Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Good Housekeeping

8 Homemade Cleaners That Actually Work, According to Our Cleaning Expert

The DIY all-purpose cleaners and disinfectants you can whip up right now.

The Guardian

When Depression Wears a Smile, Even Psychiatrists Like Me Can Be Deceived

By the time mental ill health is visible, it’s probably very bad. The best risk assessment is to listen rather than look.

Narratively

The One-Eyed African Queen Who Defeated the Roman Empire

Cocky male monarchs underestimated Queen Amanirenas for her gender, her race, and her disability. Each time, they did so at their own peril.

Darius Foroux

Say What You Think And Don’t Be Apologetic About It

“There are no facts, only interpretations.”

The Atlantic

A Shortcut for Feeling Just a Little Happier

Mental and physical pain share neurological roots. A simple painkiller can help with both.

Bustle

Is Therapy-Speak Making Us Selfish?

Boundaries are important. But our relationships require a touch more compassion than some online blueprints offer.

Popular Science

6 Clever Ways to Reuse Silica Gel Packets

Reduce plastic waste while keeping your prized possessions safe from moisture damage.

MIT Press Reader

An Environmentalist’s Lessons for an Improvisational Life

Improvisation is the essence of environmental learning, sparking the imagination, stimulating creativity, and helping us reinvigorate how we think about our residency on Earth.

Nir Eyal

Stop Confusing Habits for Routines: What You Need To Know

Trying to build good habits can often backfire. Here’s why it’s important to know how habits are formed and when it’s better to stick with a routine instead.

Bon Appétit

Easiest Chocolate Birthday Cake

Pure homemade birthday love. If you’ve got a bowl, a cheap hand mixer, and a couple of measuring cups, you can make this rich, chocolatey cake.

Popular Mechanics

How To Fix Your Super Slow Computer

Don’t toss it, just give it some love (and much-needed storage space).

Quanta Magazine

Proof Finds That All Change Is a Mix of Order and Randomness

All descriptions of change are a unique blend of chance and determinism, according to the sweeping mathematical proof of the “weak Pinsker conjecture.”

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?

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.

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 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.

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 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.

MIT Technology Review

Inside the Most Dangerous Asteroid Hunt Ever

As space rock 2024 YR4 became more likely to hit Earth than anything of its size had ever been before, scientists all over the world mobilized to protect the planet.

The Guardian

Walkouts, Feuds and Broken Friendships: When Book Clubs Go Bad

While most book clubs go off without an issue, when they do turn sour the fallout can be significant. So why do some go wrong – and what can be done to prevent it?

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

The Verge

James Gunn’s Superman Is Exactly What DC’s Movies Have Been Missing

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a very good movie.

Axios

Rubio Impersonation Campaign Underscores Broad Risk of AI Voice Scams

Government officials and grandmothers can be targets of voice impersonation scams.

CBS News

Real Estate Investors Are Purchasing More U.S. Homes As High Prices Lock Out Would-Be Buyers

The rise in investor home purchases reflects how much the housing market has slowed as traditional buyers are sidelined, according to BatchData.

Inc. Magazine

Use These 11 Guidelines to Decide When to Bend the Rules for Employees

Tennis player Ben Shelton wanted his sister to be there at Wimbledon, and her company, Morgan Stanley, said yes. Good or bad exception?

BBC

Beyond Words: The 200-Year-Old Hidden Languages of Dating

From Regency-era "fan flirting" to coded gifts, people have perfected the art of discreetly signalling their love over many centuries.

Axios

How Scattered Spider Hackers Are Wreaking Havoc on Corporate America

A gang of teenage gamers is holding huge companies hostage.

Inverse

Can the New Fantastic Four Measure up to the Original?

Though its story stumbled, Fox’s ‘Fantastic Four’ remains the best version of the team on-screen.

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.

Real Simple

The Smartest Way to Freeze Strawberries So They Taste Fresh for Months

If you overdid it on your berry-picking, you might be wondering how to freeze strawberries to preserve them for future use. Learn the best tips for freezing strawberries, and how long they’ll last in the freezer.

Food52

How to Fill Every Room With Flowers Without Spending a Fortune

Supermarket stems and recycled jars are all you need to bring joy to every room.

Smithsonian Magazine

How an Ancestral Peruvian Ceremony Is Saving the Once-Endangered Vicuña

Each year in the first weeks of June, Indigenous communities in the Andes form a human chain to corral the camelids and shear their valuable wool

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

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.

Gizmodo

This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.