mind oct-dec 2012

1

We need to talk.

A general indication of ‘quality’ for any magazine is the quality of

its readership. But in case of MInd, given the already available

eminent audience, the challenge is to fulfill the potential of being a

magazine of, for and by the ‘Gifted’.

The idea behind MInd is two-fold: to serve as a medium that

fosters communication and collaboration amongst our members; and

to become a mouthpiece for the Mensa India community in reaching

out to organizations, connecting with people and accessing resources

to serve society better. The onus to achieve this is not just on the MInd

editorial team but each and every one of us who holds that certificate

saying “…higher than 98 percentile of the population”. We shall

pursue these lofty goals that we have set for ourselves in Pandit

Nehru’s wisdom of ‘not wholly or in full measure but substantially’.

With each published issue of MInd, we’ll slowly but surely inch

towards it.

But then again, the magazine is only the ‘medium’. The

‘message’ has to emanate from the community –each local chapter;

every SIG; each individual Mensan. This means that A) if your local

chapter’s not active, revive it; B) When your chapter or SIG does

something cool, tell us; C) If you feel passionately about an idea,

event or subject, share it; and D) If you have time and skills, volunteer

with Mensa.

Inundate our inbox with your articles, ideas, feedbacks and

suggestions. Do exciting stuff with your SIGs and write them in to us

(we’ll publish them and rub it in the faces of everyone else). Let’s raise

the Mensa India community beyond mere subsistence to one of

creative vigour. In Uncle Sam’s unbeatable words, ‘We need You!’

With that, and no further ado, welcome to this issue of MInd,

your Mensa India magazine. May the force be with you.

~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,

Editor, MIEditor, MIEditor, MIEditor, MIndndndnd

In this Issue:

Decide! …2

Letter boxes …2

Numb3rs …2

Horizon …3

Fermat’s Last Theorem …3

The old man and his books…4

The Mensan Robber! …4

Giftedness …5

Consultants …5

If Mensans made films… …6

Solutions …7,8

Submissions:

Send in your articles and

contributions in plain text

format and pictures in high

resolution .jpg format to:

[email protected]@[email protected]@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 MIndMIndMIndMInd

magazine better. Write in to the

editor at

[email protected]@[email protected]@gmail.com

There is a stirring in our country

momentary, passing restlessness in the air or

into a storm. Which of the two it results in depends upon me and you.

And you and you.

Together we can turn it into a whirlwind that will blow away the

old order with its incestuous, corrupt partnerships across political

parties; a storm that will restore the power to those who elect, by

throwing out those who have usurped this power just because they

were elected. Together we can create a storm that will cleanse us of

this evil that had infested our body politic and return to us ou

as the real sovereigns of this potentially great nation. No more moving

away from the road when these self

representatives come, flashing their red lights on cars. No more

shouting in vain for a single policeman while these

surrounded by their numerous gun

our loved ones in ill-equipped government hospitals while these

'rulers' go abroad at our cost for their treatment. No more touching the

feet of those who should be touching ours for having elected them.

This is our time. If we sit idly by and not lend our support to

those who are trying to upset this cozy order, the breeze will die away.

Then that inbred fraternity which has ruled us these past years will

become more firmly rooted and that much more difficult to dislodge.

We will become more inured to remaining slaves in our own land

playthings in the hands of the corrupt and the self

handed out toys at election time and exploited with impunity

thereafter. We will continue to see the food of our school children, the

water of our farmers, the land of our nation and even the fodder of

our cattle being appropriated by these people without fear of

retribution. We will see brazen governance without accountability

cynical, motivated 'investigations' against chicanery without justice.

Decide now, which future you wish for yourself. That of the serf,

which you currently are, or that of the Master, which, your constitution

entitles you to? Decide now, whether you w

inertly as others who are fighting your war await your support. Decide.

For on this decision will depend your fate and a nation's future.

Just think of what will you tell your children when they grow up

and ask you, "Mother, why did you make that choice?”; “Father why

did you do nothing?” And remember: depending upon your answer,

they will respect your courage or condemn your cowardice.

~Kishore Asthana,~Kishore Asthana,~Kishore Asthana,~Kishore Asthana,

Mensa India (Delhi/NCR)Mensa India (Delhi/NCR)Mensa India (Delhi/NCR)Mensa India (Delhi/NCR)

2

There is a stirring in our country –a stirring which may be a mere

momentary, passing restlessness in the air or one that could transform

into a storm. Which of the two it results in depends upon me and you.

Together we can turn it into a whirlwind that will blow away the

old order with its incestuous, corrupt partnerships across political

storm that will restore the power to those who elect, by

throwing out those who have usurped this power just because they

were elected. Together we can create a storm that will cleanse us of

this evil that had infested our body politic and return to us our dignity

as the real sovereigns of this potentially great nation. No more moving

away from the road when these self-styled high and mighty

flashing their red lights on cars. No more

shouting in vain for a single policeman while these egoists remain

surrounded by their numerous gun-toting guards. No more sitting with

equipped government hospitals while these

'rulers' go abroad at our cost for their treatment. No more touching the

ng ours for having elected them.

This is our time. If we sit idly by and not lend our support to

those who are trying to upset this cozy order, the breeze will die away.

Then that inbred fraternity which has ruled us these past years will

y rooted and that much more difficult to dislodge.

We will become more inured to remaining slaves in our own land –

playthings in the hands of the corrupt and the self-serving –to be

handed out toys at election time and exploited with impunity

e will continue to see the food of our school children, the

water of our farmers, the land of our nation and even the fodder of

our cattle being appropriated by these people without fear of

retribution. We will see brazen governance without accountability and

cynical, motivated 'investigations' against chicanery without justice.

Decide now, which future you wish for yourself. That of the serf,

which you currently are, or that of the Master, which, your constitution

entitles you to? Decide now, whether you wish to act or just watch

inertly as others who are fighting your war await your support. Decide.

For on this decision will depend your fate and a nation's future.

Just think of what will you tell your children when they grow up

d you make that choice?”; “Father why

did you do nothing?” And remember: depending upon your answer,

they will respect your courage or condemn your cowardice. Decide!

Do we wait till it gets to this?

Image courtesy: Nocturnalesflickr.com/photos/spaceflattener/

Letter boxes

Can you find the logical pattern

for the fourth square?

Solutions on page 6.

Numb3rs

What replaces the x?

a)

c) d)

The number reveals itself on page 6.

42

1

42

1

42

1

42

1

Decide!

