2016 03 04 mar apr mind intl by Editor, MInd

MAR-APR 2016

From the Editor: Hello Mensans, Whats up! Well, this issue answers that question for quite a few of us… While a team of Mensans is busy working hard to find and nurture more Mensans in the tribal belts of India, some others are venturing into businesses that hope to help India become clean. Some are writing books that’ll motivate young minds in the corporate world and some are finding ways to press the benefits of Appreciative Enquiry. And that’s not all… the creative juices in some Mensan minds are churning out poems. But not all creative juices are restricted to the mind… The Mumbai Food SIG has kick-started with ‘food trails’ in the busy streets and bazaars of Mumbai. This is where the beauty of Mensa comes to the fore… there is no such thing that does not interest a Mensan. So tell us what you like and tell us what you do… and tell us what you like to read here. Keep writing to us… we are listening.  ~Durva Damle, Editor, Mind Contents

About Contributors

Page no. 2

Mensa Initiatives: TMNP Overview

Excerpts from TNMP Annual Report

Q&A: MobiTrash

Interview

Mensa Activities: Zaveri Bazar Food Crawl

Bela Raja

Mensa Activities: Bhendi Bazar Food Crawl EQ: Appriciative Enquiry

Imtiaz & Tushar

Krishnan Iyer

Mensa Promotions: No Parking… (Book)

Abhishek Ratna

WordSmith – Of Hope Undimmed

Kishore Asthana

The Puzzle Page: Minesweeper

Prasanna Seshadri

On the Cover: Pictures from TNMP Annual Report for 2015-16 Submissions: 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:

Dr. Narayan Desai: PhD. Secretary and Executive Council Member, Gifted Child Program, Mensa India, Principal Investigator - Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program and Consultant, Jnana Prabodhini Institute of Psychology. Mensa Proctor: Nurturing Advisor, Project Dhruv. Email: nrd1675@hotmail.com, nrd1675@gmail.com Bela Raja is a child guidance councellor and a special educator. She has been working with children and parents for the last 23 years. Her work is about empowering parents, teachers and students themselves to deal with various forms of Learning Difficulties. She has written a book and made a documentary film on the subject of LD. Tushar Ajgaonkar is a self-taught filmmaker and has written, directed and produced over 150 films – corporate infomercials, documentaries and commercials. He is the co-founder and creative director of TaleSmith Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., serving clients across FMCG, Real Estate, Engineering and Government Institutions. Imtiaz Saigara: There is love and there is love for food! And nothing comes in between Imtiaz and his love for food, be that cooking or eating. He loves eating out. From dining in the finest restaurants to street food – the entire spectrum is his hunting ground. For him, ‘WTF’ has only one meaning – “ Where’s The Food!” Deep Mody is an XLRI ate and a Mensan; thorough professional with over a decade of praxis in various realms of Human Resource Management. Also a Change Leader with evolving prowess into Appreciative Inquiry, Emotional Intelligence and Positive Organisation Development. Link to his blog: http://emotionallystreet-smart.blogspot.com/ Abhishek Ratna is a member of Mensa, an alumnus of IIT Madras, an MBA in Finance and Marketing with extensive corporate experience and an Image Consultant. Abhishek is gifted with keen observation skills and is passionate about Coaching for Success. He enjoys mentoring and speaking assignments on success. He is working closely with few entrepreneurs and loves tackling dynamic challenges of the entrepreneurial world. He loves travelling and has been to over twenty countries across the globe for work and pleasure. Kishore Asthana: B.E. (Mechanical Engg), PGDBM (IIM-Ahmedabad), ex-Tata Administrative Service. Social Activist. Occasional author & columnist. President, Mensa India, Ombudsman, Mensa Proctor. President, Project Dhruv. 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

MENSA INITIATIVES TRIBAL MENSA NURTURING PROGRAM - OVERVIEW

2002…2007…and now 2015-16! This has been a milestone in the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program’s (TNMP) 14 years-long journey!

for itself, before addressing the problems of the Gifted. TMNP had to develop its own curriculum for Gifted nurturing, that was appropriate in the Indian and more importantly the Tribal context. The hardships faced by the underprivileged, proved to be a greater challenge for TMNP. Motivating these young minds, developing self confidence and self was the most difficult task. It was a trial and error method to begin with and the limitations of resources and logistics proved to be a tough challenge. But the enthusiasm of the vibrant gifted minds and the hope in their eyes for a better future, kept us going! In 2015-16, TMNP stands straight on its own feet!

TMNP During 2015-16:

In 2002, TNMP began with 4 tribal Gifted students identified at Sevadham Ashram Shala. It was a dream of Dr. Narayan R. Desai, to be able to find and help many more underprivileged Gifted students. In 2007, he was able to build a team to help him extend a successful pilot phase into a live program. His journey continued as he approached more schools and enrolled more underprivileged Gifted students as part of the nurturing program. Whenever in need, some helping hand or a well wisher would join the TMNP family and the work continued. As the journey progressed, TMNP became a known and appreciated cause - not just at a village level, but it broke the barriers of state, national and even the international boundaries. The program received recognition not only in the local newspapers, but even the renowned ‘New-York Times’. Soon enough, big companies like Mahindra Group, Thermax, Symantec, SQS, etc. joined hands. There was no pre-set template which TMNP could adopt. Giftedness is still a concept for a country like India. Gifted education, is not even thought of as part of curriculum. The general thought is ‘God blessed them with more potential, so why do they need help?’ TNMP had to carve out a new way… understand giftedness

Running this noble initiative is quite a complex process. The four important aspects of TMNP are:     3

Giftedness Assessment Giftedness Nurturing Giftedness Support Giftedness Administration

MENSA INITIATIVES TRIBAL MENSA NURTURING PROGRAM - OVERVIEW

Giftedness Assessment : Giftedness Assessment was done with a three-pronged approach during 2015-16.   

abilities for the gifted. To provide access to these children to good guidance and exposure of various available career options.

Giftedness Nurturing: Nurturing is not a one time task. It is a continuous journey that not only involves commitment, but also rests a great responsibility on the shoulders of the Gifted Mentors. These nurturing programs leave a long lasting impression on these young Gifted minds. We are proud to see TMNP succeed in its core objective.

MENSA testing, Psycho profiling, and Aptitude testing.

As TMNP’s Gifted minds are scattered across various locations, it becomes logistically difficult to reach out for multiple nurturing sessions. Although there are many mentors on TMNP’s panel, it is difficult to visit to these remote areas often. To overcome this, TMNP has launched various books, audios and interviews of Mensa Mentors on its website.

Screening is just the first step and often the first point of contact with gifted children. Just a test result and knowing that ‘one is Gifted’ helps these students to believe in themselves. Screening is a time and money consuming activity and often yielding low results. But this is the backbone of the Gifted program. The idea is A Gifted should not be left unnoticed and their Gifts should not be wasted. Psycho Profiling: Giftedness is not always

an expressive trait. It also comes with a lot of challenges for the Gifted mind. Gifted mind is extremely curious and aggressive, but easily withdraws into a shell, if it doesn’t encounter likeminded peers. A nurturing program cannot be complete until it has addressed every aspect of individual Giftedness. So, TMNP has started Psycho profiling tests for 10th Class students of Chakan area. The results of these tests will be analyzed by psychologists and shared with mentors. The students will also be guided about their strengths and weaknesses.

Giftedness Support: To dream without any boundaries! Can an underprivileged Gifted student who has not even seen the face of a city life in India, dream to pursue the best quality education from overseas? TMNP wishes to promise the children that they can achieve it. A promise that requires the backing of various tieups and opportunities generated exclusively for the underprivileged Gifted. TMNP is making efforts to create good relationships all over the world to bridge this gap between dreams and

Aptitude: Aptitude tests were conducted for students from Chakan. Experts from JnanaPrabhodini (JPSS) conducted ‘AIM (Ability & Intelligence Measurement) tests’ to assess the 4

MENSA INITIATIVES TRIBAL MENSA NURTURING PROGRAM - OVERVIEW

reality. For example, the Belin Blank Centre, University of Iowa has signed a research collaboration agreement with TMNP.

psycho-profiling, structuring nurturing workshops, conduct Gifted research and publications and conduct teacher training programs.

Seminars, workshops, interactions with esteemed visitors, psychologists, MENSA international members and the like are arranged by TMNP. Publications, presentations, exchange of ideas ensure that TMNP grows relentlessly.

The Udyogdham Story: For the first time Mensa tests were conducted at Udyogdham, a Leprosy rehabilitation center, for students whose parents have been suffering from Leprosy. These students are not just underprivileged economically, but also socially. They are deprived of basic social status and benefits due to lack of awareness and fear. Identifying 4 students through this testing gives these students a true ray of hope.

TMNP receives funds and support from a wide base of well-wishers and organizations. Mahindra Vehicles Manufacturer Limited - Chakan have been conducting CSR activity for underprivileged Gifted students from Chakan area for over 3 years. This project includes screening 1000 students and nurturing 100 Gifted students per year. The list of well-wishers is long and growing.

One idea to make Tribal Mensa Project self sustaining is by linking the Urban Mensa Activities with Tribal Mensa. 30 students from Urban Mensa visited Tribal Schools so that they can have firsthand experience of the problems. Interactions between the privileged and the underprivileged proved mutually beneficial to students, who gained exposure to the other side of Gifted lifestyles.

A lot of activities are planned for 2016-17 as well…Hope TMNP keeps growing and creates many more success stories. Sounds interesting? For more, Check out http://www.tribalmensa.org/

TMNP Organization structure: TMNP is bound together with a strong, energetic, gifted, and innovative team which strives to make TMNP achieve its objectives. TMNP works in a transparent and systematized organisational structure having divided into 5 main bodies namely, Executive Board, Apex Board, National Advisory Board, International Advisory Board and the specialized resources. TMNP is also working with different psychologists who contribute through different tasks like, identification and assessment of gifted students,

Contact TMNP: Address: Mensa India (TMNP) Jnana Prabhodini Bhavan 510 Sadashiv Peth, Pune—411030 Dr. N.R. Desai: 9822626835 nrd1675@gmail.com Shilpa Kulkarni: 9623179907

Source: TMNP Annual Report, 2015-16

Q&A MOBITRASH

Garbage in cities is a ‘towering’ problem quite literally. Treatment and disposal of waste now poses big problems as dump-yards and landfill sites are overflowing with trash. As such, we need to manage our waste better and look for alternatives to traditional disposal methods. The MInd team brings to you an interview covering one such innovative initiative – Mobitrash.

