Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Smithsonian Magazine

A Cultural History of Barbie

Loved and loathed, the toy still stirs fresh controversy.

Elle

What If You Could Reverse Gray Hair?

You might be able to preserve your natural hair color longer than you thought.

Truly*Adventurous

The House of Lost Souls

When a down-and-out doctor finds his rundown mansion is haunted, he pulls the quintessentially American move: opening the house to the public for a fee. Everything goes wrong from there.

BBC Culture

Why Lady Macbeth Is Literature’s Most Misunderstood Villain

Shakespeare's murderous queen has long been demonised as a wicked seductress. Yet actors who have played her show she deserves far more understanding.

Runner’s World

The Survivor

She lost her children in an unspeakable tragedy. Today they’re the reason she keeps running.

WIRED

How a 27-Year-Old Codebreaker Busted the Myth of Bitcoin’s Anonymity

Drug dealers and money launderers saw cryptocurrency as untraceable. Then a grad student proved them all wrong.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Putting Olive Oil in a Squeeze Bottle Earned This Startup a Cult Following

Graza upended the cluttered category with an often-forgotten innovation: Clever package design.

CityLab

Parking Has Eaten American Cities

A study documents the huge amount of space taken up by parking, and the astronomical costs it represents, in five U.S. cities.

BBC Worklife

How a ‘Beginners’ Mindset’ Can Help You Learn Anything

Although our ability to easily pick up a new skill declines with age, harnessing a specific type of mindset can help you learn effectively as an adult.

Shondaland

Basking in the Colors of Noise

When you’re feeling sleepless or stressed, the healing sounds of noises, like pink and white, can evoke ease and wellness.

Fatherly

How to Make Better Joint Decisions With Your Partner

This is how to sidestep the most common — and frustrating — parts of decision-making and come together as a unit.

Popular Mechanics

What’s the Chemical Difference Between Hot- and Cold-Brew Coffee?

Scientists put on their barista aprons and found out.

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

Tuesday, July 22

NBC News

A Cross Between a Nicotine Pouch and an Energy Drink: What to Know About Caffeine Pouches

Teen-friendly promotion of the product is spreading on social media. Adding to the concerns is a caffeine pouch startup from a former Juul marketing executive.

The Guardian

Where the Wild Things Are: How to Immerse Your Kids in the Great Outdoors This Summer

Some of the most priceless holiday memories cost next to nothing – as my four-year-old son and I have found on our forays into nature.

Olive

I’m a Gut Health Dietitian – These Are the Questions People Are Too Embarrassed to Ask Me

From sudden attacks of diarrhoea to problematic wind, our expert answers all the questions you were too embarrassed to ask.

The New York Times

The Trouble With Wanting Men

Women are so fed up with men that the phenomenon even has a name: heterofatalism. So what do we do with our desire?

The Walrus

Can Office Tools Help Couples Optimize for Domestic Bliss?

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the colour-coded Google Calendar.

New Lines Magazine

Waiting for Justice in South Africa

Families of those killed and tortured for political reasons under apartheid are searching for the truth about why the perpetrators have gone unpunished.

BBC

How a Fatal Accident Ended Ted Kennedy’s Presidential Hopes

In July 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident where a young aide died. But many questions about the ‘Chappaquiddick incident’ went unanswered.

Boston

Blood Feuds: The Fight Over Who Gets to Be Native American

A Rhode Island tribe’s quest for state recognition has sparked a controversy.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Fast Company

Why the ‘Holidaze’ Is Actually a Good Thing

Often summer ushers in a slump in productivity. However, there’s no reason to panic. Here’s a tool kit for using summers to reset and gear up.

Vox

Inside the Federal Government’s Purge of Climate Data

Climate facts are inconvenient — so Trump is making them disappear.

Time

The Biggest Revelations in HBO’s Billy Joel Documentary

The music legend’s expansive life and career come into focus in HBO’s ‘Billy Joel: And So It Goes’

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Found a Black Hole That Shouldn’t Exist. Now Physics Has a Problem.

