Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Quanta Magazine

Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos

In new computer experiments, artificial-intelligence algorithms can tell the future of chaotic systems.

The Guardian

How to Be a Norwegian Parent: Let Your Kids Roam Free, Stay Home Alone, Have Fun – and Fail

In Norway, children walk to school aged six, or even travel across the country – and no one bats an eyelid. Why do these kids have so much independence, while other countries are so risk-averse?

The Guardian

Teeth as Time Capsules: Soviet Secrets and My Dentist Grandmother

In postwar Warsaw, my grandmother Zosia fixed the teeth of prisoners and spies. In doing so, she came into contact with the hidden history of her times in a way few others could.

The Atlantic

Eight Books That Will Take You Somewhere New

These titles conjure their settings so vividly that you’ll feel as if you’re there.

GQ

I Swiped Tinder for Days in the Name of Research—These 5 Tips Will Make Your Bio Stand Out

Don’t fall victim to these common clichés, blasé generalities, or self-deprecating lines to shine in the sea of swiping.

BBC Future

The Enormous Heat Pumps Warming Cities

From New York City to rural England, communal heat pump networks could be the answer to decarbonizing heat in both city high-rises and other hard-to-heat homes.

Knowable Magazine

How Plants Turned Predator

Carnivorous plants fascinate as much now as when their gruesome diet was first discovered.

The Kitchn

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

For a bright morning muffin, whip up this batch in less than an hour.

Fast Company

Side Hustles You Can Start From Your Couch

You don’t need an office, employees, or investment capital to launch a small business that could generate thousands of extra dollars a year.

Scott Young

How to Find Time

Start by asking yourself if time is really the issue.

The Hustle

The Thriving Business of ‘Ikea Hacking’

A growing number of companies are offering design tweaks for old Ikea furniture — and business is booming.

Literary Hub

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: 8 of the Best Sunsets in Literature

“The sky, at sunset, looked like a carnivorous flower.”

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

Sunday, August 3

Tampa Bay Times

She Left Her Abusive Ex. Could She Stay Away?

Money, housing, kids and heartache keep victims with abusers. For a Florida woman, breaking free meant risking it all.

The Independent

Meet the Childfree Communities Planning for a Future Without Kids

As increasing numbers of us can’t or won’t have children, Helen Coffey talks to those who are planning their lives without a nuclear family, and investigates why government policy has yet to catch up with this rapidly growing demographic.

The Baffler

Winging It

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

Glamour

Would You Let Your Friend Pitch You to a Room Full of Single Strangers?

In 2025 we’re turning back to one of the oldest forms of dating: meeting a romantic partner through friends.

POLITICO Magazine

Meet the Fraudster Who Wants to Make California Its Own Country

The man behind the Calexit movement claims to be a baller. But he’s broke.

The Cut

What If a Child Was Terrified of Food?

The rise of ARFID, a new eating disorder driven not by body image but by fear.

Scientific American

The Hidden Way Allergens Attack Nose, Throat and Lung Cells

The immune system senses damage to cell membranes caused by pore-forming proteins and mounts a response.

AFAR

Where to Go Every Month of the Year for Better Weather, Fewer Crowds, and the Most Value

Hurricane-free Caribbean beaches, empty canals in Venice, and lush safaris—all can be yours in off season.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Time

The EPA’s Anti-Climate Move Leaves Industry Confused

It’s hard to think of a policy move that could more directly target climate science than this.

The Atlantic

First Came Tea. Then Came the Male Rage.

The app was meant to make dating safer for women. Data breaches exposing its users show why it was so popular in the first place.

Time

Can the U.S. Timber Industry and Forest Carbon Credit Programs Coexist?

The carbon credit industry and the timber industry value U.S. forests at billions of dollars. Both are vying for the same trees.

Popular Mechanics

A Study Says Your Brain Can Travel Through Time. Here’s What It Does to Your Memory.

Recalling thoughts and feelings when a memory was encoded improved memory recall, but this mental trick has its limits.

Time

The True Story Behind Chief of War, Jason Momoa’s Hawaiian History Epic

Jason Momoa worked behind and in front of the camera on an epic retelling of the story of the unification of Hawaii.

SB Nation

NFL Hidden Gems: The Secret Superstars for All 32 Teams

Who are the underrated players that will help decide the 2025 NFL season? Read about the Secret Superstars for all 32 NFL teams right here!

MIT Technology Review

Forcing LLMs to Be Evil During Training Can Make Them Nicer in the Long Run

New Anthropic research shows that undesirable LLM traits can be detected—and even prevented—by examining and manipulating the model’s inner workings.

The Associated Press

Trump Cuts Leave Brain Implant Patients in the Lurch

NIH cuts spotlight a hidden crisis facing patients with experimental brain implants. Remember that Black Mirror episode?

CBS News

Paula Deen Abruptly Closes Georgia Restaurant That Catapulted Her to Fame

Former Food Network star Paula Deen did not say why she suddenly closed the Georgia restaurant she and her sons opened in 1996.

CBS News

Americans Are Still Waiting on Trump’s Pledge of IVF Treatment for All

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump said the U.S. would be “paying for” IVF.

The New Republic

The Invisible Climate Change Effect That Is Most Likely to Kill You

Air pollution is less dramatic than floods or storms, less inconvenient, and much harder to politicize. It’s also much more deadly.

The Marshall Project

How Trump Used the Criminal System to Massively Expand Immigration Detention

Through threats and incentives, the administration conscripted local jails, federal prisons and private companies to detain immigrants.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The Associated Press

What to Know If You’re at Risk of Having Your Wages Garnished Over Student Loan Debt

Millions of student borrowers could begin having their wages garnished as soon as this summer. That’s according to estimates from credit bureau TransUnion.

Money

How to Prioritize Your Bills in a Financial Crunch

Which obligations need your immediate attention and which can wait.

HuffPost

This Mosquito-Borne Illness Is Being Reported in Multiple States — Here’s What to Know

Now’s the time to replenish your bug spray supply.

CBS News

What Will Happen to Gold Prices This August?

Gold prices have largely risen over the past 18 months, approximately, but will they continue to do so this August?

The Atlantic

Three Ways to Stop Feeling Like an Impostor

This common syndrome can certainly harm your happiness. Here are three ways to get over it.

The Guardian

Sweat, Stingers and Scratching: 14 Expert, Easy Ways to Treat and Prevent Insect Bites

Some of us seem to be bitten much more than others – and in unlucky cases this can lead to an allergic reaction or chronic illness. Pharmacists explain how to avoid the worst insects have to offer.

SELF

5 Reasons You Get Random Bruises—and When to See a Doctor

Here’s how to tell if something nefarious might be behind them.

Culture Study

A Fascinating Look at How a Hair Stylist Organizes Their Days

This is so interesting.

SFGate

7 Dogs Suddenly Die in Southern California, 11 More Fall Ill

All were said to have been in good health before a sudden onset of lethargy, nausea, seizures and other symptoms.

The Cut

How Do People Actually Afford These Summer Trips?

If you’re wondering how everyone is staying at four-star hotels in Italy right now, you’re not alone.

NPR

The Transformative Power of Keeping a Daily Journal

In a new book, writer Suleika Jaouad explains why journaling is a form of alchemy — and offers tips on how to reignite your practice if you’re feeling stuck, bored or uninspired by your own writing.

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.