-
Editorial
This fourth issue introduces us to what is probablythe most
unique feature of Mensa India RuralMensa. Much work has been
silently going on foridentifying gifted children and others in
interior partsof India. Spearheading these efforts currently is
Mr.Subhash Deshpande. Do not miss the first in a seriesof articles
by him.
We also have two interesting accounts from theAstroSIG field
trip titled The Starry Eyed Mensa Meetand SportSIGs maiden trip on
a vintage car rally inBeauty Sport.
Do not miss the announcements on page No. 10,12, 15 and 16.
In the past few years, one cannot help noticing thatMensa
activity in India is seeing a great resurgence ona sustained basis
after years of the roller-coasterpattern of hyperactivity and
dormancy. I hope everynew member who has joined us in 2002 makes
themost of this opportunity to express her/his views andideas all
through this year to enable the much essentialassimilation of those
who have just arrived with thosewho have been here.
Nirav Sanghavi
Editor
[email protected]
Contents
The Starry Eyed Mensa Meet ............................ 2
Rural Mensa
..................................................... 3
March Into Astronomy ......................................
4
Linux at Home .................................................
5
The Seven (Bad) Habits of HighlyIntelligent People
.............................................. 7
Readers MInd ..................................................
8
The Body and Soul of MInd ............................. 9
The Top 1 Percentile ........................................
10
Its a customer prerogative ................................
11
Beauty Sport ...................................................
12
Breaking Into Mensa Social Life ....................... 13
Games People Play ..........................................
14
Lensa : The Photography SIG .......................... 16
1
Send in your articles / contributions in plain text
format to : [email protected]
Next Issue Deadline : February 28, 2003
Your letters, ideas, feedback, brick-bats and bouquetsare all
very welcome at
:[email protected] OR
at Readers MInd
Mensa India (Mumbai)184/87, S. V. Road, Jogeshwari (West),Mumbai
400 102.
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 and views expressed.
VOLUME-I JAN. - MAR. 2003
www.indianmensa.orgwww.mensa.org
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We had decided to meet under the Sion flyover, Iwas quite
disappointed to note that the MensaStandard Time outbeat the Indian
Standard Time.Anyways the 19-member team finally started off
fromthere (well I later learned that it was the highestnumber for
AstroSIG - the previous record being 14,quite a resurgence by the
way the things turned out). Iguess the numbers will rise (after all
arent recordsmeant to be broken!). We had a short dinner break
atVashi and proceeded to Vangani. The whiff of thefresh countryside
air enabled us to breathe away thedays exhaustion.
On reaching the resort (Woody Acres) we quicklyunpacked our
belongings and enthusiastically dividedourselves into small groups.
Sky charts weredistributed and we learnt how to read stuff like
Messiernumber, magnitude of brightness of stars, theirrelative
positions and the like. Some surefooted,others hesitant (the first
timers) managed to reach thepoolside where the clear sky looked
rather promising.Rishi and Ravi efficiently assembled their
telescopeswhile the rest of us tried to acquaint ourselves to
theforeign surroundings using red-cellophane-coveredtorches. With
the help of our mentors (Ravi and Rishi,of course) we observed the
famous Orion, thenebulae, the blue tinged Sirius, open and
globularclusters of stars, the two red trails on Jupiter and
arising Big Dipper. But it was Saturn with its prominentrings that
stole the show- it looked like it was straightout of the textbook.
The celestial bodies seemed toimpress upon us - the vastness of
this universe and ourephemeral existence.
Our excited squeals disturbed the silence of thenight whenever
any one of us spotted a star peepingthrough the cover of the
clouds. Unfortunately we hadto retreat at about 2:30 a.m. when
streaks of lightningand bolts of thunder danced across the still
sky.
Next morning we trekked down to the crystal clearlake cradled in
the bosom of Mother Nature, framedby the golden hue of winter
leaves and overlooked bythe steadily rising sun. This provided a
feast not onlyto our eyes, but also the Lensa team who wouldarrange
their tripods, adjust their cameras and capture
the wonderful moments enshrined in our memorieson photo
paper.
Over tea the team gave us a short informal talk onthe principles
of optics, lenses and the SLR cameraand patiently entertained our
rather amateurishquestions. In a nutshell, we learnt that the three
fundasto a good photo are-
(1) Decide how much to zoom in/out i.e. composethe picture
(2) Adjust the focal plane as per the requirements
(3) Determine the desired distance in front andbehind the focal
plane, which would preferablybe in the focus i.e. depth of
field.
I was of the belief that a good photo involvessomebody yelling
CHEESE and somebodyimpatiently clicking, but I know realize that to
learnphotography is an art by itself.
An interactive session followed with the Mensansenjoying golf
and later actively participating inthought provoking
activities(read games session)organized by Manisha, Asif and Ravi
and catering to areceptive and willing audience comprising of
Madhavi, Mrugank , Kiran , Amar, Anurag , his dad , Shrikantand
several others.
Happy hours flew past quickly and before weknew it, it was time
to bid adieu followed by the usualMensa promises to stay in
touch.
Cheerio Ravi and Rishi. Keep the good work going
Thanks !
2
Nishaki Mehta and the Mensa team.Mensa
[email protected]
The Starry Eyed Mensa Meet
DID YOU KNOW ?How does one differentiate between a normal
delivery and a Caesarean operation by
observing the new born?
Simple. The normal delivery child had to face
the stresses of negotiating the birth canal and
therefore immediately after birth , its head is
markedly elongated ( looking like a Jewish cap )
whereas a caesarean will have a perfectly
normal looking round head.
-
The GenesisIt was in the early 50s that an educationist by
name V. V. Pends used to move around theSahyadri mountain ranges
quite regularly. At thesouthern foot of Fort Sinhagad, he came
across villageKalyan, a small habitat of less than 500 people
thetime. A farmer who was grazing his cattle came acrossand
wondered what this urban and fair-skinned fellowwas doing in his
village.
Whom do you want? the farmer asked.
None. I was just relaxing after my studythroughout the day on
the fort, said Mr. Pends. Bythe way, what is your name?
They call me Sada Dimbl - came the reply.
Are these your cattle?
Then whose they could be?
No, I just wanted to ask what are you doingnow?
What a farmer like me does every day? The sameroutine. We
illiterate ones do only this work, alongwith some seasonal farm
work. Come, let us go to myhouse.
Your house? What shall I do there?
Come, dont hesitate. I will be obliged to receive aperson like
you in my humble house.