Do we wait till it gets to this?

courtesy: Nocturnales flickr.com/photos/spaceflattener/

Letter boxes

Can you find the logical pattern

for the fourth square?

Solutions on page 6.

Numb3rs

What replaces the x?

a) b)

c) d)

The number reveals itself on

42

1

42

1

42

1

42

1

3

“The ‘known’ is a drop; the ‘unknown' is an ocean”. More often

than not, one’s life is shaped and determined by an ocean which takes

various forms: the Invisible, the Unknown, the Future, etc. This

happens every day –in macro as well as micro levels; something that a

person cannot take precautions against and he has no control over –

an external factor that changes the path of a person’s life. For

example, a stock market crash at one end of the world could make

someone at the other end go bankrupt.

This is why man is always in pursuit of bridging the gap between

the ‘known’ and the ‘unknown’. He seeks predictions to peep into the

future. This attitude results from the fear, suspicion and skepticism that

accompany the ‘unknown’. One always tends to trust the ‘unknown’

less (A known devil is better, right?). When life takes an unexpected

turn, much against one’s expectations, one tends to call it the result of

the role played by destiny. The blame-game starts there. One refuses

to believe that an unrelated external factor can play such a significant

role to overturn one’s life.

When our decisions are along the same path as that laid by

external factors, life takes shape to our advantage, as we expect it to

be. Yet, we do not realize this because of our short-sightedness and

narrow thinking. The point of concurrence of the visible and the

invisible is what we dream of. That is why the blend of orange and

blue hues forming the ‘horizon’ mesmerizes me. Where the ‘visible’

and the ‘invisible’ blend, there I find the harmony of my dreams and

reality.

~Darshana Venugopal,~Darshana Venugopal,~Darshana Venugopal,~Darshana Venugopal,

Mensa India (Chennai)Mensa India (Chennai)Mensa India (Chennai)Mensa India (Chennai)

Fermat’s Last

Theorem

Fermat's last theorem states

that the following condition

always holds for all integers,

(x, y, z) & (n > 2),

xⁿ + yⁿ ≠ zⁿ

It was one of the most alluring

of mathematical statements

whose proof eluded

mathematicians for many years

before it was proved by

Andrew Wiles in the 1990s.

A computer scientist claims that

he has somehow proved that

the Fermat theorem is incorrect

for the following 3 numbers:

x=2233445566,

y=7788990011,

z=9988776655.

He announces these 3 numbers

and calls for a press conference

where he is going to present

the value of N and to show that

xⁿ + yⁿ = zⁿ

As the press conference starts,

a 10-year old boy raises his

hand and says that the

respectable scientist has made

a mistake and the Fermat

theorem cannot hold wrong for

those 3 numbers. The scientist

checks his computer

calculations and finds a bug.

How did the boy figure out that

the scientist was wrong?

Turn to page 6 for the answer.

““““In the depth of winter, I In the depth of winter, I In the depth of winter, I In the depth of winter, I

finally learned that within finally learned that within finally learned that within finally learned that within

me there lay an invincible me there lay an invincible me there lay an invincible me there lay an invincible

summer.summer.summer.summer.””””

~Albert Camus, French existentialist author & philosopher

Horizon

4

He sat back in his rocking chair, tipped it gently to set it swaying

and then flipped the pages casually.

The old man loved his books. He had traveled far and wide in his

youth. He had seen life. And when his body could no longer travel, he

bought his books –his beloved books.

He bought a variety of books: fantasy, fiction, science,

philosophy, arts and politics. The breadth of his life expanded –where

once he sought only adventure, now he craved knowledge. His body

was confined to his house and garden, but his mind was free to travel.

And the pages of print grew him wings to fly where even his youth

could not have afforded. As his physical world contracted, his own

universe exploded.

Sometimes he would argue politics with the dragons in Greek. At

times he would joust in mental riddles with Neanderthals in a

spaceship. And yet other times he would discuss music with the

Vikings in a Blue Whale’s belly. His worlds had infinite possibilities.

His only fear was death; not that he minded dying but that he

objected to parting with his books.

He did not particularly reflect on God’s existence. But he

sincerely hoped that if there was a God, He’d let him keep company

with his books always. For the books spoke to him in joy and anger;

wisdom and frivolity; kindness and practicality. They conversed with

him and in many tongues too. He melted into his books and they

recast him back differently each time.

The real estate agent pointed out the library room to her

prospective clients. The husband nodded vaguely. The wife was

excited at the thought of having a library. The agent said that the old

man had loved his books. As they left the room, the wife thought it

was odd that the chair was rocking. Especially since the windows were

closed and there was no perceptible wind blowing.

~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,~N V Krishnamoorthy,

Mensa India (Mumbai)Mensa India (Mumbai)Mensa India (Mumbai)Mensa India (Mumbai)

“Success, like happiness, cannot “Success, like happiness, cannot “Success, like happiness, cannot “Success, like happiness, cannot be pursuedbe pursuedbe pursuedbe pursued; ; ; ;

it must enit must enit must enit must ensue, and it only does sosue, and it only does sosue, and it only does sosue, and it only does so

as the unintended sideas the unintended sideas the unintended sideas the unintended side----effecteffecteffecteffect

of one's personal dedication to a causeof one's personal dedication to a causeof one's personal dedication to a causeof one's personal dedication to a cause

greater than oneself.”greater than oneself.”greater than oneself.”greater than oneself.”

~Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist; Holocaust survivor.”

The Mensan

Robber!

A colony with 26 houses had

been struck by a spate of

robberies. The ex-Mensan (he

had been excommunicated)

responsible for this was Prof.

Nam Sen, who had turned his

brilliant mind to thieving ways.

Mr. A was the first victim, soon

followed by Mr. D and Mrs. I.

The latest house was that of

Mr. R. The night man, Al

Favet, was tasked with

stopping the ingenious devil. Al

knew there was a pattern to the

robberies –if only he could

figure it out!

At whose house can Al nab

Prof. Sen, the next time he

strikes?

Mystery solved on page 6.

Know your Mensa

Did you know that all Mensa

chapters have Special Interest

Groups or SIGs?

There are SIGs for

Photography, Astronomy,

Literature, Trekking, Board

Games and many more!

We’ll be covering activities

happening in SIGs across India

in the forth coming issues of

MInd. If your SIG did

something interesting, we’d

love to know.

Find out from your local

chapter what SIGs already

exist. And if you can’t find one,

then start it! Get a couple of

Mensans who share your

interest and well, as they say,

‘Two’s company, three’s a

SIG.’

