The Mensa thing - why are you "philosophically" opposed to it? The whole point of such a group is for incredibly bright people to have others with whom to communicate. The people there are in all kinds of occupations. What they share is lively intellects and the desire to associate and communicate with similar individuals.
I'm with billybobsky... I've yet to meet a Mensa member who wasn't REALLY MASSIVELY NEEDING me to *know* that they were. It's like having money - those who have the most frequently are much less obvious about it than to those who have just acquired it and want everyone to *know* it.
Met a guy at a club one night who proceeded to introduce himself to one of the women in our group with the line "I've got a huge IQ, and a huge c*ck, and I prove one of these by whipping something out of my pants..." Yup, his Mensa ID card. Whoooooooo, we were impressed. Not. (My response was "Wow, you've got to have an IQ of what, 140, 145 for that? They *are* letting in anyone these days, aren't they?" Oh my, did he glare.)
I don't think a *well-adjusted* woman is that much different from a well-adjusted man, do you?
I'm not sure you could find me one of *either*!
I find that if I make sure to get out and go dancing, hit art shows, see plays, and otherwise *get the heck away from computers* I get enough stimulation on intellectual pursuits of other kinds to keep the brain active.
Oh, reading journals from half a dozen scientific fields and a few liberal arts ones doesn't hurt either.
I really enjoy doing things that are totally outside of my field. One thing I have really enjoyed is just simple construction, home repair, or weird fix-ups. I for example bought an $800 RV that most people thought should be burned to the ground. However I enjoyed the heck out of all the alternative thought I had to put into that 1970 beast to get it running. Same goes for old computers, camping equipment, furniture, etc.
The most enjoyable thing for me in these things is the lack of one solution. I mean you can't go pick up a guide for them. You are pretty much on your own. It is a very different kind of thinking for me that gets my brain out of the usual pathways.
I'm with billybobsky... I've yet to meet a Mensa member who wasn't REALLY MASSIVELY NEEDING me to *know* that they were. It's like having money - those who have the most frequently are much less obvious about it than to those who have just acquired it and want everyone to *know* it.
Met a guy at a club one night who proceeded to introduce himself to one of the women in our group with the line "I've got a huge IQ, and a huge c*ck, and I prove one of these by whipping something out of my pants..." Yup, his Mensa ID card. Whoooooooo, we were impressed. Not. (My response was "Wow, you've got to have an IQ of what, 140, 145 for that? They *are* letting in anyone these days, aren't they?" Oh my, did he glare.)
And for the record, yes, I qualify. Whoopdedoo.
Hey Kicks -
As with any group, I'm sure Mensa has its share of pathetic losers, like the guy you mentioned. But it also probably has some great people who attend their activities. I could be completely wrong, but I think things are always worth a try. And they *do* have activities - fun and interesting things to do.
My ex qualified. I've never had the nerve to find out my IQ. I figure if it isn't as high as I might hope, then I might use that as an excuse not to try meeting certain challenges. But by *not* knowing my IQ, I can go blithely along assuming I'm smart enough to do whatever I want to do. heh. Pretty cowardly maybe. But it's worked well enough for me so far.
Nirvana played at the ANU bar once. Now you're lucky if Triple J is playing
Times change
Barto
Thank god an Aussie who understands. intellectualism is DEAD. actually it was never alive just imported. Although we can all thank the power that be that they have taken Micheal Tunn of the air for good. Triple J lost it long ago. I saw Nirvana play and they rocked. Now we get f88king Nickelback. Ahhhh.
tahnk got for my iPod and iTrip no more radio for me.
As with any group, I'm sure Mensa has its share of pathetic losers, like the guy you mentioned. But it also probably has some great people who attend their activities. I could be completely wrong, but I think things are always worth a try. And they *do* have activities - fun and interesting things to do.
My ex qualified. I've never had the nerve to find out my IQ. I figure if it isn't as high as I might hope, then I might use that as an excuse not to try meeting certain challenges. But by *not* knowing my IQ, I can go blithely along assuming I'm smart enough to do whatever I want to do. heh. Pretty cowardly maybe. But it's worked well enough for me so far.
Actually, that's one of the reasons I have zero interest in Mensa - it's based on a rather arbitrary, and in the end, utterly meaningless metric of an individual. It makes as much sense as The Blue Eyes Club or Five Feet And Shorter Anonymous, and people get waaaaay too proud of it.