MobiTrash came as a response to this realization of market need that people wanted a hassle free solution for which they were willing to pay a small monthly fee which covered the service.

2. How does MobiTrashwork. Is it a patented technology?

Ravi Shroff – an entrepreneur and a Mensan, tells us about Mobitrash - a mobile van waste

The concept of MobiTrash is simple. It is a composting machine loaded on a mobile van. It treats wet waste at the site of the waste generator - WG - (housing societies, office complexes, malls, restaurants, schools etc). The treated waste (raw compost) is then carted away to a centralized facility for converting to finished compost. It is hassle free, because there is no need to own a machine, use up valuable space, or employ people to manage the waste. The WG simply registers for MobiTrash by contacting us, and we initiate a free trial. If the WG is happy, they sign up for our service, which costs Rs 199 per household per month for residential societies.

treatment service that treats segregated organic waste at site.

1. How did the idea of 'MobiTrash' come up? Was it a response to the 'Clean India' campaign? The original idea of composting was conceived by Kantisen Shroff (my grandfather's brother, fondly known as Kaka), also a Mensan. And it was nurtured by my uncle, Dipesh Shroff, also a Mensan. In that sense, I am a third generation Mensan carrying this forward. We developed India's first decentralized composting machine (starting at as low as 10 kgs per day going up to few hundred kgs per day).

3. What was the path adopted to transform a green idea to a green service. How long did it take to complete the trajectory of concept to reality?

Lack of proper policy from the government and very poor implementation of rules laid down by municipalities meant that the problem of waste became a national issue. As Swachh Bharat became a popular movement, we realized that citizens wanted a cleaner India and were willing to take this up as a serious social issue.

This idea was conceived in August 2015, and we started pilot trials in October last year with our first van. Since then, we have introduced another van and are planning to introduce one more next month. We are already treating 800kgs of Pune's waste per day, effectively diverting this waste from going to the landfill.

Hence, in September 2015 we did a pilot launch of MobiTrash (composting on wheels) in Pune. MobiTrash simplifies waste management tremendously. We realized that people wanted to be active citizens and participate in cleaning up their environment, but the big deterrents were: 1) Lack of support from local municipalities 2) Lack of hassle free options available to the citizens. Available options required investments in machinery, people etc.

4. Anything that is done out of charity is not sustainable in the long-run. Are such environment-friendly services commercially viable? MobiTrash is a for-profit venture, designed to be commercially viable. While it is still early days, we 6

Q&A MOBITRASH

firmly believe that once this service is established, it will be so.

My family has been very environmentally conscious from the time our family business (Excel Industries Ltd.) started in 1941. Social relevance was the key driver in what businesses we chose to do, and how we did it. For example, we are one of the pioneers in the Indian agrochemical industry. My grandfather started this business as a response to food shortage and over dependence on imported food grains and expensive imported agrochemicals in the 1960's.

5. How is the response from the people who now avail of the facility? Do others (non-participants) get inspired to take the extra effort to segregate organic trash at source? The response has been fantastic. We were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of the citizens of Pune in accepting such a service.

We identified waste management as a social issue in the 1980's. We developed indigenous composting technology and set up several large scale composting plants (with different partners) across the country and one plant outside India.

During the free trial period offered to each client, we are able to effectively educate the participants to sort their waste so that the service runs smoothly. Stray plastic objects or similar items show up once in a while, but our technology is robust enough to handle this.

However, India's waste problem continued to become larger along with rapid urbanization in the 2000's. We realized that government policy wasn't able to cope up with this rapidly changing scenario. Problem of waste was going towards crisis scenario. It is this that made us conceive something like MobiTrash.

6. Does MobiTrash operate only in Pune? How soon can we see it in other cities/ are similar services available in other cities? We are currently learning and fine tuning our operations in Pune. We are very aware that such a service is needed across the country. We are working to see how we can launch in another 1 2 cities in the coming 6 - 12 months.

I’d like to share with the readers a video highlighting these problems related to waste. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gK6lef91WGo

7. Do you have any more green ideas in the pipeline?

9. How can we, as conscious citizens, help bring such initiatives into the mainstream.

We have developed a totally natural floor cleaner called Herbocel. We will launch this product on ecommerce websites soon. We are also working on a compact home composter to serve customers who are environmentally conscious. We also run a terrace farm at our office, from the canteen waste we compost. In the future we wish to develop terrace farming as a business area.

Be very conscious of how much waste you generate, and always think of how your waste can be recycled. Start small by segregating your waste, and spread the word to others in your community that our waste is our responsibility. The only way to overcome this problem is to reduce the waste we generate, and treat the waste responsibly. MobiTrash, and other waste warriors, will come along to help you make your future a cleaner place. --------------------------End--------------------------------

8. What made you undertake an initiative in an area where not many would be keen to jump.

MENSA EVENTS ZAVERI BAZAR FOOD CRAWL

Food crawls were never my thing, I was always a ‘sit down and be waited upon’ person so when Mumbai Mensa decided to do a food crawl, led by Nirav Sanghavi, through one of Mumbai’s most congested areas which is Zaveri Bazaar and surroundings, I very gingerly committed to it….because it was an event where guests were allowed and my husband was most excited, he being a street food person, cast iron stomach and all!

pulses and thrives and reflects the culture of the city that is Mumbai.

Actually another very interesting part was, we were going to do a crawl right through Mulji Jetha Cloth Market, the hub of textile trade in India. Multi Jetha ( MJ) Market is supposed to be the largest textile market in Asia. A hundred and thirty six years old, it has 24 entrances and houses about 2000 shops under one roof. These shops are generally wholesale outlets but when they saw enthusiastic and goggle eyed people like us, (mostly the women), they did deign to sell us merchandise on a retail basis… which was way cheaper than the retail shops in other areas.

varieties - regular, medium and extreme; Khara Kunwa Spicy Kachoris; Moong Dal Bhajiyas, Dahi Samosa and Sweet Boondi, Chhaas from Bhagat Tarachand” and milkshakes from a place that I thought was heaven!

We exited the market and we were led towards ‘Nashta Galli’ where we had been promised “Regular and Bread Pudla; Khasta (Dahi) Kachoris; Kanji Wada, Chhapan Masala, a variety of Dosas, Idlis and Uttapam; Bhel, Pani Puri, Sev Puri; Dabelis, Ragda Pattice and loaded Khichiya Papad; Sandwiches ; Teekha Sev in three

We started with the Bread Pudlas and everyone tucked away until we had to be warned to pace ourselves. After all, this was a food marathon! After a point, people started gravitating to food carts that held items of their interest and enjoyed the spicy fare but when it came to the ‘Khichiya Papad’, it had a magnetic effect on everyone and the street was suddenly filled with people eating papad with a mountain of toppings on it.

The grey cloth comes from Bhiwandi and Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra. There is fabric from Bhilwada, Surat, Ahmedabad and so on. Fabric comes in from all over and it is given shape and form to be sold from this market.

By now, it had started getting dark and the lanes were filling up with a lot more of people just when one thought that the streets were already bursting at the seams!

Many fortunes have been made and lost over here but whatever the case may be, the market 8

MENSA EVENTS ZAVERI BAZAR FOOD CRAWL

It is anybody’s guess as to how we managed to keep our sights trained on our guide as he led us

madness I encountered in getting out of this maze of lanes and people, in an effort to reach the car.

to a place that served the most heavenly, chilled, thick, frothy, delicious milkshake…of every kind! Then we headed towards the Bhagat Tarachand Lassi shop. Now this was a task because the street held something like nine shops called Bhagat Tarachand. I guess that shows how much we love Chhaas.

The Food Crawl was such a unique experience that the following weekend, I brought my family so that they could enjoy a similarly amazing time.

~Bela Raja

We finally located the right shop and settled down to enjoy the glasses of chhaas that were put before us. For me, that was the end of the day, save for the

MENSA EVENTS BHENDI BAZAR FOOD CRAWL (Not for the lily-livered)

Meat is wonderful. Especially when it's slow cooked over charcoal. Imtiaz Saigara, our guide to Bhendi Bazaar Food Crawl, not only knew his meat well but also where to find it. There were just three of us, Vinda Sanzgiri, Imtiaz Saigara and me. A smaller group meant better mobility and control, which helped us taste a vast range of delicacies, from meat to sweetmeats.

Soon we were at Mastan Talao, once a small lake and now a basketball ground. Right outside was a small roadside kebab place. When the sheekh kebabs arrived, we knew Imtiaz was right. These kebabs were much better than Sarvi. The meat was tender and smoky with the right mix of fat in it, lightly charred and incredibly delicious. The meat was hand ground and chunky in parts, lending a good bite to it. The khiri (udder) kebabs were juicy and chewy and so were the boti (beef / buff meat chunks) kebabs. The kaleji (liver) was rightly undercooked to let the juice of the meat remain. After a good fill of these, we decided to move on.

We started with Sarvi, Byculla. A plate of beef (read buff) sheekh kebabs was ordered. The kebabs were lightly spiced allowing us to enjoy the tender smoky meat. The meat, however, was a bit too finely ground. The lemon mint chutney and onions intermittently added the crunch and the necessary tang. Next came the zabaan (tounge) in paya (trotters) soup. The soup was truly sumptuous with an occasional bite of the meaty zabaan drowned in it. But Imtiaz wasn't quite happy. Possibly he knew of better kebabs. We followed Imtiaz as he took us down the rabbit hole.

At Bohri Mohalla, Imtiaz suggested we try some Naan Mutton Sandwich. The naan was fresh, the filling was generous and we had overeaten. It was time to try something new.

Imtiaz knew just the thing: Tilli (pancreas) and Gurda (kidney) in Bengal Gram and Potatoes, a heady mix of spiced offal. By now, we were done, and how. On the way, we encountered the famous Bara Handi, a delicacy which is a mix of different meat cuts, wheat and lentils slow cooked for hours and then mixed together by an expert chef. Bara Handi would have been an entire meal and we chose to keep it for another food crawl.

Imtiaz knew that sweetmeats had to replace meat. A Falooda at Shalimar cooled us down. Another Suleimani Chai (lemon mint black tea) at Jabbari restaurant accompanied with a nicotine shot helped me make sense of it all.

