Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Greater Good Magazine

How to Make Sure You Keep Growing and Learning

Small, everyday experiments can help us reach our goals and get better at the skills that are important to us.

Stylist

3 Reasons Why Walking Is So Good for Your Hormonal Health, According to an Expert

Looking for another reason to get out for your daily stroll? This list of hormonal health benefits should provide plenty of motivation.

The Guardian

‘Sim Farms’, High Heels, Zombie Knives: What Scammers Buy With the Money They Steal

A haul of items seized by police reveals the scale and threat of payment fraud – a crime that can have significant emotional impact on victims.

The Washington Post

There’s a Better Way to Play With Your Cat

Five minutes of smartly designed play can make a big difference to your pet’s well being.

The Guardian

I Tried to Stop Rage-Honking My Car Horn – but What Am I to Do With All This Anger?

My ‘achievable’ self-development goal of trying not to be angry was difficult. It’s what you do with that feeling that matters.

Prevention

Forgetful Much? How to Remember Things Better, Starting Now

The science of why we lose stuff and forget stuff—and simple ways to boost your brainpower.

Atlas Obscura

How a Fake Mountain Range Slowed Down Arctic Exploration

The 19th-century naval officer John Ross had a knack for seeing land where it wasn’t.

Quanta Magazine

How the Brain Links Gestures, Perception and Meaning

Neuroscience has found that gestures are not merely important as tools of expression but as guides of cognition and perception.

MIT Press Reader

Peggy Guggenheim and the Self-Taught Artist You Probably Never Heard Of

A little-known story of a forgotten artist, an iconoclastic socialite, and an obscure painting that fetched more than a Mondrian and Magritte combined.

Mental Floss

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

BBC Future

Why Are Some People Compelled to Cheat at Games?

When it comes to unfair tactics, some of us are just better at bending the rules. But, the urge to cheat at games is easier to understand when you examine how they are designed.

The Hustle

Why America Has So Few Carpenters

The Great Recession led to a carpenter exodus. But cultural and pay issues have stunted the profession’s growth for far longer.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

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

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.

This Free ChatGPT Feature Flew Under the Radar - but It’s a Game Changer

Everyone can use ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode now - yes, even free users.

The Guardian

My Scar Makes Beach Outings an Ordeal. How Can I Care Less About It?

You don’t need to love your scar to feel confident – but you can retrain your brain to care about it less.

The 19th

Parenting While Protecting Democracy: The Moms Who Fled the Texas Legislature

Democratic lawmakers fled the state to protest a Trump-backed redistricting plan. For the mothers among them, leaving meant juggling summer milestones, first days of school — and showing their kids what democracy requires.

Polygon

Here’s Everything Nintendo Announced at Indie World

Nintendo’s latest Indie World showcase for August 2025 showed off new games for Switch and Switch 2, including Mina the Hollower and UFO 50.

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.

The Marshall Project

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.

ProPublica

How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

Axios

Behind the Curtain: The AI Super-Stimulant

The biggest companies in history are spending a stunning amount of money to fuel the AI revolution.

Condé Nast Traveler

Where to Eat, Stay, and Play in Venice—Italy’s Haven for Art and Architecture Fans

If you love art, history, and food, here’s everything you need to bookmark for a trip to La Serenissima.

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.