mental_floss » Will Pearson

Scenes From Our Birmingham Trivia Show

Will Pearson — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:17:28 +0000

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to our Birmingham trivia show on Tuesday night. We had a packed house at Cantina and raised $2000 for the Ronald McDonald House. And a big thanks to Reg, our new executive vp of Birmingham-area trivia shows, for co-hosting the event. Those of you who couldn’t attend but want to be informed the next time around, e-mail BirminghamFlossers@mentalfloss.com and let us know.

Here are a few shots of the brilliant folks who attended.

Help Us Decide Where to Go!

Will Pearson — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:30:33 +0000

mental_floss is hitting the road this Fall, and for good reason:Â October’s going to be a big month. We’re releasing a new board game and a new book within a few weeks of each other!Â To celebrate, we’re taking The mental_floss Trivia Show to the 5 Flossiest Cities in America. But first we have to decide where we’re headed. Actually, YOU have to decide.

If you think mental_floss should make a trip to your town, e-mail us at comeflosswithme@mentalfloss.com and put your town’s name in the subject line (it makes it a lot easier for us to tally votes).

That’s all you have to do! And if you’d like to assist in any way with the planning/promotion of the event, just let us know in your e-mail. Â There will be flossy prizes involved for all those who help.

We already mentioned the possibility of an event in Birmingham, AL. Because of the terrific response from readers, Birmingham will definitely be on the list. We’ll select 4 more locations, based on these e-mails, and then another 5 for the spring.

Can’t wait to find out where we’re headed!

Oh, and here’s a sneak peek at those October releases:

Thanks!
Will

Remembering Susan Tifft

Will Pearson — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:20:17 +0000

Have you ever had someone make a major impact on your life without fully realizing it? Mangesh and I were saddened to hear about the death of one such person, Ms. Susan Tifft. Susan died yesterday after a 2.5 year battle with cancer.

Much of the publishing world will remember Susan as the coauthor of two critically acclaimed nonfiction works, The Patriarch: The Rise and Fall of the Bingham Dynasty, and The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family Behind The New York Times. Others will remember her as an incredibly gifted writer and editor for Time Magazine, as a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, or as a passionate and always-approachable professor at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke.

But Mangesh and I will remember her as the professor who was crazy enough to believe that what we were doing 10 years ago was worth supporting.

In the spring of 2000, shortly after Mangesh and I finished celebrating the release of the very first issue of mental_floss as a campus publication at Duke, we decided we were ready to take on the publishing world. How a couple of kids with no publishing experience were going to break into such a challenging industry was not something we knew the answer to. But we were fortunate to be introduced to a few successful alums in the magazine industry to help us figure that out. One of them was Susan, who was then teaching a couple days each week at Duke and spending the rest of her time in New York.

I can remember so vividly the first meeting with Susan, where I pitched the magazine’s concept to her. Looking back, I have no idea why she decided we were worth betting on, but she did. As the first official member of our advisory board, Susan helped us reach out to some of her closest friends in publishing, and just a few years later, we could trace some of our most significant breaks back to her. From adding other key advisory board members to establishing partnerships with companies such as AOL and Reader’s Digest, Susan was frequently the initial door opener. But she never wanted credit for playing that role.

I have no idea what to think about the afterlife, but it’s at least fun to think that maybe Susan’s pulled out a notepad and has started work on her third behind-the-scenes book on a publishing company. Hopefully she’s documented all the times Mangesh went back for multiple samples at the Manchu Wok in the mall foodcourt, or my ongoing battle with Diet Sunkist addiction. Scandalous!

To Susan’s friends and family, our thoughts go out to you.

See Also: Susan Tifft, co-author of classic newspaper book, dead at 59 [Boston Globe]

a mental_floss worksheet: Paint-By-Numbers Brain Anatomy

Will Pearson — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:47:21 +0000

As a wrinkly gray blob, the brain is a pretty funny-looking organ. But inside your brain lurk bits and pieces of neuroanatomy with equally amusing names, whether absurd, rude-sounding, or just plain fun to say. So print out this worksheet, pick up a paint set,Â get the blood flowing through your circle of Willis, and focus your basal gangliaÂ with our Paint-By-Numbers Brain.

Missing Persons Alert

Will Pearson — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:02:44 +0000

mental_floss is seeking information that will lead to the discovery of eight prominent people who have vanished in the annals of history. Solve these mysterious disappearances by locating their last names in the word search puzzle inÂ our Missing PersonsÂ worksheet. If you uncover all eight names, the FBI (FlossÂ Bureau of Investigation) will reward you with the titleÂ ofÂ Master Word Sleuth.

Need the answers? They’reÂ here.

a mental_floss worksheet: Reverse the Curse

Will Pearson — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:25:10 +0000

It’s Opening Day! Time to buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack (or at least some soy nuts and rice cakes).

Baseball is full of legends, and plenty of legend. But can you tell truth from fiction? Download and print out our “Reverse the Curse” worksheet so that you and your friends can determine which of these around-the-bases stories belt it out of the park, and which ones whiff at strike three.

Batter up!

St. Patrick vs. Samuel L. Jackson

Will Pearson — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:44:33 +0000

With St. Paddy celebrations coming up this weekend, we thought it would beÂ the perfect opportunity to celebrate the work of history’s two most legendary snake annihilators, St. Patrick and Samuel L. Jackson. In case you’ve already forgotten, Jackson kicked some serious snake butt in the 2006 Internet phenomenon/box office flop Snakes on a Plane. Your challenge in this mental_floss worksheet is to decide which statements apply to St. Patrick (circle the shamrock), which apply to Samuel L. Jackson (circle the Royale w/ Cheese) and which apply to both (circle both).Â It’sÂ tougher than you think.Â

And feel free to share anyÂ St.Â Patrick and Samuel L. facts we may have forgotten.

Answers here.

This week’s worksheet for geniuses: Under the Sea

Will Pearson — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 04:44:41 +0000

It’s time for all you geniuses to tackle this week’s mental_floss worksheet.

Instructions: Avast ye, matey! Prove your maritime mettle by drawing a line from the picture of each ill-fated ship to the point on the map where she currently rests under the sea. So drop anchor and pick up a pen, sailor. The time has come to see if ye is a captain or a cabin boy.

Click here if you’re up for the challenge and here if you’re up for the answers.

And as always, we’d suggest printing out this worksheet and taping it to your office/cubicle/dorm wall. Enjoy!

Save yourself with these hangman puzzles

Will Pearson — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:07:06 +0000

There’s only one way to cut yourself loose from the noose: solve these six hangman puzzles about notable hangings and receive a stay of execution from the gallows!

Thanks to Alex Scordelis for writing these puzzles. By the way, in case you missed the last two worksheets, here’s one and here’s the other. If you’ve got a fun idea for a mental_floss worksheet, e-mail it to tips(at)mentalfloss(dot)com.Â Write “Worksheet Idea” in the subject line.Â If we use your idea, we’ll send you a free mental_floss t-shirt of your choice.

The answers to the World’s Geekiest Crossword Puzzle

Will Pearson — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:30:23 +0000

Here’s the puzzle I put up the other day (from this post)Â and here are the answers I promised. How’d you do?