MENSA EVENTS BHENDI BAZAR FOOD CRAWL (Not for the lily-livered)

Suddenly Imtiaz spotted a few Shami Kebabs at Noor Mohammadi Hotel. He didn't want us to miss them. We grabbed the few last ones that melted away in our mouth. We just couldn't believe that there was no meat in it, but only lentils!

By the time we came to Mawa Jalebi, Egg Malpua with Rabdi and a final round of Sitaphal Icecream at Taj Ice Cream, we had already started worshipping the man who made all this happen. Imtiaz, thank you.

~Tushar Ajgaonkar (Pictures by Imtiaz Saigara)

EQ APPRICIATIVE INQUIRY them. They love to do more of what they have been doing.

Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophy, an approach to doing everything in life focusing on getting the best of people! Change is inevitable, but the outcome of the change to be positive is a choice we can make… We all have our understanding about how things work and especially how people work (how human mind works). What makes people do what they do… What drives people… While aiming at better outcomes, we are talking about driving change in the way things work. We have our tried-and-tested approach for motivating people – an approach that has worked well for us. We identify the target followed by what is ‘Ideally’ needed to achieve the target and then finally evaluate what we have and what’s missing as compared to the ‘Ideal’ list. Once we’ve established the list, we focus on what’s missing and fix it aiming at ‘Ideal’ state. We do that for everything we deal in life, including our organisations. That is how we manage business, manage processes, manage people, manage resources… practically everything. As stated earlier, this approach has done well for us, but we need to identify if it is an approach to achieve the best of what can be. Going to basics of understanding how Human Mind works, how they take decisions and how to get the best of them - One very familiar way of driving people is motivation by fear. Fear of losing job, losing that promotion, losing that increment, losing that social status, losing respect (insult), losing losing losing… It certainly drives people, but drives only to the extent of getting them in a state when they don’t lose what they’re afraid of… It certainly works, but equally certainly doesn’t get us the best in people… Exploring what also works in driving people, below are few pointers: 

People love to speak of what they’re good at. They love to share their opinion, their understanding of way things work, why they do what they do and how it makes sense to



People are driven by self-motivation when they choose what they wish to do. Their vision puts them in self-propelling mode.



What people talk about and what they constantly think of often becomes their reality. All their efforts, time, space of mind and energy get driven by the world they create around themselves, the world articulated by their words and thoughts.



People may choose any interpretation of world around them. They may choose to focus on what they do not want or may choose to articulate the same desire in terms of what they want.



People are often driven by images and visualisations of ideal future they wish to create.



An ideal future for all is always created by all who will be living the future and contributing towards making that future a reality.



While driving large change initiatives for future, collective efforts are often much needed. It is important to have large group of people on same page, which is usually ignited by conversations. The direction of conversation is a choice that changes the outcome of change.



While communicating with others, the words chosen ignite the thought process that follows and further changes vision of desired future that decides the actions taken making it a reality.



When a group of people collectively agree a common vision of desired future, they are collectively self-driven to achieve the same.



Endless possibilities are created when people collectively complement each other’s strengths, bond closely and together co-create the future.



People have the power of defining the ‘Ideal’ list of what is needed to achieve something and only people have the power to redefine that list.



EQ APPRICIATIVE INQUIRY

DISCOVERY, SEARCH, and SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION, STUDY.

The biggest possibilities created by people lie in their ‘intellectual creativity’ of using their existing strengths in ways never imagined before.

Below is a simple comparison highlighting world view distinction between two approaches:

To elaborate on last two points I have a very crude analogy here.

Biryani recipe

Picture this. You have few guests coming to place at short notice and you are to prepare Biryani for them. You know that biryani recipe needs about 16 ingredients, but you have only 12 wherein only 10 are from the required ‘Ideal’ list and 2 of something else. This doesn’t stop you from making the biryani. Infact you use your ‘intellectual creativity’ and use these 12 ingredients to make the biryani. You never know it may even turn-out to be better than what you initially set-off making… By focusing on what you already have and building on it (using it in ways never used before) you didn’t just achieve what was required, you achieved something way beyond it…

Appreciative approach

Find out what’s not working right and obstructing the system

Find out what’s working right and giving LIFE to system

Analyse and derive at the core reasons for failure

Analyse and derive core reasons for success

Redefine processes & systems around loop holes fixing the problem

Redefine processes & systems around Positive Core driving the system

The outlook and approach revolves around fear of lapses

The outlook and approach revolves around motivation by positivity

Application of AI philosophy As stated at the beginning, AI is a philosophy and not a tool or technique. It defines our way of approach of doing everything.

The most important factor to be sensitive to is the conversation that ignites Change. The question we choose to ask leads to thought process, visualisation of future and actions towards the future making it a reality. It is very important to begin conversations with an intent to bring out the best of people.

Focusing on specific intervention and helping an organisation to learn and adapt this approach, 4D cycle is a process that can be of help. This process when implemented at an organisation bringing together the whole system (not necessarily every stake holder, but representative from each area) is known as an AI Summit. You can learn about it at length on my blog http://deepmody.blogspot.in.

Appreciative Inquiry is the term derived from simple understanding of the words:

Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems 2. to increase in value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. Synonyms: VALUING, PRIZING, ESTEEMING, and HONORING.

(ref: https://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/whatisai.cfm) The pointers about what drives people are captured in Principles available on website of The Centre For Appreciative Inquiry (http://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/more-onai/principles-of-appreciative-inquiry/)

In-quire’ (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. Synonyms:

~Deep Mody 13

Deficit based approach

MENSA PROMOTIONS NO PARKING. NO HALT. SUCCESS NON-STOP!

Abhishek Ratna, a Mensan from Kolkata, has

It is challenging to make these choices and may even require a complete behavioural/ personality change, but for a great career it is a MUST!

authored a book for professional success. And we know our readers would like to know what’s inside. So here is a curtain raiser about the book with an excerpt from it, to feed the curiosity...

SIX MOST IMPORTANT CHOICES THAT DEFINE YOU IN THE CORPORATE WORLD:

Book: 'No Parking. No Halt. Success Non Stop!' About the book: A self-help book for success at

1. ‘Yes’ to Visibility or ‘Yes’ to Silent Work The silent workers get lost in the endless darkness of the corporate world. Those who work hard and constantly seek to be visible to their superiors, those who showcase their hard work, are the ones who advance to positions of greater power and responsibility.

work! No Parking. No Halt. Success Non-stop! has 50 career lessons for today's 20teen generation. Practical and comprehensive, the book often stretches to the point of 'cunning without harming'. Interspersed with quotes, stories and humour, it also breaks a few myths. The author treads a fine line between ethical and nonethical. The author is able to convince the reader about the necessity for professional success.

2. ‘Yes’ to focus on work with any eye on the future or ‘Yes’ to focus on present tasks Walking on a road without seeing and planning for what's down the road will almost certainly catch you off-guard and may turn out to be a harsh blow, sometime or other. It is important to focus on present work. It is more important to align your present work with future outlook and desires.

Amazon Link - http://www.amazon.in/ParkingHalt-Success-Stop-1st/dp/8189930982 Goodreads Links https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258413 62-no-parking-no-halt-success-non-stop ….Excerpt from ‘No Parking No Halt Success Non Stop’ Lesson 29

3. ‘Yes’ to mental toughness or ‘Yes’ to emotional reactions. How often do short-term emotional triggers control your behaviour at work? Given the complex high-voltage emotional environment most workplaces have, it is very common to see people reacting to emotional triggers. Those who make a mark for themselves and set themselves apart as level-headed high performers are those who are mentally tough and can react strategically. Emotions don't distract high performers.

Six choices that define you in the corporate world What is that one skill which has the most dramatic impact on our quality of life, especially corporate life? ‘The ability to make wise choices.’ The ability to make wise choices is the most valuable skill a person can develop. When it comes to the corporate world, this one skill can set the course of your entire career! The starting point of making a choice is to know and understand deeply what the choices are and how they will impact your life and career. Given below are the six most important choices which differentiate a top performer from an average performer in the corporate world.

4. ‘Yes’ to becoming an influential personality or ‘Yes’ to becoming an over-delivering workhorse. Majority of us find comfort in working like a horse consistently and over-delivering at work. Right from our childhood we are programmed to find comfort in hard-work. But does this really help your career growth? NO. Becoming an influential personality at work is 14

WORDSMITH OF HOPE UNDIMMED

much more important than becoming a hardworking person! The focus should be on becoming a strong and influential personality – cultivate compelling communication skills, focus on building trust and learn how to expand and leverage your professional network.

networks and every get-together at work to build a stronger brand YOU! 6. ‘Yes’ to seeking or ‘Yes’ to waiting For success in corporate world, it is essential to identify and seek what you want. Move out of your comfort zone, develop those necessary skills and go all out for that much needed advancement! Don't shy away; and, if you do, be prepared for just an average career. GO – Hit the CHOICES SIXER and score a GRAND CAREER CENTURY!

5. ‘Yes’ to self-promotion or ‘Yes’ to downplaying Many of us have this mind-set which considers self-promotion a taboo. Yet, the fact is that in the present day corporate world, it is utmost important to build a personal brand for yourself and anyone who knows the basics of brandbuilding would know that it is impossible without proper promotion! Put time and effort to promote your personal brand. Use social events, social

Lesson: Your choices define you. Make wise choices. ~ Abhishek Ratna

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Of Hope Undimmed ~ Kishore Asthana I have waited long In this darkened place But I sleep not lest I miss Those dainty steps that beloved face I wait, and waiting in me My music sleeps Its strings wet with unshed tears Its flutes but exhausted reeds The dancing bells have closed their eyes And arm in arm they lie aside But I wait with bated breath For I am sure you said 'tonight' My song that was, is now a hymn Even the grapes are now old wine This bed alas, an unfulfilled altar But the dawn is not yet, Beloved mine

THE PUZZLE PAGE MINESWEEPER

The Minesweeper Puzzle Statement: Place mines into some empty cells in the grid such that the numbers in the grid represent the number of mines in the 8 neighboring cells, including diagonal ones. The exact number of mines to be used is given.

Solution to the Solved Example:

Theme: Once you’ve solved it, look at

the solution closely ;)

Solved Example with helpful notes: 1. Look at imbalances caused by relationships between high and low digits. In the example, there can be only 1 mine in the two cells above the 4-clue and only 1 mine in the two cells below the 4-clue, because of the 1-clues above and below it. So the remaining two mines for the 4-clue have to be to its left and right, and the 1-clues cannot have mines to their left and right because they must have a mine in the common ground with the 4-clue to satisfy it.

