On 14/01/14 22:45, Patrick Elliott wrote:
> Hmm. The fact that the people that tend to be in Mensa have more in
> common with Rainman, than Superman? lol Well, ok, not a nice thing to
> say, but its like a social club for billionaires. They are there not
> because they are actually smarter than everyone around them, but because
> they refuse to see how they got their, and being arrogant, assume it was
> due to "talent", and not happenstance and luck. In this case, the

I think I addressed this point later. Yes, I agree that the genes (or
whatever, this is not a nature vs nurture debate) are randomly scattered
around the population. Your assumption, however, that the possessors of
those genes are arrogant is, at best, naive and at the other end verges
on the downright insulting. Look at the average sports star; his/her
body language screams the info 'I am better than you'.

> and the luck of figuring out the
> sorts of tricks needed to solve them. The former, is much rarer than the
> latter, which most people can learn, if they want to waste a lot of time
> doing it.
> 

Patrick, I give you a challenge. You have one year to learn the
'tricks'. We will then face up in a neutral environment and take the
tests. If I win, you publicly apologise and if you win, I do the same. Deal?

> Its all well and good to have a club, but.. Mensa is a bit like a
> "gentleman's club", it comes with the flawed assumption that they are
> there because they are inherently better, and the ones not in the club,
> thus, have huge, substantial, mental flaws.

So, you've been a member, have you? Please don't make assumptions based
on zero experience.
> 
> To me, its a bit like having like... a certificate of expertise for
> something like computer networks. It will get you in the door of places
> where the people like certificates more than actual skill, but, to
> actual solve problems, the only credentials that **might** count, is
> having read a lot of 2600 magazine and attended DefCon conferences. Why?
> Because the guy with only the Cert only knows how to press all the
> buttons, and mash things together "by the book", but the other buy,
> actually knows how, and why, the damn thing actually works, and thus,
> how to make it work, if its not a nice, neat, clear, and simple problem,
> which you can look up in the "official" certification manual. Mensa is a
> label, in other words, which bloody fools value, but anyone that knows
> what they are doing would chalk up as, "Ah, one of those.. lets hope
> they actually know how to F-ing do something though..." lol
> 

...and how are we to judge ability then? A BA, MA or even PhD (or other
qualifications) certificate says certain things about you. Apply for a
job through me with one of those in your hand and I would be willing to
give you a hearing. Come to me and say "I'm good but I can't be arsed to
prove it" then you won't even get through the front door.

John (still smiling but feeling the strain)
-- 
Protect the Earth
It was not given to you by your parents
You hold it in trust for your children

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