General Chat

Some years ago, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco. Mensa, as you may know, is an international organisation for people who have an IQ of 140 or higher.

Several of the Mensa members went out for lunch at a local cafe.

When they sat down, one of them discovered that their salt mill contained pepper, and their pepper mill was full of salt.

How could they swap the contents of the two bottles without spilling any and using only the implements at hand?

Clearly, this was a job for Mensa minds!

The group debated the problem and presented ideas and finally, came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw and an empty saucer.

They called the waitress over, ready to dazzle her with their solution

“Miss,” they said, “We couldn't help but notice that the pepper mill contains salt and the salt shaker contains …”

But before they could finish their sentence, the waitress interrupted, “Oh, sorry about that.”

And as she said those words, she leaned over the table, unscrewed the caps of both bottles and switched them.

:-D

High IQ versus common sense?
I know quite a few, just like them. :-D :-D :-D :-D

I will admit, I was a member of MENSA once, in the 1980's, and went to a few of their meetings.
LadyScozz's post is spookily accurate.
I spent my time bored out of my head and did a lot of eye rolling (they were mainly men, and talked about computers most of the time) and, though apparently full of logic, could never see the easiest way to do things :-\

Me, being essentially lazy, went for the easiest option every time :-D

I decided my £25 membership fee would be better spent getting sloshed in a pub with my friends :-D

It often happens at MENSA conventions, it has also occurred in Sydney and London.

You would think that they would have leaned not to go into cafes that have shakers with identical tops.

Nothing to do with MENSA but my ex had a long certificate thing in a frame with quite a long string from the long side to hang it by.

He was hanging it at a lower level than it had previously been and so it was facing too much towards the floor to be visible.

While he was totally engrossed in designing a system to hold the bottomof the frame a distance he had calculated away from the wall, I bunged one of his many empty fag packets behind the bottom of the frame and there is stayed until he moved and replaced it in his new home.

I've done a similar thing with a baton holding a shelf up. It is in an awkward corner, and I don't think the plank (aka shelf) is a straight as it could be.
When I placed the plank on the batons, there was a slight wobble.
An empty fag paper packet shoved between baton and plank solved the problem :-D

My daughter's BFs are not quite Mensa but, they are both extremely intelligent young women although neither has an ounce of common sense.

They graduated from Uni each with a good degree and decided to book a holiday.
(One graduated with a law degree, the other in Physiotherapy)

To celebrate, they booked themselves a holiday to the Dominican Republic.
After a discussion with my daughter about flight times etc, my daughter was in hysterics.

BOTH of her friends actually thought that DR was a resort in..... Gran Canaria !!!

Neither thought to consult a map before booking .

I would like to explain, I only took the MENSA test because, as the youngest of 4, one sister 4 years older, two brothers 6 & 7 years older, all my life, they'd question me on things they knew (had learnt at school) and if I didn't know the answer, would make derogatory remarks about my intelligence - especially the younger of my brothers.
In about 1976. this brother, our dad and I, independently, took a MENSA test in the local paper.
We were invited to take the 'proper' test. Dad didn't, but, as my brother was going to, I HAD to.
We both got exactly the same score!! :-0

Six years later, I enrolled at Uni - with no A levels - and got a 2:2

I was fortunate, as I had common sense before I discovered genius :-D