Brain Teasers Sydney

Game Theory Lab 2: Settlers of Catan with SPECS

🎲 Meetup: Game Theory & Georgist Catan — Rethinking Strategy Through Land Rent What happens when you take a classic strategy game built on land grabs… and rebuild its rules around Georgist principles? This meetup explores exactly that. Join us for an evening where Settlers of Catan becomes a living laboratory for game theory, cooperative strategy, and land‑value–based economic design. We’ll play using a Georgist‑repurposed ruleset—where unearned land rents flow to the commons, monopolies lose their bite, and players must rethink how to win when speculation no longer pays. 🧠 What to Expect - A short intro to Georgist economics How land value taxation, common resource dividends, and anti‑rent‑seeking principles reshape incentives. - Game theory insights We’ll unpack how strategic behaviour changes when: - hoarding land no longer yields private windfalls - cooperation becomes rational rather than charitable - public revenue replaces zero‑sum extraction - Playthrough of Georgist Catan Using modified rules such as: - Land value taxes on high‑yield hexes - Community treasury funding shared infrastructure - Anti‑monopoly mechanics that reward productive play - Negotiation dynamics that mirror real‑world rent‑seeking vs. value creation - Post‑game analysis We’ll compare outcomes with standard Catan: Who wins? Who cooperates? How do alliances shift? What strategies emerge when rent extraction is off the table? 🎯 Who This Is For - Fans of Settlers of Catan who enjoy clever variants - People curious about Georgism, land value taxation, or economic justice - Game theorists and strategy enthusiasts - Educators, policy thinkers, and designers exploring how rules shape behaviour 🌍 Why It Matters Games are micro‑economies. When we change the rules, we change the incentives—and when we change the incentives, we change the society that emerges from them. This meetup is a playful but serious demonstration of how Georgist reforms can transform competitive landscapes into cooperative, productive ones.

🐣 Easter Special – Sip & Paint with a Bay View ✨🎨

We are opening the doors of our home and private terrace overlooking the stunning Mosman Bay. Join us for a relaxed Easter Sip & Paint to celebrate the season together. We’ll create a painting inspired by Easter and spring, while enjoying good company, beautiful waterfront views and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. To preserve the unique home vibe, attendance is strictly limited to **15 guests**. Although Meetup may display a higher number, spots are reserved on a first come, first served basis, and priority is given to the first 15 guests who purchase a ticket. If you can still buy the ticket on Humanitix, you can join us! **Secure your spot here:** https://events.humanitix.com/sip-and-paint-bay-view-mosman-or-easter-special-edition?hxchl=hex-qrc&hxref=evt ✨ **What’s included** • Private home and terrace with stunning Mosman Bay views • Coffee, tea, wine or drinks from 10:00 am • Easter-themed Sip & Paint session (or paint freely at your own pace) • Homemade food and Easter treats • Friendly, relaxed and judgement-free atmosphere **What to bring** Nothing. All painting materials, food and drinks are included. **No painting experience needed** **10:00 am – 12:00 pm** (feel free to stay a little longer) Private home in Mosman (exact address shared after ticket purchase) **Everyone is welcome — friends, couples, families and kids.🥰** Come celebrate Easter together with creativity, good company and a beautiful bay view.

Directing Intelligence

Thankfully applying prompts to AI is no longer the hit and miss affair we had so recently. Thankfully Vibe Coding where we blindly accept that AI has nailed it is no longer the main approach. Thankfully industry leaders are building on the concept of Directed Coding. AI assistance where you harness AI, but maintain control and vision. Thankfully Thinkmill are on hand to direct our conversation on Directed Coding. Find out how coders can benefit from Directed Code. Found out how your Design System can evolve with Directed Code.

