Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Apartment Therapy

The Trick to Growing Your Own Avocado Plant

The first step is easy: eat an avocado and save the pit.

The Atlantic

Why Do We Need to Sleep?

At a lab in Japan, an international team of scientists is trying to figure out what puts us under.

The Kitchn

This Brilliant Trick Makes the Best Sweet Potatoes of All Time (They’re So Crispy)

The best sweet potatoes of your life.

The Atlantic

The Age of the Unique Baby Name

Parents used to want kids to fit in. Now they want them to stand out.

BBC Future

How to Teach Children About Risk

Lessons in the rational appraisal of danger may be the secret to a happier, healthier life – and they can be mastered through a few simple steps.

Smithsonian Magazine

The Texas City Where Mermaids Inspire River Conservation

“Aquamaids” were once the stars at an amusement park in San Marcos. Now, they are making a comeback to help the environment.

Narratively

Confessions of a Failed Self-Help Guru

I traveled around the country telling strangers how to better their lives—until I learned that those offering to solve your problems are often the ones who need help.

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

Growing Through Grief

Derek Jarman on gardening as creative redemption, consecration of time, and training ground for presence.

BBC Worklife

How the Busiest People Get ‘Deep Work’ Done

For busy people, finding time for uninterrupted work may feel utterly unrealistic. But there are methods we can use to optimise what limited ‘deep work’ time we have.

Greater Good Magazine

Seven Ways to Help Someone with Anxiety

Knowing how anxiety works can help you to better support loved ones without inadvertently making their anxiety worse.

Romper

How to Talk to Your Kids About War & Help Them Feel Safe

Wars continue to happen in all corners of the world, and children are going to have questions.

The Drive

How to Test Your Oil Pressure

Your engine’s oil pressure is vital to its integrity and longevity.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Saturday, August 16

ESPN

The Predatory Web of Sextortion Increasingly Ensnares Young Athletes

A Michigan teen was goaded into sharing an intimate photo that scammers threatened to expose unless he paid up.

BBC

How Kentucky Bourbon Went From Boom to Bust

Tariffs, oversupply and teetotaling Gen-Zs have all contributed to the downfall of one of America’s most iconic liquors.

CBS News

This Car Ranks as America’s Most-Stolen Vehicle

Here’s why one Chevrolet model is the most-stolen type of car, according to a new report.

New York Magazine

The Crypto Maniacs and the Torture Townhouse

How two men charged with an outrageous kidnapping scheme introduced a new kind of crime to the city.

The Associated Press

The Top Photos of the Week by AP’s Photojournalists

This photo gallery, curated by photo editor Anita Baca, highlights some of the most compelling images worldwide published in the past week.

The New Yorker

Why Hasn’t Medical Science Cured Chronic Headaches?

More than 1.2 billion people worldwide suffer from migraine and other debilitating conditions that are under-studied and often not taken seriously.

NPR

Recommendation: New Books Published This Week

A portrait of the lucrative drug-treatment industry; a memoir of a female firefighter; debut fiction from an Emmy-winning TV writer; and a brand new Karin Slaughter thriller.

BBC

A Dating App, a Niqab and a 9mm Gun: How a US Woman Was Hired to End a UK Family Feud

The investigation into the Wisconsin native revealed her to be “fairly unexceptional” with virtually no “criminal footprint”. And it remains unclear why she became a would-be contract killer.

Sex Reversal Is More Common in Birds Than Previously Thought, Suggests Study of Australian Species

Researchers find that about 5 percent of birds studied have a mismatch between genetic and physical sex—including one male bird that seems to have laid an egg

Vanity Fair

Better Call Chase Infiniti

The star of One Battle After Another has played the daughters of everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor to Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga to Elisabeth Moss and O-T Fagbenle.

NPR

Embryos Small but Mighty, First Live Videos Show

Scientists have recorded a human embryo implanting in a womb in real time. The implications of how it happens could lead to more and better treatments for infertility.

BBC

US Wholesale Prices Jump in July As Tariffs Hit

US producers raised prices at the fastest pace in more than three years last month, stoking concerns about higher prices for consumers.

BBC

No Ceasefire, No Deal. What Summit Means for Trump, Putin and Ukraine

Three BBC correspondents at the meeting in Alaska assess what we learned about the two leaders and what’s next for the war.

Kotaku

Pokémon Scalpers Are Already Ruining the World Championships

The exclusive Pikachu plush is one of many items already showing up on eBay for more than twice the original price

Backpacker

What Happens When You Push Ultralight Backpacking Too Far?

Cutting your pack weight can make for a more fun experience on the trail—to a point. From backpacking with no backpack to trying the Triple Crown without a sleeping bag or tent, we share four stories of hikers who pushed ultralight to uncomfortable—and oc