity and financial income for a national Mensa(s) or Mensa International Limited, or both.The commercial contracting process
comes in two steps. Step one is to generate ideas, and the second step is ensuring the formalized use of name and logo.
are inadvertently guilty of lessening our protection. If you are planning a special event and wish to create a logo for it, please do not amend the formal Mensa logo. Do not incorporate the ‘M’ as a letter in a word, or the shield as a digit in a number! This is unprofessional and devalues the Mensa brand.
Name and Logo Protection Committee (NLPC): chaired by Mark Levy (USA) at creativelevy@ gmail.com, identifies and actively searches for parties that use the mark, MENSA or confusingly similar letThere is also the Gifted Youth Comters, words or terms in that party’s mittee which will be explained fully domain name, products or services in an upcoming issue of the MWJ. offered with the potential for harming our reputation or diluting our Therese Moodie-Bloom Trademark. Often our own members admin-mil@mensa.org
Leadership Exchange Ambassador Program 2015 Share and gain knowledge with volunteers all over the world Applications open mid January
Any member worldwide can apply Choose between:
-All LEAP information can be found on the LEAP page on LEAP Talks LEAP Projects www.mensa.org -Make sure your application is The second LEAP track is open for The original set up: a group of innovation: volunteers can apply with supported by your National Board LEAPers will travel to international -DIMs need to get support from their own ideas to exchange knowlgatherings to present on leadership the Director of Development. edge between Mensa groups. experience and best practices that have helped their own Mensas grow. With limited budget, inventiveness is -Questions can be asked to the LEAP Committee using leapneeded. comm@mensa.org Previous contributions can be found -Innovative ideas, success stories Tell us what you want to do, how here: www.animusm.com/leap. much money your project will require and a great international network and what the benefits would be. Best practice reports are thus avail-LEAP helps national Mensas able to Mensa groups all over the grow by exchanging leadership We look forward to your ideas! world. experiences and best practices with other national groups Participants will receive travel allowances from Mensa International. mensa world journal january 2015
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m ensa wor ld j our na l If you’re over 60, drink up: alcohol associated with better memory Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, University of Kentucky, and University of Maryland found that for people 60 and older who do not have dementia, light alcohol consumption during late life is associated with higher episodic memory - the ability to recall memories of events. Moderate alcohol consumption was also linked with a larger volume in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for episodic memory. The relationship between light alcohol consumption and episodic memory goes away if hippocampal volume is factored in, providing new evidence that hippocampal functioning is the critical factor in these improvements. These findings were detailed in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. This study used data from more than 660 patients in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. These patients completed surveys on their alcohol consumption and demographics, a battery of neuropsychological assessments, the presence or absence of the genetic Alzheimer’s disease risk factor APOE e4 and MRIs of their brains. The researchers found that light and moderate alcohol consumption in older people is associated with higher episodic memory and is linked with larger hippocampal brain volume. Amount of alcohol consumption had no impact on executive function or overall mental ability.
Findings from animal studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may contribute to preserved hippocampal volume by promoting generation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. In addition, exposing the brain to moderate amounts of alcohol may increase the release of brain chemicals involved with cognitive, or information processing, functions. “There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning and regional brain volumes during late life according to reported midlife alcohol consumption status,” said lead author Brian Downer, UTMB Sealy Center on Aging postdoctoral fellow. “This may be due to the fact that adults who are able to continue consuming alcohol into old age are healthier, and therefore have higher cognition and larger regional brain volumes, than people who had to decrease their alcohol consumption due to unfavorable health outcomes.”
Although the potential benefits of light to moderate alcohol consumption to cognitive learning and memory later in life have been consistently reported, extended periods of abusing alcohol, often defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages during a single drinking occasion is known to be harmful to the brain. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “If you’re over 60, drink up: Alcohol associated with better memory.” ScienceDaily
Log into the International website at www.mensa.org for the calendar of national events mensa world journal january 2015
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m ensa wor ld j our na l the internet sleeps - in some parts of the world Researchers studying how big the Internet is have found that it “sleeps,” almost like a living creature. The finding will help scientists and policymakers develop better systems to measure and track Internet outages.
