Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Delish

This Is the Healthiest Vegetable in the World, According to Experts

Here’s why watercress is so good for you.

Popular Mechanics

How To Fix Your Super Slow Computer

Don’t toss it, just give it some love (and much-needed storage space).

Culture Study

LARPing Your Job

Time LARPing is better spent working.

Shondaland

How to Hold Your Friends Accountable Without Breaking Your Friendship

There’s a fine line between giving your friends advice on reaching their goals and nagging them when they veer off course.

Bicycling

Meet the Tech-Savvy Sleuths Who Will Hunt Down Your Stolen Bike

If they can’t find it in two weeks, they’ll give you a new one—guaranteed.

Greater Good Magazine

What Happened When I Wrote My Mom a Thank-You Letter

When she turned 50, Nancy Davis Kho wrote 50 gratitude letters—and the first one was to her mom.

Mental Floss

What Do Pets See When They Watch Television?

Dogs and cats can sometimes seem very intrigued by your latest binge-watch. But are they seeing what we’re seeing?

Popular Science

6 Clever Ways to Reuse Silica Gel Packets

Reduce plastic waste while keeping your prized possessions safe from moisture damage.

Inc.

Research Shows the Best Resumes and Cover Letters Use These Words and Phrases (in Moderation)

If you want to land an interview, create resumes and cover letters that are light on self-promotion and heavy on ingratiation.

Nautilus

Why Are You So Smart? Thank Mom and Your Difficult Birth

Walking on two legs might make us special, but it also makes childbirth more painful.

Bon Appétit

Easiest Chocolate Birthday Cake

Pure homemade birthday love. If you’ve got a bowl, a cheap hand mixer, and a couple of measuring cups, you can make this rich, chocolatey cake.

The Guardian

When Depression Wears a Smile, Even Psychiatrists Like Me Can Be Deceived

By the time mental ill health is visible, it’s probably very bad. The best risk assessment is to listen rather than look.

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, July 10

The Guardian

The Terrifying Truth About Why Tesla’s Cars Keep Crashing

Elon Musk is obsessive about the design of his supercars, right down to the disappearing door handles. But a series of shocking incidents – from drivers trapped in burning vehicles to dramatic stops on the highway – have led to questions about the safety of the brand. Why won’t Tesla give any answers?

BBC

Beyond Words: The 200-Year-Old Hidden Languages of Dating

From Regency-era "fan flirting" to coded gifts, people have perfected the art of discreetly signalling their love over many centuries.

The Kitchn

The Famous Grilled Chicken I’ve Loved Since Childhood

Inhaling the scent of the rich, turmeric-laden marinade as it caramelizes atop the charring meat brings me right back to my middle school days, when the same smoky smell coming from the line of carts waiting just outside the school gate for hungry students would hit our noses as we impatiently waited down the final bell.

The Paris Review

Monks in Jersey

A coming-of-age ceremony, a Burmese bar mitzvah, a meditation retreat: I had called it all of those things to friends in the weeks before.

CNN

Trump’s Sudden Shift on Weapons for Ukraine Takes the War Back to Square One

For a fleeting moment, Ukraine’s conflict may have come full circle. In the past 48 hours, US President Donald Trump has perhaps said his most forcefully direct words yet on arming Ukraine. And in the same period, the Kremlin have given their blankest indication to this White House that they are not interested in a realistic, negotiated settlement to the war.

The Walrus

How I Solved the Century-Old Mystery of a Miraculous Shipwreck Survivor

In a disaster worse than the Titanic, it was believed a young man swam over six kilometres to safety. It didn’t add up.

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

The World Bank Set Out to Transform Health Care for the Poor in Africa. It Drove Patients Deeper Into Poverty.

A surge in private equity funding for hospitals left a trail of crushing debts, patient detentions and broken promises.

DW

Why US Chocolate Tastes Weird to the Rest of the World

Chocolate is popular almost everywhere. But tastes vary depending on the continent. While some regions like their chocolate sugary sweet, others prefer more fruity or nutty notes.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

The Verge

James Gunn’s Superman Is Exactly What DC’s Movies Have Been Missing

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a very good movie.

