Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Romper

How To Reframe Your Relationship With Exercise

A guide to experiencing more joy — and less pressure — in fitness.

Nautilus

Impossible Cookware and Other Triumphs of the Penrose Tile

Infinite patterns that never repeat have moved from fantasy to reality.

Prevention

10 Ways to Build Mental Strength So You Can Navigate Any Challenge Life Throws at You

Mental strength is actually about finesse, not stoicism.

MIT Press Reader

The Art of Pondering Distant Future Earths

Stretching the mind across time can help us become more responsible planetary stewards and foster empathy across generations.

Stylist

Is 30 Minutes of Walking a Day Really Enough Exercise on Its Own? We Ask the Experts

Walking offers a multitude of health benefits – that much we know. But, is a daily 30-minute walk enough exercise? We asked the experts.

Vogue

Are Blackout Curtains Key Not Just for Sleep, But Improving Long-Term Health?

According to two studies published this year, “sky glow” is detrimental to our sleep and long-term health.

The Hustle

Why So Much of the World Runs on Counterfeit Software

Burned DVD discs, roadside vendors, and customers who have no idea what they’re buying.

CityLab

The Global Legacy of Quebec’s Subsidized Child Daycare

With more than two decades behind it, the Quebec program that spawned an affordable child care model has some lessons for the rest of the world.

Epicurious

Who Invented Mac and Cheese? This American Favorite Has Ancient Roman Roots

A look at the historical fallacies, truths, and wishful thinking about the queen of comfort foods.

The Guardian

Ditch the Soap! Dermatologists on 20 Ways To Love and Protect Your Skin

Do you need a complicated skincare routine, or is cleanser enough? And what about sugar, sleep, and smoking?

Knowable Magazine

As the Climate Changes, Plants Must Shift Their Ranges. But Can They?

Lots of them depend on fruit-eating birds and mammals to spread their seeds. But it’s debatable whether the animals — many in trouble themselves — can disperse seeds far and fast enough to keep pace with a warming world.

The Conversation

Low-Intensity Interval Training Can Be as Effective as HIIT

But only if you spend more time working out.

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, July 18

BBC

The ‘World-First’ Plan to Grow Food Above Landfill

A company plans to use greenhouses above pits filled with waste to grow low-cost food for locals.

Elle

Unpaid Leave and ‘Inconvenient’ Postpartum Bodies—Why Ballerinas Are Fighting for Their Rights

“We’re told we should do it ‘for the love of the art form,’ but we still have bills to pay and families to raise.”

Longreads

Bread and Honey

Sometimes, marriage is about learning how to braid the bitter with the sweet.

The 19th

She Helped Get Rid of Measles in Her County. This Is Her Advice on Stopping Its Spread.

Lubbock County in Texas has been free of measles cases for more than 50 days. But Katherine Wells, director of the Lubbock Health Department, is staying vigilant.

Los Angeles Times

AI Can Write a Scene. It Can Pitch a Movie. So What Happens to the Screenwriters?

As generative AI reshapes Hollywood, screenwriters like Billy Ray, Paul Schrader, Bong Joon Ho and Todd Haynes, along with a new class of tech disruptors, are navigating the uncertain future of storytelling.

Boston

Blood Feuds: The Fight Over Who Gets to Be Native American

A Rhode Island tribe’s quest for state recognition has sparked a controversy.

BBC

‘It’s Just a Weird, Weird Bird’: Why We Got the Dodo So Absurdly Wrong

The extinct flightless pigeon has captured imaginations for over 400 years. Experts and artists are now revealing how much we have distorted what the dodo was really like.

The Week

Why Your Body Ages Rapidly in Two ‘Bursts’

Scientists have found that ageing increases in our mid-40s and 60s.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Okayplayer

How Rebundle’s Plant-Based Braiding Hair Is Helping Beauty Industry Shift to Safer Alternatives

New studies show that most synthetic braiding hair contains toxic chemicals. Now, Black-owned beauty brands, like Rebundle, are stepping up with safer, sustainable alternatives.

NBC News

Another Report Suggests Medicaid Cuts Could Lead to Thousands of Deaths

The new report estimates that coverage losses could lead to delayed care, increased hospitalizations and more deaths. Its findings echo a study published in June.

