Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind
The Hustle

The Worst Sales Promotion in History

In 1992, an electronics company offered free international flights with a £100 purchase. Today, it’s cited as the worst promotion in history.

Outside

How to Keep Your Cool, No Matter What

There’s not much that will make you panic after ten years of dogsledding in the wilderness. And there are lots of ways to feel equally calm in all kinds of outdoor emergencies.

Knowable Magazine

Nature, Nurture and Randomness

More than genes and upbringing determine animal personalities: There’s a good dose of chance in the mix, too.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Today’s Pocket Hits

Thursday, July 31
Punch

Are Kava and Kratom Drinks Addictive?

In detox centers and online support communities, it’s called “the little blue devil.” But its real name is less insidious: “Feel Free” is a drink sold in tiny blue bottles in gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops to people 21 years or older.

Quanta Magazine

What Can a Cell Remember?

A small but enthusiastic group of neuroscientists is exhuming overlooked experiments and performing new ones to explore whether cells record past experiences — fundamentally challenging what memory is.

The Baffler

Winging It

For those trying to overcome their fears of flying, it’s been . . . a challenging time to say the least.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket
The New Yorker

Notes on Bed Rest

I spent months limiting my movement, to protect a high-risk pregnancy. How did it change me?

Life Hacks

Tips for better living
Maclean’s

Confessions of the Working Poor

I work hard, buy quality clothes and know how to fake my way through dinner-party conversations. But behind the scenes, I’m part of a fast-growing Canadian underclass.