Mr. Pends followed Sada Dimbl. Astraw-thatched roof and mud
masonry walls made hishouse. The cow dung smell had filled in
thesurroundings. Some children loitering half-naked hereand there
who made quite a noise. After pacifyingthem, Sada unfurled his
Ghongadi (rural mattress)on the floor and requested Mr. Pends to
sit on it.
Oh, you have got a good house ! said Pendsjust to keep up the
conversation.
What better a poor farmer can have Sadareplied.
How many children do you have?
Four daughters and two sons.
How old are the sons?
The elder is nearly fourteen and the younger is akid of two.
Since you have got two sons, give one to me!said Pends for a
joke.
Take this naughty boy Ram! Sada exclaimed.
Not now! There is nobody at my home to lookafter the kid. But
after he completes his primaryeducation, I will take him to
Pune.
The conversation went on and covered manyother topics. Pends
returned. The incident became apart of history.
Mr. Sada Dimbl was a man of perseverance. In1957, he brought his
son Ram at the age of 10 toPendss house in Pune. By looking at the
smartnessof the boy, Pends wondered whether he was thesame boy whom
he had seen as a kid. Ram still lookedrustic though dressed in
clean clothes.
Ok, done! Pends exclaimed, I will have thisboy in my house, will
send him to a good school. If hedoes well, all right. Otherwise, I
will send him back!
I will study well, Ram said with confidence. Sadawas happy to
see him off. The contact with Mr. Pendscontinued for quite
long.
Mr. Pends was a psychologist. He did his Ph.d.on devising tests
for identification of intelligence andleadership potentials across
various socio-economicstrata. A battery of tests including the
standardisedintelligence tests developed by the advancedcountries
were used to identify talented students fromdifferent schools. Ram
performed very well on thesetests.
Dr. Pends founded the institution JnanaPrabodhini in 1962.
Supplementary enrichmentprogrammes were started by him later
whereinselected students who ranked above the 99 percentilescore
were admitted.
Ram was one of them. He passed his schooling in1964 with flying
colours in Sanskrit. By then, this sonof a rural cattle grazer Sada
had turned into a brightscholar. He ranked first at his
intermediate collageexam and won a gold medal in Sanskrit at his M.
A.
Continued on page 4
3
Subhash Deshpande, Director - RuralMensa (Mensa India), Mensa
[email protected]
Rural Mensa
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Its a good time to March into Astronomy
March, March, March as a deep-skyastronomer, it is the most
awaited month of the yearfor me here in India. It is one month of
the year when itis possible to observe ALL the Messier objects. It
is agreat time to conduct a Messier marathon. Also, for usobservers
in Mumbai, it is the last month of theastronomy season since skies
start getting cloudy andstay so till almost November.
OK, less talk about all else, getting back toastronomy. What is
so exciting about that oneobservation session in March? The
fascinatingdeep-sky objects in Scorpius and Sagittarius. There isa
large group of closed star clusters in that part of thesky. Since
the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, liesin the direction of
Scorpius we are looking at a hugeconcentration of proximal stars.
The Milky Way at it isdensest forms a pretty sight. See for
yourself why it isjustifiably called the Milky Way.
Some things definitely worth observing in March:
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy near Ursa Major (the BigDipper a.k.a.
Iridium logo)
Any amount of praise for this one isnt enough. It isa set of two
colliding galaxies. Looks like a largergalaxy trying to consume the
smaller neighbour. Ifyouve ever seen a picture, let me tell you the
realthings just looks like that. Go see it!
M57 Ring Nebula in Lyra (a.k.a. theparallelogram)
Have you ever seen a smoke ring? Thats all I needto say.
M81-M82 Spiral Galaxies in Ursa Major
A little tough to find; but definitely worth trying.Where else
would you get to see two galaxies in asingle binocular
field-of-view?
Omega Centauri of constellation Centaurus
It is really hard to find because it appears very lowin the sky,
a little above the horizon (commentlocation specific to Mumbai). If
you can find it, its agreat catch. Its a large diffuse globular
cluster.
Confusing description? It looks like a glowing ball ofdiffused
light.
M4 Globular Cluster near Antares (constellationScorpius)
Definitely the easiest globular cluster to find. If youcan see
Scorpius, youll easily recognize Antares, thebright red star in its
tail. M4 is right next door toAntares.
M6-M7 Open clusters between Scorpius andSagittarius (a.k.a. the
Teapot)
Once again, it is relatively easy to find. They areexcellent
sights at higher magnification.
M8 Lagoon Nebula near Sagittarius
M8 is a fine object to see on a dark night. Includesa star
cluster and a bright diffuse nebula. Low powerneeded to cover the
large field.
There are plenty of star clusters around Scorpiusand
Sagittarius; observable even with binoculars.
4
Ravi Shroff, Co-ordinator - AstroSIG,Mensa
[email protected]
March Into Astronomy
Rural Mensa ( contd. from page 3)All this was not a mere
co-incidence. Only the first
meeting of Pends and Sada Dimbl can be called so.The rest was
skillful nurturing and encouragement.Insights into human potential
and empathy with thedeprived rural multitude in India were
mainlyresponsible.
Ram was not the only one who was spotted anddeveloped. There
were many others who could belocated as Jnana Prabodhinis work
expanded invarious rural areas. In fact, in 1972, when Dr. Pendsmet
Mr. Victor Serebriakoff at London to start MENSAin India, it was
already in his mind, that there could bemany more Mensans in rural
India. It was the birth ofRural Mensa in India as long back as
that. It tookdifferent shapes in the course of time.
The number of microorganisms residing
in a normal healthy human is 8-9 times
the number of cells in his body.
-
In an earlier article on GNU and Linux bySayamindu Dasgupta we
read the pros of Linux overWindows. Linux is the best server
platform (wellexcluding other UNIX based ones like freedbs) interms
of security as well as stability but what does itoffer for the home
user?
Well, let us take a little peek into Linux and itsvarious
flavours and what we as normal home userscan hope to expect from
the system.
Flavours :Linux has many distributions and they are known
as flavours as each distributor adds their own personaltouch to
the operating system(OS) though the kernel(core) is the same and if
you use one Linux it wonttake you too long to get used to another
(Quite like amove from Win98 to Win2000).
Heres a little listing of the main distributors
Red Hat: By far the most popular Package ofLinux and the one to
set industry standards.
Mandrake: Highly recommended for ease ofInstallation.
SUES : Good and Affordable
There are a lot of other flavours that could take upan entire
article but there is on noteworthy one isWinLinux (http://
www.winlinux.net/) that is made togive windows users a taste of
Linux.