The old man and his books

A human being comes in this world and starts using all her

potential to respond to the world and interact with the surrounding,

with the basic purpose of surviving. The

the environment and to economize her energy to interact with it.

Being aware, getting a feel of her surroundings, employing her

resources and ultimately progressing towards mastery over them

become her purpose in life. This i

human from other living beings.

Some individuals are prominently trying to get mastery over

surroundings. Some may remain comfortable in only surviving. They

may accept dominance of others and stay comfortable. Some may go

further to adapt and cope with the environment. They are satisfied

with limited resources and may not use their potentials fully for further

advancement. A few may go beyond to explore the world and even

get control over nature. Those who fully advance wi

potentials and gain mastery over themselves and their surroundings

become known for their talents. This indicates that all the individuals

have some gifts of their own but the ones, who desire to use them for

a purpose with flexibility and sui

‘gifted’, and express these ‘gifts’ through their actions.

What then is ‘giftedness’?

Giftedness is the constellation or integration of characteristics

within an individual, which directs her to use her full potential wit

purpose.

A child continuously showing curiosity about the environment by

asking questions such as what, how, why, etc. indicates awareness,

and sensitivity about the world. She tries to find out ‘everything’ about

it. She processes the information, tries

information and then converts it into knowledge. This leads to a

critical evaluation and interpretation of the knowledge she acquires.

Memorizing and utilizing it at appropriate time and situation becomes

the next step. Whatever is gathered is again screened for correctness,

and useless information is discarded. With all this she tries to produce

or construct a new artifact. All this done until the conclusion and with

effort, requires energy, perseverance, involvement, devoti

creativity along with the basic potentials. Thus, all these characteristics

may be together called as ‘giftedness’. Those who lag behind in

showing their talents through such final products may have the ‘gift’,

but not ‘giftedness’.

‘Gifts’ are considered to be easily measurable entities expressed

in terms of some outcome: like highest marks,

in sports, effective accomplishments in performing arts, competent

functioning in social fields, or any

potentials. It was assumed that these individuals need no training or

practice to show such talent. It is from birth and may be acquired

through heredity.

Giftedness: A Broader Perspective

5

A human being comes in this world and starts using all her

potential to respond to the world and interact with the surrounding,

with the basic purpose of surviving. The next step is to get adapted to

the environment and to economize her energy to interact with it.

Being aware, getting a feel of her surroundings, employing her

resources and ultimately progressing towards mastery over them

become her purpose in life. This is a feature, which differentiates

Some individuals are prominently trying to get mastery over

surroundings. Some may remain comfortable in only surviving. They

may accept dominance of others and stay comfortable. Some may go

further to adapt and cope with the environment. They are satisfied

with limited resources and may not use their potentials fully for further

advancement. A few may go beyond to explore the world and even

get control over nature. Those who fully advance with all their

potentials and gain mastery over themselves and their surroundings

become known for their talents. This indicates that all the individuals

have some gifts of their own but the ones, who desire to use them for

a purpose with flexibility and suitability, get recognition as being

‘gifted’, and express these ‘gifts’ through their actions.

Giftedness is the constellation or integration of characteristics

individual, which directs her to use her full potential with

A child continuously showing curiosity about the environment by

asking questions such as what, how, why, etc. indicates awareness,

and sensitivity about the world. She tries to find out ‘everything’ about

it. She processes the information, tries to connect it with the earlier

information and then converts it into knowledge. This leads to a

critical evaluation and interpretation of the knowledge she acquires.

Memorizing and utilizing it at appropriate time and situation becomes

ever is gathered is again screened for correctness,

and useless information is discarded. With all this she tries to produce

or construct a new artifact. All this done until the conclusion and with

effort, requires energy, perseverance, involvement, devotion, and

creativity along with the basic potentials. Thus, all these characteristics

may be together called as ‘giftedness’. Those who lag behind in

showing their talents through such final products may have the ‘gift’,

‘Gifts’ are considered to be easily measurable entities expressed

highest marks, excellent performance

effective accomplishments in performing arts, competent

functioning in social fields, or any proficient implementation of

. It was assumed that these individuals need no training or

such talent. It is from birth and may be acquired

Consultants

by Rejoy Kurup

Wordsworth

MesonoxianMesonoxianMesonoxianMesonoxian

‘pertaining to midnight

As in: “Hey

birthday party going to be a

mesonoxian affair?

Giftedness: A Broader Perspective

Consultants

by Rejoy Kurup

Wordsworth:

MesonoxianMesonoxianMesonoxianMesonoxian (adj):

pertaining to midnight’

Hey dude, is your

party going to be a

mesonoxian affair?”

6

History of ‘gifted’:

Initially, the terms ‘gifted’, ‘talented’, and ‘genius’ were used

interchangeably. Later, researchers differentiated between these

words. Galton used the word initially where he considered ‘genius’ as

endowed by heredity. ‘Geniuses’ were considered as persons showing

extraordinary performance. ‘Gifted’ persons were considered to be

intellectually superior persons, assessed on tests of general intelligence.

The ‘talented’ were considered to be the persons showing exceptional

performance in any specific area of human endeavor.

People like Witty and Havighurst defined the ‘gifted’ as an

individual who shows consistently remarkable performance. Here

there is a comparison with similar others.

As cited in a book by Freeman (1991), Terman, Hollingworth

and Birch, the individuals who stood in the top 1% on the

standardized intelligence tests were considered as the ‘intellectually

gifted’. Butler treated top 1.5%, while Marlad and Martinson regarded

the top 3.5% as the gifted. DeHaan and Havighurst, Sumption,

Luccking, and Neweland considered the top 5% to 10% as the gifted.

Freeman referred the top 1% as ‘highly gifted’ and 5% to 1% as

‘gifted’. Many psychologists defined the term operationally, as per the

purpose of the study or work undertaken.

The Marland Report (1971) defined gifted children as ‘those,

identified by professionally qualified persons, who by virtue of

outstanding abilities are capable of high performance’. The potentials

are likely to get converted into talents; but sometimes there are hurdles

in the way which set limit to the conversion. Here the individuals need

support and help to remove the blocks.

As per Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education

Act, (1998), “The term gifted and talented student means children and

youths who give evidence of higher performance capability in such

areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in

specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not

ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such

capabilities fully."

National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development

(NIPCCD), India (1984), after a national workshop of experts, arrived

at a conclusive definition of giftedness as ‘a potential, ability or a

group of abilities to excel in any field of human endeavor’.

According to Renzulli & Reis (1989) gifted children show three

basic clusters of characteristics –above-average general and/or specific

abilities; high levels of task commitment; and high levels of creativity.