Solution to the previous issue’s puzzle OUTSIDE SUDOKU:

2. Keep track of number of mines used by cancelling mines as you go along. Towards the end this is helpful because it may be necessary to fit a lot of mines in a small place or fit very less mines across a large space and this turns out to be a logical helper. ~PrasannaSeshadri

The Minesweeper Puzzle:

Note: The solutions to the puzzle of this issue, Minesweeper, will be published in the next issue. For more puzzles and Sudokus like this and to know more about the Indian National Championships, you can visit the Indian website for all puzzle matters, Logic Masters India – logicmastersindia.com

Following pages are from the Mensa World Journal

mensa w o r l d j o u r nal march 2016 issue #038

International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award p5

Recipient of the International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award, Dr Ranko Rajovic, in Serbia recently

Also in this issue: anyone for cockroach oil? p2 from the Executive Committee p3 Mensa International Limited upcoming appointments p4 learning logic - book review p6 midnight munchies mangle memory... p7 how the brain can handle so much data p8 lifting a car with two phone books p9 supplementally... p10 Thereseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s puzzles p12

m ensa wor ld j our na l anyone for cockroach oil? Insect oil is a possible new source of the healthy omega-3 fatty acid. Insects make fatty acids by nature and can live on organic waste. Wageningen University examines which insects can best be used for oil and what their optimal diet should be. Insects are already used as a source of protein for man and beast. In the protein extraction process also oil is extracted. This insect oil is currently thrown away. That is a shame, proves researcher Daylan Tzompa Sosa of Wageningen University. Fatty acids In her PhD-research, Tzompa Sosa looks at milkfats. Out of curiosity, she once did similar fat analysis with oil that was left over after protein extraction of insects by a lab colleague. “The oil appeared to contain a lot of fatty acids, both saturated and unsaturated.” In addition, Tzompa Sosa demonstrated that the oil can be extracted in an environmentally friendly way, giving also the highest return and the best quality oil compared to other processes. Tzompa Sosa extracted oil from, for instance, meal worms, beetle larvae, crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers and soldier flies. “All the oils smell differently, some nicer than others,” the Wageningen scientist says. mensa world journal march 2016

The industry is interested in sustainable fatty acids like omega-3 and lauric acid. The main source for omega-3 is currently fish. It is added to the feed of cats and farm raised salmon, to foodstuffs and put in capsules. “Cats die when they get a full vegetable diet without these additives. That is why they normally eat meat. Farm raised salmons get wild caught fish or fishmeal instead.” Also humans need to take in a certain amount of fatty acids. Lauric acid (also to be found in coconut oil for example) is supposed to have bactericidal and virus obliterate qualities. Furthermore, the use of insect oil in, for example, cosmetics is obvious. Properties To research breeding, diet and processing of insects for oil, the Wageningen fat researchers are working together with entomologists and bio-based experts of Wageningen UR. One of these researches concerns an analysis of the different fractions in oil and their properties, because these fractions have different liquid and solid phase. Also a risk analysis of use of the oil for man and beast will be done. sciencedaily.com

from the editor, The hunt for the International Photographer of the Year 2016 is on its way! All details and information will be in the next issue of the MWJ, so get your cameras out and dusted ready to take part! Congratulations to Dr Ranko Rajovic who is the receipient of the 2015 International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award. Dr Rajovic’s NTC Learning System is now widely used throughout Europe (p5). Australian Mensan Stephen Plowright ‘s new book on Logic is outlined, and reviewed by our new Books... editor, Hal Swindall, on p6. Don’t forget to send your book for review to Hal at paneurasia@gmail.com Other articles this issue include Midnight Munchies Mangle Memory (p7), How the Brain Can Carry so much Data (p8), and Lifting a Car with Two Phone Books (p9). Supplementally is on p10 and Therese’s Puzzles are back on p12! Happy reading!

Kate mwjeditor@mensa.org 02

m ensa wor ld j our na l

From the Executive Committee…

Deb Stone, Chair of American Mensa

demands of being First, let me take an opportunity to introduce myself. I the Chair of AML. have been a member of American Mensa for approxiAt this point, let mately thirty-two years, and an active member for about twenty-eight of those thirty-two years. I have always said me take a moment to express my that I love American Mensa for all of the things it has heartfelt thanks to provided to me, most notably a community of friends a couple of people and colleagues with whom I know I can be myself. I whose names you know that when I am with other Mensans, I have the will recognize. opportunity to have conversations that can run the Both Dan Berg gamut from serious to silly, I can always learn something and Elissa Runew - and I can have lots of fun! dolph took the American Mensa, Ltd (AML) is split into ten time, once my elecregions, and has well over one-hundred local groups. tion was known, In my many years in AML, I have attended too many to speak with me events and gatherings to count, have served on local extensively about the role as a member of the Mensa boards/ExComms wherever I lived, served for a period International Board of time as a Regional Vice Chair (RVC) on our national and Executive Committee – and I board (the American Mensa am so grateful! Committee or AMC), and “ (The) ultimate aim is a The reason I bring all of this up have helped run thirty or so multi-faceted international is that if I, as the incoming Chair, Regional Gatherings (RGs) Mensa embracing everyone had no real idea of what it actually as well as three American meant to be a member of Mensa Mensa Annual Gatherings. … with everybody feeling International as well as being on the By the fall of 2014, I depart of it, being involved and International Board of Directors cided that it was time to use (IBD) and IBD Executive Commy years of Mensa experihaving ownership of it.” mittee – what should I expect of ence to try to bring some my fellow American Mensans? As new ideas and direction to I have attended activities over the last few months, the way AML was heading, and that meant running for I have spoken to people in various US regions and office at the national level. local groups, and many of them don’t really know And yet, when I chose to run for Chair – and then anything much at all about Mensa International won – I really didn’t understand what that meant in Limited (MIL). Some know that the national Menterms of Mensa International. As you probably know, sas send some of their dues revenue to MIL, and some may as the Chair of the largest national Mensa, I serve not have visited the MIL website. Certainly there are some who only on the IBD but also on the IBD ExComm. I knew have been active at the international level, attending events that, from a purely intellectual perspective, but Mensa or gatherings in other countries, or volunteering on comInternational seemed somewhat distant when compared to what I began to experience as the responsibilities and continued on p11 mensa world journal march 2016

m ensa wor ld j our na l

MIL Positions/Committees Open for Appointment If you are interested in serving Mensa International in an appointed position, now is your opportunity to apply. These positions are open to all members worldwide. All are for terms of two years unless otherwise stated, with the term commencing after the IBD meeting in Japan, 2016. The following Interntional positions/committees are due to be appointed in 2016:

- -

Leadership Exchange Ambassador Program (LEAP) Committee (Chairman and members) International Archivist Editor Mensa World Journal Events Coordinator GPAC Committee (Chairman and members) Gifted Youth Committee (Chairman and members) Marketing and Product Advisory Committee (Chairman and members) International Name and Logo Protection Committee (Chairman and members) International SIGs Coordinator International SIGHT Coordinator

Members currently serving in a position or on a committee are requested to reapply if they wish to continue to serve in that role. The application form is available on the Officers/Appointees page of the members-only section of the Mensa International website at https://www.mensa.org. You must be logged on. Job descriptions for each position are linked to each role. Both the application form and the job descriptions are also available from the Mensa International Office by emailing mensainternational@mensa.org or by post to the address given in the Officers Directory of this issue. Applications for the above posts must be received by June 20, 2016 and must be sent to the International Office mensainternational@mensa.org, copied to the Director of Administration admin-mil@mensa.org.

We are also calling for applications from members to be part of the 2017 International Election Committee, term beginning May 1, 2016. Applications now open.

Therese Moodie-Bloom Director of Administration mensa world journal march 2016

m ensa wor ld j our na l International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award Dr Ranko Rajovic, a member of Mensa for 28 years, is the recipient of the Mensa Education and Research Foundation’s International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award for 2015. Author of the NTC Learning System, which is now active in fifteen European countries, Dr. Rajovic briefly outlines its premise for us. “The way children learn today is not in accordance with human physiology,” says Dr. Ranko Rajovic whose NTC program integrates play with learning for children with impulse-control issues, developmental disorders, and learning disabilities. “More and more children have developmental disorders (eg, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and speech problems), which is very worrisome as this trend is on the rise. On the other hand, research we’ve carried out showed that teachers (in the education system for more than 15 years) consider that each new generation of children generally shows poorer results in school capabilities (motor skills, vocabulary, general knowledge, and logical-mathematical capabilities). “One of the main points of the NTC system is the implementation of neurophysiology in pedagogy and fostering the development of children and their biological potential. The other important aspect of the program is learning and the development of functional knowledge. We want to overcome the classical repetitive methods of learning and to replace them with more effective ones which are in accordance with the child’s physiology. mensa world journal march 2016

In this way, divergent production of children increases, as well as their creativity and functional knowledge.” Focused on sensory-motor and cognitive Dr Rajovic recently gave a lecture at the IBD meeting in Novi Sad development of outlining the essential components of the NTC Learning System children, ing fine motor skills, dynamic eye this program has resulted accommodation, rotation, balance, in improvement of motor skills, and movement. The second phase of physical agility and cognitive abiliNTC program is characterized by ties. “Too few scientific discoveries abstract classifications, abstract serifind their way to practical applicaations, and association, while the goal tion, says Dr. Rajovic. “The latest of the third phase is the development neuropsychological discoveries are of divergent and convergent thinkinsufficiently used and decades pass ing, and functional knowledge. Those until scientific discoveries are apthree phases encompass the sensoryplied in day-to-day work. What we motor and cognitive development of must not forget is that during this children. time generations are growing up deprived of crucial assistance while A partnership with UNICEF has helped bring alternatives lie at our fingertips.” the program to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and The NTC program is characit is active in 15 European countries. The curterized by three implementation rent focus for Dr. Ranjovic’s work is publishing phases. The integral parts of the findings and research results as well as writing first phase are evolutionary accordbooks targeted at parents and teachers. In addiant activities, characterized by the tion to his work authoring this program, he is a complex motor activities, includlecturer at six universities in four countries.