Where do I get Linux free?
Linux can be freely downloaded from numerousftp mirrors.
(Basically a remote computer full of filesconnected to the Internet
through hi-speedconnections so that users can download their files
viathe web).
Try Cute FTP and search mirrors or there is alwaysLycos FTP
Search.
A cable or LAN connection is recommended causethe downloads
range from 500 MB to 1.2 GB
Installation:Installing Linux on a PC already running
windows
is by no chance a mean feat, you have to partition
your hard disk into as many as 5 partitions two ofthem being
exactly twice your RAM size (known asswap space in Linux circles) 1
small one for somemiscellaneous data and two drives known as /
and/home (Interestingly when accessing files in the LinuxFile
system /home is a subfolder of /)
But things have changed with the advent of X-diskpartitioning
where you merely have to tell the setupprogram how much space you
can afford to spareLinux and the rest is taken care of.
Hardware Detection :Linux detected all my hardware (all the
configuration it needed was my IP, DNS and gatewaybecause I am
on LAN). It was able to auto detect myHP DeskJet 640C and install a
driver for it that worksfine. In fact my recently installed Windows
2000 hasproblems with the printer and I had to use the
660Cdriver.
I have a problem with the mouse where I cannotuse the wheel to
scroll (well, back to good oldscroll-bars) so its not that Linux
has all the drivers butif you thought hardware drivers were made
only forWindows you are sorely mistaken.
Graphic Mode :Lets take a trip back to the early 1990s when
Linux was just a geek OS with shell scripts but theemergence of
Graphic mode Desktop interfaces hasrevolutionized the way Linux is
looked at all over theworld. Now Linux has a desktop, start menu,
e-mailclient, web-browser you name it. This is the greatestfactor
contributing to the growing success of Linux isthat it retains the
robust kernel while contiouslyevolving and becoming more and more
user friendly
Two noteworthy packages are KDE and Gnome.
KDE is by far the most used and most advanceddesktop with
numerous applications like a e-mailclient, a web browser, Office
suit (Im using it), and lotsmore.
Gnome concentrates more on each thing theymake. The desktop
looks much better, their E-mailclient (Evolution) is great and the
browser (Galleon)
5
Urvaksh Rogers, Mensa [email protected]
Linux at Home
-
too is much better than Konqueror (the KDE browser).However, the
number of applications here are limited.
Additional Must haves:Star Office from Sun Microsystems is
something
that most of us would love. It has a desktop and even aStart
Menu it also supports MS Office extensions. Italso includes a
browser and an e-mail client so if youjust dont like Linux (for
some mysterious reason) youcan always feel at home in Star
Office.
Gaim(http://gaim.sf.net/) is a Linux IM thatsupports ICQ, AIM,
MSN, Yahoo, Napster,Gadu-Gadu, Jabber and IRC protocols so
switching toLinux wont be the end of your chatting it just
getsbetter. This project is open source and is hosted
bySourceforge.net
Apache, Perl, PHP, MySQL, TCL, Python,PostgreSQL, SSI and SSH
make and unbeatablecombination for any web server and all
theseapplications/programming languages are developedon Linux and
for Linux and then ported to Windowsand other OS.
Apache is today the most used web-server andPHP is quickly
climbing the graph too. MySQL is theworlds most used database and
more and morepeople wake up everyday and take notice of this.Yahoo!
To is moving to PHP from their own scriptinglanguages because of
its ease of programming.
Perl (an acronym for Practical Extraction andReport Language,)
is now an integral part of theLinux system that was developed by
Larry Wall (whoclaims that perl really stands for
PathologicallyEclectic Rubbish Lister.) and has borrowed
heavilyfrom C, sed, awk, and the UNIX shells to become thescripting
language it has today. (Did you know thatperl scripts can even
check your Yahoo! Mail, Hotmailand put tem right in your Inbox?
That is just one of thethings; with the help of just perl people
have been ableto completely install Linux. With Perl the
possibilitiesare endless)
TCL and Python are programming languages toobut havent quite
caught on with the developercommunity quite yet, while PostgreSQL
is a well
recognized product it somehow always has beenoperating under the
shadow of MySQL.
Linux is so superior to Windows in web serversthat Microsoft had
to release their FrontPageExtensions for Linux platforms too or
they werethreatened by the fact that they may just not be
used.(Imagine this MS FrontPage extensions can be usedon Linux -All
flavours- UNIX freedbs but not onWindows 95,98,ME)
The Cons:Well in Windows we have complete access to our
computers (except Win2000) and all the data on it butLinux has
only one root user (higher versions ofwindows have multiple
Administrators) and only thisuser has access to all directories. If
we were on thesame computer with different profiles and I am
notroot then I cannot access any file from your profile.
Of course Linux does allow a lot of applications tobe run by a
non root user if he/she provides the rootpassword but at times for
windows users it becomesquite frustrating.
Conclusion:Linux is a great Operating System that is for
anyone and everyone. It is as user-friendly as thepenguin is
cute and that is a fact.
Resources:Linux.com : http://www.linux.com/ (Great resource
for Linux Downloads, Help etc)
Sourceforge : http://sf.net (Ultimate resource for freeOpen
source GNU software for Linux andWindows alike)
6
Linux at Home (contd.)
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Are there any Star Trekkies or Star Wars fans inthe Mensa
Mumbai? I have an extensivecollection of many episodes and was
interested inknowing if any of youll wanted to get together
forMarathon Episode Sundays?
Contact Ravi at [email protected]
-
Years of observing the behavior of highlyintelligent people has
led me to develop the followinglist of seven mistakes which only
very intelligentand/or very educated people are guilty of:
HARDNESS OF LISTENING : The moreintelligent you are, the more
likely it is that you will nothear most of what other people are
saying. Theoperative theory here seems to be I already knowwhat you
are going to say, so I dont need to actuallyhear you say it before
I disagree with you. Toparaphrase an old-time program, I believe
that I canName That Thought after hearing three words orless of
what you have to say.
MENTAL TELEPATHY : Intelligent people areso used to talking to
themselves that they often forgetto actually say their part of a
conversation out loud.Later on, of course, they distinctly
rememberexpressing an idea, but they have forgotten that theyonly
THOUGHT of saying it to the other person. Thisleads to many
interesting instant replays ofimaginary conversations, since this
type of person canalways recall the exact words, not only of what
theysaid, but especially of what they intended to say.
