• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 15, 2011

Social flossing sounds pretty disgusting -- but the series of Trivia Shows hosted by mental_floss and sponsored by Nissan should be anything but. This Thursday, mental_floss, whose mission is to make learning fun, is hosting its third trivia night, promising entertainment and prizes, at the Nissan LEAF Drive Electric Pavillion in Columbus, OH.

The pairing of mental_floss, a magazine I have written for, and Nissan's new all-electric "zero-gas" car is a natural one, given the magazine's dedication to all things new and cutting-edge, as well as obscure historical tidbits.

Attendees can test-drive the Leaf before and after the trivia event, which promises to be a multimedia extravaganza of little-known, bizarre, and occasionally even useful facts. They can also snag a free T-shirt from the magazine's store of sartorial curiosities.

Hardcore "flossers" may already know the magazine has a considerable following in Ohio, but the Buckeye State is just one of several to receive a visit from mental_floss on behalf of Nissan. On Sept. 1, the mental_floss-Nissan traveling trivia show- cum-test drive graced Indianapolis, and on Sept. 8 they hit Memphis.

Nissan has partnered with a number of niche and enthusiast publications to reach desirable target audiences, highlighting brand attributes like performance, design, and versatility. In 2008, Nissan partnered with Rodale for its "Master the Shift" campaign, which offered advice from well-known athletes and trainers, and in 2009, it partnered with Sports Illustrated to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Heisman Trophy, with 10 stops across America at the site of big games.

Hearst Hearts HTML5

Hearst magazines is looking to upgrade most of its Web sites by integrating HTML5 over the next year, according to Folio:, citing Mark Weinberg, vice president of programming and product strategy for Hearst Digital Media. Good Housekeeping will be the first site to get the HTML5 makeover, which should make it easier for Hearst to publish across different platforms and devices.

The Economist Launches "Game Theory" Blog

The Economist is known for its coverage of finance, politics, world events, and, yes, economics -- but sports? The magazine's Web site is introducing a new blog covering sports called "Game Theory," which will cover all kinds of sports -- from the massively popular to the little-known -- with the magazine's trademark combination of intelligence and dry wit.

In true wonky fashion, special emphasis will be given to the political, economic, scientific, and statistical aspects of the sports business, which should also yield plenty of salacious gossip, in light of corruption scandals in soccer and cricket, steroid abuse and labor disputes in American football and baseball, and the criminal antics of overpaid, oversexed, intoxicated athletes the world over.

Meacham Signs With Time

Jon Meacham, the history author and former editor of Newsweek , has crossed the lines to join rival newsweekly Time. Meacham, who served as Newsweek editor until it was sold by the Washington Post Co. to stereo magnate Sidney Harman (now deceased), is joining Time as a contributing editor. His first article, about the influence of fundamentalist Christian movements on the Republican Party, appears in the Sept. 26 issue.