GPM Forum 2024

Introduction by GPM Forum Chairman, Dick Morris

Hello, Mensa colleagues,

I am the Forum chairman for 2024. Although I have been a Mensa member for more than 50 years, this is the first time I have been active.

In the context here, a forum is a meeting where people can talk about a problem or matter of general interest. With that in mind, I plan programs with speakers or panel discussions, always with time for audience participation. I want to avoid politics and keep the programs intellectual. If you, or somebody you know, would like to participate as a presenter or on a panel, please let me know—the same with topics.

After a successful restart of the Forum, I have other commitments this Summer that have made it difficult for me to continue. For example, I will be missing May, June, August, and September Forums due to my travel plans. I will be handing over the reins to Greg Pits starting in May.

From Greg Pitz, GPM Forum Co-Chairman

Some of you may remember that I served as Forum Chairman in 2013. I am stepping in now to keep things running. For this reason, I need your help. There are no speakers scheduled after July. In November we hope to have several speakers for a yet-to-be scheduled Mini-RG. After that, due to the holidays, we will not be scheduling a forum until January 2025. We are always open to suggestions for speakers or topics. If you know of someone that is a subject expert and you think it would be interesting to hear them speak about a topic, please let me know at forum@phoenixmensa.org

Below you will find each Forum's schedule with announcements and relevant content provided by the speaker. Click on the green bar to expand and see the details.

July 2024 - Artificial Intelligence: July 13, 2024 10:00 AM at Burton Barr Central Library

Artificial Intelligence

Presented by Nick Smith

Nick will be giving us a presentation on AI tools and how they can be used to make life more fun, efficient, and creative. He's been experimenting with different tools over the last 12-14 months and has come up with some creative ways of integrating them into his life.

Education: Central Michigan University, Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Minor in Graphic Design

Current Job: Senior Digital Strategist at RIESTER in Phoenix, AZ, Owner at Run The Prompts

Doors open 10:00 a.m. The program starts at 10:30.Seating is limited. Questions and RSVP to: forum@phoenixmensa.org Mensans, guests, and the public invited.

Slides that Nick presented HERE. He operates a personal web site HERE where you will find examples of his work using AI tools.
June 2024 - History of Panoramic Photography: June 8, 2024 10:00 AM at Burton Barr Central Library

History of Panoramic Photography - Improvements in Techniques and Results from Print to Scan to the Digital Internet Age

Presented by Dave Pivin, GPM Editor, Webmaster, and Life Member

Early History - 1844 film camera adapted to wide photos
Fast Forward to the Digital Age - NASA probes to the Moon and Mars taking large digital panoramic photos
My Hobby - Overlaying prints taken during worldwide travels
Enter Photoshop - Scans of prints now merged into wide photos
Enter GigaPan - Robotic digital camera mount aided by stitching software and online viewing.
How Does the Whole Process Work? - How do you stitch hundreds of photos and how do you view 15 GIgaPixel photo online?
System Improvements - New cameras and robotic mount
Examples - My favorites ranging from 1.5 to 15 GigaPixels
iPhone Pano Mode - Different technique for capturing a handheld panoramic photo

Doors open 10:00 a.m. The program starts at 10:30.Seating is limited. Questions and RSVP to: forum@phoenixmensa.org Mensans, guests, and the public invited.

These images may be found on Dave's website HERE.
May 2024 - Quantum Computing - The Basics: May 11, 2024 10:00 AM at Burton Barr Central Library

QUANTUM COMPUTING - THE BASICS

Aspects of Quantum Mechanics Utilized
Unlike classical computers that are based upon a binary system, quantum computers are based upon quantum mechanics. Three of many aspects that will be addressed are quantum superposition, quantum entanglement, & quantum tunneling.

Qubits - The Different Types
Chips. Do you find the wide array of classical computer CPUs confusing? Wait until we step into qubits! But don't worry! You will be an expert theoretical physicist by the end of this segment!

What Can & Can't Quantum Computing Presently Do
What can quantum computing can do presently? What can't it do? Presently, they are only for certain tasks, mainly factorization.
One example is the quantum computer from China that is so fast, but it can only do one type of calculation.

Quantum-Safe Cryptography
We will wrap it up with a real world application - encryption. We've all been told by the popular press that all our secrets & privacy will never be safe & secure again. What about the positive side? With the new technology comes means to encrypt that are theoretically impossible to break: Ever. Quantum-safe cryptography.