m ensa wor ld j our na l learning logic While recently leading a team of security engineers and analysts, I realised how much of our work involved fairly complex logic. Although everyone in the team had an impressive knack for applying logic in rules, configurations, detection, and searches, many had either never studied formal logic, or had forgotten most of it. So I set about developing and presenting a course. As the course was well received, I went on to put it into a book. The book was not designed as a textbook, but more of a compact manual of the concepts and symbols of formal logic. The focus is on learning a consistent and intuitive system of notation, the symbols and how they function. By using examples and analogues of different kinds, linguistic, physical, and mathematical, along with simple mnemonics, the nota-

Books...

stephen plowright

tion can be quickly learned and the underlying concepts absorbed along the way. This in turn creates a greater awareness of the logical structures and possible errors in many situations from arguments in advertising and politics, to determining faults in machines. The benefits of such awareness can be applied at home, at work, and in educational pursuits. The book starts with some general observations, and details the need for critical thinking in work, studies, and life in general. There is a brief history of logic as a study, inductive and deductive logic, an explanation of valid arguments, and a chapter of well-known fallacies or faulty arguments. The technical chapters cover propositional logic and Boolean algebra; predicate logic explaining how the more complex logical structures

are built from the simple propositional logic, in particular the concepts behind quantification; set theory, describing sets in terms of predicate logic, and and set operations in terms of Boolean logic, illustrated with Venn diagrams. It is hoped that the book will provide newcomers with an insight and understanding of the basic principles of logic and critical thinking, while also being useful to technical people as a quick reference guide to notation and concepts. It is as brief and concise as possible, while still providing explanations that should be fairly easy to understand. Stephen Plowright‘ joined Australian Mensa in the 90s, and is currently working in computer forensics at IBM. His book is reviewed below by Hal Swindall.

***

Hal Swindall

Stephen Plowright. Learning Logic: Critical Thinking with Intuitive Notation. Lulu Press, 2015. 109 pp. Paperback US$16.00. ISBN 978-1-329-44306-8 This is a very concise but thorough introduction to the basic methods and functions of logic, especially the formal kind using mathematical notation. Defining logic as “the mechanics of reasoning …. A method of understanding how we make sense of the world,” the introduction states that this book is a basic introduction which can be used as a textbook, although it could be used by an disciplined autodidact as well. The more broad aim implicit in its pages is to enable the reader to discern true from false reasoning in both personal and professional life. A stimulating read for any Mensan, especially one trying to decide about scientific issues, this slim volume has a serious impact. All books reviewed in this column are by Mensan authors. Send your book for review to Hal Swindall at paneurasia@gmail.com mensa world journal march 2016

m ensa wor ld j our na l midnight munchies mangle memory... An occasional late-night raid on turkey leftovers might be harmless but new research with mice suggests that making a habit of it could alter brain physiology. Eating at times normally reserved for sleep causes a deficiency in the type of learning and memory controlled by the hippocampal area of the brain, according to findings in the journal eLife. Researchers from the Semel Institute in the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) became interested in the cognitive effects of eating at inappropriate hours because it is already known to have an impact on metabolic health, for example leading to a pre-diabetic state. “We have provided the first evidence that taking regular meals at the wrong time of day has far-reaching effects for learning and memory,” says first author Dawn Loh from the UCLA Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine. “Since many people find themselves working or playing during times when they’d normally be asleep, it is important to know that this could dull some of the functions of the brain.” The researchers stress that their findings have not been confirmed in humans, but highlight the fact that shift workers have been shown to mensa world journal march 2016

perform less well on cognitive tests. The current study shows that some learned behaviours are more affected than others. The team tested the ability of mice to recognise a novel object. Mice regularly fed during their sleep-time were significantly less able to recall the object. Longterm memory was also dramatically reduced, demonstrated during a fear conditioning experiment. Both long-term memory and the ability to recognise a novel object are governed by the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays an important role in our ability to associate senses and emotional experiences with memory and our ability to organise and store new memories. During an experience, nerve impulses are activated along specific pathways and, if we repeat the experience, the same pathways increase in

strength. However, this effect was reduced when food was made available to mice during a six-hour window in the middle of their normal sleep time instead of a six-hour daytime window when the mice were active. Some genes involved in both the circadian clock and in learning and memory are regulated by a protein called CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein). When CREB is less active, it decreases memory, and may play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. In the mice fed at the wrong time, the total activity of CREB throughout the hippocampus was significantly reduced, with the strongest effects in the day. However, the master pacemaker of the circadian system, the suprachiasmatic nucleus located in the hypo

continued on p8

m ensa wor ld j our na l thalamus, is unaffected. This leads to desynchrony between the clocks in the different brain regions (misalignment), which the authors suggest underlies the memory impairment. “Modern schedules can lead us to eat around the clock so it is important to understand how the timing of food can impact cogitation” says Professor Christopher Colwell from the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. “For the first time, we have shown that simply adjusting the time when food is made available alters the molecular clock in the hippocampus and can alter the cognitive performance of mice.” Eating at the wrong time also disrupted sleep patterns. The inappropriate feeding schedule resulted in the loss of the normal day/night difference in the amount of sleep although the total time spent asleep over 24 hours was not changed. Sleep became fragmented, with the mice catching up on sleep by grabbing more short naps throughout the day and night. http://medicalxpress.com Photo Martha Sexton/public domain

Want to contribute to the MWJ?

Send your article or memeber profile to mwjeditor@mensa.org Please restrict your word count to 500-600. Hi-res photos are welcome too. mensa world journal march 2016

How the Brain Can Handle So Much Data

Humans learn to very quickly identify complex objects and variations of them. We generally recognize an “A” no matter what the font, texture or background, for example, or the face of a coworker even if she puts on a hat or changes her hairstyle. We also can identify an object when just a portion is visible, such as the corner of a bed or the hinge of a door. But how? Are there simple techniques that humans use across diverse tasks? And can such techniques be computationally replicated to improve computer vision, machine learning or robotic performance? Researchers at Georgia Tech discovered that humans can categorize data using less than 1 percent of the original information, and validated an algorithm to explain human learning - a method that also can be used for machine learning, data analysis and computer vision. “How do we make sense of so much data around us, of so many different types, so quickly and robustly?” said Santosh Vempala, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology and one of four researchers on the project. “At a fundamental level, how do humans

begin to do that? It’s a computational problem.” Researchers Rosa Arriaga, Maya Cakmak, David Rutter, and Vempala at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing studied human perfor-

mance in “random projection” tests to understand how well humans learn an object. They presented test subjects with original, abstract images and then asked whether they could correctly identify that same image when randomly shown just a small portion of it. “We hypothesized that random projection could be one way humans learn,” Arriaga explains, a senior research scientist and developmental psychologist. “The short story is, the prediction was right. Just 0.15 percent of the total data is enough for humans.” continued on p9

m ensa wor ld j our na l Next, researchers tested a computational algorithm to allow machines (very simple neural networks) to complete the same tests. Machines performed as well as humans, which provides a new understanding of how humans learn. “We found evidence that, in fact, the human and the neural network behave very similarly,” Arriaga said. The researchers wanted to come up with a mathematical definition of what typical and atypical stimuli look like and, from that, predict which data would hardest for the human and the machine to learn. Humans and machines performed equally, demonstrating that indeed one can predict which data will be hardest to learn over time. Results were recently published in the journal Neural Computation (MIT press). It is believed to be the first study of “random projection,” the core component of the researchers’ theory, with human subjects. To test their theory, researchers created three families of abstract images — some originally as large as 500 x 500 pixels — and extracted very small, random samples from them, ranging in size from 6 to 20 pixels square. Humans and simple neural networks were shown the whole image for 10 seconds, then randomly shown 16 smaller sketches and asked to identify the original image. Using abstract images ensured that neither humans nor machines had any prior knowledge of what the objects were. “We were surprised by how close mensa world journal march 2016

the performance was between extremely simple neural networks and humans,” Vempala said. “The design of neural networks was inspired by how we think humans learn, but it’s a weak inspiration. To find that it matches human performance is quite a surprise.” “This fascinating paper introduces a localized random projection that compresses images while still making it possible for humans and machines to distinguish broad categories,” said Sanjoy Dasgupta, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California San Diego and an expert on machine learning and random projection. “It is a creative combination of insights from geometry, neural computation, and machine learning.” Although researchers cannot definitively claim that the human brain actually engages in random projection, the results support the notion that random projection is a plausible explanation, the authors conclude. In addition, it suggests a very useful technique for machine learning: large data is a formidable challenge today, and random projection is one way to make data manageable without losing essential content, at least for basic tasks such as categorization and decision making. The algorithmic theory of learning based on random projection already has been cited more than 300 times and has become a commonly used technique in machine learning to handle large data of diverse types.

http://www.cc.gatech.edu

Lifting a car with two phone books Astonishingly, it turns out to be practically impossible to separate two interleaved phone books by pulling on their spines, however much force is applied. It is even possible to suspend a car from them. Using a model that reproduces the traction and friction forces involved, researchers at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (CNRS/Université Paris-Sud), Laboratoire Gulliver (CNRS/ ESPCI ParisTech), Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés Papetiers (CNRS/Grenoble INP) and McMaster University in Canada have shown that when the spines of the interleaved phonebooks are pulled on vertically, part of the vertical force is converted into a horizontal force that presses on the sheets. The pages then remain stuck together due to friction. The work will be published in 7 January 2016 in the journal Physical Review Letters, and is already available on ArXiv (http://arxiv. org/abs/1508.03290).

Mensa International Photographer of the Year 2016 information in the MWJ next month. 09

m ensa wor ld j our na l supplementally... john blinke Aegean Triangle ScienceDaily November 10, 2015. “Twenty-Two Ancient Shipwrecks Discovered In Small Greek Archipelago.” The Bermuda Triangle doesn’t hold a candle to a small part of the Mediterranean. Twenty-two shipwrecks were found in a quick, two-week survey. They date from about 700 BCE to AD 600. There are certainly more wrecks down there. The Fourni archipelago was a convenient anchorage at the intersection of two ancient trading routes connecting the Aegean to the Levant and the eastern and western parts of the Mediterranean.