Understanding how the Internet sleeps will help them avoid confusing a sleeping Internet with an Internet outage. “The Internet is important in our lives and businesses, from streaming movies to buying online. Measuring network outages is a first step to improving Internet reliability,” said John Heidemann, research professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI), and the study’s corresponding author. While the Internet is always up and running for some - uch as those with broadband access in the United States and Europe - in other areas, people’s access to the Internet varies over the course of the day, notably in Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe. Heidemann collaborated with mensa world journal january 2015
USC’s Lin Quan and Yuri Pradkin on the study, which was presented at the 2014 ACM Internet Measurements Conference on November 5. Their study also correlates countries with strong diurnal Internet access with lower GDP - meaning that the richer a country is, the more likely it is that the Internet will be up and running 24/7. “This work is one of the first to explore how networking policies affect how the network is used,” Heidemann said. There are 4 billion IPv4 internet addresses. Heidemann and his team pinged about 3.7 million address blocks (representing about 950 million addresses) every 11 minutes over the span of two months, looking for daily patterns. “This data helps us establish a baseline for the Internet — to understand how it functions, so that we have a better idea of how resilient it is as a whole, and can spot problems quicker,” Heidemann said. The team’s work is ongoing. “We have grown our coverage to 4 million blocks [more than 1 billion addresses] as Internet use grows,” Heidemann said. He hopes that long-term observations will help guide Internet operation. (See related video: http://youtu.be/ HHAumsoMG3E)
Four new dragon millipedes found in China A team of speleobiologists from the South China Agriculture University and the Russian Academy of Sciences have described four new species of the dragon millipedes from southern China, two of which seem to be cave dwellers. The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys. The millipede genus Desmoxytes is well-known because of the dragon-like appearance of the species in it. The four new species all can be recognized by their spiky body, the distinctive characteristic which gave the representatives of the genus their unique common name. Unlike other groups of cave millipedes, which are usually very common, the representatives of Desmoxytes are comparatively rare in caves, and always in low numbers. In addition, they are often distributed in a narrow geographical area, or even only present in a single cave, or cave system. Because of such rarity and endemism, dragon millipedes are ideal material for evolutionary studies. China holds the most diverse resources of Desmoxytes. Up to now, China has 14 millipedes of genus, including 9 cavernicolous species. It is believed, however, that the country holds a greater diversity of these bizarre creatures, which are yet to be discovered in future.
http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/index.
http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/earthsci-
php?kw=265
ence.php
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m ensa wor ld j our na l brain simulation raises questions What does it mean to simulate the human brain? Why is it important to do so? And is it even possible to simulate the brain separately from the body it exists in? These questions are discussed in a new paper published in the scientific journal, Neuron.
do with understanding. But what does understanding mean in neuroscience? As it dwells inside our bodies, the brain is always a result of what the individual has experienced up to that point. That is why, when we simulate the brain, we have to take this ‘experienced brain’ into account and try Simulating the brain means modeling it on a computer. But in real life, brains and reflect that. According don’t exist in isolation. The brain is a to Kathinka complex and adaptive system that is seated within our bodies and entangled Evers, leader of the Ethics and with all the other adaptive systems inside us that together make up a whole Society part of the Human person. And the fact that the brain is Brain Project, a brain inside our bodies is something neglecting this we can’t ignore when we attempt to experience would simulate it realistically. severely limit the Two Human Brain Project (HBP) outcome of any researchers, Kathinka Evers, philosopher at the Centre for Research Ethics brain simulation. But if we are to and Bioethics at Uppsala University include experiand Yadin Dudal, neuroscientist at ence we have to the Weizmann Institute of Science, simulate real-life have published a paper in Neuron that situations. discusses the questions raised by brain “That is a daunting task: a large part simulations within and beyond the EU of that experience is the brain’s interacflagship project HBP. tion with the rest of the human body For many scientists, understanding existing and interacting in a still larger means being able to create a mental model that allows them to predict how social context,” says Kathinka Evers. What outcome would be realistic to a system would behave under differhope for in the Human Brain Project’s ent conditions. For the brain sciences, simulation? In neuroscience, computer this type of understanding is currently simulations of specific systems are only possible for a limited number of basic functions. In the article, Kathinka already in use. These simulations are a Evers and Yadin Dudal discuss the goal complement to other tools scientists use. of simulation. In broad terms it has to mensa world journal january 2015
But there are some warnings to issue here. According to Kathinka Evers and Yadin Dudal, our knowledge to date is still very limited. There are many neuroscientists who think that it is too early for large scale brain simulations. Collecting the data we need for this is not an easy task. Another problem is whether we truly can understand what we are about to build. There are also technical limitations: there simply isn’t enough computing power available today. But if we do manage to simulate the brain, would that mean we have created artificial consciousness? And can a computer be conscious at all? According to Kathinka Evers and Yadin Dudal, that depends on what consciousness is: if it is the result of certain types of organization or functions of biological matter, like the cells in the human body, then a computer can never gain consciousness. But if it is a matter of organization alone, without the need for biological matter, then the answer could be yes. But it is still a very hypothetical stance.
“As it dwells inside our bodies, the brain is always a result of what the individual has experienced up to that point. That is why, when we simulate the brain, we have to take this ‘experienced brain’ into account and try and reflect that.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141022123450.htm?utm_ source=feedburner
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m ensa wor ld j our na l supplementally... Cave Inn CBSNEWS.com, August 8, 2014. “Incredible Trove Of Ancient Bones Unearthed In Wyoming Cave.” In northern Wyoming, hidden in the brush, is a five meter wide hole in the ground that you can’t see until you are very close. At the bottom, 85 feet underground, there is a thirty foot layer of debris that has built up since the last ice age, and maybe longer. Some of the debris contains the bones of creatures that also failed to see the hole. They are now part of a vastly rich, and hopefully well-preserved collection of fossils at the bottom of Natural Trap Cave. In July of 2014, scientists from Des
Moines University took out 200 large bones of American cheetah, bison, horses, and other extinct creatures. Part of the remains will be sent to Adelaide University in Australia for genetic analysis. The rest is going to various other universities. Expeditions will return for at least the next two summers to explore the hole in more detail. Fish Feat theaustralian.com, August 28, 2014. Mail One. “Fish Out of Water Can Quickly Find Their Feet.” (Nature) Contributed by Bruce Watson. How did creatures move from the ocean to the land 400 million years
john blinke ago? An air breathing African fish named Polypterus gives us a clue. Researchers at University of Ottawa kept a hundred of the strange creatures out of water for a year, starting at birth. The scientists expected to rescue them at some point in the experiment. Instead,
the fish seemed comfortable and happy, and they even modified their behavior to get around more effectively without water to support them. In the wild, polypterus move from one puddle to another as their habitat dries out every summer.