Piirto (1999) described “gifted are those individuals who by way

of learning characteristics such as superior memory, observational

If Mensans made

films…

When their mother

miraculously recovered her

eyesight after a visit to a

temple, she called Amar, Akbar

and Anthony, and asked them

what their average salary was.

While it was indeed a queer

request right after such an

unbelievable incident, the

immediate predicament before

the three brothers was that they

were embarrassed to reveal

their salaries to each other.

Can there be an agreeable

solution to determine the

average without each revealing

his individual salary?

The plot unravels on page 7.

What is Mensa?

Mensa is derived from the

Latin word for ‘table’. Although

the logo resembles a square

one, the significance of ‘table’

is to denote a round table

assembly where everyone is

accepted as an equal.

The initial name proposed for

the organization was ‘Mens’

which, in Latin, expresses the

idea of ‘mind’ (MInd,

coincidence?). It was then

chosen as ‘Mensa’ which also

signifies ‘mind’ and ‘month’.

So the name suggests a

‘monthly’ meeting of ‘minds’

around a round ‘table’.

Giftedness (Contd…)

7

powers, curiosity, creativity and the ability to learn school-related

subject matters rapidly and accurately with a minimum of drill and

repetition, have a right to an education that is differentiated according

to these characteristics”.

Khire (2000) says that gifted are those individuals who have

potential for advanced development and try to develop throughout

the life journey. It follows the essential characteristics of being ‘alive’.

Remaining firm on the evolutionary path within the life span she

describes Sensitivity, Response to surrounding, Assimilation &

Adaptation, Growth & Expansion, Creativity & Regeneration and

Elimination & Excretion as the characteristics of the ‘Gifted’.

Those, who understand interdependence between individual and

society, and thus admit that survival and progress of the society is of

utmost importance for their own survival’ are ‘gifted’. Hence those

who use their high potentials for self-progress as well as for betterment

of society may be considered as gifted.

Psychologists like Piirto, categorized the gifted individuals as

‘Intellectually gifted’, ‘Academically gifted’, ‘Socially gifted’ and

‘Creatively gifted’. These gifted individuals show uneven rates of

development within oneself. They have high cognitive abilities plus

heightened intensity to create intense inner experiences in either field.

Those who prove to be high on standardized intelligence tests and

show high potentials in problems solving, decision making, creative

thinking, logical thinking and reasoning are titled as intellectually

gifted. Those who excel in academic performance and show their

talents through achieving scholarships, fellowships and prizes for

academic subjects are known as academically gifted. Individuals who

show extraordinary functioning for social betterment and have vision

for better future of the society are named as socially gifted. Those

showing talents or potentials for performance in the area of visual or

performing art are known as creatively gifted. All these categories are

based on performance revealed. The common denominator, to all

these giftedness, is the basic brain potential and motivation to use

them.

Neuroscience suggests advanced and accelerated growth of the

major functions of their brains. The cognitive functions include linear

analytic, problem-solving, sequential, evaluative, spatial orientation,

reasoning, etc. The affective function consists of emotions, feelings,

motivation, which is mostly governed by limbic system. The physical

function sensing and movement part of the body; hence the entire

sensory organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The intuitive

part deals with rational, predictive and transformational behavior

ultimately leading to creative thinking.

The gifts could be found in a balanced form showing overall high

potential to perform in many areas. But there could be lopsided

Solutions:

with inputs from Sumit Goyal

Letter Boxes:

The pattern is:

How you ask? Figure it out.

You did qualify for Mensa,

right?

The Mensan

Robber!

Prof. Nam Sen will next attack

poor Mrs. IMrs. IMrs. IMrs. I again.

How? Here’s a clue: Before he

turned bad, he was a

researcher at ‘IndaiSys’.

(Also, his name is an anagram

of Mensan. Did you catch

that?!!)

Numb3rs:

The answer’s (b)

Clue: If you hadn’t studied

beyond standard 2, you might

have had a better chance at

this one!

Fermat’s Last

Theorem

x^n = 6^nx^n = 6^nx^n = 6^nx^n = 6^n will always have

6666 as the last digit

y^n = 1^ny^n = 1^ny^n = 1^ny^n = 1^n will always have


6^n + 1^n6^n + 1^n6^n + 1^n6^n + 1^n will always have


Hence,

z^n = 5^nz^n = 5^nz^n = 5^nz^n = 5^n will always have 5555

as the last digit

G T

S H

42

1


8

gifts which are difficult to point out. These are the ‘high risk’ gifted

individuals, who are likely to get not only neglected but rejected by the

society. Nurture, by identifying them at right point of age and time

could prove beneficial to the individual as well as society. All the gifted

have their own needs, which are very special and need to be

supported by mentors.

~Dr. Sujala Watve,~Dr. Sujala Watve,~Dr. Sujala Watve,~Dr. Sujala Watve,

National Supervisory Psychologist, Mensa IndiaNational Supervisory Psychologist, Mensa IndiaNational Supervisory Psychologist, Mensa IndiaNational Supervisory Psychologist, Mensa India

Editor’s Note: Approaches such as these and more were discussed at

the National Conference, Beyond Horizons: Giftedness in 21st Beyond Horizons: Giftedness in 21st Beyond Horizons: Giftedness in 21st Beyond Horizons: Giftedness in 21st

CenturyCenturyCenturyCentury, organized at Pune, between 7th and 9th February, 2013. For

those who could not make it, we’ll try and cover the event in our next

edition.

xkcd: Angular Momentum

Source: http://xkcd.com/162/

Also, from its image tag:

With reasonable assumptions about latitude and body shape, how much time might she gain them? Note: whatever the answer, sunrise always comes too soon. (Also, is it worth it if she throws up?)

The following pages are from

the Mensa International Journal:

If Mensans made

films…

Let Amar, Akbar and

Anthony’s salaries be A, B and

C respectively

Amar adds a random number

X to his salary and whispers the

number (A + X) to Akbar.

Akbar in turn adds his salary to

the sum and whispers the sum,

(A + X + B) to Anthony.

Anthony finally adds his salary

and whispers the total (A + X

+ B + C) back to Amar.

Now, Amar subtracts the

random number he added, and

divides the sum by 3: (A + B

+ C) / 3.

And voila –one happy family!

The End.

Bonus answer:

By the way, if you answered 42

to any of the questions, those

count as correct answers too.

After all, that is the answer to

life, the universe and

everything!

Pale Blue Dot

As the Voyager 1 spacecraft

was leaving the Solar System,

NASA, at the request of Carl

Sagan, had the spacecraft’s

camera turned around to take

a photograph of Earth across a

great expanse of space.