Word In Black

Oak Bluffs: The Legacy of Black Martha’s Vineyard and Black Artists

For generations, Black artists have turned to Oak Bluffs as a refuge where rest, history, and creativity converge in full, unapologetic view.

Axios

AI Is Changing the World Faster Than Most Realize

It’s likely we won’t know how and how much AI will change the way we live, work and play until it already has.

Inverse

Can the New Fantastic Four Measure up to the Original?

Though its story stumbled, Fox’s ‘Fantastic Four’ remains the best version of the team on-screen.

The New York Times

The ‘Sex and the City’ Resurgence Has a Secret Ingredient: Contempt

The show’s sequel, now in its third season, subjects beloved characters to a parade of humiliations. It’s oddly captivating.

The New Yorker

The War on Gaza’s Children

Without safe access to food, water, or medical care, survival has become a daily gamble for the region’s youngest residents.

Boston

Remember When Sporting Goods Stores Were Actually Fun?

One dad braves the escalators, endless aisles, and ceiling-mounted merchandise at Dick’s Sporting Goods—and survives to tell the tale.

Fast Company

Hailey Bieber Built a Billion-Dollar Beauty Brand: Here’s What Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From Her Success

The real lesson of Rhode’s success is to blend momentum with meaning

Business Insider

Amazon Flex Workers’ Schedules Aren’t So Flexible After All, New Report Suggests

Amazon Flex drivers say they’re not always free to work when they please due to limits that the company places on the app.

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Are Creating Plasma So Hot, It May Melt the Current Rules of Reality

This is what happens when you smash atoms in conditions even protons and neutrons can’t stand up to.

BBC

Why ‘Pan-Africanist’ Influencers Pushed Rumours of a Coup

Unpicking the disinformation behind a social media trend spreading tension ahead of Ivory Coast’s election.

Smithsonian Magazine

Why Are So Many More Women Being Diagnosed With ADHD?

Experts once thought ADHD was something only boys experienced. The research is finally starting to catch up with reality

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

CNBC

‘Revenge Savings’ Can Boost Your Bottom Line, Experts Say — Here’s How to Get Started

Saving more money is a perennial resolution, but emotions shouldn't drive that habit, financial experts say. Instead, be intentional. Here's how to get started.

Harvard Business Review

How to Identify the Perfect Cofounder

One of the first and most important decisions entrepreneurs make is whether to go it alone or bring on cofounders.

The New York Times

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

Experts worry that if vaccination rates do not improve, deadly outbreaks will become the new normal.

Gizmodo

This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia

Several larger trials of ambroxol for Parkinson's are already underway.

The Washington Post

I’m a Gastroenterologist. Here’s Why I Tell My Patients to Eat This One Fruit.

Kiwis can boost your gut health. They may also lower triglycerides and cancer risk.

The Atlantic

I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won

My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of.

Harvard Business Review

When It’s Time to Leave a Career You’re Passionate About

People worry that others will see them as immoral and incompetent for quitting their passion. These fears are often misplaced.

CNBC

Recruiter: I’ve Placed Over 1,000 People Into Jobs–Here’s the No. 1 ‘Closing Technique’ to Nail Your Interview

In this environment where it’s difficult to get your foot in the door, one mistake that some recent graduates make is assuming that their degree will automatically get them a job.

NPR

4 Things to Know About the Vaccine Ingredient Thimerosal

The federal government could soon recommend that people only receive flu shots made without an ingredient called thimerosal.

The New York Times

How Many Dates Should You Go on Before You Start Talking About Money?

Couples tend to dance around discussing how much they earn or owe early in a relationship. But experts agree that talking about money sooner is better than later.

HuffPost

I Paid Off a School’s Lunch Debt. Then Strangers on the Internet Did Something Truly Stunning.

This is proof that strangers can decide, together, to make things better.

Fast Company

How to Trick Your Nervous System Into Calming Down When You’re Stressed at Work

Understanding how your body works can be the key to reducing stress. For example, you’re probably aware of your fight-or-flight response—the body’s way of preparing itself when it believes it’s being threatened.