Badminton training Granville - Advanced & intermediate 🏸

Training 🏸 for advanced and intermediate. Contact Kim on whatsapp 0416 379 688 for more information. By RSVPing to this event, the members and guests are explicitly and without exception deemed to have read and agreed to the Group’s terms of Disclaimer and Release of Liability. You can get personal injuries insurance for yourself by joining Sydney Badminton Association, please come and see me for details. Regards, Kim

G for Goulash

Badminton training Granville - Beginner & intermediate 🏸

Training 🏸 for beginner and intermediate. Contact Kim on whatsapp 0416 379 688 for more information. By RSVPing to this event, the members and guests are explicitly and without exception deemed to have read and agreed to the Group’s terms of Disclaimer and Release of Liability. You can get personal injuries insurance for yourself by joining Sydney Badminton Association, please come and see me for details. Regards, Kim

WEREWOLF! A Night of Improvised Deception - FREE

Trust no one. Read the room. Survive the night. This will put your Leadership, Critical Thinking & Persuasion Skills to the ultimate test! *In this tiny 17th-century town, some of you are Werewolves. Others are Civilians 👥, the Seer 🔮, the Vigilante ⚔️, Cupid 🏹, or Lovers ❤️. By night, the Werewolves hunt. By day, the town must decide who to trust… to survive.* Step into Werewolf: The Improvised Game (“Whispers”) — a high-energy social experiment where trust is fragile, alliances shift, and someone is always lying. Based on the popular social deduction game, this Improvised experience throws you into a world of hidden identities, real-time decisions, and constant uncertainty. You’ll negotiate, defend yourself, question others… and at some point, probably accuse someone innocent. Get ready to step into a character from the 17th century. You could be the town doctor, candle maker, blacksmith, or wizard - just to name a few. As the pressure builds, you’ll sharpen the skills that matter most in the real world: * Communication under pressure * Reading people * Critical thinking * Decision-making * Trust-building * Influence * Emotional intelligence And here’s the twist… It quietly becomes one of the most fascinating team dynamics simulations you’ll ever experience. 💪🏽 Who steps up? 🤫 Who stays quiet? ❓ Who influences the room? 🙈 Who folds under pressure? ⏱️ Who bluffs their way to the end? No experience needed. Just your survival instincts, a willingness to get into character, and the courage to accuse new friends of being literal monsters! Can you read the room, earn trust, and build the right alliances… before it’s too late? 🐺 Your mission: Stay Alive! Credits: This game, *Whispers,* was created by Raymond van Driel, F-Act Training & Coaching [www.onlinewerewolf.com](https://www.onlinewerewolf.com) **P.S.** A minimum of 8 players is required and a maximum of 28. If we don’t reach the minimum or exceed the maximum, we’ll improvise and play alternative game(s). **P.P.S.** Due to the unpredictable timing of each round, if you arrive more than 15 minutes late will observe until the next round begins. There is also the possibility that you may miss out on playing altogether. **P.P.P.S.** Your survival is not guaranteed. 👉 Join now. You don’t want to be left outside the village. Trust me... **Register now!** [https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/werewolf-a-night-of-improvised-deception-free-tickets-1986151924873](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/werewolf-a-night-of-improvised-deception-free-tickets-1986151924873) **Workshop Facilitator** ***Susan Zheng*** is the Founder and Director of [Improv Life Lessons](https://improvlifelessons.au/ "https://improvlifelessons.au/"). What if our path to authenticity is not in perfection, but in using mistakes as a launching pad for bursts of transformation? Join me, and let's improvise our way to personal growth and meaningful connections!

The Philosophy of Federico Faggin - Glynn Curran

**The Philosophy of Federico Faggin.** Federico Faggin is an Italian-American physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He is best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004. He led the 4004 project and the design group during the first five years of Intel's microprocessor effort.[ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Faggin) Science mistakes the universe for a blind machine. But what if it is our dance partner in the play of consciousness? Glynn Curran is a retired lecturer at WEA and guest lecturer at corporate, humanist and community groups. **On the second Monday of the month, Philo Agora has a speaker on a philosophical topic and a Q&A and discussion after. On the fourth Monday we meet again for open philosophical discussion.** Philo Agora's format is a talk for 20 minutes starting at 7:15 for 7:30. The presenter then answers any questions of clarification from the floor. We then take a break of 5 minutes for more coffee and to mull over the talk and discuss it within small groups. The microphone is then passed around the audience for comment, opinion, and often counter argument to a maximum of 3 minutes. The presenter is then given a 5 minute right of reply. We usually finish up at 9pm. The cover charge is $5 for the talk. There are tea and coffee facilities available in-house. Sam Alexander - Convener (0457 749 310)

Chess club at Esperanto House

If you want to make new friends, have fun and play chess in a stimulating environment, come join us every Wednesday at Esperanto House! There’s informal chess playing and socializing. Players of all levels are welcome. Looking forward to meet and welcome you to our club!

