Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

CityLab

What Happened to Hanging Out on the Street?

Urban pedestrians are walking faster and doing less socializing, according to a study of NYC, Boston and Philadelphia.

Fast Company

Want a Promotion? These 4 Habits Are More Powerful Than Talent

Talent can only take you so far. The reason some people are high performers is because they’ve formed good habits.

Stylist

Sunday Night Anxiety: How to Alleviate the “Sunday Scaries,” According to an Expert

Sophrology exercises can be used to alleviate the Sunday Scaries.

Mental Floss

12 Artifacts Brought Up From the ‘Titanic’

More than 5,500 artifacts have been brought up since the first salvage trip to the ‘Titanic’ wreckage in 1987.

Wait But Why

Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think

Human are wired with an over-the-top obsession with what others think of them. Here’s how to bring it under control.

Cardiologists On What You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting and Heart Health

Experts want you to take scary headlines with a grain of salt.

Greater Good Magazine

How to Stay Empathic Without Suffering So Much

Four steps to a healthier, more helpful, and more sustainable form of empathy.

Smithsonian Magazine

This Wooden Sculpture Is Twice as Old as Stonehenge and the Pyramids

New findings about the 12,500-year-old Shigir Idol have major implications for the study of prehistory.

Outside

How Blueberries Became a Superfood

Thanks to savvy marketing, science, and luck, blueberries helped usher in a new era of health food obsession.

Architectural Digest

The World’s 13 Most Beautiful Villages You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

From an English hamlet seemingly plucked from a fairy tale to a color-packed town in Colombia, these under-the-radar spots allow you to enjoy the quaint atmosphere without the crowds.

Aeon

What Big History Says About How Royal Women Exercise Power

Queens in many societies heavily influenced the policies and governing behavior of their kings.

Literary Hub

14 Curious Telegrams from (and to) Famous Writers

“I can’t look you in the voice.”

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, July 27

The Guardian

How Video Games Are Keeping Romance Alive – One Level at a Time

Some are using Final Fantasy and GTA Online as dating sites and long-time lovers are finding comfort and connection through Resident Evil. Could video games be the ultimate relationship tool?

The Associated Press

Photos Show a Filipino Couple Walking Down a Flooded Aisle on Their Wedding Day

Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

NBC News

The Deadliest Extreme Weather Event Is Not What You Think It Is

Nationally, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than any other weather event, including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

Vox

Why Your Energy Bill Is Suddenly So Much More Expensive

And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

Business Insider

Return Fraud Is Running Rampant

Whether it’s sending back broken items or claiming a package never arrived, Americans are committing return fraud at Amazon and other retailers.

The Guardian

Why Are Thailand and Cambodia Engaged in a Border Conflict?

Territory mapped during France’s colonial rule is behind clash that has exposed tensions between the countries.

Slate

The Rise of the One-Day Overseas Vacation

In the age of remote work, Instagram reels, and shrinking PTO, the one-day international trip is becoming both absurd and strangely relatable.

NPR

The Best Games of 2025 So Far, Picked by NPR’s Staff

From indies like ’Blue Prince’ to big console exclusives like ’Donkey Kong Bananza’, NPR staff and contributors round up their favorite games of the year so far.

These Odd Bony Structures Were Hiding Beneath the Skin of Far More Lizards Than Thought, Researchers Find

Called osteoderms, the chain mail-like plates may have helped some species adapt to Australia’s harsh environment.

Fast Company

Colleges Now Have to Prove Their Value to Applicants, Not Just the Other Way Around

How (and why) colleges are reimagining their admissions process.

Architectural Digest

16 DIY Headboard Ideas to Creatively Crown Your Bed

Get crafty (and cozy) with our roundup of DIY headboard ideas from designers and homemaking mavens—including tips on how to get the look.

The Hollywood Reporter

More Than Cosplay: ‘Ghostbusters’ Fans Answer the Call to Do Good

Inside the nationwide movement of superfans who are raising hundreds of thousands for charity every year — one proton pack at the time. Says filmmaker Jason Reitman of attending fundraisers: “We show up in the Ecto-1 and they light up.”

MIT Technology Review

America’s AI Watchdog Is Losing Its Bite

“There will be fewer, if any, enforcement actions about how companies are deploying AI,” says former FTC attorney Leah Frazier.

The Conversation

Gene Editing Technology Could Be Used to Save Species on the Brink of Extinction

Earth’s biodiversity is in crisis. An imminent “sixth mass extinction” threatens beloved and important wildlife. It also threatens to reduce the amount of genetic diversity – or variation – within species.

NBC News

‘Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday.’ Except Maybe Viral Fame.

Zoë Lister, the actor who narrated the popular British ad turned viral TikTok sound, said she never expected the audio to resonate worldwide.

Inc. Magazine

How HR Uses AI to Stay Human

A postcard from tomorrow’s workplace: how leaders balance technology and human connection.

Nature

Meet the Early Career Scientists Planning to Leave the United States

Decreased funding, reduced opportunities and growing uncertainty has made life tough for international postdocs living in the US.

ProPublica

Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data

Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal clients, including the Justice Department.