Where Can I Find a Community of Intelligent and Diverse Individuals Like Myself?

[Virtuous]

At first I thought it would be ridiculous to ask this question in a forum but, in reality it's probably the best place ironically.

(background information)
I am a recent college graduate. Metal Casting technician. 26 years old, and basically decided to self-cure my Social phobia. No offense to any psychiatrist out there, but I can't take the dumbing down of everything. The lab rat approach insults my intelligence. Anyways. I respect intelligence, as I do strength. I am interested in physics. At the same time I am into things like martial arts and weightlifting. I am not really into playing video games a whole lot, I like anime (mostly combat based). I wouldn't be caught dead at an anime convention/cosplay thingy. Unless I could pull of a good Gatsu.

(/background information)

I am looking for a place to meet people like that are smarter than me. The problem is I am a mixture of nerd/not-nerd. I have the people that I can go to the gym and watch MMA and stuff, train with (if I could afford it). When I was working at a Canadian government research facility (I love saying that lol...I am so lame) for my co-op, I was surrounded by physicists, Chemists, all having PhD's. Pretty smart people (depending on who you ask I guess). My point is...Is there like a mensa club or something, I don't know if I could pass a test to get in lol. I got my brother and sister in law who are very smart, but i can't depend on them as my sole social experience. I want an environment that is ripe with brilliant people, without the degree or proven avenues.

There has to be places like that, or is there a place that isn't too nerdy, I am not sure if I am comfortable yet with high level attire requirements either. Are there like any "Physicist adopt a peasant" day? It's ridiculous but if I could spend a day with a physicist I'd be the happiest person for a week. So...see my dilemma. I am willing to try mostly anything though. It would be cool to find some niche group of people like me. Maybe I should make one.

 

[zoobyshoe]

No offense, but I think your post contains an intrinsic contradiction. Rather than seeking ways to cure your social phobia you are actually asking for the whereabouts of a society of people who are least likely to provoke it.

 

[Virtuous]

no, I just want to know a place where I won't make myself look like a idiot. I want some like friend physicist. Preferably beautiful female one.

I can't go hang out at prestigious school and be like:
"Hey I see you study physics, you want to hang out?"

I figured someone here would have a cool suggestions based on the criteria I laid out.

If I am contradicting myself I apologize. It wasn't my intention to express it that way.

p.s.

None taken.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I would have no idea where to go. A college would be the closest thing I could think of. I used to hang out with a friend of mine who was a grad student at the on campus pub where he was working on his graduate program. Of course it was always kinda weird when people asked me what my major was. I always had the feeling that they would immediately be turned off by the idea of hanging out with someone who had never been to college. I still got to meet some interesting people though none of them had PhDs. I have also met many interesting people online. One of my first online friends was a 40 something goth biker mama who liked to knit and was just finishing up her PhD in anthropology. You can meet some really interesting people online. ;-)

 

[Virtuous]

That's true. I don't ignore the internet. That's why I am so interested to meet some, but usually they are from...Britain or the states, and I would like to have like a real conversation without the typing.There is so much I can learn. I know I can get the same value out of chatting that I do conversing, it would be nice, I don't know, talk to interesting people, you know what I mean? I want a mix of environments.

I guess I'll have to think of something.

 

[Evo]

I find the way you describe physicists as though they are separate from other humans and can possibly be found frequenting waterholes in groups to be rather amusing. Nothing wrong in wanting to surround yourself with intellgent people, but I don't know that they tend to gather anywhere in particular in real life.

 

[renz]

I would suggest coming to a bar near my U where we (grad students) hang out every Friday night, but you're not from the states are you?

Also why restricted to physicists or PhDs? Can't you find intelligent/interesting people from where you work?

 

[dotman]

I find the way you describe physicists as though they are separate from other humans and can possibly be found frequenting waterholes in groups to be rather amusing.

[British_Accent] And here we see them approaching the watering hole... watch their behaviour closely now... <camera zooms in>... this is really amazing, gentle viewers, to see them out of their labs, out in the wild like this. Look at the one with the glasses, he seems to be ordering something... I think its a Harp lager... now the others are too! Watch closely here, gentle viewers, they will attempt to make their way through the normal humans, and find a place to sit... oh, capital! [/British_Accent]

 

[Evo]

[British_Accent] And here we see them approaching the watering hole... watch their behaviour closely now... <camera zooms in>... this is really amazing, gentle viewers, to see them out of their labs, out in the wild like this. Look at the one with the glasses, he seems to be ordering something... I think its a Harp lager... now the others are too! Watch closely here, gentle viewers, they will attempt to make their way through the normal humans, and find a place to sit... oh, capital! [/British_Accent]

That's cute!