Watch the spectacular image

along with the inspiring piece

of commentary by Sagan

himself at

http://youtu.be/p86BPM1GV8M


mensa international journal december 2012

mensa internat ional journal editor: kate nacard

01

from the executive committee...

december 2012 issue number 564

In Bali, Indonesia, last September, Mensans from 20 different countries gathered for a weekend of serious contemplation, stimulating educa-tion, and a large measure of fun. The second Asian Mensas Annual Gath-ering (AMAG) featured the 2012 LEAP sessions on Friday along with various games throughout the day, Balinese dance lessons, Kecak dance, and Japanese cast puzzles. Eszter Chrobacsinszky, Mensa Hungary; Aleksan-dra Borovic, Mensa Serbia; Roeland van Zeijst, Mensa The Netherlands, Vicki Herd, Mensa Canada; and Louise Steenekamp, Mensa South Africa, all presented shortened versions of their presentations to appreciative audiences ofbetween 30 and 50 attendees. It was difficult to adhere to a time schedule when all the comments and questions kept the presenters occu-pied beyond their allotted times. But we were on Bali time, what turned out to be quite an elastic dimension in that part of the world. On Saturday the major topic was to design a roadmap to help Indone-sia’s poorest people realize their brain potential and maximize that to im-prove their economic circumstances. For me, this was a different spin on a Mensa gathering - it was the first time I could remember where those in attendance were challenged with a specific national problem delegated by authorities/experts in the fields of biology, education, the medical com-

munity, government, and food/nutrition. Dr. Bayu Prawira Hie, organizer of this gathering, introduced the Re-public of Indonesia’s Special Envoy for Poverty Alleviation, Mr. H.S Dil-lon, who opened the morning session. Dr. Widjaja Lukito then spoke about ways to improve brain capacity/

capability through healthy nutrition. He was followed by Dr. Yohanes Surya’s ideas on educating and stimu-lating young people from remote villages to reach for the sky. Dr. Eduardo Araral from Singa-pore discussed how a country could effectively capitalize on its brain power and thus prevent brain drain. After lunch, the audience was split into three groups of about 25, each group to focus on a specific area

of the roadmap: healthy food/nu-trition, education, and brain drain. Animated conversations and alot of creative ideas later, the notes and suggestions were collected so that Dr. Bayu could summarize the

day’s results. These findings may help Indonesia solve its poverty problem and thereby serve as an example for other nations. After a press conference attended by several local television news commentators, half a dozen doves were released signifying unity and hope for the future. AMAG wrapped up on Sunday with a tour of several of Bali’s tourist spots: the rocky temple at Tanah Lot, Uluwatu,

where the monkeys rule, Ubud, Kuta, and the Krishna shopping area. We ended the day at Kelapa Dreamland watching the sun sink below the horizon.

Goodbyes were emotional, but we all hope to see each other in Singapore for next year’s AMAG!

Elissa RudolphChair, American Mensa

A Different Spin At This Mensa Gathering

l-r Paul and Jenny Caston, Australian Mensa;

Dr. Bayu Prawira Hie, Mensa Indonesia; Charles

Freeman, Mensa Korea; Elissa Rudolph, Ameri-

can Mensa; Vicki Herd, Mensa Canada; and Jeff

Adriano, Mensa Indonesia.

Deadline for submissions for the January 2013 issue is

November 1.

[email protected]



02

Having been invited by my Canadian aunt to make notes on my family history, I decided to make the trip to Ottawa, capital city of Canada and to take the opportunity to meet up with Canadian SIGHT Coordinator, Jonathan Bramwell. Although I have visited other Canadian cities, I really didn’t know what to expect from Ot-tawa but, through the SIGHTprogramme, Jonathan, his wife Heather and Mensa Canada’s Presi-dent, Millie Norry, kindly offered toshow me around the city and also each invited me to stay over for a couple of days. Jonathan, Heather and Millie were so helpful in arrang-ing my visit for me that I was not only able to meet other Canadian Mensa members but to gain an in-

sider’s view of the city. Jona-than kindly picked me up from my cousin’s home and took me for a very inter-esting drive past all of Ottawa’s key loca-tions and I

was impressed by the striking archi-tecture and apparent quiet dignity of the city in which, unlike other North American cities, I saw little evidence of any economic decline. He and Heather took me to a restaurant on a

jetty where sailors tied up their boats for lunch on the banks of the Ot-tawa River. Here we had an excellent meal with views of the river and the province of Quebec at the other side. An extended journey through some of the many green areas of the city took us back to my hosts’ home among the diplomatic residences of the capital. During the evening, we joined a group of friendly and interesting Mensa members for a lively meeting at a city centre pub and I was impressed with their ability to convene such a meeting at short no-tice. We then returned to their home and retired for the night after a busy but very pleasant day. Next morning, after a huge break-fast of sausages, scrambled eggs and kippers we took a walk aroundthe leafy Rockcliffe Park area along-side a lake, after which we enjoyed a splendid lunch of Cana-dian salmon and salad. Jonathan then delivered me to my aunt’s home. Follow-ing a meeting with my aunt, Millie kindly picked me up and took me to her home, where we dis-cussed Mensa,

Ottawa, Canada - via SIGHTInternational SIGHT Coordinator, Rich Kingston, visits Ottawa for the first time and gives us a first-hand glimpse of SIGHT hospitality in action...

Canada and Ottawa with Millie and another local Mensa Member while enjoying some excellent red wine. Breakfast was followed by a visit to the lively centre of this rather attrac-tive city and another opportunity to see more of the city’s facets. Unlike many modern cities, the air seemed to be fresh and clean and even the “down-and-outs” looked to be re-

markably well-fed and well-dressed. After a circuit of the city centre’s markets we took lunch at one of the many restaurants in the tourist area and then went to visit an experimen-tal farm within the city limits. Again, unlike most modern cities, the roadtraffic appeared to run very easily and the closest Ottawa could come to a

“rush hour” traffic jam was five cars in a row at a traffic light! All this was followed by dinner at a popular lo-cal hotel featuring a local favourite of “meat ball sandwich platter” - during which I was given a de-tailed overview of the finer points of baseball by our waiter - then back to Mil-lie’s to catch up on commu-nications and prepare for my departure the next day after my first visit to this

Rich with Mensa Canad’s President, Millie Norry

Enjoying an impromptu dinner with Canadian Mensans

If you would like to be a SIGHT host (you can choose to offer ac-commodation and/or day hosting), please register with your national SIGHT Coordina-tor.



