When not writing for mental_floss, he reports on the media and advertising business for MediaPost.com. Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur met as freshmen at Duke University, where they parlayed their cafeteria conversations into the first issue of mental_floss. magazine They have collaborated on more than ten books together, including Condensed Knowledge, Forbidden Knowledge, and The mental_floss History of the World.Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur met as freshmen at Duke University, where they parlayed their cafeteria conversations into the first issue of mental_floss. magazine They have collaborated on more than ten books together, including Condensed Knowledge, Forbidden Knowledge, and The mental_floss History of the World.