To Specialize or Generalize: That Is the Question!

We’ve all heard the narrative: start early, specialize intensely, practice relentlessly. The 10,000-hour rule. The Tiger Woods model. Pick your path early and never look back. But what if the most successful people in complex fields—the Nobel laureates, the innovative entrepreneurs, the breakthrough artists—didn't follow this script at all? What if the winding career paths, the late bloomers, the curious generalists who dabbled across disciplines weren't wasting time, but actually building an advantage that deep specialists can't match? In an age where AI is rapidly mastering narrow, specialized skills and automating predictable patterns, the question becomes more urgent than ever: are we training ourselves for the problems that machines already solve better than we do, or are we cultivating the creative, integrative thinking that only broad human experience can provide? So join us as we explore these provocative ideas and discover why breadth might just be the secret weapon in a world being transformed by AI. **Book: *Range - Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World* (2019) by David Epstein.** In our book this month, David Epstein, an investigative journalist and writer, challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions about achieving excellence. Drawing on research from cognitive science, sports, music, education, and business, Epstein demonstrates that those who sample widely across disciplines, start specializing later, and frequently change directions consistently outperform those who commit early and narrowly. Through vivid stories—from Roger Federer's multi-sport childhood to NASA's most innovative problem-solvers to Nobel Prize-winning scientists who cultivated eclectic interests—he reveals that the most successful people in "wicked" learning environments (where rules are unclear, patterns don't repeat, and feedback is delayed) aren't the 10,000-hour specialists but the integrative thinkers who can draw unexpected analogies across fields. Written in 2019 before the current AI boom, Epstein's thesis has proven remarkably prescient: as AI masters narrow expertise and automates specialized tasks, breadth of experience, creativity, and adaptability—the very strengths of generalists—have become even more critical. A number of writers and thinkers have since made this connection explicit, and we've included articles below exploring why (or if) range matters more than ever in our AI-transformed working environment. As always, we strongly encourage you to read the book before attending—it will enrich both your experience and our collective discussion. We’ve also included links to presentations by Epstein and other resources that explore the importance of range in the age of AI. So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 13th April, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. We look forward to seeing you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist. P.P.S. Please adjust your email notification settings (particularly the 'Event updates from organizers' in the Big Ideas Book Club settings). This is useful for receiving any final details or late changes to the event. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Video** * Presentations by David Epstein: [TED Why specializing early doesn't always mean career success (13mins)](https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_why_specializing_early_doesn_t_always_mean_career_success) [Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (30mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxnSTufPbf0) * An interesting discussion between David Epstein and Malcolm Gladwell, who popularized the 10,000-hour rule: [David Epstein in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell (1hr)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd6QQBP3rO8) * On the AI factor in the Generalist vs Specialist debate: [The AI Paradox: Why Generalists Will Win in a World of Machine Specialists (4mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-ziuOHIgQ) * Summaries of the book: [Core Messages in Range (9mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4rP8CGaVDY) [Discover The Benefits of Diverse Life Experiences in Range (10mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om79L0U9H_k&t=140s) [Range By David Epstein - Book Summary (18mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiPTSDzXkpQ) **Written** * Summaries and reviews of the book: [10 Insights to Inspire Your Inner Generalist from “Range”](https://www.sloww.co/range-david-epstein/) [Seven Takeaways from Range](https://medium.com/@RationalBadger/my-7-takeaways-from-range-by-david-epstein-26dbd3e8bf13) * Two critical reviews of the book: [Cedric Cid Critical Summary](https://commoncog.com/range-book-summary/) [LessWrong Critical Review](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/FcNgMbabidRSh9aGn/book-review-range-by-david-epstein) * Articles that connect Range to AI developments: [The Generalist's Guide to Thriving in the AI Era](https://darasoba.com/generalists/) [Range: Key Takeaways and how AI can help you thrive as a Generalist](https://medium.com/@miguelarcilla/david-epsteins-range-key-takeaways-and-how-ai-can-help-you-thrive-as-a-generalist-6ffb721c75fd) [Why gen AI can’t fully replace us (for now)](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-gen-ai-cant-fully-replace-us-for-now/) [Why Generalists Won’t Win in the Age of AI (And Neither Will Pure Specialists)](https://ruinunes.com/t-shaped-professional/)