What would you like to see in the IJ?

More articles? Puzzles? Member communication

channels?

Send your ideas to me [email protected]

03

impressive city while enjoying the company of fellow Mensa members. The SIGHT programme, which operates in almost 70 countries worldwide, provides information,guidance and hospitality to Mensa travellers and provides an opportu-nity for interaction betweenMensa members internationally. The programme is open to all Mensa members. If you would like to be a SIGHT host (you can choose to offer ac-commodation and/or day hosting), please register with your national SIGHT Coordinator. If you would like to take advantage of the SIGHT programme as a traveller, register with the SIGHT Coordi-nator of your destination country using one of the application forms available on the SIGHT pages of the Mensa International website www.mensa.org. Note; You are also welcome to use SIGHT in your own country of residence.

SIGHT – Connecting Mensans!

Rich [email protected]

extraordinary city. So it was that, thanks to Mensa’s SIGHT programme, what may haveotherwise been a routine visit be-came an interesting and entertaining opportunity to learn about this

Diverse symptoms associated with autism could be explained by unrelia-ble activity of neurons in the brain in response to basic, nonsocial sensory information, according to a study published by Cell Press on Septem-ber 19th in the journal Neuron. The new findings suggest that autism is a disorder of general neural process-ing and could potentially provide an explanation for the origins of a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. “Within the autism research community, most researchers are looking for either a dysfunctional brain region or inadequate connec-tions between brain regions,” says lead study author Ilan Dinstein of Carnegie Mellon University. “We’re taking a different approach and thinking about how a general characteristic of the brain could be different in autism—and how that might lead to behavioral changes.” Autism is a developmental disor-der marked by social deficits, com-munication problems, and repetitive behaviors. Two previous studies suggested that the neural responses of individuals with autism are more variable than those of control subjects during visual and motor tasks. Building on this past evidence, Dinstein and his collaborators have now shown that multiple sensory systems within these individuals show noisy responses, suggesting that widespread behavioral abnor-malities could arise from a basic dysfunction in neural processing that emerges during development.In the

study, adults with autism participated in functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments in which their brain activity was measured under three different conditions: while they watched moving dots on a screen, listened to tone beeps, and felt air puffs on their hands. The neural responses to all three types of sensory information were less reliable across trials in individuals with autism than in control subjects. The findings suggest that au-tism could result from fundamental defects in general neural processing rather than a collection of independ-ent problems that affect different brain regions. “Unreliable neural activity is a general property that could have a profound impact on the function of many brain systems and could underlie a range of cogni-tive and social abnormalities,” says study author Marlene Behrmann of Carnegie Mellon University. “So we think that this problem could play a role not only in autism, but also potentially in other disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.”

(http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas-es/2012-09/cp-asc091412.php)

New research into Autism

See p 05 of the IJ Extra for infro-mation on Asperger Syndrome in the workplace in a new book by Mensan, Stephen Plowright. Asperger Syndrome is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. - Ed.



The Mensa International Journal (MIJ) is produced under the auspices of the Mensa International Board of Directors. Pages 1-4 of each issue of the MIJ must be published in every national Mensa magazine. Publication of pages 5-8 is recommended but optional. Opinions expressed in the MIJ 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) 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 unorigi-nal submissions must be accompanied by written permission for publication from the original author.Permission is granted for MIJ articles to be reprinted in any Mensa publication provided that the author, MIJ and MIJ’s editor are acknowledged. Permission must be sought from the MIJ editor for reprinting of any part of the MIJ in non-Mensa publications.

Chair: Mr Willem Bouwens Trompenburgstraat 6-G, 1079 TX Amsterdam The [email protected] Tel: +31 (0)20 661 2718Director Admin: Ms Sylvia Herbert 16 Farley St, St John’s, Worcester, Worcestershire WR2 6JD [email protected] Tel: +44(0)1905 422231Director Development: Ms Bibiana Balanyi Mensa HungarIQa, H-1426 Budapest 72, Postafiok 99 Hungary [email protected] Tel: +36 209 135175Treasurer: Cyndi Kuyper 2606 Henderson St, West Lafayette, IN 47906-1537 Tel: +1 765 463 1393Cell Phone: +1 765 714 2272 [email protected] Dir. Smaller National Mensas: Mr Björn Liljeqvist Knektvägen 1, 196 30 Kungsängen, Sweden +46 (0) 730 394199skype: bjorn.liljeqvist [email protected]. President: Dr Abbie Salny 407 Breckenridge, Wayne NJ 07470 USA Tel: +1 973 305 0055SIGHTCoordinator: Mr Richard Kingston [email protected]. SIG Coordinator: Mr Markus Schauler [email protected]:Mr Martyn Davies [email protected] Director: Mr Michael Feenan, Slate Barn, Church Lane, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EL, UKTel/Fax+44(0)1400272 675 [email protected]

Editorial StaffEditor: Ms Kate Nacard 407/23 Corunna Rd, Stanmore NSW 2048 Australia [email protected] Tel: +61 2 9516 1024Science: Mr John Blinke, [email protected]: Mr Tom Elliott, [email protected] Articles: Mr Thomas Hally, [email protected]

04

officer directory

International Award for Benefit to Society

The Mensa Foundation has established, in cooperation with Mensa International Ltd, an award for a specific ac-complishment to the benefit of society. The Award is open to members worldwide. The accomplishment should be innovative in some respect. It may be singular such as an invention, or may be the cumulative effect of several innovative accomplishments, but must be shown to have a tangible benefit to a substantial number of people. The judges will give consideration to the number of persons impacted. Political activities are excluded. Innovative activities might include, for example: new education programs for employees; client or business associate education programs; programs designed to educate the public; intellectual research and development; etc. Because the kinds of accomplishments cannot be anticipated, the judges shall have the sole authority to define the terms used above. An applicant must be a paid-up member of an officially recognized national Mensa or be a Direct Interna-tional Member of Mensa International Ltd. The applicant may apply personally, or may be nominated by another Mensa member or group with the written consent of the applicant. More information at http://www.mensafoundation.org/foundation/?LinkServID=0EE915F9-E081-4C23-C4B5EA4A20A89DAC

Closing date: March 1, 2013


mensa internat ional journal /E X T R A /

Asperger Syndrome and the technical workplace

05

Last year, Australian Mensan, Stephen Plowright published a manual, Asperger Awareness: A Key to Success for IT and Technical Managers. Based on his 30 years of experience in IT, Stephen looks at the common combination of high IQ and Asperger characteristics in technical staff, and how managers can benefit from a knowledge of them. Below, he outlines for us the history of Asperger awareness, its charac-teristics and the value of Asperger personalities to society.