VERBAL PARANOIA : This disease ischaracterized by feeling
persecuted wheneversomeone disagrees with you. Since it is obvious
thatyou are so smart, the thinking goes, no reasonableperson could
disagree with you unless they weredeliberately and maliciously
trying to get you angryand hurt your feelings. This habit becomes
especiallyinteresting when two highly intelligent persons
arearguing, since both feel that the other person shouldbow to
their (obviously superior) intelligence.
RAMPANT CROSS-CONFIDENCE : This isthe automatic assumption that
expertise in one fieldautomatically makes you an expert in any
othersubject that comes up in a conversation. This habitcan also
take the form of asserting that education isnot really necessary,
since any intelligent person canunderstand anything instantly, if
they just put theirmind to it. I once heard a Mensa member
statecategorically that he could become an expert inatomic physics
just by reading a couple of books, andthe only reason he knew
nothing about the subject
was that he didnt happen to have the time to sparejust then.
OMNILOGOMANIA : This severe maladybegins with a wide-ranging
interest and curiosityabout everything, but turns into the idea
that a reallyintelligent person should know all there is to
knowabout everything. The result is person who runs off inall
directions, with no depth of knowledge in any onearea. There is a
lot to be said for using yourintelligence to become an expert in
something, lettingthat one thing be the focal point for
investigating otherfields. Besides, nobody is going to pay you very
muchfor knowing a little bit about a lot of things. Or asDavids Law
#1 states, you can do anything you putyour mind to, but you cant do
EVERYTHING youput your mind to.
BOUNDARY-BLUNDERING : It seems thatthe smarter you are, the
harder it is for you toremember where the boundaries are between
mentaland physical reality, for instance, or betweenimaginary and
real universes. For this type of person,mathematics or social
science may become moreabsorbing than the real world of human
emotions, or,conversely, the highly intelligent person might bemore
prone to be caught up in the grip of powerfulstories, myths, or
complicated belief systems. Forinstance, every educated person
knows that there arean infinite number of points on any line
segment, buthow many of these same people are really clear on
thefact that there are NO POINTS AT ALL on thephysical
representation of a line?
SUPERIOR SURVIVORSHIP : This is theconviction that intelligence
is a survival factor forhuman beings. Actually, intelligence may
even becounter-productive for survival. Most of the time,conformity
is much more useful for bonding people toa group, and groups are
the highest need for survival.Most behavior that seems
unintelligent to an outsidermakes perfect sense to those inside a
group. As oneanthropologist puts it, stupidity might just be
moreimportant for survival than intelligence, as long asnothing new
comes along to upset the status quo.Intelligence is sort of held in
reserve for very unusualtimes; in the meantime, you can always use
it to havea lot of fun in your life, or to make up terrible
puns.
7
Reprinted from Graffiti, newsletter of ClevelandArea Mensa,
April 1997; Mary Ann Terrigno, Editor]
David R. Jacquet
The Seven (Bad) Habits of
Highly Intelligent People
-
Dear Nirav,
In this issue of Mind I read this article aboutGNU/Linux & I
think that you should carry sucharticles on a regular basis that
make our membersaware of the presence Linux and Open sourcesoftware
are making. I would be glad to contribute ona somewhat regular
basis.(Unless u think readers willget bored with similar crap) I
run Mandrake Linux(Previously used to run SUES) along with Win98
andWin2000. I also have an open-source project atSourceforge.net
(Phperl http://phperl2.sf.net/) andhave worked with Linux servers
running on apachethough this project (though the project aims
atinstalling a webserver Apache package for Windows) Ialso do
programming in PHP & am grasping thebasics of perl. Attached is
an article on Linux forhome users (you will probably have to
re-write thewhole thing though)
Another thing the problem of the 13 balls problemprinted
earlier:
I think I found an easier solution.
Weighing 113 balls = 6 balls(left pan) + 6 balls(right pan) +
1
(kept aside) Take 6 balls in each pan & keeping 1aside, if
the pans balance then the ball that has beenkept aside is the
heavier one.(Lucky your puzzle endshere)
If not empty the lighter pan and transfer any 3 ballsform the
heavier pan
Weighing 26 balls = 3 balls + 3 balls One side will
Obviously
be heavier (if you reach this step) Empty the balls fromthe
lighter side. Now take one of the balls from thispan and put it in
the other emptied pan and keep 1aside
Weighing 3If one pan is heavier that is the heavier ball. if
both
are showing equal masses then the ball that iswithheld is the
heavier one.
Well is it right? Its much simpler. Really liked thenews letter
however I have a small suggestion. Pleasekeep announcements like
the meeting one on the
Front or back page. I completely missed the section &my dad
saw it while reading through the newsletter.
Yours sincerely,Urvaksh Rogers.Mensa Mumbai
Hi again, Nirav.
Thanks for the pdf of your newsletter! Wow, whata great
publication your group enjoys! I am envious ofyour work, Nirav.
Baton Rouge Mensa has about 135 members,spread across the bottom
portion of the state ofLouisiana (except for New Orleans Mensa,
which hasits own group). We have lots of members that wenever see
because they live in outlying areas anddont get to come to events.
However, two cities inour group have their own monthly events,
which helpsthe members there feel included.
Thanks again for the pdf, and I hope you have agreat
weekend.
Heather MillerLocsec - Baton Rouge Mensa
Editor MensAcadian, the Baton Rouge Mensanewsletter
Hi Neerav,
First of all I would like to congratulate you on theexcellent
work that you have been putting in forMensa, India and MInd in
particular.The last issue ofMInd was a joy to read !
I am a life member of Mensa India, Pune chapterbut based in
Delhi therefore missing most of the funand live activities. I would
be more than eager tocontribute in spreading the cause and
activities ofMensa, India in and around Delhi. Do let me know if
Ican be of any help in this regard.
I would also love to get my hands on some Mensamerchandise if
possible, please do let me know if I canorder some of stuff and how
to get it ?
Best Regards,
Mohit GroverMensa India (Delhi).
Continued on page 13
8
Readers MInd
-
Good Day Mensans,
Today we shall broach the subject of Serendipity -a break from
medicine and a bold venture into thewide field of science. Well,
are some of us wonderingwhat serendipity is?
Its literal meaning is a happy coincidence. Forthose who need a
more detailed analysis here comesits definition"it is the faculty
of making happy andunexpected discoveries by accident".
The most classic example of serendipity was in thediscovery of
penicillin the wonder antibiotic by thevery famous Alexander
Fleming . Let me recount thestrange discovery .
During the world war Fleming in France treatedwounded soldiers
with an antiseptic named phenol(for those interested diluted
phenol, chemically, iscarbolic acid) . It was soon discovered that
phenol notonly killed bacteria but it also destroyed WBCs (ourbodys
defence system)-often it did more harm thangood.
