Mental Floss

Your Favorite Villain Strikes Back

Our favorite martian, Ray William Johnson, just put out a new music video featuring all your favorite villains. See how many you know in the funny video... READ ON

The Number of the Day: $140,000

... READ ON

Brain Game: That’s Weird

The Wednesday Word Ladder is now Wednesday Wordplay, which will offer other word-related puzzles in addition to ladders. Enjoy! What English word begins with one double-letter (like “UU” or “LL”) and ends with another? Here is... READ ON

Brain Game: That’s Weird

The Wednesday Word Ladder is now Wednesday Wordplay, which will offer other word-related puzzles in addition to ladders. Enjoy! What English word begins with one double-letter (like “UU” or “LL”) and ends with another? Here is... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Egg Toss

Ten percent of all people are left-handed, a ratio that holds up over generations. While we can correlate a lot of things with handedness, we still don’t know what causes it. * Which Star Trek series do you like the best? It doesn’t really matter, because you can watch them all here, at least for now. (via Metafilter) * Use a steady hand and a virtual catapult to toss Cadbury Creme Eggs at any Google Maps location. I managed to “egg” my own home! (via the Presurfer) * What Pi Sounds Like. Numerical... READ ON

The Number of the Day: 300

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Brain Game: One Vote

This is Brain Game #696, and it’s Tuesday Test Time. Don protective gear now. Two former U.S. presidents have last names that were 10 letters long, and one has a middle name that was 10 letters long. Name the only former U.S. president whose first name was 10 letters long. Here is... READ ON

Brain Game: One Vote

This is Brain Game #696, and it’s Tuesday Test Time. Don protective gear now. Two former U.S. presidents have last names that were 10 letters long, and one has a middle name that was 10 letters long. Name the only former U.S. president whose first name was 10 letters long. Here is... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Mardi Gras

Chicken Chasing: A Cajun Mardi Gras Tradition. Dress funny, beg for food, get drunk, and make sure you have something to repent when Lent begins. * See the most realistic android yet: the Geminoid DK. If you didn’t know going in, how much of the video would you watch before figuring out he’s a robot? * March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. If you’re over 50, your first colonoscopy screening is due, but this silly song will prepare you well. * You know those standardized tests that determine... READ ON

The Late Movies: My Favorite Misanthrope

In case you haven’t heard of him, Charlie Brooker is a British national treasure — and also a sneering, acidly sarcastic, fast-talking, hilarious journalist and TV presenter whose distinctly British tear-downs of everything from the state of TV to politics and video games have earned him a reputation as a no-holds-barred opinionator. Here’s the best of what I could find on YouTube — let me know what you think. BTW, he swears a lot, so these are definitely NSFW. Charlie cleverly deconstructs the... READ ON

Brain Game: Math Square #65

The Monday Math Square turns 65 today, but retirement is still a ways off. Good luck! The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this red grid. Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations are correct both across and down. Here is my... READ ON

Brain Game: Math Square #65

The Monday Math Square turns 65 today, but retirement is still a ways off. Good luck! The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this red grid. Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations are correct both across and down. Here is my... READ ON

Next Year’s Short Film Oscar Winner

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Afghanistan Sam, my buddy who’s been living in Kabul for the past several years. Back in 2008 he guest-blogged about how to buy, slaughter and spit-roast a sheep, and we saw a bit of his short film about a young woman who was embroiled in controversy (and death threats) after coming forward as Afghanistan’s first female Olympian. So what’s Sam been up to over the past few years? Among other things, he’s founded the Afghan Film Project, which has a... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Placebos

Raymond Daniel Towler was imprisoned for almost 29 years for a crime he did not commit. He was exonerated by DNA testing in 2010, but so many years behind bars makes the world hard to catch up with. (via Boing Boing) * Inspired by the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop, a family embarked on a street art project that involved no vandalism. See the funny faces they spread all over the town for people to find. (via The Daily What) * Prepare yourself before you read this powerful reddit forum from cancer... READ ON

Follow @mental_floss on Twitter: Amazing Facts, 140 Characters at a Time

If you like mental_floss, perhaps you’d like us in much smaller doses. Follow us on... READ ON