Brooding ScienceDaily, December 17, 2015. “Burgess Shale Fossil Site Gives Up Oldest Evidence Of Brood Care.” Canada’s amazing Burgess Shale

fossils continue to educate scientists. Now that electron microscopes have LHC News replaced dental drills for probing Science News Kindle Edition, specimens, old finds can provide January 9, 2016. “LHC Sees Hints new information. The latest revelaof Possible New Particle.” tion is a 508 million year old marine After its power upgrade, the Large arthropod called Waptia with intact Hadron Collider can now smash embryo-bearing eggs inside its caraprotons together with 13 trilpace. Specimens of the shrimp-like lion electron Waptia had been on The Mayan city, Ceren, volts of energy. the shelf for decades, Although the was entombed by a vol- but couldn’t be examnew run of ined in enough detail. canic eruption around experiments has This is the earliest AD 700.” not yet found evidence of a creature anything as brooding young. dramatic as the Higgs boson, it has seen a bump in the data around Mayan Pompeii 750 billion electron volts. This is AAAS Eurakalert November 3, 2015. not a large bump. It could go away “Cu-Boulder Study: Ancient Salvawhen more data are analyzed. But doran Village Buried by Ash Freezes the Higgs, itself, started out as an Daily Life in Time.” Contributed by equally humble spike in the data. Stephen Darnell. mensa world journal march 2016

Pompeii is not the only ancient city that was preserved by a volcanic eruption. The Mayan city, Ceren, was entombed by a volcanic eruption around AD 700. No bodies have been found. But the buildings and many details of life were beautifully preserved. It appears that this is one city in Mayan territory that was not dominated by the central elite. Farmers seem to have run their own lives and even bartered with Mayan rulers. Corvid Tools ScienceDaily December 23, 2015. “Crows Caught On Camera Fashioning Special Hook Tools.” We have seen crows using tools in laboratory settings. But nobody knew if this behavior went on in the wild. Now, thanks to tiny movie cameras deployed by scientists from University of St Andrews, we know that New Caledonian crows make, and use, tools routinely. Cameras stuck on their tail feathers showed the crows making hooked probes to get at grubs in tree bark and then storing the probes like treasured objects. They even used the hooks to stir leaf litter on the ground.

Johnb44221@cs.com 10

m ensa wor ld j our na l continued from p3

fellow American Mensans, Mensa International is at most a small thought at the periphery of their Mensa universe. And that’s something I look forward to working to change, and not only for American Mensa. Mensa International is a great resource and support for all of our groups. Mensa International can, and should, be working to facilitate the flow of knowledge and experiences from country to country to country. We all have things we can learn from one another, whether they are related to gifted youth, or how to best encourage and recognize volunteers, or Mensa governance, or publicity, or technology solutions, or

how to grow membership, or how to build more effective websites, or how to run Mensa elections, or ways to promote our Mensa brand most effectively – or a whole host of other things that will help Mensa flourish around the world. I was struck by something our current International Chair Bibiana Balanyi said in what she wrote a few months ago – that her “… ultimate aim is a multi-faceted international Mensa embracing everyone … with everybody feeling part of it, being involved and having ownership of it.” It’s a laudable goal, and one that’s absolutely achievable if we all work

together. Yes, I value my local group (NH Mensa) and I value American Mensa, but I have come to realize that in some ways I value the international community of Mensa even more. Despite geographic and cultural differences, I know we all have something fundamental in common, and that makes us family. So thanks to all of you, my international Mensa family, for the opportunity to help work toward that goal.

Deb Stone Chair, American Mensa

officer directory Chair: Ms Bibiana Balanyi 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 Rudi Challupner treasurer-mil@mensa.org Dir. Smaller National Mensas: Mr Tomas Blumenstein, 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 Hal Swindall paneurasia@gmail.com 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 march 2016

5 49

Therese’s Puzzles ?

L S C

E A

-------------------------------------------------------------------------13. Inspector Fox is defusing a bomb, gingerly disconnecting wires. He runs through the order in his mind. It’s red before the silver, and the blue isn’t first. Or the second! The green is a couple of steps after the yellow. Which one of the following statements is true?

In reality, is the arrow pointing to my left or my right?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------12. Facing a mirror, I see an arrow in it:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------11. Each colour represents a different letter. Using only Roman Numerals, complete the square so that the four words reading across are the same as the four words reading down.

a) POROFOT b) CAHIR c) BLEAT d) LOCAR e) NIPCLE

10. Which of the following scrambled items is most likely to be found underwater?

If you would like to discuss answers directly with MENSA, you can email Therese at therese@mensa.org.au 6.

C G T A P

FLIES

FEATHERS

BOXES

HAIR

7. A single word can precede each of the following to make five new words :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------8. What comes next in this sequence? 1

-------------------------------------------------------------------------9.

40 320

5 ?

8 16

A: The yellow wire is first B: The blue is last C: The green is third D: The silver is second

14. Find a word that will sensibly fill in the first blank. Rearranging its letters will give you the word for the second blank.

Ed, I once knew a child who was _____________ Her mind was very up-lifted. But she’d _____________ in class, Couldn’t get a straight pass,

Her teachers were very miffed, Ed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------15. Can you change BOOK into WORM in four steps by changing one letter at a time? Each step must produce a commonly-used word.

WORM

BOOK ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------16. Each colour represents a different letter. Using only the notes in a musical scale, complete the square so that the three words reading across are the same as the three words reading down.

1. Crowsfeet 2. Cab-in-et. 3. Garter [Garret]. 4. 6 (Square root of 36.). 5. As easy as pie. 6. V for VIRGO. 7. Horse. 8. 125 (double plus 3). 9. 20. 10. d) Coral. (Others are rooftop, chair, table and pencil.). 11. Dill, Idea, Lead, Lads. 12. Left. 13. D. The order of wires to disconnect is Red, Silver, Yellow, Blue and Green. 14. Gifted, fidget. 15. Book, Boom, Doom, Dorm, Worm. 16. Badge, Dread, Ended

MENSA MINI IQ CHALLENGE 1. Join the creatures in a MURDER to a couple of BODY PARTS to find signs of ADVANCED LIFE.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Which political entity is represented below?

ECABT -------------------------------------------------------------------------3. How does one rearrange an ATTIC in order to keep up one’s stocking?

9 7

-------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Which number is missing?

3 25

-------------------------------------------------------------------------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. COL SURE

KING

GOING

ARE

BALD

SPEAK

MEAT

Now read down the centre boxes to find out how easy this quiz is.

mensa world journal april 2016 issue #039

meet Iranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest member... p5

m ensa wor ld j our na l international SIGs with a planned program. Game-SIG holds many gaming events each year, and provides interesting articles in the Mensa Finland members’ magazine. MusicSIG has two Mensa bands, which are planning to perform in Mensa Finland's 50-year celebration party. For more information on SIGs in Finland, you can visit www.mensa.fi, or contact Jarno at jarno. kekalainen@mensa.fi. Barbara Kryvko, International SIGs Coordinator

Finland is known for its wonderful education system, its awesome Ice Hotel, the annual Air Guitar Championships, and for having the highest number of library books checked out per capita (18). What you may not know is that Mensa Finland has one of the oldest national SIGs program in MIL, starting soon after the organization was founded in the 1960s. Earlier SIGs included a Youth SIG, a SIG for social skills, graphology, an English study group, and a SIG for Esperanto. Jarno Kekäläinen is the SIG Coordinator for Mensa Finland, and he tells me that currently, CultureSIG, Game-SIG and Music-SIG are the most active groups. Culture-SIG has many high-quality events in a year, such as opera or a weekend trip mensa world journal april 2016

Bitcoin SIG is the newest recognized MIL SIG. It is based in the United States and operates online. Bitcoin is the world's first global, distributed, decentralized digital currency. It is also the first public immutable timestamped database that has innumerable non-currency uses. This SIG is used for discussing developments in the Bitcoin protocol and in the ecosystem that is being built around it. To join, contact: Jameson Lopp (jameson.lopp@ gmail.com)

Barbara Kryvko For all information about International SIGs, please contact Barbara at sigs@mensa.org

from the editor... Lots of news this month! Page 3 brings you all the information as to how you can enter the Photographer of the Year competition. Good luck to all the photographers out there! On p4, Stefano Lodola of Mensa Italy gives us an update on how the Language Exchange ISIG (International Special Interest Group) is going. There’s more intellectual interest on p6 which introduces the High IQ World Championships 2016. Twelve finalists will be travelling to San Diego in July - hopefully, I’ll see some of you there! Meet Iran’s youngest member, Nafas Asnavandi, on p5, and find out how finger-tracing can assist with children’s development in mathematics on p8. Hal Swindall, the MWJ’s book reviewer, has news of three Mensanauthored books on p7, John Blinke’s Supplementally... is on p10, and Therese’s puzzles are on p12. And, if you’d like to win a scarf made of the offical Mensa tartan, have a look at p8 for the details! Until next month,

Kate

The full colour MWJ can be downloaded at www.mensa.org

m ensa wor ld j our na l MENSA PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Intercontinental Project Convergence “IPC” The Search for the International Mensa Photographer of the Year 2016 Rules of the competition for Direct International Members (DIMs) 1. This competition is organized by Mensa International as part of the International Project Convergence. 2. The theme for 2016 is “Unexpected” 3. There is no fee for entry into the Competition. The entrant must be a financial member in good standing of Mensa International, or of a national Mensa group that is not running a national competition, for the duration of the competition. Important: Members of national groups should ask their national office or board for details of their national competition. Only submit using these guidelines if your national group confirms they are NOT taking part in Project Convergence. 4. Photos should be in JPG format not exceeding 1 MB. Entries in the DIM category must be received by July 31, 2016. 5. Name, membership number and title of photograph should be included in the photo information/label or in the text of the email. 6. The photos should be in .jpg format and e-mailed to the following address: photocup2016@gmail.com. Please Note: Any entries sent to Mensa International by members of a national group that is running a national competition will be declared invalid and will not be passed to the national Mensa for inclusion in their competition. 7. Each entrant may submit up to three color images only. 8. All entries must be the sole work of the entrant. 9. Any promotion of pictures is not allowed. 10. The three best entries in the Direct International category (including members of non-participating national groups) will be selected by a judging panel organized by Mensa International separately from the International judging panel. Entries will be judged on the effectiveness of how they convey the theme as well as composition, technical and other considerations. The decision of the Judging Panel is final. The closing date for the DIM category is July 31, 2016. 11. The three best entries in each national Mensa competition and in the DIM category will be included in the Mensa World Photo Cup competition run under the supervision of Mensa International. 12. The International winner (MIL Photographer of the Year) will be selected by a professional judging panel that will include the Mensa International Chairman ex-officio. 13. Winning photographs will become part of the ‘Mensa IPC Collection’ and will be exhibited at the Annual Gatherings and otherwise publicised, inside and outside Mensa. 14. Entrants will retain copyright of their photos but will grant Mensa non-exclusive rights for publication in Mensa journals, on Mensa websites, on Photo SIG posters, for display in exhibitions, or other appropriate places as part of the Mensa IPC Collection without any financial reward to the contestant. 15. Contestants agree that their name and country may be published nationally and internationally. 16. By submitting entries for the competition, the entrant accepts all the conditions listed above.

