Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

The Drive

How To Dry Your Car the Right Way

Don’t let the sun do the work for you.

The Conversation

Keeping Fit: How to Do the Right Exercise for Your Age

As we get older, our bodies benefit from different types of exercise. Here’s a guide for all ages.

The Washington Post

Can I Reverse My Lactose Intolerance? Here’s a GI Doctor’s Advice.

Many of us become lactose intolerant as we age, but you don’t have to give up all dairy products.

Bon Appétit

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With Toffee

Prepare for these toffee-and-chocolate-laced brown butter cookies to ruin you for all others.

The Marginalian

Wisdom from the Life of Mary Somerville, for Whom the Word “Scientist” Was Coined

Inside the hallmark of a great scientist and a great human being — the ability to hold one’s opinions with firm but unfisted fingers.

The Guardian

Is Tracking Everything Actually Good For Us?

We record everything mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this just narcissism redesigned for the big tech age?

Eight Ways to Fit Workouts Into Your Busy Schedule

If you’re forcing yourself to do something you hate, your body will release stress hormones, says one expert. There’s a better way.

BBC Travel

The US’ Lost, Ancient Megacity

In the ancient Mississippian settlement of Cahokia, vast social events – not trade or the economy – were the founding principle.

Fast Company

These Navy SEAL Tricks Will Help You Perform Better Under Pressure

Use this the next time you need to think clearly in a high-pressure situation.

Greater Good Magazine

How to Let Go of an Old Regret

If we don’t confront the past, we can be haunted by sadness and self-blame.

Knowable Magazine

The Living Things That Feast on Plastic

Scientists are scouring garbage sites around the world for bacteria, fungi and even insects that harbor enzymes that could be harnessed for breaking down various polymers.

Mental Floss

15 Amazing Facts About 15 Birds

Here’s a flock of facts about everything avian, from brilliantly colored hummingbirds to acorn-hoarding woodpeckers.

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

Tuesday, August 5

CNET

The Best Foods to Put on Your Plate If You Have a Headache

Your diet could be a factor if you regularly deal with headaches, but these foods may help.

The Walrus

When Immigrants Oppose Immigration

Many established communities are embracing anti-newcomer rhetoric.

The New Yorker

Treating Gaza’s Collective Trauma

In Gaza, where displaced children play games called “air strike” and act out death, the lack of mental-health resources has become another emergency.

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.

ProPublica

The Drying Planet

As the climate warms, huge swaths of land across the globe are quickly drying, threatening humanity’s supply of fresh water.

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.

Popular Science

What Do TSA Bag Scanners Actually See?

Airport X-ray imaging can detect all sorts of threats, along with the water bottle you forgot to trash.

Aeon

A Life in Zen

Growing up in countercultural California, ‘enlightenment’ had real glamour. But decades of practice have changed my mind.

Sales Tax Holidays Begin As Families Face Higher School Costs

Florida’s sales tax holiday is the whole month of August. See the list of states with tax-free weekends.

POLITICO

This DOGE Project Is Still Full Steam Ahead

A push to digitize government retirements is gaining momentum and staying above the fray.

Literary Hub

How Witi Ihimaera’s ‘The Whale Rider’ Helped Introduce Maori Literature to the World

Shilo Kino on the novel that represented and reconnected New Zealand’s indigenous people.

Eater

The Biggest New Las Vegas Restaurant Openings, August 2025

A celebrity chef Italian restaurant, a swanky steakhouse, and more openings to know this month.

Dazed

Everyone Is a Content Creator Now

Why do we act like influencers, even when we’re not getting paid?

The Markup

Should Lyft and Uber Charge More If Your Battery Is Low? California May Soon Ban That

A proposed bill would bar companies from using data like a phone’s battery life, what apps are installed and where its user is to set prices.

Popular Science

Paleontologists Discover ‘Unusual’ Long-Necked Plesiosaur in Germany

Nearly half of Plesionectes longicollum was just its head and neck.

Scary Mommy

8 Dog Products To Keep Your Home Fur-Free

Tired of staring at the mess your beloved pet leaves all over the house? Try these editor-recommended pet products you can buy to keep your home clean(ish).

USA TODAY

NCAA Basketball Tournament Won’t Expand in 2026, Still Possible for 2027

March Madness will not expand − for now.

SFGate

Wild Pigs Found With Blue Meat in California Spark Alarm

The bizarre discoloration is a result of exposure to diphacinone, an anticoagulant rodenticide that is often dyed to identify it as a poison, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.