The Weird Week in Review

Drunk Driver Crashes into Sober House An SUV driven by a drunk driver slammed into a building in south Los Angeles Saturday night. Firefighters arrived to find the vehicle inside a room. Five people in the house (who were asleep when the crash occurred) and the driver suffered minor injuries. The residential building was serving as a sober living facility. The driver will be charged with felony DUI. Letter Arrives 66 Years Late The U.S. Postal Service delivered a letter to a California address with a... READ ON

Brain Game: The Great Bracelet Mystery

Almost all my Brain Game puzzles are original creations, but I occasionally stumble upon an old challenge that’s worthy of reintroduction. Today’s Friday Free-for-All is one of those, and it comes from Martin Gardner’s Perplexing Puzzles from way back in 1969. Enjoy! A lady had four pieces of gold chain (as pictured above). Each piece contained three links. She took the four pieces to a jeweler and asked him to join them together to make a bracelet, like this: “I’ll have to charge you one... READ ON

Brain Game: The Great Bracelet Mystery

Almost all my Brain Game puzzles are original creations, but I occasionally stumble upon an old challenge that’s worthy of reintroduction. Today’s Friday Free-for-All is one of those, and it comes from Martin Gardner’s Perplexing Puzzles from way back in 1969. Enjoy! A lady had four pieces of gold chain (as pictured above). Each piece contained three links. She took the four pieces to a jeweler and asked him to join them together to make a bracelet, like this: “I’ll have to charge you one... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: The Science Swindler

There is a movement among those who study such things to refer to the current stage of geologic time as the Anthropocene epoch, or “age of man.” Does the presence of man make that much difference in the geologic timeline? * A series of 25 cat scans. That is all, but that’s enough. (via Metafilter) * The Saga of the Scientific Swindler! (1884-1891) Even educated eggheads can be taken in by a charmer who can smooth-talk the jargon. (via Boing Boing) * A limited edition line of action figures gives us... READ ON

Brain Game: A World o’ Lands

Good luck with today’s Think Thursday challenge! NOTE: We’ve clarified the text to explain why certain locations are not “countries.” Knowing that locations like Greenland, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are NOT countries, and (2) that countries ending in “LANDS” (like The Netherlands) are not included: Name the 8 current nations of the world whose names end with the four-letter sequence “LAND.” Here are... READ ON

Brain Game: A World o’ Lands

Good luck with today’s Think Thursday challenge! NOTE: We’ve clarified the text to explain why certain locations are not “countries.” Knowing that locations like Greenland, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are NOT countries, and (2) that countries ending in “LANDS” (like The Netherlands) are not included: Name the 8 current nations of the world whose names end with the four-letter sequence “LAND.” Here are... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Impossible Objects

National Geographic has a new infinite photo project online called Tropical Island. You can select an area and click to zoom in on more images of native creatures, and then click again to zoom on more! (via Metafilter) * The Bias of Thoughts bookshelf is a 2d illusion rendered in 3D. A closer look might help you figure how how it’s done -or not. * If cats only had opposable thumbs, they could open doors, embroider, and snap their fingers. Worst of all, they could turn the pages of books about how to take... READ ON

The Quick 10: 10 Things We Got from Texas

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Brain Game: Speed Bumps

Sometimes, things take a long time to happen, despite your efforts to speed them along; hence today’s Wednesday Word Ladder. By changing one letter in each step to form English words, and leaving all other letters in their original positions, change RUSH into SLOW in the fewest possible steps. R U S H _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S L O W Here is one 7-step... READ ON

Brain Game: Speed Bumps

Sometimes, things take a long time to happen, despite your efforts to speed them along; hence today’s Wednesday Word Ladder. By changing one letter in each step to form English words, and leaving all other letters in their original positions, change RUSH into SLOW in the fewest possible steps. R U S H _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S L O W Here is one 7-step... READ ON

How Did You Know Chelsea Tymms and Alexi Runnels?