In the Vienna of the 1940s, famous for its doctors of the mind yet under the real threat of losing its patients to the Nazi policy of exterminating those it saw as different or “defective”, at least one doctor saw the value in diversity. A paediatrician, Dr Hans As-perger (pronounced with a hard g, as in “burger”, not soft as in “merger”), noticed that some of his patients had a number of characteristics in com-mon. They were often highly intelli-

gent, but socially awkward. They tended to have an area of intense interest, like fossils or trains, and could lecture him on the details in a precocious manner that would lead him to call them “Little Professors”. He correctlypredicted that many of them would go on to academic distinction. The list of Asperger traits in-cludes: a logical approach, an ability to focus narrowly for long periods, honesty to the point of tactlessness,

difficulty making small-talk, discomfort in new social situations, little interest in fashion or dressing to im-press, reduced eye contact, preference for routines, problem solving ability, unconventional or innova-tive solutions, difficulties multi-tasking, annoyance if interrupted while thinking. Their intelligence is de-scribed as “dynamic” rather than “crystallised”, tending to work out solutions from first principles, rather than from a known formula. Such a list of recog-

nisable characteristics that appear together is called a “syndrome”. It is not necessarily a deficit, but a differ-ence from the “typical”. It can make some things more difficult for the individual, but may compensate with other gifts. In 2001, Wired magazine pub-lished an article, The Geek Syndrome, noting the similarity between As-perger’s Syndrome and the stereotype of the high-tech worker. They further reported an unusually high incidence of children identified with Asperger and related social issues living in Silicon Valley. This effect was also reported in 2011, in a more formal study in Holland’s high-tech city, Eindhoven, where technical workers are more likely to meet each other and go on to have children with more intense traits. Asperger himself saw the charac-teristics not as a condition that one either has or has not got, but more as a personality type that manifests on a continuous scale from subtle to extreme. This is also the view of “Neurodiversity”, the philosophy

Asperger Awareness: A Key to Success for IT and Technical Managers ISBN 978-1446738856

Available on-line in paper or electronic version from Amazon/Kindle, Barnes & Noble, or Lulu.com.



06

that rather than thinking in the old terms of “nomal” versus “abnormal”, we need to see every type of mind as unique, and filling a useful niche in society. The value of Asperger personali-ties to science, technology, and civili-sation has been immeasurable. It has been speculated that it may explain the eccentricities of some of thegreat minds such as Newton and Einstein, and is much more clearly identifiable in many others, such as Dirac and Turing. Many of the founders of today’s high tech giants also show clear Asperger traits. They are an important source of innova-tion. The high IQ/high AQ (Asperger Quotient) personality is often at-tracted to technical work, tends to stay with it, and be good at it. I lead a team of engineers at IBM, and have worked in technical roles for 30 years. I have known a few individuals in IT with official Asperger diag-noses, and many more who accept that they fit the profile, but are not interested in labelling themselves. Around half of the people I have worked with have the traits strongly enough to make it well worth understanding how to keep them motivated. This is the purpose of my handbook, Asperger Awareness.

AWARENESS AND INSIGHT = CREATIVITY?Although the popular belief about creativity and the right hemi-sphere of the brain dates back to the 1970s, there is a new under-standing more specific to the topography of the brain. When it comes to left versus right, we must distinguish further. It’s not just left-right; it’s also up-down and front-back - it’s the whole brain. In order to further understand this, Thomas Hally looks at some structural differences between the left and right hemispheres and the functioning of certain areas of the brain near or at the creative moment.

The right brain, or hemisphere, traditionally known as the “artistic brain,” has more neural connec-tions within itself and throughout the brain. Its strongest connections are between the amygdale and the subcortical regions throughout the brain. The brain’s left hemisphere has few connections both within itself and throughout the rest of the brain. The right hemisphere is a structural mix, while the left hemisphere is made up of stacked vertical col-umns, allowing clear differentiation of separate mental functions and integration of these functions. In our creative endeavors, we employ the whole brain, not just the right brain. The creative (“whole”) brain accesses this large web of connections. Brain studies tell us how writers, scientists, artists and other crea-tive people “get to” that sudden new awareness and understanding that leads to a breakthrough discovery, creation or solution to a difficult problem. This sudden understanding or Aha! Moment is like a stroke ofgenius or “divine inspiration” (af-flatus). Scientists who have measured EEG brainwaves during a creative

moment reveal that there is gamma activity in the brain before the answer; solution, or perhaps, “vision” manifests itself. This gamma activity indicates the binding of neurons,connecting cells from throughout the brain as a new association emerges. We have our answer when the new idea enters fully into our conscious-ness. This gamma and neural activity focuses on the temporal area on the right side of the neocortex. At the moment of the new understanding,the cells in the right hemisphere are using their extensive connections to reach other parts of the brain. The new information is simultaneously collected and creates a new organiza-tion. Insight is a little bit like Shake-speare and a little bit like Mother. The Elizabethan Bard advises “To thine own self be true,” whereas Mother tells each of us to “Be your-self.” So, how does insight fit into this picture? Insight is about knowing exactly who we are and actingaccordingly following our own incli-nations and abilities. Insight helps us choose the right partner, friend, career, hobby and goal and, perhaps,

For those who are wondering about their own traits, a quick AQ test is available online. Some of Stephen’s colleagues agreed to do the test and most scored above 30, with lowest 22, and highest 46. “Neurotypical” average is about 17, maximum possible is 50.www.piepalace.ca/blog/asperg-er-test-aq-test/



even the right therapist. If our skills and talents are not in sync with our inflated or - deflated - self image, we may be in for a fall or a rude awaken-ing. It is best to develop our natural talents in order to secure our futures rather than rely on any false beliefs. “The truth will set you free.” We will be happier with our True Selvesthan with False Selves. We may even be in for a pleasant surprise! Knowing who we are will open the door to opportunity. “Chance favors only the prepared mind,” said Louis Pasteur. The Aha! Moment “hit” Archidemedes when he was in the bathtub, causing him to shout “Eureka!”(“I have found it”!). He had finally (and “suddenly”) realized that an object immersed in water (in this instance, a gold crown) always displaced a volume of water equal toits own volume. This formed the basis of his experiment because he under-stood that, if he divided the weight of an object by the volume of water displaced, he would know its density. And, the Aha! Moment came to Isaac Newton as he wandered (aim-lessly?) through an apple orchard. In a series of experiments, re-searchers from Drexel University and Northwestern University used fMRI, brain-image scanning and EEG sensors to document the neural activity of a group of volunteers. They were solving word problems and were presented with three words, say, crab, pine, and sauce. They were instructed to think of another word that formed a compund word and use it to join each of the three original words, forming three compound words. For example, the word apple joins with crab to form crabapple; pine to form

pineapple; and sauce to form applesauce. When each participant thought of the appropriate word, he pressed one of two buttons, indicating an insightful understanding or an analytic (hypo-thetical) understanding. Those ex-pressing “insight” experienced a high degree of gamma activity in the brain that “kicked in” 300 milliseconds be-fore they consciously knew the answer. These gamma wave flashes stemmed from the brain’s right hemisphere, and area traditionally involved in making associations and assembling parts of problems.

