Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Bloomberg

Gamers Are Turning PCs Into Fantasy Worlds of Their Own

Not just a gray box that hides under the desk anymore, many gaming PCs are designed and modified to be shown off.

PC Gamer

Why You’re Right to Hate Motion Blur in Games (but Devs Aren’t Wrong to Include It)

Motion blur might be the most hated post-processing effect in PC games. Here’s why it keeps showing up.

MIT Press Reader

The Dark Radiance of Atomic Bomb Literature

The more we expose ourselves to the prose of the victims, the more visibility we give them.

Inc.

Science Says the Most Successful Kids Have Parents Who Do These 9 Things

Chances are, there’s something on this list you're missing.

The Hustle

The People Making Millions off Listerine Royalties

A little-known provision in a 100-year-old contract opened up the door for private investors to mint money from mouthwash sales.

Women’s Health

How to Identify and Heal From a Toxic Relationship, According to Therapists

Plus, experts debunk the biggest myths about unhealthy relationship dynamics.

How to Thrift Shop Your Way to Victory

One veteran inveterate thrifter shares his secrets for bin-digging, rack-rifling success.

Teen Vogue

151 Actually-Interesting Questions to Get to Know Someone

Get ready for some silly topics.

The Guardian

Ghost Hunting and Interactive Art: The Weird Afterlife of Xbox Kinect

Microsoft’s motion-sensing gaming camera was released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. Artists, roboticists and more are still finding new ways to use it.

Fast Company

5 Common Workplace Bullies (And How To Deal With Them)

Do you work with one of these types of bullies? Here’s how to cope.

The Conversation

To Have Better Disagreements, Change Your Words

Here are 4 ways to make your counterpart feel heard and keep the conversation going.

Atlas Obscura

Decoding the Design of In-Flight Seat Belts

Why we buckle up differently in cars and planes.

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

The Atlantic

The Tech Novel’s Warning for a Screen-Addled Age

Elaine Castillo’s second novel captures the numerous ways that screens help people hide from themselves.

Saveur

That Chewy, Bouncy Texture You Love Has a Name

Whether in boba tea, cuttlefish, rice noodles, or cassava dough, the texture of QQ connects people across cultures and generations.

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.

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.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

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

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.

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.

The Toronto Star

What Michael Did

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

After a Death Behind Bars, Families Struggle for Answers. This Guide Can Help.

Learn what questions to ask prison or jail officials, how to request key records and what to consider if you’re thinking about legal action.

The Guardian

Bernband’s Alien Landscape Is the Perfect Place for Digital Wandering – Just Don’t Expect a Map

With distinct, discrete areas that you can visit at any time, this is not a traditional open world game, and resists gamification with the mantra ‘there’s no goal but to stroll.’

Parents

What Parents Need to Know About Insect Bites and Encephalitis

Encephalitis cases are increasing. Here’s what parents need to know about insect bites and encephalitis.

Epicurious

How to Spatchcock a Chicken, Step-by-Step

Butterfly your bird for even grilling, faster cooking, and easier carving once it’s done.

Literary Hub

Doubles, Glitches, Hallucinations, Dreams: Nine Books That Feature David Lynchian Deja Vu

Vanessa Roveto recommends Marguerite Duras, Leslie Scalapino, Joyelle McSweeney, and more.

Psyche

Does Progress Seem Slower When You Constantly Check on It?

Research on how we perceive the rate of change shows how you can be strategic about goal tracking and boost your motivation.

Psyche

We’re Learning Just How Early in Life Empathy Starts to Move Us

What contagious crying, comforting hugs and other cute behaviour in infants tells us about the roots of emotional connection.

Popular Mechanics

A Company Says It Can Predict Your Baby’s IQ Before Birth. But Where’s the Science?

The company released white paper that details how it’ll be able to screen embryos for the likelihood of 17 different diseases. But it only mentioned its IQ predictions on social media.

CNBC

What Private Assets in 401(K) Plans Mean for Investors: ‘You’re Only Asking for Trouble,’ One Advisor Says

Millions of investors may soon have access to private assets in their 401(k) or other workplace retirement plans. What to know about the risks and rewards.

The Independent

Princess Kate Uses the ‘Pacing’ Parenting Technique – So What Is It and Does It Work?

Kate Middleton approves of the “pacing” parenting technique as seen in a new video for the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

Mental Floss

The Short, Brilliant Life—and Lasting Legacy—of Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley released only one EP and one studio album before his untimely death at the age of 30, but it was enough to earn the singer-songwriter a dedicated following that has only grown over the years. Now, he’s the subject of a new documentary—‘It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’—out August 8.