We had a lot of fun giving away daily neatorama prizes this month! We hope you continue to enjoy this new aspect of the game. Thanks for being active on the Facebook page. Head over there to find out if you’re a random winner, as we announced that earlier today. Meantime, congrats to our repeat winners Chelsea Tymms and Alexi... READ ON

Brain Game: Glued to the Screen

Tuesday Test Time is more of a question/answer than a puzzle today, but it’s the type of question that would be better answered after a bit of careful thought. Good luck: I was recently browsing a 2011 almanac, when I saw the section detailing the 20 most-watched (not highest-rated) individual TV programs in U.S. history. Two sitcom episodes were on the list – the finales of both M*A*S*H and Cheers - and the rest of the list was made up of Super Bowl games. But there was one other specific sporting... READ ON

Brain Game: Glued to the Screen

Tuesday Test Time is more of a question/answer than a puzzle today, but it’s the type of question that would be better answered after a bit of careful thought. Good luck: I was recently browsing a 2011 almanac, when I saw the section detailing the 20 most-watched (not highest-rated) individual TV programs in U.S. history. Two sitcom episodes were on the list – the finales of both M*A*S*H and Cheers - and the rest of the list was made up of Super Bowl games. But there was one other specific sporting... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Let’s Dance!

In 2009, Malcolm Casadaban died from a weakened research-grade strain of the Plague that he was studying. It was able to kill him because of a genetic condition that flourished among people who survived the Plague. (via Boing Boing) * The satirical art of Pawel Kuczynski. If a particular image touches you, you can buy it here. * The Physics of Breakfast Cereal. There’s a real trick to getting puffed rice right -and it involves a cannon. * The remixed George Carlin performs like you’ve never seen him... READ ON

neatorama presents: HDYK? – {day 5}

It’s an all-new 5-day trivia hunt! Co-puzzle Master Josh Halbur and I are happy to bring you the next How Did You Know? sponsored by our friends over at... READ ON

The 5pm Quiz: Disneyland

After more than 55 years in business, Disneyland has attracted more than 600 million guests from all over the world. You may have bought the tickets and been on the rides, but what do you know about the park itself? Take the Quiz:... READ ON

Brain Game: Math Square #64

It’s Monday, probably the best day of the week for the Monday Math Square. Good luck! The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this red grid. Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations are correct both across and down. Here is my... READ ON

Brain Game: Math Square #64

It’s Monday, probably the best day of the week for the Monday Math Square. Good luck! The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this red grid. Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations are correct both across and down. Here is my... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: The Oscar Hangover

Anything that’s not worth staying up all night for will be on the ‘net the next day anyway. See the complete list of Oscar winners, plus photos and videos at the Academy Awards site. * People who were conceived through anonymous sperm donation are demanding the right to know who their fathers are. How does this understandable desire balance against the donor’s right to privacy? * Lessons in Manliness from the Egyptian Revolution. A participant writes about how the experience changed him for the... READ ON

How Did You Know? – Day 4 Level 3/Bonus Round

YES! You can play this challenge/contest without knowing a thing about the weekly hunt! It’s sort of a one-off – a stand-alone if you will. Will you? Answer the Level 3 bonus-round question correctly and you may win your pick of anything you want from the neatoshop (valued under $25). Ready? Set. GO! Oh, and don’t forget, even if you’re not the winner, you still need to solve the challenge to compete for next week’s Day 5 final... READ ON

The Quick 10: When I See an Elephant Fly

If you think one flying elephant is impressive, how about 16 of them? Today’s “I’m almost on vacation” post pays tribute to the ride that’s the favorite of kiddies everywhere (but not of Harry Truman): Dumbo the Flying... READ ON

neatorama presents: HDYK? – {day 4}

It’s an all-new 5-day trivia hunt! Co-puzzle Master Josh Halbur and I are happy to bring you the next How Did You Know? sponsored by our friends over at... READ ON

The Number of the Day: 14

... READ ON

The Weird Week in Review

Restaurant Serves Breast Milk Ice Cream A ice cream parlor in London, England has a new flavor on the menu. “Baby Gaga” is made from 75% human breast milk and 25% cow milk (plus vanilla and other flavoring). The Icecreamists will begin selling the ice cream Friday. The breast milk comes from 15 women who are receiving the equivalent of $1.61 an ounce for their milk, making lactation quite lucrative for the mothers. The ice cream will sell for $22 a serving. Dog Rescued by Dolphins A doberman pincher... READ ON

Brain Game: I Love LA!

