Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

MEL Magazine

An Unfiltered Oral History of the Marlboro Man

How the leathery-skinned, ever-stoic figure captured the romantic ideal of the American dream, but ultimately came to represent its much darker side.

Truly*Adventurous

She Was a Global Superstar—and a World-Class Spy

The untold story of Josephine Baker, espionage agent.

Greater Good Magazine

How to Let Go of an Old Regret

If we don’t confront the past, we can be haunted by sadness and self-blame.

BBC Travel

The US’ Lost, Ancient Megacity

In the ancient Mississippian settlement of Cahokia, vast social events – not trade or the economy – were the founding principle.

Outside

How to Survive Encounters with Dangerous Animals

Breaking down the skills required for dealing with 40 different creatures.

The Atlantic

The Long Lines for Women’s Bathrooms Could Be Eliminated. Why Haven’t They Been?

It’s been decades since states started trying to achieve “potty parity,” but many queues are still unequal.

The Marginalian

Wisdom from the Life of Mary Somerville, for Whom the Word “Scientist” Was Coined

Inside the hallmark of a great scientist and a great human being — the ability to hold one’s opinions with firm but unfisted fingers.

Mental Floss

15 Amazing Facts About 15 Birds

Here’s a flock of facts about everything avian, from brilliantly colored hummingbirds to acorn-hoarding woodpeckers.

BBC Worklife

How to Live With Your Regrets

Regret is often seen as undesirable, but it’s a crucial emotion in helping us develop. How do we harness its powerful lessons?

Inverse

DNA Is Linked to Depression, But in Different Ways for Men and Women

There are exceptions to every rule. But science shows men and women tend to respond to depression differently.

Ars Technica

Tales of an Aging Gamer: Why Don’t I Pick up a Controller as Often as I Used To?

We keep getting older, the games stay the same (and science backs that up).

Atlas Obscura

Descend Into Great Britain’s Network of Secret Nuclear Bunkers

And meet the determined enthusiast who helped bring them back to life.

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, August 5

Business Insider

Justice for Gen X

Gen Xers know you pay more attention to Gen Zers, millennials, and boomers. They don’t care.

The Atlantic

How the Muppets Helped Me Grieve

After my father got sick, his collaborations with Jim Henson kept me afloat.

Aeon

A Life in Zen

Growing up in countercultural California, ‘enlightenment’ had real glamour. But decades of practice have changed my mind.

The New Yorker

Treating Gaza’s Collective Trauma

In Gaza, where displaced children play games called “air strike” and act out death, the lack of mental-health resources has become another emergency.

Slate

I Quit Drinking. It’s Great. There’s Just One Small Problem.

How do I deal with my emotions without whiskey?

Popular Science

What Do TSA Bag Scanners Actually See?

Airport X-ray imaging can detect all sorts of threats, along with the water bottle you forgot to trash.

The Washington Post

Ms. Rachel Grew up on Mister Rogers. Now She’s Carrying on His Legacy.

The YouTube star wants her audiences — adults and children alike — to see the humanity of all people.

PBS

In the Gray World of GLP-1 Supplements Online, Health Experts Urge Caution

TikTok beauty influencer Kaycee Ogle is regularly contacted by brands who want her to promote their products. But one email she received in June was different, and made her curious.

This Quantum Entanglement Trick Has Physicists Losing Their Minds

New research shows that entangled particles can pass on their shared state again and again and again.

NBC Sports

Cooper Lutkenhaus Set to Be Youngest American in World Track and Field Championships History

Cooper Lutkenhaus finished second to Donavan Brazier in the U.S. 800m final.

The Hollywood Reporter

David Ellison Sets His Team: These Are the People Who Will Run the New Paramount

George Cheeks, Cindy Holland, Josh Greenstein, Dana Goldberg will all get new roles, joining Jeff Shell and Ellison in the C-suite.

British GQ

The 11 Most Hyped Games of 2025, As Chosen by Gaming’s Hottest Devs

From Donkey Kong Bananza to South of Midnight, these are the games you should be playing in 2025.

The Marginalian

How to Be a Happier Creature

Even as the merchants of silicon and code try to render us disembodied intellects caged behind screens, something in our animal body knows where we came from and where we belong.

NBC News

New Guide to Wealth Terminology Aims to Better Inform Investors

In 2024, households worth $5 million or more controlled an estimated $49 trillion in financial wealth, more than half of the nation’s total, according to Cerulli Associates.

NPR

Why a NASA Satellite That Scientists and Farmers Rely on May Be Destroyed on Purpose

The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.

Polygon

This Gamer’s Extraordinary $15,000 Loss Was the End of a 10-Year Rivalry

EVO 2025’s best moment might be a loss that transpired during a Fatal Fury match between two competitors who have a decade-long rivalry.

Vox

How Do You Keep a Kid’s Fantasy Camp Afloat?

A summer program running on magic, swords, and financial precarity.

Texas Monthly

Arch Manning Is the Anointed One. Can He Survive the Hype?

Pundits are touting him for the Heisman. UT fans are expecting the world. What do those other famous quarterbacks in Arch’s family make of the hullabaloo? Funny you should ask.

The Conversation

If Everyone in the World Turned on the Lights at the Same Time, What Would Happen?

Power grids could likely handle the surge of demand, but all that light would pollute dark zones nearby.

The Guardian

Frying Solo? 20 Pantry, Fridge and Freezer Essentials for Single Households

Olives, chickpeas and dukkah are a few of the basic ingredients writer and former caterer Elizabeth Quinn keeps on hand. Here she shares quick recipes for eating solo.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Allure

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Popular Collections

Today’s Pocket Hits

Recommended Reads

Life Hacks