Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Quartz

The Most Powerful Thank-You Notes Don’t Come the Next Day

Sometimes it’s better to wait until you can really express how your life has been improved.

Fast Company

How to Stop Wasting Your Life Watching TV and Do Something Worthwhile With Your Downtime

With a busy life, chances are you only have an hour or two of free time each night. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Allure

“I Felt Misled”: Are Women Getting the Full Truth About Egg Freezing?

We talked to 26 women who have frozen their eggs — these are the 8 things they wish someone had told them first.

Good Housekeeping

10 Easy Brain Exercises to Improve Your Memory

Doing a variety of activities like these may protect your brain from cognitive decline.

Smithsonian Magazine

Puppies Are Born Ready to Communicate With Humans

Research shows that very young dogs with little human contact can understand pointing gestures—and that the ability has a strong genetic basis.

Knowable Magazine

Can Cosmology Untangle the Universe’s Most Elusive Mysteries?

From the Big Bang to dark energy, knowledge of the cosmos has sped up in the past century — but big questions linger.

Quanta Magazine

Why Mathematicians Can’t Find the Hay in a Haystack

In math, sometimes the most common things are the hardest to find.

Romper

How to Deal With the Overzealous Gift Giver

An etiquette expert explains how to manage your kids’ feelings, as well as the onslaught of stuff.

Atlas Obscura

Why Renaissance Paintings Aren’t as Green as They Used to Be

Once a brilliant hue, the pigment verdigris is now mostly brown.

Prevention

Strength Training for 30 Minutes a Week Could Help You Live Longer

Adding strength training to the mix could do your health a solid.

Narratively

The Unsung Black Musician Who Changed Country Music

From the moment DeFord Bailey stepped onto a stage in Nashville, country music would never be the same. It was decades after his death before he finally got his due.

WIRED

How to Set Your Thermostat—According to Science

Win the family arguments—or better yet, avoid them altogether—with this handy guide.

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 10

The Guardian

The Terrifying Truth About Why Tesla’s Cars Keep Crashing

Elon Musk is obsessive about the design of his supercars, right down to the disappearing door handles. But a series of shocking incidents – from drivers trapped in burning vehicles to dramatic stops on the highway – have led to questions about the safety of the brand. Why won’t Tesla give any answers?

DW

Why US Chocolate Tastes Weird to the Rest of the World

Chocolate is popular almost everywhere. But tastes vary depending on the continent. While some regions like their chocolate sugary sweet, others prefer more fruity or nutty notes.

The Paris Review

Monks in Jersey

A coming-of-age ceremony, a Burmese bar mitzvah, a meditation retreat: I had called it all of those things to friends in the weeks before.

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

The World Bank Set Out to Transform Health Care for the Poor in Africa. It Drove Patients Deeper Into Poverty.

A surge in private equity funding for hospitals left a trail of crushing debts, patient detentions and broken promises.

The Walrus

How I Solved the Century-Old Mystery of a Miraculous Shipwreck Survivor

In a disaster worse than the Titanic, it was believed a young man swam over six kilometres to safety. It didn’t add up.

The Kitchn

The Famous Grilled Chicken I’ve Loved Since Childhood

Inhaling the scent of the rich, turmeric-laden marinade as it caramelizes atop the charring meat brings me right back to my middle school days, when the same smoky smell coming from the line of carts waiting just outside the school gate for hungry students would hit our noses as we impatiently waited down the final bell.

The Cut

What Plastic Surgery Couldn’t Fix

I thought if I fixed my body, I could fix how I felt. Three surgeries later, I was further from myself than ever.

CNN

Trump’s Sudden Shift on Weapons for Ukraine Takes the War Back to Square One

For a fleeting moment, Ukraine’s conflict may have come full circle. In the past 48 hours, US President Donald Trump has perhaps said his most forcefully direct words yet on arming Ukraine. And in the same period, the Kremlin have given their blankest indication to this White House that they are not interested in a realistic, negotiated settlement to the war.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Big Think

Why Memento Mori Is the Ultimate Life Hack

Confronting mortality can help clarify what truly matters beyond superficial achievements. Memento mori practices can lead to a fuller life.

