Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

BBC Future

The Ancient Persian Way to Keep Cool

From ancient Egypt to the Persian Empire, an ingenious method of catching the breeze kept people cool for millennia.

Fast Company

Before You Accept That Job Offer, Do This to Negotiate Salary

According to a recent study, 41% of candidates negotiate every job offer. Here’s what you need to do to join their ranks.

Knowable Magazine

How Maternal Mood Shapes the Developing Brain

Medical psychologist Catherine Monk explains how prenatal mental care benefits mothers and babies.

Bon Appétit

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

It might feel like you’re beating the batter for a long time, but that’s what gives this cake an airy lift. Stay with it!

The Marginalian

Mary Shelley on the Surest Remedy for a Sunken Spirit and What Makes Life Worth Living

“There is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others.”

Greater Good Magazine

Four Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times

A sense of calm offers us strength and resilience amid the chaos of life.

The Atlantic

Why Do Cartoon Villains Speak in Foreign Accents?

Children’s shows often use non-standard dialects to voice the “bad guys,” sending a dangerous message to kids about diversity.

CityLab

Can American Drivers Learn to Love Roundabouts?

They save lives, reduce traffic delays and cut emissions. Still, communities often resist them. Can cities get drivers to turn the corner on circular intersections?

The Guardian

The Lost Girls: ‘Chaotic and Curious, Women With ADHD All Have Missed Red Flags That Haunt Us’

After multiple burnouts, in my early 30s I finally knew why life sometimes felt harder for me. It made perfect sense, so why had no one noticed before?

Narratively

The New Sisterhood of Black Female Homesteaders

From the South Side of Chicago to tiny off-the-grid Carolina farms, a growing number of Black women are reclaiming the land — and their mental and physical health in the process.

The Conversation

Do Optimists Really Live Longer? Here’s What the Research Says

According to a study, optimists are more likely to live into their nineties.

Popular Science

How Long Can an Event Hold Humanity’s Attention? There’s an Equation for That.

Societies forget, and this physicist wants to know why.

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

Thursday, August 7

The Atlantic

What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones

Children who were raised on screens need more freedom out in the real world.

The Guardian

The 12-Year-Old Girl Staring Down Monster Waves at Teahupo’o

The young Tahiti surfer will become the WSL’s youngest competitor when she takes on the fearsome break she can see from her family home.

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.

WIRED

From Cheating Exposés to Dating Background Checks, TikTok Detectives Are Thriving

Private investigator influencers are staking out suspected cheaters and vetting dates for their clients, posting the tea for their followers. But there’s a dark side to morality-based surveillance.

BBC

How Pac-Man Changed Gaming - and the World

Celebrating his 45th birthday this year, the yellow eating machine revolutionised video games – and has even been used in science. What has made him and his adventures so addictive?

Scientific American

What if Infinity Didn’t Exist?

Can “finitism” possibly describe the real world?

The Wall Street Journal

Earning More But in Worse Shape: Hardship Overwhelms Many American Families

Nearly half of kids in the U.S. live in households below the middle class as inflation and the end of Covid relief hit working parents; a $2.90 raise that cuts government benefits.

SELF

5 Injuries ER Doctors See All the Time—and How to Avoid Them

You might be surprised by the seemingly innocuous behaviors that cause them.

Forever Young? I’m Another Year Older but I’ll Never Stop Playing Games - or Writing About Them

My love for video games has never wavered, I have no intention of growing up and moving on.

Los Angeles Times

Every Day Is Halloween. Why Theme Parks Are Going Big on Year-Round Horror Experiences

The opening of Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas signals that culture has now fully embraced the darker side of fairy tales.

Context

Is Climate Change Affecting Your Car Insurance Rates?

After homeowners insurance chaos, is auto insurance the next big climate-related shoe to drop?

Lifehacker

Five of the Best Free Cardio Workout Channels I’ve Found on YouTube

You don’t need a gym membership to get sweaty.

Esquire

The New Rules of (Not) Drinking With a Straw

The sometimes, always, never for straw sipping.

Fast Company

How to Start Making Work More Fun

Work is fun if we, together, make it that way.

Sapiens

What’s Behind a Michelin Star?

As judges scout new restaurants in the U.S., an anthropologist investigates the elite, Eurocentric history of the Michelin Red Guide.

Context

Babies Born in Bomb Shelters as Ukraine Population Plummets

Men are dead, women have fled and births halved; experts say demographic collapse may be Ukraine’s lasting war legacy.

NPR

After an Ex-DOGE Staffer’s Assault, Trump Threatens to Federalize D.C. Can He?

Trump told reporters on Wednesday evening that he is considering taking over the D.C. police force and sending in the National Guard after a former DOGE staffer was hurt in an attempted carjacking.

Real Simple

Want Healthier Skin? Eating These 5 Foods Could Make a Big Difference, Derms Say

To achieve clear and healthy skin, we asked a dermatologist, nutritionist, and dietitians the best foods to eat. Plus, actionable ways to improve the quality of your skin.