Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

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.

The Hustle

Why America Has So Few Carpenters

The Great Recession led to a carpenter exodus. But cultural and pay issues have stunted the profession’s growth for far longer.

Prevention

Forgetful Much? How to Remember Things Better, Starting Now

The science of why we lose stuff and forget stuff—and simple ways to boost your brainpower.

PC Gamer

6 Games That Had a Huge Impact on PC Gaming, but Are Rarely Celebrated Today

The unsung trailblazers of PC gaming history.

Mental Floss

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

Popular Science

How Long Can an Event Hold Humanity’s Attention? There’s an Equation for That.

Societies forget, and this physicist wants to know why.

Kiplinger

5 Financial Red Flags in Relationships

Financial warning signs are crucial to building a secure future with your partner.

Literary Hub

The Real Dracula Is a Detective Story

Forget what you think you know about the ur-vampire story. Bram Stoker’s masterpiece was a sprawling, radical detective novel.

The Hustle

The First ‘Easter Eggs’ Were an Act of Corporate Rebellion

When Atari’s video game designers were stiffed on credit for their work, they expressed their dissatisfaction through hidden messages.

The Marginalian

Mary Shelley on the Surest Remedy for a Sunken Spirit and What Makes Life Worth Living

“There is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others.”

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.

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!

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

Friday, August 8

Condé Nast Traveler

16 Golden Rules That Business Travelers Swear By

People who constantly hit the road for work share what they wish they’d known from the jump.

The Associated Press

The World Nearly Beat Polio. But Fake Records, an Imperfect Vaccine and Missteps Aided Its Comeback.

The World Health Organization has closed in on its bold goal of eradicating polio several times, but the paralytic virus is entrenched in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Guardian

Knife Throwing and Cheeseburger Spinning: The Agony and Ecstasy of Being a Viral Trickshot Video Star

Think you could throw a basketball off a 540ft dam, into a hoop – while blindfolded? Meet the talented and ludicrously patient people putting hours into the internet’s most joyful (and pointless) clips.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

From crispy to chewy, we’ve collected the best of the best.

The Toronto Star

What Michael Did

How does a family cope when one member — in the midst of a psychotic episode — kills another?

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.

The New Yorker

The Internet Wants to Check Your I.D.

New safety rules require users to verify their identities before gaining access to sites. This spells the end of the relative anonymity that we’ve come to expect online.

BBC

How Keep Calm and Carry on Became a Divisive 21st-Century Phenomenon

After a forgotten WW2 propaganda poster was discovered in 2000, it found an astounding new resonance in 21st-Century Britain – becoming an endlessly memeable template that is both cherished and mocked.

Are You in a Mid-Career to Senior Job? Don’t Fear AI – You Could Have This Important Advantage

If you have decades of work experience, your skills may be exactly what’s needed to harness AI’s power, without falling into its traps.

Atlas Obscura

The Bejeweled Poetry Collection That Sank With the Titanic

This luxurious collection of Persian poetry sank to the bottom of the ocean in 1912.

CBS News

Air Force Denies Retirement Pay for Some Transgender Service Members Being Removed From Service

The U.S. Air Force has decided to deny early retirement options for transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service.

Time

How Mike Johnson Became Trump’s Speaker

Johnson has shepherded a series of wins for the White House—and turned the House into an instrument of Trump’s agenda

The 19th

Parenting While Protecting Democracy: The Moms Who Fled the Texas Legislature

Democratic lawmakers fled the state to protest a Trump-backed redistricting plan. For the mothers among them, leaving meant juggling summer milestones, first days of school — and showing their kids what democracy requires.

Mental Floss

Mapped: What Americans Want in a Car, According to Search Trends

Google search trends reveal what kinds of cars each state is dreaming about, and some might surprise you.

Defector

Sweating Through the Existential Angst of a Las Vegas Table Tennis Tournament

With $1.55 million in prizes and main draws of 64 top players, the Smash was the largest international table tennis event to take place in the United States.

Discover

DNA Differences in Great White Sharks Have Instigated an Unsolved Mystery

Learn why differences in the mitochondrial DNA of great white sharks have bewildered scientists for over 20 years.

Elle

Pete Davidson Has ‘Never Been More Excited’ About Becoming a Father

“I’m stoked. I can’t wait. Let’s go,” he said.

Discover

Hominins Moved Into the Neighborhood of the Hobbit Humans Around 1.04 Million Years Ago

Learn more about the arrival of ancient humans on the island of Sulawesi, a nearby neighbor to the island of Flores, where the tiny hominins Homo floresiensis emerged.