SELF

My Best Friend Keeps Ditching Me for Guys. Should I Call Her Out?

When she’s single, I’m her person. When she’s not? It’s like I don’t exist.

The Ringer

Superman Is the Hero Every Era Needs

As DC’s latest reboot arrives, we talk to some of Superman’s writers to find out what makes him the most malleable superhero.

Bustle

The 3 Zodiac Signs Most Likely to Move Abroad

These three zodiac signs are the most likely to want to live abroad and actually make it happen.

Essence

Is It Time We End “Core” Aesthetics and Return to Personal Style?

Style core aesthetics made getting dressed a performance, now no one knows what to wear.

Vox

Do We Have to Take Climate Risks Into Our Own Hands Now?

Why DIY disaster preparation matters more than ever — even if it’s not perfect.

Parents

7 Ways to Help Your Teen Become a Financially Independent Adult

Today’s teens are growing up in an economy with a high cost of living, which has forced many parents to support their adult children after they leave their home. That’s why we spoke to experts to learn how to teach teens financial literacy skills that the

NBC News

That’s a Lot of Scratch: More Pet Owners Spring for Insurance As Vet Costs Climb

Prices for pet services — like grooming, dog walking and medical care — are rising nearly twice as fast as those for goods like food, leashes and toys.

Gizmodo

The Hidden Cost of OpenAI’s Genius

The creator of ChatGPT is handing out stock packages that exceed its total revenue, a high stakes gamble to keep its engineers from defecting to rivals like Meta.

HuffPost

The Future of Fashion Is Beautiful — and It’s Happening Under New York City

These budding designers are examining the role we all play in the politics of style.

Popular Science

Shipwreck Fragment Linked to One of WWII’s Strangest Rescue Tales

Coconut trees helped saved the USS New Orleans after a torpedo hit.

Fast Company

Hurricane Forecasters Are Losing Key Satellites. What to Know

The loss of satellite data, along with other cuts to data, funding, and staffing, could ultimately put more lives at risk during hurricane season.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The New York Times

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

Experts worry that if vaccination rates do not improve, deadly outbreaks will become the new normal.

CNBC

‘Revenge Savings’ Can Boost Your Bottom Line, Experts Say — Here’s How to Get Started

Saving more money is a perennial resolution, but emotions shouldn't drive that habit, financial experts say. Instead, be intentional. Here's how to get started.

Harvard Business Review

How to Identify the Perfect Cofounder

One of the first and most important decisions entrepreneurs make is whether to go it alone or bring on cofounders.

Gizmodo

This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia

Several larger trials of ambroxol for Parkinson's are already underway.

Harvard Business Review

When It’s Time to Leave a Career You’re Passionate About

People worry that others will see them as immoral and incompetent for quitting their passion. These fears are often misplaced.

The Atlantic

I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won

My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of.

The Washington Post

I’m a Gastroenterologist. Here’s Why I Tell My Patients to Eat This One Fruit.

Kiwis can boost your gut health. They may also lower triglycerides and cancer risk.

CNBC

Recruiter: I’ve Placed Over 1,000 People Into Jobs–Here’s the No. 1 ‘Closing Technique’ to Nail Your Interview

In this environment where it’s difficult to get your foot in the door, one mistake that some recent graduates make is assuming that their degree will automatically get them a job.

NPR

4 Things to Know About the Vaccine Ingredient Thimerosal

The federal government could soon recommend that people only receive flu shots made without an ingredient called thimerosal.

The New York Times

How Many Dates Should You Go on Before You Start Talking About Money?

Couples tend to dance around discussing how much they earn or owe early in a relationship. But experts agree that talking about money sooner is better than later.

HuffPost

I Paid Off a School’s Lunch Debt. Then Strangers on the Internet Did Something Truly Stunning.

This is proof that strangers can decide, together, to make things better.

Fast Company

How to Trick Your Nervous System Into Calming Down When You’re Stressed at Work

Understanding how your body works can be the key to reducing stress. For example, you’re probably aware of your fight-or-flight response—the body’s way of preparing itself when it believes it’s being threatened.