Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Bloomberg

The Real Battle for Data Privacy Begins When You Die

Swedish academic Carl Öhman argues that tech companies have no incentive to be responsible caretakers of our posthumous digital footprint.

MEL Magazine

Are You Really Super Busy, Or Are You Just Super Disorganized?

If that headline feels like a personal attack, you should probably read this.

The Washington Post

Extreme ‘Clean’ Eating Can Tip Healthy Eaters Into a Danger Zone

Disordered eating of nutritious but very limited diets can be fueled by social media, experts say.

Men’s Health

Here’s What Walking 20,000 Steps a Day Did to This Guy’s Body

Craig Benzine shared how doing four hours of walking every single day affected his health and overall lifestyle.

CityLab

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Public Transit Seat Covers of the World

An international roundup of bus, train, and subway seat designs, based on CityLab’s rules for a commuter-friendly textile.

The Marginalian

The Ocean and the Meaning of Life

“Contemplating the teeming life of the shore, we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just beyond our grasp...”

The Conversation

Joy Is Good for Your Body and Your Mind: Three Ways to Feel It More Often

Joy is very different from our other emotions.

Scientific American

What a Body Built to Last 100 Years Would Look Like

We would look a lot different if evolution had designed the human body to work well for a century or more.

Mental Floss

35 Lesser-Known Inventions of Famous Inventors

You’ve heard of the light bulb and the telephone, but what about Thomas Edison’s terrifying talking doll and Alexander Graham Bell’s metal detector?

Atlas Obscura

Everything You Need to Know About the True Origins of the Everything Bagel

There’s a lot of history in every bite.

BBC Worklife

Why Some People Are Always Running Late

It’s not always rudeness or scatter-brained behavior – it can be something much deeper.

Nautilus

The Romantic Venus We Never Knew

Venus used to be as fit for life as Earth.

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, July 24

Glamour

What Is Mushroom Coffee? Everything to Know About the Buzzy Drink

Get your caffeine fix with added wellness benefits.

The Guardian

How Video Games Are Keeping Romance Alive – One Level at a Time

Some are using Final Fantasy and GTA Online as dating sites and long-time lovers are finding comfort and connection through Resident Evil. Could video games be the ultimate relationship tool?

NPR

Are High-Protein Snacks Worth the Hype? Here’s How to Assess

Protein has taken over the packaged-snack aisles at the grocery store. But do you need extra protein in your chips and muffins?

The Hollywood Reporter

The 25 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

From razor-edged satires to dark fairy tales, inspired haunted house riffs and nerve-shredding accounts of supernatural possession, the 2000s have been a goldmine for fright freaks.

The Guardian

Eleven-Minute Race for Food: How Aid Points in Gaza Became ‘Death Traps’

Hundreds of people have died while seeking food since delivery was taken over by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in May. But Palestinians facing extreme hunger have no choice but to take the risk.

The Washington Post

For Influencers With Down Syndrome, Success Comes With Complications

Social media has brought fame and money to some accounts featuring people with Down syndrome. It’s also brought concerns, driven by potentially exploitative AI technology.

The New Yorker

Mary Had Schizophrenia—Then Suddenly She Didn’t

Some psychiatric patients may actually have treatable autoimmune conditions. But what happens to the newly sane?

Harper's Magazine

Your Face Tomorrow

The puzzle of AI facial recognition.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Architectural Digest

As AI Redefines Their Industries, This Creative Couple Pivoted to Building a Pizza Shop

When the future felt uncertain, an advertising art director and a software developer built something solid: a pizzeria in coastal Maine, crafted from shared meals, Shaker benches, and a belief that design should still mean something

Popular Mechanics

We’re All Being Dragged Into a Giant Invisible Structure, Scientists Say

Our galaxy isn’t being dragged into a supercluster. It’s being dragged into a super-supercluster.

Teen Vogue

Debunking the ‘Fashion Girl’ Myth: How TV & Film Got Work Style Wrong

Personal style will carry you farther.

