Cover Story:

How To Enjoy the Mental Floss How-To Guides

Step #1:

Be enticed by our whimsical cover and open up the magazine.

Step #2:

Notice that the cover story promises to reveal secrets to mastering everything you’ve always wanted to do—walk on fire, time-travel, catch a giant squid, even colonize a nation.

Step #3:

Flip to page 38 and commence enjoyable reading experience. Spread word of said experience to friends, who can then repeat Steps #1 through #3 for themselves.

Step #4:

Scan horizon for potential pals to impress with your newfound skills. If you do end up colonizing a nation, be sure to leave a forwarding address for your subscription.

Features:

Tales from the Dork Side: A Short History of Hacking

By John Brandon
A word of warning to the geek-bashing jocks of the world: Be careful who you noogie. All it takes is one nerd with a chip on his shoulder—and an even bigger one in his computer—to ruin your life. Of course, sometimes, the only ammo these guys need is a cereal box toy. Join John Brandon as he takes a look at the fascinating (and sometimes sordid) history of hacking and the birth of a culture that paradoxically brought us both the computer virus (bad) and the movie “Sneakers” (good).

The Life (and Death) of the Party: Adventures in Third-Party Politics

By Jimm Lasser
We like a good theme party as much as the next magazine, but when Jimm Lasser sent us an email about the Know-Nothing Party, we were just plain confused. (What are you supposed to wear to one of those things?) Luckily, the note was actually about an article on some of history’s least-known third parties. From disgruntled vegetarians to flaming Anti-Masons, we’re covering every hopeless political group that’s ever tried to poll on your heartstrings.

The Green March: How Morocco Roused Its Citizens to Fight an Unarmed War

By Martin Lewis
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression—particularly when “you” refers to an invasion force several hundred thousand strong. With that in mind, it’s time to put your best foot forward by taking some inspiration from the Moroccans. In 1975, 350,000 citizens—armed with only flags and catchy slogans—marched across the Spanish border and peacefully took back their land. “No way!” you say? “Yes, way,” says Martin Lewis.

scatter_brained:

Disco

By Doug Cantor, John Green, & David K. Israel
To paraphrase Joan Jett, we sure do love rock ‘n’ roll. But sometimes, even the most rock-steady among us get flush with Saturday Night Fever. That’s why we grabbed some of our favorite writers by their giant lapels and demanded they put together a disco-theme edition of Scatterbrained. From (election) platform shoes, to con men who’ve perfected The Hustle, to trends that blazed across the nation like a Disco Inferno, our writers have laid down the sort of facts that make you wanna boogie oogie oogie all night long.

Six Degrees of Ken Jennings:

Lint and Lent

By Ken Jennings

left_brain:

Mad Scientist of the Month: Paul Erdös

By Maggie Koerth
Ah, the simple life—relaxation, travel, and a carefree existence. Superstar math genius Paul Erdös knew it well. Perhaps a bit too well, in fact. For most of his life, Erdös had no job, no home, and no belongings. And while drug habits and mother issues definitely weighed down this zany scholar, math problems never put up much of a fight.

spinning_the globe:

50-Cent Tour:

Morocco

How Morocco Got Its Groove Back (and How the Gnawa People Got Some Respect)

By Giordana Segneri

right_brain:

Masterpieces:

Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A space odyssey”

By Adam Horowitz
A man, a plan, and a homicidal computer? Put them together, and you get one of the most twisted, aesthetic outer space adventures this side of Jabba the Hutt. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most confusing. Luckily, mental_floss writer and resident movie buff Adam Horowitz is here to answer all your lingering Kubrickian questions—including how to stop worrying and love this film.

I.m. Pei’s Le Grand Louvre

By Elizabeth Lunday

plus_the usual departments:

[Underground Education]

How an Earthquake Spawned the Greatest Immigration Fraud Scheme in History

By Jack Feerick

[10]

Modes of transportation that never got into gear

By Kenn Mccracken