So you've (generic you, not specific you) got a high IQ, so what? You didn't do anything to *earn* it, and if your sense of self-worth is based on it, you need therapy, not a mutually bolstering anti-support group. Pretty silly.
Yes I'm sure there are some nice people there, and I'm sure they do fun things. I just don't want to have to dig through the bullcrap artists to find the nuggets... there are other places with better odds.
Nietzsche's "the Gay Science" the essay "Schopenhauer as Educator"!! "zarathustra" & anything else . . . but at least several books
Try to reconcile 'objective' sciences to phenomenology . . . but first, through really understanding phenomenology: become a thinker, not just a tinker
Then tell us all about it in a way that will get you a nobel and also helpt us to think well . . .
. . . or write fiction: write about human experience, not just the interaction of matter as described through mathematical phrases
or even better: write about human experience in mathematical phrases!
or,
become a filmmaker/video maker and take your brilliance into a realm where the standards of brilliance are of a completely different order
Many experimantal film makers woked with mathematics as points of departure (hollis frampton for instance) see if you can revolutionize the field!
Comments
Originally posted by curiousuburb
Though I don't believe males have a brain center for understanding women,
it might make a stimulating research study if you could get a grant and good subjects.
I don't think a *well-adjusted* woman is that much different from a well-adjusted man, do you?
Originally posted by Carol A
The Mensa thing - why are you "philosophically" opposed to it? The whole point of such a group is for incredibly bright people to have others with whom to communicate. The people there are in all kinds of occupations. What they share is lively intellects and the desire to associate and communicate with similar individuals.
I'm with billybobsky... I've yet to meet a Mensa member who wasn't REALLY MASSIVELY NEEDING me to *know* that they were. It's like having money - those who have the most frequently are much less obvious about it than to those who have just acquired it and want everyone to *know* it.
Met a guy at a club one night who proceeded to introduce himself to one of the women in our group with the line "I've got a huge IQ, and a huge c*ck, and I prove one of these by whipping something out of my pants..." Yup, his Mensa ID card. Whoooooooo, we were impressed. Not. (My response was "Wow, you've got to have an IQ of what, 140, 145 for that? They *are* letting in anyone these days, aren't they?" Oh my, did he glare.)
And for the record, yes, I qualify. Whoopdedoo.
Originally posted by Carol A
I don't think a *well-adjusted* woman is that much different from a well-adjusted man, do you?
I'm not sure you could find me one of *either*!
I find that if I make sure to get out and go dancing, hit art shows, see plays, and otherwise *get the heck away from computers* I get enough stimulation on intellectual pursuits of other kinds to keep the brain active.
Oh, reading journals from half a dozen scientific fields and a few liberal arts ones doesn't hurt either.
Originally posted by Kickaha
And for the record, yes, I qualify. Whoopdedoo.
What for the huge IQ or the huge c**k.
Forget it, I really don't want to know. But I've got this horrible feeling you're going to tell me anyway.
Originally posted by crazychester
What for the huge IQ or the huge c**k.
Forget it, I really don't want to know. But I've got this horrible feeling you're going to tell me anyway.
Mensa. I was being innocent for once, and see what happens? Peer pressure. Dragged riiiiiiiight into it. That'll teach me.
The most enjoyable thing for me in these things is the lack of one solution. I mean you can't go pick up a guide for them. You are pretty much on your own. It is a very different kind of thinking for me that gets my brain out of the usual pathways.
Nick
Originally posted by crazychester
What for the huge IQ or the huge c**k.
Forget it, I really don't want to know. But I've got this horrible feeling you're going to tell me anyway.
Wasn't there some (crackpot) study years ago that tried to correlate I.Q. to penis size (actually lack of) with race.
Originally posted by Kickaha
I'm with billybobsky... I've yet to meet a Mensa member who wasn't REALLY MASSIVELY NEEDING me to *know* that they were. It's like having money - those who have the most frequently are much less obvious about it than to those who have just acquired it and want everyone to *know* it.
Met a guy at a club one night who proceeded to introduce himself to one of the women in our group with the line "I've got a huge IQ, and a huge c*ck, and I prove one of these by whipping something out of my pants..." Yup, his Mensa ID card. Whoooooooo, we were impressed. Not. (My response was "Wow, you've got to have an IQ of what, 140, 145 for that? They *are* letting in anyone these days, aren't they?" Oh my, did he glare.)
