Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Literary Hub

The Real Dracula Is a Detective Story

Forget what you think you know about the ur-vampire story. Bram Stoker’s masterpiece was a sprawling, radical detective novel.

The Atlantic

Why Your Vet Bill Is So High

Corporations and private-equity funds have been rolling up smaller chains and previously independent practices.

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.

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.

Narratively

Diary of a Bachelor Who Suddenly Became a Solo Dad to a Teenage Girl

I was an 18-year-old father who couldn’t be there for his baby. I know, you’ve heard this one before. How about this part? Twelve years later Krystasia’s mom walked away and never came back.

Aeon

When a Bough Breaks

Volcanic feelings of love and hate are part of being a parent: it’s dangerous to pretend otherwise.

Greater Good Magazine

Your Sleep Tonight Changes How You React to Stress Tomorrow

According to research, a good night’s sleep makes us more positive and resilient to stress.

Inc.

How to Learn in 2 Days What Normally Takes 6 Months

Being realistic about the challenges ahead of you can help you overcome them quickly.

PC Gamer

6 Games That Had a Huge Impact on PC Gaming, but Are Rarely Celebrated Today

The unsung trailblazers of PC gaming history.

Stylist

3 Reasons Why Walking Is So Good for Your Hormonal Health, According to an Expert

Looking for another reason to get out for your daily stroll? This list of hormonal health benefits should provide plenty of motivation.

BBC Future

Why Are Some People Compelled to Cheat at Games?

When it comes to unfair tactics, some of us are just better at bending the rules. But, the urge to cheat at games is easier to understand when you examine how they are designed.

WIRED

Your Next Landlord Could Be 100 Random People

Startups are buying properties and wooing first-time real estate investors to buy shares. The model could have real repercussions for renters.

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, August 8

Saveur

That Chewy, Bouncy Texture You Love Has a Name

Whether in boba tea, cuttlefish, rice noodles, or cassava dough, the texture of QQ connects people across cultures and generations.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

From crispy to chewy, we’ve collected the best of the best.

The Toronto Star

What Michael Did

How does a family cope when one member — in the midst of a psychotic episode — kills another?

The Guardian

Knife Throwing and Cheeseburger Spinning: The Agony and Ecstasy of Being a Viral Trickshot Video Star

Think you could throw a basketball off a 540ft dam, into a hoop – while blindfolded? Meet the talented and ludicrously patient people putting hours into the internet’s most joyful (and pointless) clips.

The Associated Press

The World Nearly Beat Polio. But Fake Records, an Imperfect Vaccine and Missteps Aided Its Comeback.

The World Health Organization has closed in on its bold goal of eradicating polio several times, but the paralytic virus is entrenched in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The New Yorker

The Internet Wants to Check Your I.D.

New safety rules require users to verify their identities before gaining access to sites. This spells the end of the relative anonymity that we’ve come to expect online.

The Atlantic

The Tech Novel’s Warning for a Screen-Addled Age

Elaine Castillo’s second novel captures the numerous ways that screens help people hide from themselves.

BBC

How Keep Calm and Carry on Became a Divisive 21st-Century Phenomenon

After a forgotten WW2 propaganda poster was discovered in 2000, it found an astounding new resonance in 21st-Century Britain – becoming an endlessly memeable template that is both cherished and mocked.

Austen, Demons, Gorgons, Shakespeare: Seven Novels That Reimagine Classic Stories

From fairytales to mythology, classics to niche, there has always been a love of retellings and reimaginings.

The Associated Press

Keeping Work From Spoiling a Vacation Takes Planning and the Right Phone Settings

The summer vacation season is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, but navigating the line between work time and personal time is tricky for a lot of people.

The Cut

Who Is Katie Miller?

After leaving the White House to work for Elon Musk amid his big Trump feud, Stephen Miller’s wife is now launching a podcast.

Mental Floss

The Fascinating Reasons Why Some Old Houses Have Two Front Doors

You aren’t seeing double—some houses were intentionally built with this architectural quirk.

SFGate

The Unassuming Cash-Only San Francisco Dive Bar That’s Loyal to the IRA

She’d been running the bar with her business partner for years. Then they found out they’re cousins.

Grist

Food Banks Have Long Prevented Emissions. Now They’re Getting Into the Carbon Credit Business.

To stay afloat, food banks in the Global South are considering selling controversial offsets for revenue.

The Guardian

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.

Axios

Behind the Curtain: The AI Super-Stimulant

The biggest companies in history are spending a stunning amount of money to fuel the AI revolution.

ABC News

See 1st Look at ‘The Office’ Spinoff ‘The Paper’

The trailer for “The Paper,” a spinoff of “The Office,” has officially arrived.

HuffPost

This Is the Real Reason You Can’t Go Back on the Plane If You Left Something Behind

This airline rule is infuriating if you’re forgetful, but there’s a reason for it.

The Ringer

The 25 Most Important Stunt Scenes of the 21st Century

From ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ to ‘Mission: Impossible,’ these are the fights, shootouts, car chases, and aerial maneuvers that vaulted action cinema to new heights—as told by the people who made them.