Closing date for DIMs’ entries: July 31, 2016 Any general enquiries about the international competition should be directed to the Photo Convergence Committee at photocup2016@gmail.com mensa world journal april 2016

m ensa wor ld j our na l Language Exchange Group Do you study a foreign language? Then you need someone bright to practise with! Find a Mensan who speaks that language and studies yours, then teach one another on Skype. Seeing the potential value in this, Stefano Lodola of Mensa Italy founded the Language Exchange ISIG (International Special Interest Group) which is open to all members worldwide. Stefano explains: “I know that language exchange works because I’ve learned four languages this way. However, it’s hard to find a motivated - and motivating - study partner. Then I thought, Mensans love learning stuff, including learning languages, no?” The group works on two platforms: a website and a Facebook group. The website is modelled after Italki.com, the best website to find language teachers and exchange partners, so that members can browse profiles through a simple search panel. In the Facebook group, members keep in touch and discuss language-related topics. The group is part of Stefano’s project for LEAP 2015 (Leadership

mensa world journal april 2016

Exchange Ambassador Program), a program inside Mensa that sent him to present his work at the Annual Gathering of American Mensa

in July 2015. (Watch the one-hour presentation “See the world with Mensa” from the link at the end of the article.) In just 8 months, more than 700 members from all over the world have joined and many have already found their study partners: “I heard of the Mensa Language Exchange through my local New Zealand Mensa Facebook group. Coincidentally, I had been learning German for a few months, and decided to give the MLE a go. I’ve met lots of friendly and helpful people there who I talk to about not only their native language, but the culture they live in as well.” Stella, Mensa New Zealand ”I got to know about the language

exchange group through a link shared by Mensa Malaysia. I am now improving my Japanese by keeping in touch with fellow group members through Facebook where we help each other in our learning process.” Kingsley, Mensa Malaysia “I found the languagexchange. club when looking through a list of special interest groups to try out. I was interested in learning Norwegian, and found someone who messages me and helps me with my studies. She’s really kind and it’s been a lovely experience.” Quintessence, American Mensa The group is being promoted on official channels, and word of mouth is helping too. “It takes a lot of members to cover all language combinations. Spread the word in your national Mensa!” says Stefano.

Links

Website: http://languagexchange.club

Facebook group: http://fb.languagexchange. club

LEAP 2015 presentation “See the world with Mensa”: http://leap15.languagexchange.club Support: support@languagexchange.club

m ensa wor ld j our na l member profile: Nafas Asnavandi, Mensa Iran Nafas Asnavandi was born on August 31, 2011 in Tehran, Iran. By the time she was seven months old, she was able to enunciate many basic words and because of her strong interest to learn new things, she learnt the names of all the capital cities in Europe, the names of our solar system’s planets, external and internal organs, shapes, and opposites, by the time she was two and a half years old. She became a member of Mensa with an IQ of 155 as the first Iranian child member in November, 2014, at the age of three. Nafas is interested in painting, she’s fond of scientific programs, and is keen on understanding various diseases and other medical matters. She also likes playing with LEGO and games which are mathematically-based. Moreover, as all children do, she likes to play in the park and spend time with her friends. Nafas has an excellent memory and can remember every little detail about events - which is surprising to others and because of her manner and dialogue, people realise that she’s extraordinarily clever. This makes her mother very proud - but at the same time she realises the responsibility she has in raising a highlyintelligent child. At four years old, Nafas, an only child, mensa world journal april 2016

is learning English, and in addition, is the youngest model in the Violet institute (www.violetmodels.com). She’s also learning music, and has extraordinary talent in painting - far beyond her years. Because Nafas is also interested in the environment and animals, she is a member of the environmental kids club Plan for Land. The club’s activities include ecotourism, and increasing the bond between children and nature such as making nests for birds to make sure they survive in cold weather. Nafas is eager to learn, but unfortunately the education system in Iran has no provision for profoundly-gifted children, with the result that she studies maths, science, and Farsi language books far above her age at home. Perhaps most importantly, Nafas is full of life and takes care of what she eats and her health. As her psychologist and consultant commented, some of her most prominent traits are high self-confidence and diligence in doing her favourite things! Nafas and capital cities of Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=j9yCUVMvm9s&feature=youtu

what’s on... Polish Annual Gathering 26 May 2016 - 29 May 2016 Canadian Annual Gathering 10 June 2016 - 12 June 2016 American Gathering 29 June 2016 - 03 July 2016 EMAG 2016 in Kraków, Poland 10 - 14 August 2016 AMG in Guangzhou, China 09 - 11 September 2016 Swiss Annual Gathering 09 - 11 September 2016 IBD Meeting 2016 in Kyoto, Japan October 13 - 16, 2016 70-year anniversary of Mensa Dutch Annual Gathering 28 October 2016 - 30 October Silvensa 2016 29 December 2016 - 01 January 2017 New Year’s Eve in Maastricht, Netherlands

Check www.mensa.org for details of national events coming up

m ensa wor ld j our na l

High IQ World Championships 2016 The 2016 High IQ World Championships (www.hiqora.com) are an educational and intellectually-stimulating competition for the world’s brightest and most gifted minds. Participants of all ages and countries engage in a widerange of innovative activities and questions to test intelligence in quantitative puzzles, games-based learning and real-world IQ aptitude tests. HIQORA helps foster intellectual education and continuous learning across areas of ability and interest for the high-achieving intellectual community. How It Works HIQORA involves participants competing individually in two Online Qualification Rounds, held simultaneously worldwide. The Top 12 highest-scoring participants will receive flights and accommodation to the LIVE World Finals in San Diego, California, USA in July 2016, held in conjunction with the American Mensa Annual Gathering of 2,000+ members. Following completion of the championships, all participants will receive worked solutions and a confidential ranking of their performance in their country, region and institute. American Mensa is a major global sponsor.

Free Entry – Mensa Members Register here: http://www.hiqora.com Closing date May 28, 2016 Come to the Hottest Mensa Annual Gathering Worldwide! Mensa Romania invites you to participate to the hottest Annual Gathering in the world! In the thermal water pool of the Termal Hotel (approx 37C / 100F) we can wallow around chatting, relaxing, building new relationships and create new and nice memories . We invite you to spend 4 days far from the urban stress, in a quiet resort in Băile Felix, a village located at the border of magical Transylvania, a land so appreciated by Prince of Wales. Don’t worry it can be too quiet – we will make a lot of noise at the evening parties! Come and meet Mensa Romania’s young and cheerful members on their homeland – and we promise to make you feel at home too! Details and info: http://mensa-romania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mensa-Romania-GM-2016-3.pdf mensa world journal april 2016

m ensa wor ld j our na l Books...

Felice Vinci. The Baltic Origins of Homer’s Epic Tales: the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Migration of Myth. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2006. US$17.44. 370 pp. ISBN 1-59477-052-2 This book is a fascinating challenge to the received idea that Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey originated in the Mediterranean. Using scholarship going back to Strabo, who noticed that Homer’s geography does not fit the Mediterranean too well, Vinci uses textual quotes, comparative mythology, archaeology and maps to make his case that the Myceneans and Achaians were of Scandanavian origin forced south by climate change. He is highly meticulous in demonstrating that Priam’s Troy, Odysseus’s Ithaca, Calypso’s Ogygia and all the other characters and places in Homer’s epics correspond to the North Sea and its peoples. Even more controversially, Vinci makes the same claim for the Old Testament! Anyone interested in the origins of Western civilization should read Vinci’s evidence, which is clearly and systematically set forth. mensa world journal april 2016

Trevor P. Harvey. All About Sex: a Prince’s Letters Home. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. US$3.29 Kindle, US$5.77 Paperback. ISBN-13: 978-1508509035 This is an epistolary novella in the tradition of Montesquieu’s Persian Letters, i.e. commentary on one’s own society from the point of view of a narrator from a less “civilized” one. A prince from some unnamed islands who is studying in England writes innocently to his brother about its sexual scene: “the English way,” or wanking; “top-shelf magazines,” or pornography; feminism, or disputes about male attitudes and gender roles; courtship, or finding the right mate on one’s own; religion and morality, or what’s left of them; prostitution, or the gamut of sexual services; and everything else. The prince confesses to his brother that he is baffled by English gender relations, and concludes by asking him to tell the islands’ women that he is coming home soon. Harvey’s book is a witty commentary on the confusing sexual mores of contemporary Western countries that achieves the classic satirist’s objective of making the reader see the familiar as strange.

Hal Swindall Stefano Lodola. Fluent, Simple. My Proven Guide to Learn Any Foreign Language Fast, at Any Age, at Home, Without Classes. Self-published, 2016. 27pp. US$. ISBN The “how to learn a language fast by yourself ” genre is rather like the “get rich quick” and “lose weight quick” ones: it works for some people, but the majority must plod the longer, more arduous route of years of hard work. As both a student and teacher of languages, I am skeptical of any volume that claims to provide a solution for everyone; after all, the much-maligned grammar-translation method has been proven the best overall one for larger groups of mixed ability students, and it has had its successes. Moreover, Lodola’s advice is to do what students in any language-learning scenario do anyway, i.e. write their own sentences, memorize some vocabulary, practice with a native speaker, read news in the target language, etc. Nonetheless, Lodola’s regimen is effective with him, since he leads a vagabond life in various countries supporting himself as a freelance translator. He writes in an irrepressibly confident style, too. Anyone wishing to pursue a lifestyle like his should examine this book on Amazon. All books reviewed in this column are by

Mensan authors. Send your book for review to Hal Swindall at paneurasia@gmail.com

m ensa wor ld j our na l Brain matters... In the brain, the visual cortex processes visual information and passes it from lower to higher areas of the brain. However, information also flows in the opposite direction, e.g. to direct attention to particular stimuli. But how does the brain know which path the information should take? Researchers at the Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Frankfurt in Cooperation with Max Planck Society have now demonstrated that the visual cortex of human subjects uses different frequency channels depending on the direction in which information is being transported. Their findings were only possible thanks to previous research with macaque monkeys. They might help to understand the cause of psychiatric illnesses in which the two channels appear to be mixed up. ----Scientists have studied a visual illusion first discovered by Galileo Galilei, and found that it occurs because of the surprising way our eyes see lightness and darkness in the world. Their results advance our understanding of how our brains are wired for seeing white versus black objects. The work was done by Jens Kremkow and collaborators in the laboratories of Jose Manuel Alonso and Qasim Zaidi at the State University of New York College of Optometry. It was published on February 10 of 2014 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

ScienceDaily online

mensa world journal april 2016

finger-tracing can lift maths performance Students who trace certain maths problems with a finger are able to solve them more quickly and easily, University of Sydney research shows.