 

[rewebster]

no, I just want to know a place where I won't make myself look like a idiot. I want some like friend physicist. Preferably beautiful female one.

I can't go hang out at prestigious school and be like:
"Hey I see you study physics, you want to hang out?"

I figured someone here would have a cool suggestions based on the criteria I laid out.

If I am contradicting myself I apologize. It wasn't my intention to express it that way.

p.s.

None taken.

put it up on one of those dating sites------------------------the bigger the net, ...

 

[Astronuc]

[British_Accent] And here we see them approaching the watering hole... watch their behaviour closely now... <camera zooms in>... this is really amazing, gentle viewers, to see them out of their labs, out in the wild like this. Look at the one with the glasses, he seems to be ordering something... I think its a Harp lager... now the others are too! Watch closely here, gentle viewers, they will attempt to make their way through the normal humans, and find a place to sit... oh, capital! [/British_Accent]

:rofl: I hear David Attenborough - lol.

Actually there are places where physicists gather - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_Conference

or http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/index.cfm

http://www.aip.org/librarians/exhibits_sched.html


Otherwise, one would have to visit a local university and find out where physicists hang out.

I would think a local university physics dept would have a seminar program.

 

[Choppy]

Why not take a course at a local university or community college? It could be a night course and you don't have to take it with the intention of finishing a full degree. But really, that's the best way to meet other local people interested in physics.

 

[Virtuous]

I would suggest coming to a bar near my U where we (grad students) hang out every Friday night, but you're not from the states are you?

Also why restricted to physicists or PhDs? Can't you find intelligent/interesting people from where you work?

I currently work at call centre (sorry, at least its inbound)...There might be a chance to meet someone cool. I am not great with words, I just thought up titles to express a certain level of expected knowledge or intelligence. People who are curious and want to learn, and know more, people who want to increase their capacity of their brains in order to learn more, improve. That sort of thing.

I know my limitations, I know I will never be a "genius" but I wouldn't mind trying to get somewhere near there. It's important to me, with modern technology our need to survive is pretty much covered, and I see it as our duties to strengthen our minds to help carry out a fruitful future. I want to be around the people that do that. Have a conversation, see their perspective. To steal their knowledge as best I can so that maybe one day I can make a contribution somehow. Even if it's just passing on information, or getting someone else interested, that would make me happy.

I find physics the most interesting, so I tend to hug it more then other fields but whatever, you know a lot about anything and I am all ears. I apologize to all physicist for making you look like a different species lol.

It just would be nice as well for me to be the dumb one for once. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I hate attention, I just want an environment where socially I am the normal average guy.

Maybe I live too much of a fantasy world, but to me I see the universe and then I look at us, see the potential, what we can find out and how we can use it to make life better. I think we have been given one of the most amazing abilities. I just find it fascinating that here we are after billion years of evolution (universe to biology), we being a by product of so much change, and we are basically given complete freedom to do whatever we want with it. That's just...I don't know...I want to be there with someone else peering into the same thoughts and share them.

Choppy: That's what I am leaning towards now, I just need the funding lol. If I do it though, I want to do fully, I am trying to learn on my own at the same time with books from the library or online free courses, I've kinda skipped basic physics, I should start that again. I envy people who can just pick it up like it were common sense. I've been trying to learn it for the past 2 years causally, and...i am not where I would like to be...

[sidenote]

You guys should gather together, you guys would be the perfect example of people I want to hang out with, till you ban me for asking way too many question of course hehe.Astronuc: I still have my dutch passport, if I could find a job there I would move back in a heartbeat. Maybe they have something around here. Lee Smolin is somewhere in Canada. Oh! awesome ok, I think I know where I can go.

You guys are the best!

 

[Astronuc]

Lee Smolin and others are at the Perimeter Institute

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=72&pi=1010

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Outreach/General/Outreach_Overview/ - great lectures

31 Caroline St. N. Waterloo Ontario, Canada
N2L 2Y5

That would be the place to hang out or even as a place to work.

 

[Freezeezy]

In my life I have learned many things. I have found that the most intelligent attract the least out of enamor and witty nonsense. This isn't a bad thing. Intelligence only goes so far. Having a colleague to share in intellectual banter is one thing, but to have friends who do the same this is entirely another. Friends come and go (average human exchanges friends every 7 years) and the idea is to have fun while with them. Whatever simple things you can enjoy together will foster friendship. For instance: I study Neurology with the goal of replicating it in a computable environment (Artificial Intelligence), but my friends and I all enjoy having a cigar while engaging in half-hearted debates. Does it need to be intelligent? No, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I hope my ridiculous attempt at explaining what I mean has helped.

Freezeezy out ;D