And for the record, yes, I qualify. Whoopdedoo.
Hey Kicks -
As with any group, I'm sure Mensa has its share of pathetic losers, like the guy you mentioned. But it also probably has some great people who attend their activities. I could be completely wrong, but I think things are always worth a try. And they *do* have activities - fun and interesting things to do.
My ex qualified. I've never had the nerve to find out my IQ. I figure if it isn't as high as I might hope, then I might use that as an excuse not to try meeting certain challenges. But by *not* knowing my IQ, I can go blithely along assuming I'm smart enough to do whatever I want to do. heh. Pretty cowardly maybe. But it's worked well enough for me so far.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Mensa. I was being innocent for once, and see what happens? Peer pressure. Dragged riiiiiiiight into it. That'll teach me.
Oh I haven't finished yet.
So you're saying you qualify for the huge IQ.
And that's your final answer is it? Lock it in? 8)
Wasn't there some (crackpot) study years ago that tried to correlate I.Q. to penis size (actually lack of) with race.
You might be thinking of a book called The g Factor by a chap called Chris Brand, formerly of Edinburgh University's Psychology department.
Originally posted by Stoo
You might be thinking of a book called The g Factor by a chap called Chris Brand, formerly of Edinburgh University's Psychology department.
Is the word "formerly" especially significant in your sentence?
Just wondering.
Originally posted by Carol A
Is the word "formerly" especially significant in your sentence?
Just wondering.
Yeah, I have to say I noticed that word too
Originally posted by Barto
Nirvana played at the ANU bar once. Now you're lucky if Triple J is playing
Times change
Barto
Thank god an Aussie who understands. intellectualism is DEAD. actually it was never alive just imported. Although we can all thank the power that be that they have taken Micheal Tunn of the air for good. Triple J lost it long ago. I saw Nirvana play and they rocked. Now we get f88king Nickelback. Ahhhh.
tahnk got for my iPod and iTrip no more radio for me.
Originally posted by Celco
I saw Nirvana play and they rocked.
Yeah, the release party for Bleach was pretty damned good.
Originally posted by crazychester
Oh I haven't finished yet.
So you're saying you qualify for the huge IQ.
And that's your final answer is it? Lock it in? 8)
A gentleman never brags.
Originally posted by Carol A
Hey Kicks -
As with any group, I'm sure Mensa has its share of pathetic losers, like the guy you mentioned. But it also probably has some great people who attend their activities. I could be completely wrong, but I think things are always worth a try. And they *do* have activities - fun and interesting things to do.
My ex qualified. I've never had the nerve to find out my IQ. I figure if it isn't as high as I might hope, then I might use that as an excuse not to try meeting certain challenges. But by *not* knowing my IQ, I can go blithely along assuming I'm smart enough to do whatever I want to do. heh. Pretty cowardly maybe. But it's worked well enough for me so far.
Actually, that's one of the reasons I have zero interest in Mensa - it's based on a rather arbitrary, and in the end, utterly meaningless metric of an individual. It makes as much sense as The Blue Eyes Club or Five Feet And Shorter Anonymous, and people get waaaaay too proud of it.
So you've (generic you, not specific you) got a high IQ, so what? You didn't do anything to *earn* it, and if your sense of self-worth is based on it, you need therapy, not a mutually bolstering anti-support group. Pretty silly.
Yes I'm sure there are some nice people there, and I'm sure they do fun things. I just don't want to have to dig through the bullcrap artists to find the nuggets... there are other places with better odds.
Want ot be challenged:
Heidegger's "Being and Time"
Hegel's "Logic"
Nietzsche's "the Gay Science" the essay "Schopenhauer as Educator"!! "zarathustra" & anything else . . . but at least several books
Try to reconcile 'objective' sciences to phenomenology . . . but first, through really understanding phenomenology: become a thinker, not just a tinker
Then tell us all about it in a way that will get you a nobel and also helpt us to think well . . .
. . . or write fiction: write about human experience, not just the interaction of matter as described through mathematical phrases
or even better: write about human experience in mathematical phrases!
or,
become a filmmaker/video maker and take your brilliance into a realm where the standards of brilliance are of a completely different order
Many experimantal film makers woked with mathematics as points of departure (hollis frampton for instance) see if you can revolutionize the field!
or, start a garden
anyway . .. just some ideas