One day his tear-drop fell into the petri-dishcontaining
bacteria and the next day he observed thatthere was a clear patch
in the petri-dish at the spotwhere the tear had fallen . A clear
patch indicates thatthe bacteria had been destroyed in that
patch.Therefore he concluded that his tear drop contained apotent
substance that caused rapid destruction ofbacteria but was harmless
to the human tissue. In thechaos of the war he quite remarkably
forgot this andthis incident was relegated to the back of his mind
Butthis prepared him for the events which occurredlater
After the war when he was working in hislaboratory and mould
inadvertently fell in a petridishwhich incidentally contained
bacteria and killed thestrain of staphylococcus bacteria . The
genus of themould was penicillium and hence the drug hedeveloped
from it was named penicillin. For hisexcellent contribution he
received the Nobel Prize in1945.A chance accident led to such a
useful discoverybut the serendipity isnt all that simple in fact
afavourite quote of mine applies remarkably to explainthis
In fields of observation , chance only favours theprepared
mind
Another interesting example is when somescientists were working
on polyacrylnitrate (PAN) anapparel fiber that was really difficult
to dye because ithad no free chemical binding sites. They proposed
toovercome this difficulty by making a copolymer ofacrylonitrate
and vinyl acetate to make a compoundthat could be easily dyed. In
order to find the densityof this polymer it was placed between two
prisms. Totheir greatest astonishment they observed that the
twopieces of prism could not be separated from thepolymer which
they had created. Their analyticalminds quickly realized that a
reaction had occurred inthe presence of moisture and SUPERGLUE was
born.This also illustrates that the accident or should I call it
amishap had led to a new discovery which wouldnthave been
identified , were it not for the perceptiveminds of those
scientists.
A simple rather amusing incident that could beserendipitous by
nature was that of a young choirsinger who used to encounter the
difficulty of findinghis place in the hymn book. So he used to keep
loosepaper in his book but to his dismay they would fall offwhen he
would stand up to sing. It was one day thatan idea struck him - one
of his friends had inventedglue but the idea was not received with
a lot ofenthusiasm because it didnt stick strongly - our
choirsinger pondered over this and developed the idea fPost-its
which have now become a very popularconcept.
Two of extremely well known serendipitiousincidents were the law
of buoyancy by Archimedes.Neither can we forget his joyous cry
eureka nor thedevelopment of the smallpox vaccine by EdwardJenner
based on the simple observation that themilkmaids never contracted
smallpox. This wasbecause they had suffered from a milder
versioncowpox which built up their immunity and theapplication
which helped in curbing the killer diseaseof the eighteenth
century.
A quick recapitulation would be :
Discovery consists of seeing what everyone hasseen and thinking
what nobody has thought.
9
Nishaki MehtaMensa [email protected]
The Body and Soul of MInd
-
1. On Nov. 15, 1945, which conspirator washanged along with
Nathuram Godse for theassassination of Mahatma Gandhi?
2. Antipater of Sidon compiled what famous listbased on accounts
of travelers in 2nd centuryB.C.?
3. Which Indian bowler claimed a record 9 wicketsin a test
innings against the West Indies atKanpur in the 1958-59 series.
4. Which is the only bird that can fly backwards?5. What does an
involuntary spasm of the
diaphragm and respiratory organs with thesudden closure of the
glottis called?
6. In the 1998 general elections, which SamajwadiParty candidate
stood against Atal BehariVajpayee in Lucknow?
7. Which actor won successive Oscars for BestActor in 1994 and
1995?
8. What colloquial English phrase for hierarchycomes from the
dominance and submissionbehaviour of chicken?
9. Apart from Shiva, Mount Kailash is the abode ofwhich God?
10. In 1992, which cricketer became the first andonly player to
have played for the losing side inthree World Cup finals?
11. Which Indo-Iranian language written in Arabicscript is the
official language of Afghanistan?
12. Which is the only country not named on itsstamps?
13. Which harmful drug did the pharmaceuticalcompany Bayer
patent after tests on itsemployees made them feel heroic?
14. Which actress won a record fourth Oscar at theage of 74 in
1981?
15. In 1922, which kindergarten teacher andjournalist published
her first book for children, acollection of verse, titled Child
Whisper?
16. Which Marathi word for cow protector wasused as a title by
the princely rulers of Baroda?
17. Which prolific playback singer first sang solo forfilms in
Jagdish Sethis 1949 film Raat kiRani?
18. By what name are the series of 15 metallicelements, from
Lanthanum to Lutetium, in theperiodic table also known?
19. To which sport did Mark Twain refer to as agood walk
spoilt?
20. Which country holds the negative record ofscoring 26 runs in
an innings in 1954-55, thelowest ever in test cricket?
10
Sanjeev Mohta, Mensa [email protected]
The Top 1 PercentileAnswers:
1.NarayanApte.
2.TheSevenWondersoftheWorld.
3.SubhashGupte.
4.Thehummingbird.
5.Ahiccup.
6.RajBabbar.
7.TomHanks.
8.Peckingorder.
9.Kubera.
10.GrahamGooch.
11.Pushto.
12.GreatBritain.
13.Heroin.
14.KatherineHepburn.
15.EnidBlyton.
16.Gaekwad.
17.AshaBhonsle.
18.Rareearths.
19.Golf.
20.NewZealand
Please Dont MInd
After having relaunched the MensaIndia magazine in April 2002,
it wasdecided to send a copy to allMensans irrespective of
theirmembership expiry status for aperiod of one year (4
issues).However, all may please note thatfuture issues of MInd will
not bedespatched to those whosememberships have expired.
Pleasecontact your local Mensa office ifyour membership has expired
andrenew the same.
-
There has always been an innate need to shoulderthe latest in
technology, if only to remain ahead in therat race and to be better
(or at least not worse) thanyour competitor. In a quest to be
updated, it has beenseen that an organization usually dives head
first toprocure a system, which might not at all be relevantfor the
current requirements faced. A point in case waswhen my organization
decided to buy a solutionwhich has the repute of being the market
leader, butcould not be customized to meet our needs. Thus, wecame
up with our own solution, which thoughextremely effective, could
not be pushed among theresident managers as being the best product!
They arestill stuck up on how we still fall short of the qualities
ofthe market leader, in spite of the best efforts toconvince them
otherwise. After all, if you cantconvince yourself, how can you
convince yourcustomers?