Location: Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix 85004 in Meeting Room A. Seating is limited. RSVP to: forum@phoenixmensa.org Mensans, guests, and the public are invited.
April 2024 - Live and Let Live: April 13, 2024 10:00 AM at Acacia Branch Phoenix Public Library

Live and Let Live

Criminal defense attorney Marc J. Victor, founder of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement will explain it and the philosophy that underpins it.

Can diverse people
with different worldviews
live together in
freedom and peace?

Are you ready for a new practical political philosophy to achieve freedom, peace, and prosperity?

Do you agree with the phrase, “Live and Let Live?”

Acacia Library, 750 E Townley Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020. Seating is limited. RSVP to: forum@phoenixmensa.org Mensans, guests, and the public are invited.

Mensa Forum April 2024 from Richard Morris on Vimeo.
March 2024 - What Do You Know? And How Do You Know It?: March 9, 2024 10:00AM at Burton Barr Central Library Room A

What Do You Know? And How Do You Know It?

Knowledge is the correct identification of the facts of reality. By what standard should we judge if a belief we hold accurately identifies reality, or is it an unfounded belief we never examined? As a Mensan, do you hold a belief contrary to evidence, even if you accept the evidence as true, yet hold the belief anyway? Do Mensans react as Festinger predicted?

This Forum is about Critical Thinking. At the end of the program, you will learn a trick to solve most problems in five minutes.

Mensa March 2024 Forum from Richard Morris on Vimeo.
February 2024 - God. What is it?: February 10, 2024 10:00AM at Phoenix Public Library Yucca Branch

God. What is it?

About 80% of Americans believe in a supernatural power. The February Forum will explore the question: What is the “it” believers believe is their god? This is an intellectual inquiry to learn if believers can intelligently define what they believe in or if it is just a feeling.

The function of a definition is to let us know what we are talking about. Therefore, a definition must be intelligible. “Intelligible” is the operative word. At the Forum, the definition and the definitional referents must be coherent and internally consistent such that no part of the definition contains a contradictory concept or term that invalidates the concept being defined.

Hopefully, the panel will include a representative of the Abrahamic religions (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) and others [Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Voodoo, Taoist, Sikh]. Can any of them intelligibly define the god they believe in? Again, the operative word is “intelligible.”

This is not “why” to believe or evidence of the existence of a god. The subject is strictly limited to intelligibly defining the god each religion believes in. Each participant will answer questions dealing with the definition or internally inconsistent concepts.

The moderator is Dick Morris, who will keep the discussion focused on the definition of what the “it” in What is It. We won’t discuss whether “it” (a god) exists—that’s another topic for another day. This Forum program will deal with nothing except how each religion intelligently defines its deity. It is not a debate or confrontation. It is to be educational, and an exercise in critical thinking limited to the definition.

By telling us what they stand for, and how they relate to other concepts, definitions are an essential tool of knowledge because a definition clarifies the boundaries of a concept. Of course, there are degrees of precision in understanding a concept’s boundaries, and definitions help us become more precise. To think better. For this Forum, the goal is to understand what a person believes, not to debate, but to understand.

To define “Intelligently,” a good start is with the Oxford English Dictionary (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/intelligible), which says:

intelligible
adjective

1. Able to be understood; comprehensible.
‘use vocabulary that is intelligible to your audience’
‘a barely intelligible reply’

1.1 Philosophy Able to be understood only by the intellect, not by the senses.

The OED gives the following as synonyms: comprehensible, understandable, easy to understand, accessible, digestible, user-friendly, lucid, clear, crystal clear, coherent, transparent, plain, simple, perspicuous, explicit, precise, unambiguous, self-explanatory, penetrable, fathomable, graspable.

There will be a Q&A afterward.

Let us remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” Live and Let Live? Which, by the way, is the topic for the April Forum.

Mensa Forum February 2024 from Richard Morris on Vimeo.
January 2024 - Are IQ Tests Valid or Voodoo?: January 13, 2024 10:00AM at Burton Barr Central Library Room A

Are IQ Tests Valid or Voodoo?

If IQ tests are meaningless, is that the end of Mensa?
A review of IQ tests, the scientific method, and avoidance of common errors in thinking. The speaker is Dr. William Svoboda, retired professor and ASU dean.
At the end of the program, the first 10 people to RSVP will receive a copy of Dr. Svoboda’s book, “What’s Most Important? The 5 Factors for Living an Intelligent Life.” Available on Amazon.

Mensa Forum January 2024 from Richard Morris on Vimeo.