Kiplinger

Can AI Help With Your Finances?

ChatGPT and other artificial-intelligence tools will streamline certain tasks, but don’t count on them to get everything right.

Kiplinger

3 Things Dave Ramsey Says to Stop Buying — and 2 That Are Worth It

Debt-free living starts with smart choices. Here’s what Ramsey says to avoid and where your money is well spent.

Canary Media

Trump’s Push to Keep Coal Plants Running Could Cost Consumers Billions

The DOE’s emergency stay-open orders for aging fossil-fuel plants are forcing unexpected costs onto utility customers.

Outside

Here’s Exactly What It Takes to Run—and Then Recover From—100 Miles

Physiologists track the calories burned and fluids consumed during a mountain ultra.

Time

The Legacy of Robert La Follette’s Progressive Vision

Robert La Follette saw politics as a never-ending struggle for democracy and fairness and preached perseverance.

Fast Company

Google’s New AI Feature Helps Gen Zers Who Are Afraid to Make a Phone Call

The Google AI-powered calling feature contacts small businesses for you, removing the need for human-to-human contact.

CBS News

Senate Weighs Amendments to $9 Billion Cuts to Foreign Aid, Public Media Funding

Congress needs to approve the rescissions request before it expires at the end of the week, or the funds will have to be spent as lawmakers previously intended.

Architectural Digest

I Tried It: West Elm’s Shelter Sleeper Sofa Is the Best Seat in the House

“The Shelter sleeper is the softest, cushiest couch in my house”

Smithsonian Magazine

Meet the First Barbie With Type 1 Diabetes. Her Colorful Accessories Showcase the Tools People Use to Treat the Chronic Disease

The new doll boasts a pink continuous glucose monitor to track blood sugar levels and a pink insulin pump

The Verge

How Incel Language Infected the Mainstream Internet — and Brought Its Toxicity With It

What foundational internet words have to do with 4chan.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Money.com

Why You Probably Need Flood Insurance — Even if You Don't Live Near Water

Over the Fourth of July weekend, parts of central Texas were devastated by flash floods after the region was hit with the equivalent of four months' worth of rain in just a few hours. At least 134 people were killed, and more than 100 are still missing as of press time.

Yahoo

What Is ‘Revenge Saving,’ and Should You Hop on the Trend?

“Revenge saving” emphasizes making up for poor financial habits by being aggressively frugal or restrictive with your current spending.

GQ

What to Wear to a Job Interview, According to Hiring Experts

Make sure your suit fits, don’t dress too sexy, and other essential advice from professionals in law, tech, finance, and marketing.

Kiplinger

I Want to Buy an Annuity, but I’m Scared I’ll Get Ripped Off. Should I Get One Anyway?

An annuity is a way to achieve lifetime income in retirement, but you need to understand how this product works before making a purchase.

Business Insider

The Hot New MBA Hustle

Millennials’ hottest new career pivot: ditching the corporate grind to run unsexy small businesses.

NPR

‘Panicking’: Why Recent College Grads Are Struggling to Find Jobs

Recent college graduates are facing one of the most challenging job markets in years — with the exception of the pandemic period — even as the overall unemployment rate remains low.

The Walrus

Why Everyone You Know Is Suddenly a Birder

A pandemic pastime has grown into something deeper.

CNBC

These College Majors Have the Best Job Prospects — and They Aren’t What Students Expect

Which college major students choose often has significant implications for job prospects and future career potential.

The New York Times

You Saved and Saved for Retirement. Now You Need a Plan to Cash Out.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they are more worried about running out of money in retirement than dying, and many retirees could be on track to turn that fear into a stark reality.

Fast Company

Why Do We Trust Certain People (Even When We Shouldn’t)?

The science of who is (and isn’t) trustworthy. Why are some people perceived as more trustworthy than others?

Harvard Business Review

Leading Is Emotionally Draining. Here’s How to Recover.

Emotional depletion is a real and significant tax of modern leadership. Recovery is no longer a luxury.

Substack

The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.—and Why It Matters

Young Americans today spend 70 percent less time attending or hosting parties than they did at the beginning of the 21st century. Why?