Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

PC Gamer

This Cozy Painting Game Has Me Feeling Like the Next Van Gogh

Cozy up and paint the town.

Popular Science

Proving Precognition, Programming a Screenwriter, and Other Tales From the Field

Scientists share their favorite stories.

Knowable Magazine

How to Overcome Political Polarization on Climate Change

Conversations — in real life — can help bridge the partisan divide, but the trick is to have some structure to the discussion, says a human ecologist.

Greater Good Magazine

Calm a Distressed Mind by Changing Your Environment

Psychologist Ethan Kross offers tools to help you avoid being overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings.

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.

Aeon

The Hypersane Are Among Us, If Only We Are Prepared to Look

Sometimes those who seem a little crazy are the ones who really get it.

Allure

How Disorganized Attachment Became the Most Misunderstood Attachment Style

Sorry, TikTok, but you’ve got this part of dating culture all wrong.

The Conversation

The Body’s Secret Weapon for Staying Healthy and Active

Flexibility is crucial for keeping your body in top shape.

MEL Magazine

The Buzzing Nostalgia and Furious Competition of Electric Football Tournaments

Scenes from the California Electric Football League’s Super Bowl-adjacent ‘Fault Line Rumble’.

Scott Young

You Fail to Reach Your Goals Because You Designed Them Badly

No one is preconditioned to fail. If you’re struggling with a project, perhaps it’s time for a different approach.

The Washington Post

What Dreams Are Made Of: Scientists Mine Sleep’s Mysteries

Research has evolved from the mechanics of dreaming to what dreams signify — and back again.

Stylist

Strength Training: 8 Exercises You Can Do in Your Living Room

Struggling to put together a workout that keeps you motivated? We’ve rounded up the best strength training exercises you can do at home to re-inspire your routine.

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

Saturday, August 9

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.

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.

The Hollywood Reporter

Last Call for Late Night

After 70 years of tucking America into bed, it looks like the curtain is about to come down on the late night genre. What’s being lost is more than a TV tradition but a backdrop for some of America’s most memorable moments.

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.

Lifehacker

Are ‘Ultra-Processed’ Foods Really That Bad for You?

They’ve been linked to heart disease and other health conditions.

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.

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.

Tesla’s Dojo Supercomputer Is DOA — Now What?

The disbanding of Tesla’s supercomputer is less about the AI race and more about Elon Musk’s inability to retain talent.

Inverse

After 6 Years, Star Wars Could Finally Fix the Sequel Trilogy

After six years, the franchise is going all in on the sequels, or at least the aftermath of them.

Architectural Digest

The White Temple Is the Must-Visit Architectural Marvel in Thailand

Full of symbolism, the site is an arresting, privately owned spiritual art installation.

Real Simple

Professional Organizers Use These 17 Clever Items Every Day to Keep Their Own Homes Neat and Tidy

For an organized home, we look to the pros. We asked four professional organizers for the genius storage solutions they use in their own homes to stay tidy. Their recommendations include label makers, lazy Susans, drawer organizers, rolling carts, plastic