View from Above (a stoic practice) Sunset 🌅 & birthday picnic 🫒

View from Above is a profound Stoic practice to help us gain perspective and humble the soul. Join me on my birthday for a sunset picnic at the iconic Observatory Hill. I have loads of cushions to glam up our picnic. ​BYO picnic food, drinks, blankets and extra layers for when the sun goes down. ​📅 since we had to cancel two sessions falling on public holidays this April (Easter and ANZAC Day), I thought this would be a good excuse to stay connected, catch-up and celebrate my birthday 🥳 The Sydney Stoics community has been such a gift over the last few years. I'd really love if you are free to make it. ​🎁 Your presence is my present! 🎁but if you must, in lieu of a birthday gift, I would ask for a contribution to support the group’s administrative costs (such as the annual Meetup platform fees). I rarely ask for compensation for the effort of organizing, but this is a wonderful opportunity to help keep our "hive" thriving. ​ ​THANK YOU for supporting the group! ​I look forward to seeing you all on the heights for an afternoon of perspective and friendship!

"Quay to Rose-Bay" 12km-Easy-Woolloomooloo-Potts-Point-Rushcutters-Double-Bay!

**WHY WALK?** 1\. Walking increases blood flow to the brain\, improving memory almost instantly\! 2\. Walking recalibrates your circadian rhythm\, making you fall asleep faster at night\. 3\. Walking strengthens your immune system cells\, which is why walkers get fewer colds\. **Quay-Gardens-Woolloomooloo-Potts-Point-Rushcutters-Bay-Darling- Point-Double-Bay-Rose-Bay-Easy-Walk! 12km!** **Tour Highlight:** One of the more exciting and well loved **Sydney Harbour** walks. **Meeting Time:** 10am please be 5 minutes early. **Meeting Point:** Customs House near steps. **Distance:** 12km **Spectacular Sydney Harbour Walk -** Just in the nick of time, found some secret alleyways, it's a zig-zag all over the place. Don't miss this, we sometimes need the exercise, yes you agree! 12km is just perfect. Let's hit the streets, walk past the **Opera House**, through **Botanical Gardens** to **Woolloomooloo**. Quick stop at Harry's Cafe de Wheels then up to **Potts Point**, down to Elizabeth Bay to **Rushcutters Bay Park**, then go past the **Cruising Yacht Club.** Slide past **Sir David Martin Reserve,** get to **Yarranabbe Park,** then Beautiful **Darling Point,** down the **Marathon Steps** to **Steyne Park** at **Double Bay!** Rehydrate! **Interesting Variation Sections from Double Bay** to **Rose Bay**! We walk along the promenade to Lyle Park at Rose Bay, then go to **Rose Bay Beach**! Ferry Wharf nearby to get back to Circular Quay. **Local Pub Stop for Lunch** with the group if you wish to join me for a chat! **Difficulty:** Easy/Moderate/Some/Stairs. Early exit options. **Walking Pace:** An easy steady pace at 4km-4.25km per hour. **What to Bring:** Comfortable outfit, a litre of water (many refill places), snacks for half way, hat, sunscreen, a raincoat just in case of wet weather. Bring your happy personality too! **Payment Please:** $10 cash on arrival or **PAY ID** 0435801602 George Palasty **Contact:** George 0435 801 602 if you have questions. (call or text) - More people arrive from our combined meetup groups for these **Walking Events.**