One needs to keep in mind that similarapplications are available
for different prices thetechnology in all of them being more or
less the same.The product differentiation emerges in consideringthe
difference, in the quality of the deliverables andthe assurance of
that quality being there when youwant it. Quality as defined by the
marketing guruPhilip Crosby stands for Conformance torequirements.
If you deliver what your consumerdeems fit, you have quality it is
as simple as that!
Now, there are cars and there are cars. You, as acustomer, have
a wide range to select, right downfrom a Maruti 800 to a Jaguar or
a flashy sports car. InIT parlance, we can group them all in the
class of fourwheelers. I would immediately proceed to make abase
class consisting the main features four wheels,fuel consumption,
the ability to transport from point Ato B. The difference then,
lies in the quality oftransport provided and the comfort
therein.
The same applies to computing. You can get agiven solution at
different price points. Every financialsoftware would cater to more
or less the samefunctionalities Debit, Credit, Cash Book,
Balancesheet etc. It is the budget and the quality of thesoftware
that varies. Take for example, an ERP*
solution. There are accounting packages with a fewfeatures that
allow you to implement a rudimentaryERP on a shoestring budget. But
then there arefull-blown, built-from-
scratch,all-conceivable-features - inclusive ERP packages,that can
set you back quite a bit on the budget front.The good thing of
course is that there are solutionsthat fit almost every budget.
Thus, if an internationalproduct cannot be harnessed, because it is
too featurerich or impossible to comprehend by mere mortals,
itwould definitely be a wrong buy for you.
Another pitfall that one requires to avoid is thecattle attitude
towards buying. The bottom line you need not be deprived of a given
technology orsolution just because you are not a rich MNCCompany.
The trick is to correctly match your needs,budget and what the
solution in question offers andspend some time considering your
requirementsbefore plunging in to buy that oh-so-good product,that
the adjacent software giant has bought and claimsto be the next
in-thing! This goes to all you managersout there the next time you
require to purchase asolution, be sure of what you want and whether
yoursolution is really an end to your problems or is abeginning to
an entirely new set of headaches.
*ERP stands for a technology, that attempts to integrate
andprovide a one point solution. Such a central data store,
facilitatesMIS and Data Warehousing.
11
N. Anantharaman, Mensa [email protected]
Its a customer prerogative
FOOD FOR THOUGHTOn consuming the well marketed baby food
products , the babies tend to look healthier ( byIndian
standards -plumper) and the parents arecontent. But recent studies
show that thesefood products cause retention of theosmotically
active sodium ions which leads towater retention and the swelling
is mistakenlyperceived to be a sign of health. In fact ,
thisswelling may have adverse effects on thekidney function and the
hormonal axis of thebody . Therefore breast-feeding will always
bethe best means of nourishing a baby.
-
On Jan. 19, 2003 Mumbai saw a sight that madecities all over the
world green with envy! Held on thisday was a vintage-car rally - a
veritable melting pot fordifferent breeds of cars that pronounce
old is goldwith an accent none other can match.
This event was paid homage to by a lot ofcelebrities. Mr.Vivek
Oberoi was present and so weresome Mensans and Mr. Jackie Shroff -
presenting his1939 Jaguar S.S.100. Here was a car that showedthere
is a bigger star than its owner!
Proud and charming, the graceful beauties leftsome of the latest
models speechless including aSkoda-Octavia, a Honda-city and beauty
pageantqueen Neha Dhupia, who incidentally, flagged off the1919
FIAT - the oldest entrant in the rally.
Neha Dhupia, as a matter of speaking, was takenin by my charms
and was just requesting for a picturewith me. As I was complying
with her wishes, Ravi gotso jealous that he ran away with the
camera leavingme looking very red-faced and embarrassed! Pity
ourrelationship had to end she was really pretty!
Speaking of pretty creatures, all the cars present - acouple of
Rolls-Royces, a Bentley, a Chevrolet, anAlfa-Romeo, a few Austins
and an overwhelmingmajority of Mercedeses and Fords - all achieved
whatwomen have been trying to for ages. None of themlooked their
age.
The cars were in prime condition and sparklingclean. They were
looking so inviting that weimmediately wanted to be seated in one
of the cars.The car that chose to house us Mensans was a
1935biscuit-coloured Dodge-brothers, a car that hasboasted of
travelling in a rally from Delhi to Mumbaiwithout a single stop for
pampering or repair. A rareaccomplishment, that. The veteran took
us from Fortvia Marine Drive, Palm Beach Marg and theMumbaiPune
expressway to Amby valley, Lonavala a 5500 acre plot developed by
the Sahara groupwho were incidentally the hosts of the event.
The Dodge gave us a ride to remember. It was anice smooth ride
with just occasional jerks, enginefumes and water breaks. This is
one car that you
would like to own today. It consumes more water thanpetrol. Two
buckets is what we gave it. It was a hot dayand the car is almost
human.
I also rode in a 1952 silver Jaguar-SK120, atwo-seater sports
model that was more powerful thana Honda City!
All these cars conquered the mountains climbing45 inclines with
ease - a feat yet to be matched by thecity taxies.
We reached Amby-valley for lunch that offered aspread that would
even make the cars wish they couldeat. The prize-distribution
followed the lunch wherethe best amongst the best and the first
amongequals were honoured.
The valley as such is a scenic place with tallfountains and vast
green fields. Lensa had a field day.Be sure to see the
pictures!
After tea, we were brought back to Mumbai in aMercedes-Benz. The
day was a one-in-a-million and Iwas almost jealous of myself for
having such a goodtime. If you havent been in a vintage car rally
yet, Irecommend SportSIG the next time around. That iswhere we
compound fun.
12
Ashish PatwardhanCo-ordinator
[email protected]
Beauty Sport
AstroSIG + SportSIG(Mini-golf competition)
Hi fellow Ms
For those who missed out attending the lastfield trip, the next
ones coming on February 1,2003. This field trip has an added
incentive. AGM(Amateur Golfing Mensans) is organizing amini-golf
competition. Yes, you heard me right.The winner of the competition
will not pay usualcharges incurred at the resort. The format for
thecompetition will be announced at the venue.Also, if interested
in use of the swimming poolplease carry swimming costume. Lensa
will alsoconduct photography session.
Clear skies,
Ravi ShroffMensa [email protected]
-
Our local Pen Dragon says a lot of members feel
its really hard to break into Mensa social life. Ive been
in and out of it since 1965, so maybe a few tips from a
Golden Oldie will help the people who worry about it:
Dont worry about it.