Johnb44221@cs.com
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 january 2015
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HEIST
PIECE
WAY
CAR
SAG
FUN
57 32
42 4
60
15
-------------------------------------------------------------------------7. If HALT MAIL = STOP POST and EVENING OBJECT = NIGHT THING, which pairs of anagrams are synonyms for: a) FISH SNARES b) MIND CONTEST c) MATURE JETTY d) BENCH BEVERAGES e) TRIM FRUIT -------------------------------------------------------------------------8. 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.
] ]
[ [
7, 5, 4, 9, 7, 6, 11, 9, 8, 13, ?
Consecutive letters -------------------------------------------------------------------------12. What comes next?
Consecutive letters of the alphabet
Consonants
Vowels
_________________ BRAND
_________________ MAN
_________________ PLACE
_________________ WOOD
_________________ STARTER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The letters you find will spell out some CREATURES. 11. Each colour represents a different letter. Use the clues below to fill in the blanks to form a wordsquare. The square will have four -------------------------------------------------------------------------proper words reading across and the same four 14. Which word can precede each of the following to words down. make five new words?
] ]
[
]
First instance [ [
]
[
Midwives
THIRD-CLASS represents the letter A, which letters do the following represent?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apple core Sweetheart 10. The reflection of the clock on the wall behind me appears to say twenty to two. If I turn around Redhead and face the clock, what will it say? First stop
9. Which word meaning TURNED can be pronounced differently to mean INJURE?
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
Now read down the centre boxes to find out where Bill is.
SUE
PER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------4. 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. LIT ADDRESS
blemish symbol goal distinction flag dogear grade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Which single word can mean all of the following?
Wrist
Stop
Purse
Therese Moodie-Bloom 2008
FARTICON
-------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Which of these does not belong in the group?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Decipher the puzzle in the box to find a mathematical term Fob
5. Which ordinal number can have its letters rearranged to form a standard of measure?
If you would like to discuss answers directly with MENSA, you can email Therese at therese@mensa.org.au 13. If BOTTLE-OPENER represents the letter B, and
1. Can you find a FISH which can have its letters rearranged to form a cut of MEAT?
MENSA MINI IQ CHALLENGE
1. Skate (Steak). 2. A vulgar (crude, improper) fraction. 3. Mark. 4. He is at a fair. 5. Eighth (height). 6. Purse. Others are all types of watches. 7. a) Sprat Traps b) Care Race c) Ripe Pier d) Seat Teas) e) Pare Pear. 8. 89 15 32 60 47. 9. Wound. 10. Twenty past ten. 11. Bull Urea Leak Lake. 12. 11 (Minus 2, Minus 1, Plus 5). 13. Vipers. 14. Fire
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Notice Inviting Nominations for the International Election 2015 In accordance with Article X of the Constitution of Mensa, the International Election Committee (IEC) invites nominations for the following internationally elected offices: INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR-ADMINISTRATION INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR-DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL TREASURER Nomination by National Mensas National Mensa committees may nominate a candidate or a slate of candidates for any or all offices by submitting the name(s) of such candidate(s). A national Mensa group may nominate more than one individual for each office. Nominations should be made on the National Mensa Committee nomination form available from the IEC. The identities of all nominating national Mensa groups shall be made public to all voters with the candidate material. Nomination by members Members may nominate a candidate or a slate of candidates for any or all offices by submitting: 1) the name(s) of such candidate(s); 2) a petition signed by at least 100 members who are in good standing as of January 1st, 2015; 3) verification of such good standing. Petition signatures must be submitted on a form, which can be obtained from the IEC. Requirements for nominees Each candidate must: 1) be a member in good standing as of the date of nomination and continue to remain a member in good standing throughout the election period until May 31st, 2015; 2) have not served in the post they are nominated for in the previous two consecutive terms; 3) submit written acceptance of his or her nomination (using the form available from the IEC); 4) state his or her willingness to serve if elected; and 5) agree to abide by the rulings of the IEC and the International Ombudsman in the matter of complaints and conflicts arising from the elections. All nominations including petitions and acceptances must be sent in hard copy or in scanned electronic copies to the MIL office in time to ensure its arrival no later than January 28th, 2015 at the following address: Mensa International Ltd., Slate Barn, Church Lane, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, NG32 3EL, United Kingdom e-mail: mensainternational@mensa.org Contact the IEC at iec-chair@mensa.org for all enquiries regarding the election including nomination forms.