Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Scott Young

Set Goals in the Middle

Start by grasping the difference between a general direction and a concrete goal.

The Conversation

Do Optimists Really Live Longer? Here’s What the Research Says

According to a study, optimists are more likely to live into their nineties.

MIT Press Reader

Peggy Guggenheim and the Self-Taught Artist You Probably Never Heard Of

A little-known story of a forgotten artist, an iconoclastic socialite, and an obscure painting that fetched more than a Mondrian and Magritte combined.

Inc.

How to Learn in 2 Days What Normally Takes 6 Months

Being realistic about the challenges ahead of you can help you overcome them quickly.

The Kitchn

The 30 Most Brilliant Cleaning Hacks of All Time

A few clever tricks to make cleaning a whole lot less daunting.

Greater Good Magazine

Your Sleep Tonight Changes How You React to Stress Tomorrow

According to research, a good night’s sleep makes us more positive and resilient to stress.

BBC Future

The Ancient Persian Way to Keep Cool

From ancient Egypt to the Persian Empire, an ingenious method of catching the breeze kept people cool for millennia.

Narratively

The New Sisterhood of Black Female Homesteaders

From the South Side of Chicago to tiny off-the-grid Carolina farms, a growing number of Black women are reclaiming the land — and their mental and physical health in the process.

Atlas Obscura

How a Fake Mountain Range Slowed Down Arctic Exploration

The 19th-century naval officer John Ross had a knack for seeing land where it wasn’t.

Aeon

When a Bough Breaks

Volcanic feelings of love and hate are part of being a parent: it’s dangerous to pretend otherwise.

Bon Appétit

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

It might feel like you’re beating the batter for a long time, but that’s what gives this cake an airy lift. Stay with it!

Smithsonian Magazine

Rewriting the Story of Ötzi the Iceman

Nearly everything archaeologists thought they knew about the 5,300-year-old corpse’s preservation may be wrong.

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

Thursday, August 7

Scientific American

What if Infinity Didn’t Exist?

Can “finitism” possibly describe the real world?

WIRED

From Cheating Exposés to Dating Background Checks, TikTok Detectives Are Thriving

Private investigator influencers are staking out suspected cheaters and vetting dates for their clients, posting the tea for their followers. But there’s a dark side to morality-based surveillance.

The Atlantic

What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones

Children who were raised on screens need more freedom out in the real world.

The Wall Street Journal

Earning More But in Worse Shape: Hardship Overwhelms Many American Families

Nearly half of kids in the U.S. live in households below the middle class as inflation and the end of Covid relief hit working parents; a $2.90 raise that cuts government benefits.

Slate

I Quit Drinking. It’s Great. There’s Just One Small Problem.

How do I deal with my emotions without whiskey?

BBC

How Pac-Man Changed Gaming - and the World

Celebrating his 45th birthday this year, the yellow eating machine revolutionised video games – and has even been used in science. What has made him and his adventures so addictive?

Atavist

The Talented Mr. Bruseaux

He made his name in Chicago investigating race riots, solving crimes, and exposing corruption. But America’s first Black private detective was hiding secrets of his own.

Noema Magazine

The Gulf World That Air Conditioning Wrought

From Saudi Arabia to Qatar, rulers have used modern air conditioning to control landscapes and lives, forgoing traditional methods of keeping cool.

Forever Young? I’m Another Year Older but I’ll Never Stop Playing Games - or Writing About Them

My love for video games has never wavered, I have no intention of growing up and moving on.

Los Angeles Times

Every Day Is Halloween. Why Theme Parks Are Going Big on Year-Round Horror Experiences

The opening of Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas signals that culture has now fully embraced the darker side of fairy tales.

Fast Company

Why Tariff Uncertainty Hits Small Businesses Especially Hard

One recent survey of thousands of small-business owners found that the biggest challenge of tariff policies is the sheer uncertainty they cause.

The Independent

Zoo Welcomes Four New Rare Barbary Lion Cubs Whose Population Is Extinct Outside of Protection

Four Barbary lion cubs have been born in a Czech zoo, marking a vital step for the rare animal that is extinct in the wild.

Time

Why So Many Women Are Quitting the Workforce

Labor force participation among women has started falling again in 2025.

The Ringer

The First Ride of the Valkyries

In its inaugural season, Golden State is competing for a playoff berth and has the highest franchise valuation in the league. What does the WNBA’s newest franchise mean for the future of the sport? And what will it take to bring a title to the Bay?

Education Week

Teens Are the Loneliest People in the World, a New Report Finds. Why?

Rates of loneliness are higher among teens, the World Health Organization found. Is social media to blame?

Vanity Fair

King Charles Is Now Selling Dog Treats

The monarch’s latest offerings are hand-baked in the kitchens at Balmoral “for your four-legged prince or princess.”

Smithsonian Magazine

How Bruce Springsteen Created the ‘Greatest Rock Album Ever’

Fifty years ago, the Boss was at a pivotal moment in his career. A new book details what it took to launch ‘Born to Run.’

BBC

My Journey to the Heart of the Forgotten Internet

Slowly but surely, huge swaths of the internet are vanishing. But the artefacts of the early web are still out there, and they have lessons for the future.