Every one of the 50 U.S. states has its own two-letter postal abbreviation. Exactly 15 state postal abbreviations begin with the FIRST and LAST letters of the name of the state they represent. An example is LOUISIANA, whose abbreviation is “LA” (the first and last letters in “Louisiana.”) Name as many as you can of the other 14 U.S. states whose names meet this criterion. In case you need the list of all 50 states for today’s puzzle: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO,... READ ON

Brain Game: I Love LA!

Every one of the 50 U.S. states has its own two-letter postal abbreviation. Exactly 15 state postal abbreviations begin with the FIRST and LAST letters of the name of the state they represent. An example is LOUISIANA, whose abbreviation is “LA” (the first and last letters in “Louisiana.”) Name as many as you can of the other 14 U.S. states whose names meet this criterion. In case you need the list of all 50 states for today’s puzzle: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO,... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Can You Eat This?

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has identified 54 planets that are close enough to their stars so that conditions for life are possible. The SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) turned their antennas to the most promising candidates for a listen. * The Drinking Bird, a Scientific Toy for the Ages. After 55 years, it still fascinated us to find out how it works. * Here are 83 Gut-Busting Restaurant Challenges for Free Food, but only if you eat it all, and usually within a time frame. This... READ ON

How Did You Know? – Day 3 Level 3/Bonus Round

YES! You can play this challenge/contest without knowing a thing about the weekly hunt! It’s sort of a one-off – a stand-alone if you will. Will you? Answer the Level 3 bonus-round question correctly and you may win your pick of anything you want from the neatoshop (valued under $25). Ready? Set. GO! Oh, and don’t forget, even if you’re not the winner, you still need to solve the challenge to compete for next week’s Day 5 final... READ ON

The Quick 10: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the fastest ride in the wilderness

With the addition of Splash Mountain and recent revamp of Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, not to mention other parks’ thrill rides like Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest, I think Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is often overlooked. It’s a speedy little coaster ride, but it’s not going to drop you from dizzying heights or spiral you in a series of upside down loops. I think that’s part of its charm. Hope you enjoy part three of your vicarious Disney vacation – come back tomorrow to learn... READ ON

Puppies Wearing Hats Eating Bacon Sharing Facts (About Levi’s Jeans)

See more Puppies Wearing Hats Eating Bacon Sharing... READ ON

neatorama presents: HDYK? – {day 3}

It’s an all-new 5-day trivia hunt! Co-puzzle Master Josh Halbur and I are happy to bring you the next How Did You Know? sponsored by our friends over at neatorama.com. Here’s how it works: Every day the rest of this week, we’ll be presenting two challenges at noon ET. They’ll be very similar to the kinds of puzzles you’ve come to expect from me and Josh, and, yes, they will feed into the Day 5 puzzle, as normal. Each evening, at 8pm ET, we’ll be putting up a third challenge loosely based on... READ ON

The Number of the Day: 50,000,000,000

... READ ON

Brain Game: Really, Really Bad Rebus #22

It’s Think Thursday here at the mental_floss Brain Game, and time for another Really, Really Bad Rebus. Decipher the following rebus to find the title of a popular film from the last few years. Good luck! Here is... READ ON

Morning Cup of Links: Instant Internet Stardom

Ten-year-old Maria Aragon sang Lady Gaga’s new song and got 12 million YouTube views in one week. Listen and see why. * Some monkeys have enough self-awareness to realize when they don’t know an answer, and will tell us if we make it worth their time. It appears that uncertainty is not an exclusively human trait. (via J-Walk Blog) * The 50 Greatest Opening Title Sequences of All Time. For some of these movies, it’s the only part worth remembering. * Allie Brosh at Hyperbole and a Half has a new post... READ ON

Take one down, pass it around

Some of you might recall Ethan’s awesome Slogans of Cheap Beers quiz, posted some moons ago. In that spirit, see how many brands you can recognize in this cute video from YourFavoriteMartian, Ray William... READ ON