Tzu Hu and Erin Byrne, believe using an index finger to physically touch and trace the angles of a triangle, for example, can result in that information receiving processing priority in the brain. Doing so may reduce the load on working Studies involvmemory and its ing 275 Sydney ability to retain school children complex mateaged between rial by ‘chunknine and 13 ing’ information found that together. students who used their finger to “At the classroom level, this simtrace over practice examples while ple, zero-cost teaching approach can simultaneously reading geometry or arithmetic material were able to enhance the effectiveness of mathematics instruction across multiple complete tasks more quickly and areas of the subject,” said Dr Ginns. correctly than those who did not Teachers have used finger-tracing use the same technique. since the early 1900s, when Montes“Our findings have a range sori got young children to trace over of implications for teachers and letters of the alphabet made from students alike. They show maths sandpaper with their index fingers. learning by young students may While this approach was at the be enhanced substantially with time based on intuition rather than the simple addition of instructions evidence, later studies would confirm to finger-trace elements of maths that finger tracing aids recognition of problems,” said Dr Paul Ginns, letters and shapes. Senior Lecturer in Educational Yet, researchers are only now Psychology and the research’s corstarting to explore if finger tracing’s responding author. benefits could extend to more com“We are cautiously confident such effects could be applied in the plex mathematical tasks that require classroom and to subjects outside of higher levels of abstract thinking and problem solving. maths, but more research is clearly The research is published in Learnrequired,” he said. ing and Instruction and Applied Dr Ginns, and co-researchers Cognitive Psychology. Professor Janette Bobis, Dr Fang-

m ensa wor ld j our na l Rug up with a Mensa tartan scarf! 2016 is upon us – and it’s time to celebrate Mensa’s 70th anniversary! Mensa was formed in England on October 1 1946 and, to mark the occasion, there is a year of celebrations lined up. British Mensa will have numerous national and local activities and events taking place throughout the year, including celebrations around the country on the anniversary itself, October 1. You can show your affinity to the Mensa family by wearing the official Mensa tartan – the design, mainly in blue and yellow, is unique and has been lodged with the Scottish Register of Tartans. It was launched at the 2015 annual gathering in Glasgow. The idea for the tartan was developed over many years and the final design was created with members of Scottish Mensa. Tartans are traditional fabrics worn in Scotland and parts of Ireland to identify individuals as members of a particular family, known as a clan. The Mensa tartan is available exclusively to order from Scotweb in Edinburgh. Visit www.scotweb. co.uk/mensa to see what is available. Other special anniversary gifts and products include a speciallyminted coin, a new lapel badge and a stylish black professional apron, mensa world journal april 2016

with more to be added during the year. Following on from the very popular limited edition whisky produced for Mensa’s 60th anniversary, the society also commissioned a limited edition small batch of artisan gin for the 2015 AG in Glasgow. The gin, called Spirit of Mensa, is 40% abv and is distilled and bottled in Scotland. The highlight of the anniversary celebrations will be the British Mensa annual gathering, which this year will take place in London. Based in the east of the city, close to the Canary Wharf financial hub, the AG will take place from September 23-26. Keep an eye on the website (mensa.org.uk) for details – and come and join the party!

To win a special Mensa tartan scarf, just answer this question: In which English city was Mensa founded in 1946? Email your answer to news@ mensa.org.uk by June 30, 2016.

Anybody There? Some enthusiasts want to find alien civilizations by looking for their domestic radio signals. However, alien worlds might not use radio at all. If they do, they might choose the same frequencies we use because socalled high frequency waves can bounce between sky and ground to achieve long range, over-thehorizon communication. But, because those waves between about one kilohertz and 30 megahertz bounce off the ionosphere, they do not go into space very much. So it is difficult for us to eavesdrop. Another problem is that we use those frequencies, ourselves, for commercial, military, and amateur radio communications. Sensitive receivers would be swamped by strong local signals. If we want to monitor these prime frequencies, we must get our receivers away from Earth. Maybe one-way Mars colonists could erect antenna grids there. We could build antennas in space, or put them on the far side of the moon. The moon naturally points the same face away from the Earth all the time, so it will always be there to block manmade noise (QRM in amateur radio terms). I want to see the entire far side of the moon covered with an interferometer array like the globe-spanning Event Horizon Telescope.

John Blinke 09

m ensa wor ld j our na l supplementally... john blinke Killer Robot New Scientist, January 16, 2016, pp. 35 - 37. “The Starfish Terminator.” A killer is loose on the Great Barrier Reef. It is an autonomous robot that can recognize crown of thorn starfish (pictured at right) and inject them with poison. The purpose of the robot is to protect the reef from unsupportable numbers of starfish that destroy coral. But some people get queasy at the idea of a mindless killer automaton, no matter what its purpose is. Proto Chemistry Archaeology, January/February 2016, pp. 36 - 39. “The Alchemist’s Tale.” Bushels of broken glass were found in a niche under a stairway in the remains of a German monastery near Wittenberg. It looked like a bunch of broken glass light bulbs until someone noticed the chemical residue and evidence of extreme heating on some fragments. After a year of careful reconstruction, it was clear that the glass shards included the remains of crucibles and alembics: an alchemist’s laboratory. Dating to the 15th century, it is only the second one found in Europe. Although alchemists are mostly remembered for their attempts to turn cheap metals into gold, they mensa world journal april 2016

also created medicines and, perhaps, pursued basic knowledge. Antimony was plentiful on the glassware. It was used to purify gold, so alchemist experimenters may have thought it

could purify the human body, as well. Unfortunately, antimony is a neurotoxin that would do more harm than good. Not Quite Dead smithsonian.com, January 12, 2016. “Incandescent Light Bulbs May Have a Bright Future After All.” Contributed by Stephen Darnell. (Nature Nanotechnology) LED lights are replacing incandescent bulbs nearly everywhere because of their superior efficiency. But, a development at MIT might give incandescent lights another lease on life. In the improved version, a carefully designed photonic crystal surrounds

the tungsten filament. The crystal has the ability to reflect infrared radiation back to the filament while allowing visible light to pass through. So, heat from the filament bounces back on itself to heat it even more so it glows brighter and brighter. In principle, the efficiency of this new contraption could be improved to surpass LED efficiency. We will have to wait to see how that turns out. Tough Perovskites Science, January 8, 2016, pp. 113 - 114. “Cesium Fortifies NextGeneration Solar Cells.” (Energy & Environmental Science) Perovskites make wonderfully efficient solar cells, approaching the 30% only achieved by expensive gallium arsenide. They can even be layered on top of silicon solar cells to soak up a broader part of the electromagnetic spectrum. But perovskites are unstable under ordinary conditions. Researchers in several different groups have found that adding cesium to the recipe makes perovskites more stable and boosts efficiency. So this might be the path to a solar powered future.

Johnb44221@cs.com 10

m ensa wor ld j our na l MENSA INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2016 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 2016 is “UNEXPECTED!” 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 (see p3 of this issue).

The Mensa International Photographer of the Year 2016 could be you!

144

A R

T A

Thank goodness, the ____________ceased to fall!

With a long piece of flannel

I hit the front _______________

Once aloft, it started to stall

I once flew a _______________ to ______________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------14. The same five letters can be rearranged to make different words. Replace the missing words below with three different arrangements of those letters.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------13. Can you think of a word which has four Gs in it?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------12. Scott spent 25% of his money on his first purchase, then 25% of what was left on his second purchase. His third and last purchase cost two thirds of the remainder so he had just $15 left. How much did he start with?

11. Each colour represents a different letter. Using ONLY Roman Numerals, fill in the empty squares so that you have four English words that read across, and will read the same down.

Therese’s Puzzles 25 7

6. Which number does not belong?

S S

-------------------------------------------------------------------------7. Which word can be put after of each of the following words to make four new words?

HAT PHONE GAS LETTER

-------------------------------------------------------------------------8. What letter completes this aeons-old set?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------9.

b) ANTEGREE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------10. Unscramble the following to find the OLDEST one. a) GOANACTIONER

d) UNAPESTAGRINEA

15. Ever had port wine jelly and wished it were wine? Change PORT to WINE in no more than five steps by changing one letter at a time? Each step must produce a proper word.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------16. If an average puppy weighs 3/4 of the weight of an average puppy plus 250 grams, how much does an average puppy weigh?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------17. If the day before yesterday was not as cold as the day three days before the day after tomorrow, but colder than three days before that, which was Friday, then what day is it today?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------18. Each of the numbers 1 – 25 will fit into the grid below so that each column and each row adds up to 65. Some of the numbers have been put in. Can you place the rest?

1. Cat-atonic. 2. Broncos. 3. To come to the party. 4. 48 (7 squared minus 1). 5. The iron is hot! 6. 29. 7. Box. 8. W for Winter. 9. 6. 10. a) Octogenarian. Others are teenager, adolescent, septuagenarian and infant. 11. Cart Aria Rial Talc. 12. $80. 13. Giggling. 14. Plane, Nepal, panel, plane. 15. Port – Wort– Wart – Want – Wane – Wine . 16. 1 kg. 17. Tuesday

1. Which ANIMAL can be added to a word meaning NO PARTICULAR KEY to produce a word describing a still undesirable physical state?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Which Australian team is represented below?

BR COS -------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Change one letter in each word to find a common saying: SO HOME GO THY PARTS!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Which number comes next? 0

LAND

BARK

PER

HEAD

FLAT

RED

Now read down the centre boxes to find why Mark and his friends are striking now.

c) DOLTASCENE e) STINFAN