At 225 solar masses, this gargantuan merger of two black holes challenges our thinking on these famously elusive objects.

Literary Hub

Hypergraphia: On Prolific Writers and the Persistent Need to Produce

Ed Simon considers the habits and processes of a group of critically and commercially acclaimed authors.

Dwell

How They Pulled It Off: A House That Sits in—Yes, in—the Water

To build a new home on an old pier in Seattle, the team at E. Cobb Architects fared a spatter of challenges: “There’s nothing that’s even come close to this level of difficulty.”

Discover

Living Fossils Like the Coelacanth Have Remained Unchanged for 400 Million Years

What is a living fossil? Learn more about the living fossils among us and why this topic is highly debated among scientists.

NBC News

Hurricane Risk in Florida Is Escalating. Home Insurance Is Harder to Get.

Rising insurance costs signal the deep impacts of climate change in west Florida as communities grapple with recurring damage and costly recoveries.

NBC News

A Genetic Test Could Predict the Odds of Obesity, Allowing for Early Interventions

Scientists looked at the genes of millions of people to determine which ones are linked to obesity — and developed a way to screen people before age 5.

Real Simple

Your Most Organized Life Starts Here

It’s time to declutter your closet, organize your kitchen like a pro chef, and get your stuff together. Here’s how to get organized—and actually stay that way.

Fast Company

Why Ambition Is Misunderstood—and How to Reclaim It

Stepping into purposeful ambition might feel like meeting yourself for the first time.

The Ringer

Eight Takes on the NBA Offseason’s Most Interesting Moves

The Clippers get their Summer of George, the Sixers aren’t dead yet, and way more people should be talking about Wemby than about LeBron.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Time

10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life

Talking about death is often life-affirming.

CBS News

COVID-19 Cases Are Rising in These States Amid Summer Wave, CDC Data Shows

The data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also showed a significant increase in COVID-related emergency room visits for young children.

CNBC

What a Trump, Powell Faceoff Means for Your Money

Tensions are escalating between the White House and the Federal Reserve, with consumers caught in the middle.

CNBC

Student Loan Bills Could Double for Some Borrowers As Biden-Era Relief Expires

Many student loan borrowers could see their monthly bills more than double now that the Biden-era SAVE plan is defunct.

Stylist

Managers, Here’s How to Have an Effective 1-to-1, According to Career Experts

How to help your team members get the most from your meetings.

The Walrus

Before You Share That Health Tip, Read This

Misinformation is everywhere. And yes, some of it has probably gotten to you.

Fast Company

I’m a Two-Time Tech Founder. but Restaurants Are Where I Learned to Lead

The surprising lessons the conveyor belt sushi business taught me. Sudden equipment failures. Supply chain surprises. Retaining staff as the goalposts move in real time. These aren’t challenges I’ve faced as a tech founder—but I have faced them running restaurants.

The Week

How Can You Get the Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefit?

For many, Social Security benefits are a key part of their retirement plan. So it makes sense that you would want to get the most possible from this monthly source of income.

Money.com

Why You Probably Need Flood Insurance — Even if You Don't Live Near Water

Over the Fourth of July weekend, parts of central Texas were devastated by flash floods after the region was hit with the equivalent of four months' worth of rain in just a few hours. At least 134 people were killed, and more than 100 are still missing as of press time.

Yahoo

What Is ‘Revenge Saving,’ and Should You Hop on the Trend?

“Revenge saving” emphasizes making up for poor financial habits by being aggressively frugal or restrictive with your current spending.

GQ

What to Wear to a Job Interview, According to Hiring Experts

Make sure your suit fits, don’t dress too sexy, and other essential advice from professionals in law, tech, finance, and marketing.

Kiplinger

I Want to Buy an Annuity, but I’m Scared I’ll Get Ripped Off. Should I Get One Anyway?

An annuity is a way to achieve lifetime income in retirement, but you need to understand how this product works before making a purchase.