Dont rush it, dont push yourself, dont push anyone
else. Being laid back is key. (Being laid BACK, I said.)
Go to every party in the calendar for at least six
months. Never mind, just go. One of the big
advantages of Mensa parties is that you dont have to
talk to anyone. You dont even have to know who the
host/ess is. Here is your script:
Drink some wine, eat some cheese, look around
the apartment for ideas you could use yourself, pat the
cat, check out the books anything familiar?
Listen. Just eavesdrop on other peoples
conversations. When you hear a remark that interests
you, move closer. Being interested does nice things to
your face. The speaker will respond to an appreciative
audience, the group will let you in to listen. Keep
listening. When you absolutely cant stand keeping
quiet any longer, interrupt. If your idea has merit (of
course it has, look who YOU are), you are launched in
that conversation. CAUTION: Dont lecture. As a new
kid on the block, your purpose is to size them up and
pick THEIR brains, not spill yours!
Dont stick in one group. You dont yet know who
these people are, and you dont CARE.
(IMPORTANT.) They dont know you, yet, either.
Move around again. Your strategy is to make yourself
visible in a subliminal way.
Thats all. After two or three hours, go home.
By the time you have done that at six parties, you
will see some of the same people again. They will
begin to recognize you. Hi. Hi. Thats the best
cheese, over there.
It also helps if you go to business meetings,
because that is the ONLY place you ever find out who
is who, or what is really going on. It doesnt correlate
with the social life, but you will know what the others
are talking about.
If you stick it out in the party circuit for six months,
somebody will know enough about you to ask you to
DO something, and youre in.
From them on, the secret of Mensa social life is to
make yourself visible, and occasionally to say
interesting things. (Especially good if you write
interesting things for the local newsletter.) You get a
wider audience that way. People you meet for the first
time will say, Oh, YOURE the one. I read something
you wrote, one time. Instant in-group.
The magic key to break into Mensa social life is
propinquity, propinquity, and more propinquity.
Whats hard about that?
13
[Reprinted from Intelligencer, newsletter of SanFrancisco
Regional Mensa, January 1997; TerryCalaway, Editor]
Polly Pitkin Ryan
Breaking Into Mensa Social Life
Readers MInd (... contd. from page 8)
Nirav,
I am very impressed with your new Mensa Indiamagazine. Your
publication certainly shows whatMensans are capable of producing
when they are attheir best! Thank you for uploading it to the
Global-Mforum.
Barbara
P.S.: I tried to contact you directly during theholidays, but my
mail just bounced back to me.
Hello Nirav,
I just read the article below about how the brains ofIndia are
now an influential political factor. I thoughtyou might want to see
it, and it might even be aninteresting idea for an article in your
Mensa MIndmagazine
:http://www.Iht.com/ihtsearch.php?id=67380&owner=&date=20020812155341
Christian HaerleZurich, Switzerland
Genius is present in every age, but the mencarrying it within
them remain benumbed unlessextraordinary events occur to heat up
and melt themass so that it flows forth.
Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784)
-
Kalah, Mancalah, Pallanguli, Dakon, Sunca,Awari, Adi, Wari.
These names may not mean muchto you, although perhaps our chapters
foster child,Akwasi Attah, has heard or will learn of some of
themas he grows up. They are all the names of gamesplayed on what
is perhaps the worlds oldest gameboard. The game board, or
variations of it, have beenfound in all of Africa, southern Europe,
the ArabianPeninsula, India, and Southeast Asia. It has beencarved
into rock in the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo,the columns of the
temple at Karnak, and theTheseum in Athens, as well as numerous
caravanroutes. It appears in paintings in the Valley of the Nileas
well as on Grecian urns, and has been used withplaying pieces
ranging from common pebbles torubies and sapphires.
Long lost, the game was rediscovered in 1905 byWilliam Champion,
who spent years researching thegame board and its history. He
eventuallyproduced a modern version of the game board, usingthe
name Kalah after the Kalahari desert. Thegameboard may be found
today on the playgroundsof Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los
Angeles andis currently, marketed under the name of Mancalahor
Mancala, derived >from the ArabicMankalah, meaning game of
intelligence. (Acircular version of the game board was
marketedunder the name Oh-War-Ee, derived from theAfrican
Awari.)
The basic board consists of two rows of six roundpits, with a
long pit at either end. Pebbles are placed ineach of the small pits
to start the game, then sownaround the board. The object of the
various gamesplayed on it is to end up with more pebbles than
onesopponent. Following are rules for four of the gamesplayed on
the board: Kalah, Dakon, Wari, and Adi.
KalahIn Kalah, from one to six pebbles, usually three or
six, are placed in each of the small pits. A player takesthe
pebbles from one of the small pits and sows themone by one
counterclockwise around the board, intohis long pit and his
opponents small pits if he hasenough, but not into his opponents
long pit. If the last
pebble lands in his long pit, he gets another turn. If itlands
in an empty pit on his side, he captures anypebbles in the
opponents pit opposite it; the capturedand capturing pebbles go
into his long pit.
A game continues until all the small pits on oneside are empty;
the winner receives one point for eachpebble he has beyond those he
started the game with.The players then play additional games, until
onereaches the designated score for the match, usually40.
Kalah is played in most of Africa, usually under thenames
Mancala or Awari, and in India as Pallanguli.
DakonDakon is usually played with six pebbles in each
pit. The rules are almost the same as for Kalah, exceptthat when
a players last pebble lands in a small pitthat has pebbles in it,
the pebbles are taken upand sown until the last pebble finally
lands in eitherthe players long pit or an empty small pit.
Dakon is played in Indonesia and the Philippines.Variations of
the game board use rows of seven, eight,nine, or ten small pits in
between the long pits, with thesame number of pebbles in each small
pit to start thegame as there are small pits in each row.
(Anothervariation of the game, Sunca, differs from Dakon inthat
pebbles are sown clockwise around the boardinstead of
counterclockwise.)
WariWari is usually played with four pebbles in each of
the small pits. Unlike Kalah, pebbles are sown only inthe small
pits during a move, never the long pits, norare pebbles sown back
into the pit from which themove was started. Captures are made by
makinggroups of two or three pebbles on the opponents sideof the
board; each time such a group is made, eitherduring a move or at
its end, the group is placed in thelong pit. Play continues until
all the small pits on oneside are empty.
The winner receives one point for each pebble inthe long pit
beyond the number of pebbles eachplayer started with. Unlike Kalah,
pebbles in the smallpits after the game is over do not count; if
neither
14
Rodney Ruff
Games People Play
-
player has captured more pebbles than he startedwith, the game
is a draw. As with Kalah, players playto an agreed match score,
usually 40. Wari is played inmany parts of Africa.
