%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20684.6%2068.1%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%20684.6%2068.1%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cg%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M444.1%2C29.3h-17.4v14.5h17.4V29.3z%20M36.4%2C68.1l29.3-50.8V0H50.4L32.9%2C36.8L15.5%2C0H0v68.1h16.7V45.8l12.4%2C22.3H36.4z%0A%09%09%20M49.1%2C68.1h16.6V23.4L49.1%2C52.1V68.1z%20M76.6%2C68.1h45V53.8H93.3V41.6h21V27.1h-21V14.8h28.3V0.1h-45V68.1z%20M175.6%2C68.1h17.3v-68%0A%09%09h-16.5v40.3L150%2C0.1h-17.6v68h16.7V27.7L175.6%2C68.1z%20M235.8%2C14.8h15.4V0.1h-47.4v14.7H219v53.2h16.8V14.8z%20M290.3%2C45.9h-17.1%0A%09%09l7.5-15.6h2L290.3%2C45.9z%20M298.7%2C68.1h18l-32.2-68h-5.7l-32%2C68h18l3.3-7.1h27.1L298.7%2C68.1z%20M325.2%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1h-16.7%0A%09%09V68.1z%20M423.7%2C14.8h27.2V0.1H407v68h16.7V14.8z%20M462%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1H462V68.1z%20M564.8%2C34.1c0%2C10.7-7.2%2C19.2-18.5%2C19.2%0A%09%09c-11.4%2C0-18.5-8.5-18.5-19.2s7.1-19.2%2C18.5-19.2C557.6%2C14.9%2C564.8%2C23.4%2C564.8%2C34.1%20M580.6%2C34.1c0-19-14.2-34-34.3-34%0A%09%09c-20.2%2C0-34.3%2C15-34.3%2C34c0%2C19%2C14.1%2C34%2C34.3%2C34C566.4%2C68.1%2C580.6%2C53.1%2C580.6%2C34.1%20M604.8%2C20.5c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2%0A%09%09c4.4%2C0%2C6.6%2C3%2C6.6%2C6.6h14.7C631.8%2C9.1%2C625.1%2C0.1%2C611%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8%0A%09%09c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6%0A%09%09c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8C610.6%2C26.1%2C604.8%2C25.3%2C604.8%2C20.5%20M670%2C20.9h14.7C683.8%2C9.1%2C677.1%2C0.1%2C663%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6%0A%09%09c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8%0A%09%09c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8c-5.4-1.6-11.3-2.4-11.3-7.2c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2C667.7%2C14.4%2C670%2C17.3%2C670%2C20.9%0A%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
The Future of Books Is Experimental: At Home with Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs
All week long, Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs sit side by side at a long workbench facing their Santa Monica backyard, writing.
THE MAGAZINE
The Green Movement
Here’s how John Green made a generation believe in the power of awesome.
The Evolution of Mr. Potato Head
It started as body parts you jabbed into real potatoes and became a cultural phenomenon, resulting in some sweet film roles and government work. Let’s go back to the beginning.
10 Jobs You Didn't Hear About On Career Day
Back in preschool, there were only a handful of sensible options for the career-minded 4-year-old. Had we heard about "sin-eating," we would have eaten more paste and focused a little less on our permanent records.
The Treadmill Originated in Prisons
Exercising on a treadmill often feels like torture, and that’s not exactly a coincidence.
Carrie Brownstein Rules at Everything
Our conversation with the indie rocker turned Portlandia star, who's working on a new album and really good at ping-pong.
Surfing in 30-Degree Alaskan Waters
Waves are waves. Even in Alaska.
Ezra Pound's Kickstarter Plan for T.S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot was poised to be the top poet of his generation. But first he had to be rescued from his day job.
5 Geniuses Who Renounced Their Work
It’s tough being brilliant. It’s even tougher when you hate your own masterpieces.
Houdini's Greatest Trick: Debunking Medium Mina Crandon
The magician is famous for his thrilling escapes, but the feat he should be known for is breaking into a séance.
How 'Twin Peaks' Made Modern Art of the Soap Opera
'Twin Peaks' proved to fans, critics, and industry gatekeepers alike that television would no longer live in the shadow of film.
Our Interview with 'Calvin and Hobbes' Creator Bill Watterson!
Watterson spoke to Mental Floss in December 2013. Here's what he had to say about stuffed Hobbes toys, creative integrity, and animating his characters.
The Sheikh of Shampoo
The next time you rinse and repeat, give a nod to the Indian surgeon who brought hair washing to the West.
The 25 Most Powerful Websites
These sites changed what we eat, how we vote, and the ways we kill time at the office.
10 Technologies We Stole From the Animal Kingdom
People have been lifting ideas from Mother Nature for decades. Here are some of our favorite technologies that came in from the wild.
10 Amazing Ways Video Games Can Change Your Life
They can save your life, crush your soul, make you a fortune, or even leave you penniless. Here are 10 reasons why video games have more real-world power than you think.
Is It Duck Tape or Duct Tape?
If you’ve been rolling your eyes at people who say “duck tape” adhesive, prepare some apologies.
The Woman at the Wheel
Polite society told Alice Huyler Ramsey that women shouldn’t drive. So she motored across the country to prove them wrong.
4 Stories of Everyday Royals
While the masses coo at Kate’s dresses and wink at Harry’s antics, there’s a world of colorful royalty that never makes the tabloids. From a crafty prince who scalps movie tickets for pocket money to a TV-obsessed royal who believes Star Trek can jump-sta