Nautilus

Can You Name That Tune?

A new online game could help researchers solve the mysteries of musical memory

Reuters

Despite Risks, Texas Republicans Launch Trump-Backed Effort to Redraw Congressional Lines

Texas Republicans launched a high-risk, high-reward redrawing of the state’s 38 congressional districts, a move championed by President Donald Trump to protect the party’s narrow House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

BBC

Wild Life of Ozzy Osbourne, Rock’s ‘Prince of Darkness’

The singer helped invent both heavy metal and the image of the wild rock star, before unlikely reality TV fame.

Discover

New Map Reveals Antarctica’s Gigantic Submarine Canyons — Some Deeper Than 13,000 Feet

Learn about Antarctica’s hidden submarine canyons and how they play an important role in global climate.

NBC News

How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is Shaping This Year’s Biggest Elections

Both parties are planning to make the sweeping tax cut and spending measure an issue in this year’s gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.

Vulture

Every Emma Stone Movie, Ranked

Emma Stone manages to be one of us while being the best of us.

Ars Technica

Julian LeFay, “The Father of the Elder Scrolls,” Has Died at 59

LeFay spearheaded Arena and Daggerfall before passing the torch to Todd Howard.

Slate

The Last Days of the ‘Rainbow Warrior’

Four decades ago, a secret government team had a target—and a plan. It turned into one of the most sensationally botched crimes of the century.

Essence

The Joe Budden Effect: What Black Creators Can Learn From His $20M Podcast Network

Joe Budden has built one of the most lucrative independent podcast networks—on his own terms.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

CNET

I Asked Pro Chefs: What Are the Most Worthless Kitchen Tools?

Save your money and a little space in your cupboard by skipping these 20 kitchen gadgets.

Slate

Narcissists Aren’t Really So Bad. Just Ask These Narcissists.

The diagnosable illness is also the internet’s punching bag. These narcissists have had enough.

USA TODAY

You’re Never Going to Believe What People Are Returning to Costco

Shoppers pushing the limits of Costco’s famously lenient “risk-free 100% satisfaction” return policy by getting full refunds for sagging sofas and stained mattresses are dividing the internet.

HuffPost

This Unfair Job Interview Question Can Instantly Determine If You’re Hired — and It’s Very Common

Experts offer advice on how to answer this tricky question — and still get the job.

Time

The Surprising Reason Your Groceries Are More Expensive

A new study shows how extreme weather events are correlated to specific food price spikes in the immediate aftermath.

CNBC

The 10 Best U.S. States to Retire—It’s About More Than ‘Just the Number of Sunny Days and Taxes’

If you want affordability, access to health care and neighborhood safety, you may want to look outside historically popular retirement destinations.

SELF

5 Clear Signs You’ve Moved on From Your Ex—and Are Ready to Date Again

Are you looking to meet someone new for who they are…or who they remind you of?

The Conversation

Just How Germy Is the Public Pool? An Infectious Disease Expert Weighs In

Most pool-related illnesses won’t kill you, but no one wants to spend their vacation or a week of beautiful summer days in the bathroom.

The Conversation

Dogs Are Helping People Regulate Stress Even More Than Expected, Research Shows

In a 2022 survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, more than one-third of respondents reported that on most days, they feel “completely overwhelmed” by stress.

POLITICO

“The King of Soccer”: How Gianni Infantino Won Over Donald Trump — and Just About Every Other Politician in America

The World Cup's lead organizer learns a new game.

USA TODAY

RFK Jr. to Remove Controversial Ingredient From All Flu Vaccines in the US

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed a controversial recommendation July 23 from a vaccine panel that advised removing thimerosal from all influenza vaccines. Thimerosal is a preservative that has largely been phased out of U.S.

NBC News

Summer Covid Cases Are Rising Across the U.S. — Is It Time for a Vaccine?

The uptick in cases, caused by a variant of the virus nicknamed “razor blade throat,” comes as many Americans have likely gone a year or longer without a Covid shot.