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Customer Reviews of Mental Floss

ACCURACY PROBLEMS.
I bought Mental Floss as a gift and I have been borrowing the recipient's copy to read. As a matter of fact, it got passed around. It is fun, well written and very understandable but everyone had the same complaints. <
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>Mental Floss would get 5 stars if it just could solve two problems. First the biggie: I appreciate how difficult it must be to cover such a large array of topics and some very complex ideas in a few sentences. Because of the briefness, accuracy is extremely important. I think the magazine tries too hard to make the facts fit into an overall theme so the reader sometimes walks away with an distorted impression of the subject. (To be clear I am not talking about the writer's opinions. This maganize handles that well.) There are also a few (not many) out and out mistakes. <
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>The second less important: The layout need works. Once I get use to the busyness and the color it actually make sense but it still could be approved upon. <
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>Get these two things fixed and this magazine could easily be "5 Stars" and a much bigger seller. There is definitely a place for a magazine like this. It is starting to sink in all levels of this country (U.S.) that knowledge is important and this magazine fits the bill in our time-pressed society. Also, quickie facts presented in a entertaining way has always been popular with people (note all the stars and praises it gets in the other posts).

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obscure knowledge cozies up to pop culture
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>Mental Floss is a magazine developed by two Duke undergrads. It's fresh and edgy, sometimes irreverent, and often downright silly. Imagine opening a magazine, and out pops a cocktail party full of Gen X intellectuals, animatedly discussing everything from art to zen. This is Mental Floss. Articles are not lengthy, but they are informative. If one needed to cram for a trivial pursuit competition, Mental Floss would be a great study tool. It familiarizes the reader with the basics, in a language that is accessible but not condescending. Anything and everything is fair game for a Mental Floss article, as long as it makes people think. Obscure scientific knowledge cozies up to pop culture, and bizarre facts are juxtaposed with sobering statistics. <
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>Ken Jennings of Jeopardy! fame is a regular contributor. His "Six Degrees" column links two apparently unrelated words or phrases in six short steps. One month he was challenged to connect Wasabi (a spicy Japanese mustard) with Kemosabe (Tonto's pet name for the Lone Ranger, supposed to be a Native American word for faithful friend). Another issue has Jennings connecting the dots between PC (personal computer) and PC (politically correct). <
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>Another regular feature is the "Know It All" column by A. J. Jacobs. An editor at Esquire magazine, Jacobs read the entire 32 volume Encyclopedia Britannica in his quest to become the world's smartest man. Now, in Mental Floss, he's sharing random facts based on a different alphabet letter in each issue. L, for instance, has A. J. discussing such diverse topics as the London Zoo, Ligers (offspring of a lion/tiger breeding), Liar paradox, and Lucky Luciano. <
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>"The Dead Guy Interview" by Michael A. Stusser showcases a famous deceased person each month. Stusser's imaginary exchange with Sun Tzu is hilarious, though I found the Andy Warhol piece a bit macabre. I can imagine the inquisitive reader might be spurred on to read up on their history, just to get the inside jokes. <
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>Mental Floss is intended for adults; some material may be inappropriate for preteens. I'd love to see a kid's version of Floss. It's an intriguing magazine and a subscription would make a fine gift. <
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Not just another mindless magazine
This is my favorite magazine. I can hardly put it down, and it wish it was published more often. They have some of the best, most interesting articles around. In the last issue, they featured a list of the biggest ideas in history broken down for us laymen (ie: existentialism, chaos theory, etc.), plus an article on "How to Become a Superhero in 5 Easy Steps". The articles are fun and interesting at the same time. I recommend this magazine to anyone.