AdiAdi is usually played with four pebbles in each of
the small pits. Unlike the other games, its object is notto
capture pebbles from the opponent, but pitsinstead.
Pebbles are sown counterclockwise through thesmall pits only.
Every time a pebble makes a group offour, that group is placed in
the long pit of the playerwhose pit the group was made in. If the
last pebble ofthe move makes a group of four, it goes in the long
pitof the player who made the move and the turn ends. Ifthe last
pebble makes a group of more or fewer thanfour pebbles, those
pebbles are sown around theboard until either the last pebble makes
a group offour or lands in an empty pit, ending the turn.
Play continues until one players pits are empty;whoever has the
most pebbles wins the game and, foreach group of four he has beyond
what he startedwith, he wins one pit from his opponent for the
nextgame. The player with fewer pits starts the next game;a match
continues until one player wins all the pitsfrom his opponent.
Adi is played mostly in West Africa. In a variationof the game,
known as Dara, when a group of four ismade during a move, the
player makingthe group wins it, and when the group is made at
theend of the move, the player owning the pit wins it (theopposite
of how groups are won in Adi).
My own interest in the games began with a collegetextbook, Games
and Puzzles for Elementary andMiddle School Mathematics, published
by theNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (Thearticle
about Kalah, written by John B. Hagerty, wasreprinted from the May
1964 issue of The ArithmeticTeacher and was based on an article in
the June 14,1963 issue of Time.) I wrote a program to play Kalahon
the Apple IIe, and later programs to play the othergames when I
discovered them. I had hoped to market
the games as a software package; unfortunately, I wasnot able to
do so.
(There are a number of other games which can beplayed on the
mancalah gameboard; however, thegames described in this article are
the only ones Iknow the rules to.)
[Reprinted from The Brainiac, newsletter ofNebraska-Western Iowa
Mensa, November /December 1997; Jon Silver, Editor]
15
Games People Play (contd.)
Mensa Pune AnnoucementWe are at a profound junction in the
history of
the earth where human decision-making will makeall the
difference. Holistic Personality Developmentis a dynamic process
that shows people how tomake decisions that are socially,
economically,intellectually and environmentally sound.
We are looking for special people who areself-motivated,
focused, creative, dedicated, able tomake commitment willing to
challenge themselves,receptive to new ideas and proactive. Do you
havea desire to make a difference in your life and theworld around
you through Holistic PersonalityDevelopment?
Please come to Mensa-India (Pune Chapter)Meeting and MEGA
Exhibition.
Meeting and Exhibition Venue :Jnana Prabodhini, 510 Sadashiv
Peth,Pune 411 030. Tel: 447 7691 / 8095
Date : 22nd February 2003Day : SaturdayTime : 6.00 pm to 9.00
pm
Please inform other Mensans about the Meetingand Exhibition.
Yours truly,
Dr. Narayan R. DesaiCoordinator, Mensa-MEGAExecutive Council
Member, Gifted Child ProgramOffice-In Charge, Mensa-India
(Pune)Email: [email protected]
-
Hello Ms. Welcome to another edition of thewonderful world of
LENSA articles. This month weshall be revisiting the wide-angle
lens. In the previousarticle we have defined what constitutes a
wide-anglelens. Lets get more technical on this.
The area size captured by a lens can be expressedas a diagonal
angular field called the Angle of View.The focal length that
provides a similar perspective tothe human eye is in the range
between 40 60 mm.For matter or convenience, we take it as 50 mm.
Thelenses with shorter focal lengths are called wide-anglelenses
and those lenses with focal length greater than50 mm are termed
telephoto. The shorter the focallength, the wider the angle of view
and vice-versa.
Looking at the world through a wide-angle lensgives you a
different perspective in photography. It isfascinating to see the
results when the lens capturesalmost all that the eye has seen.
Wide-angle lenses have uses in varied fields architectural
photography to name one. In a crampedspace, where there is little
or no room for thephotographer to move, the wide-angle lens comes
invery handy to capture the entire subject.
In places where perspective is important,wide-angle lenses are
used. For example, in asituation where one wants to get close to
the subjectand at the same time, include the background to showmore
of the scene. This gives the viewer a betterpicture of the actual
scene.
The wide-angle lens is also used in situations whenyou take
pictures in narrow city lanes or scenic spots.
Another situation where it comes in handy is inpublic places
when people or other objects arebetween you and your subject. You
may be able toeliminate them by getting closer to the subject
andframing the picture the way you want it to be framed.
Handling perspectivePerspective is determined by the camera to
subject
distance. The perspective of the normal, wide-angledor telephoto
lens is the same if the camera to subjectdistance remains the same.
If you get close to a subjectwith a wide-angle lens, the nearby
objects look larger
than normal and the distant objects look far and away.This is so
because the distance between the near andfar subjects is great
compared to the distance from thecamera to the near object. The
wide-angle lensexaggerates the space relationships by expanding
theapparent distance between the near and distantobjects. The lens
is also used while showing the sizecomparison by including a nearby
foreground object.
While clicking entire buildings or similar subjectswith
prominent parallel vertical lines, you must takecare not to tilt
the camera up or down. This will makethe vertical lines converge in
the picture. This is calledkeystoning.
Generally, this keystoning is undesirable, theremay be times
when you want to give this effect, forexample, to make a building
look taller or toexaggerate perspective.
The wide-angle lens also increases the depth offield. This depth
of field is actually the same for alllenses, no matter what their
focal length, if you adjustthe subject distance to give the same
image size.However, for a particular camera and particularsubject
distance, we say that the depth of fieldincreases as the focal
length of the lens decreases.
Rishi Lal, Co-ordinator LensaMensa
[email protected]
16
GastroSIG + MovieSIGHi Ms
GastroSIG is meeting on Sunday February 16,2003 at Pot Pourri,
Bandra(W). Pot Pourri servesvariety of international cuisines &
has been the alltime favourite hang out for GastroSIG members.Time
12:45PM. Hungry Mensans may not wait, noguarantees for those who
show up late. This outingwill also serve as an informal meet for
Ms. Lunch atPot Pourri will be followed by movie screening
(StarWars: Episode III) at Excel Jogeshwari. I intend toscreen over
coming months Episodes IV, V, VI, I & IIin that order. Pay for
what you eat, movie screening atRs 15 per head. Sorry, Mensans
only.
See you soon.
Ravi [email protected]
Lensa : The Photography SIG