The constellation of neurons excited by gamma activity binds itself in the brain and creates new neural pathways and, voilà - new ideas and new crea-tions! Immediately followingthe “assault of the gamma waves,” the new idea “pops into” our conscious-ness; and that is known as the Aha! Moment. High alpha rhythm is an indicator of mental relaxation; and inthis openness of reverie and mental drifting, we are highly receptive to new ideas. In order to get to that breakthrough or novel idea or solution and follow through, we must relax and “let go” as if we were meditating or praying. Creative expression often times follows.

Thomas [email protected]

Other Places Martian minerals are similar to the ones we find on Earth. It was easy for the Spirit and Opportunity rov-ers to identify olivine and carbonate rocks, among other things. Appar-ently, the thin atmosphere and weak gravity on Mars do not change the way those minerals form. But what about more extreme places? Will minerals on asteroids also look familiar? What about exotic environments like Venus, with its dense, hot, carbon dioxide atmos-phere and sulfuric acid rain? What about Titan, where it is so cold that common gases flow like Rocky Mountains springs on Earth? We’re told the landscape is dripping with unspecified hydrocarbons. But what do we know about the properties of cryogenic hydrocarbons? On the Star Trek TV show, near-ly every planet had breathable air and Earth’s gravity. Our comfort-able planet was originally a random result out of uncountable possibili-ties. Today, it isn’t just a place where our kind of life can thrive. It is a place where life has existed for at least a billion years - long enough to modify the environment radically. We may never see a place where we can walk around unprotected. There are many small variations that could make planets uninhabitable. What if, for example, the air was full of allergens that destroyed your lungs? What if every ocean was like the Dead Sea, devoid of any macroscopic animal life? What if there were loads of poisonous heavy metals everywhere on the surface? What if the oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide in the air had some other ratio than what we can

“Knowing who we are will open the door to opportu-nity. ‘Chance favours only the prepared mind’”

Louis Pasteur

supplementally...

07



08

[email protected]

breathe? All these things would keep human colonists hiding in tunnels or in sealed buildings. Air filters could be a major import expense. Maybe the only way to settle people in places other than Earth is to get good at terraforming.

Martian TectonicsUCLA Newsroom, 31 August 2012. “UCLA Scientist Discovers Plate Tectonics on Mars.” (Lithosphere) Contributed by Stephen Darnell. Mars has plate tectonics, as Earth does. But the red planet might have only two instead of the Earth’s seven major plates. The boundary between them is, unsurprisingly, Valles Mari-neris - Mars’s super sized version of the Grand Canyon. But Earth’s Grand Canyon is purely an erosional feature. The Martian version is more like Earth’s Dead Sea fault system, where there is horizontal move-ment of one plate relative to another. Scientists at UCLA confirmed the plates by going through dozens of photos taken by the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbit-ers. They picked out V-shaped stress features created by plate movement.

Alpine Moons ScienceDaily 29 July 2012. “Giant Ice Avalanches On Saturn’s Moon Iapetus Provide Clue to Extreme Slippage Elsewhere in the Solar Sys-tem.” (Nature Geoscience)A typical avalanche on Earth might travel horizontally twice the height of the cliff it fell from. On rare oc-casions, there are long-runout rock landslides, or sturzstrom, in which the horizontal flow extends 20 or 30 times the height of the fall. One favored explanation for this is that trapped air floats the rock or snow, providing a kind-of air bearing to aid

its movement. But Saturn’s walnut shaped moon, Iapetus, has at least thirty giant sturzstrom avalanches that have been photographed by Cas-sini. The moon has no air and much less gravity than Earth. So, scientists are leaning toward another explana-tion: that speedy flows can generate enough heat through friction to melt some of the moving material, provid-ing a temporary liquid sliding surface. This explains why the moon Rhea, with less rugged terrain than Iape-tus, does not have so many monster slides: avalanches there are just too slow.

Common GeometryScienceDaily 27 July 2012. “Mar-tian Polygons and Deep-Sea Polygons On Earth: More Evidence for Ancient Mar-tian Oceans?” (GSA Today) When mud dries out or set-tles, its surface takes on the look of an abused fisherman’s net - a tortured checkerboard of distorted squares. Ocean bottoms can look like this, with features ranging from hundreds to thousands of meters in size. So can many areas on Mars. This implies that Mars has a lot of dried lake beds and former ocean floors. Thermal cycling can make polygonal patterns, too. But those are usually much smaller.

Moon ShotsScience News, 24 March 2012, p. 8. “Lunar Lights Made by Molten Blobs.” (Icarus)When meteor showers are predicted

to arrive on clear nights, many of us rush outside to watch. If we were on Earth’s moon, we would be wise to run inside and maybe get into a bunker. The reason is that there is no air on the moon to burn meteors up in flight. They hit the ground hard and sometimes make flashes bright enough to be seen from Earth. The mechanism behind these flashes is a point of contention, but a pretty good study from Paris University suggests a solution: The light comes from glowing gas and molten rock that are sprayed out when rocks about ten centimeters in size hit the surface at more than 72 kilometers per second. A competing alternative had been that something like electric

sparks caused the flashes.

BeetleCamNew Scientist, 17 March 2012, p. 25. “Robots on Safari.”Wildlife photog-raphy is taking on a new and dramatic look,

thanks to BeetleCam and its succes-sor, BeetleCam 2. These are robotic (well, remotely-operated) photo as-sistants created by wildlife photogra-pher, Will Burrard-Lucas to get close to hungry lions, rowdy elephants and other interesting critters that might not treat a flesh-and-blood human with the desired level of respect. You can web search for BeetleCam to see several charming videos of puzzled animals interacting with the dog sized robot.

mind oct-dec 2012

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