Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

The Kitchn

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos

These nachos have it all.

Apartment Therapy

101 Ways to Add Color to Your Home

Pick and choose what feels right for your home.

The Guardian

Where to Start With Jane Austen

From sparkling dialogue to surprise character traits, wit, humor and tragedy, this is the time to appreciate Austen.

Smithsonian Magazine

Who Was Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai?

In the late 16th century, the enigmatic warrior fought alongside a feudal lord dubbed the “Great Unifier.”

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

The Measure of a Life Well Lived

Henry Miller on growing old, the perils of success, and the secret of remaining young at heart.

Quanta Magazine

How Life (and Death) Spring From Disorder

Biological systems don’t defy physical laws, of course — but neither do they seem to be predicted by them.

SELF

Why Having a Little Hobby Is So Good for You, According to Science

Finding a leisure activity you love isn’t just fun—it can make you healthier.

Greater Good Magazine

Seven Ways to Cope with Uncertainty

What should we do when everything feels so out of control?

Narratively

Smokin’ Cy DeVry Was the Original Tiger King

How a cigar-chomping, bear-wrestling bricklayer became the unlikeliest celebrity-influencer of the early 20th century—and changed zookeeping forever.

BBC Future

The Hand Gestures That Last Longer Than Spoken Languages

Using hand gestures might feel like an intuitive way to communicate across language barriers, but their meaning can change, and there are few universal signs that everyone agrees on.

BBC News

The Computers Rejecting Your Job Application

A growing number of firms are using artificial intelligence to pass or fail jobseekers.

Scientific American

What’s So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh

Psychologists, neuroscientists and philosophers are trying to understand humor.

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

Saturday, August 23

What It’s Like to Ride a Motorcycle at 175 Miles an Hour

How a recent trip to Italy to race Ducatis made me reorient my entire life.

Slate

Go Ahead, Get “Sleep Divorced”

All across this great nation, married women hunger to slumber alone. Why not try it?

Toronto Life

When an A&W takeout bag appeared on my neighbour’s porch in the middle of the night—followed by another, then another—I became obsessed with solving a fast food whodunit that was as baffling as it was beguiling.

The Washington Post

What Science Considers a Path to a Good Life

Plus, some tips and advice on how to get there.

CNN

Stranded and Injured, Here’s How an American Hiker Made It Home

As he tumbled down a steep cliff in Norway, Alec Luhn knew his life was in danger.

AFAR

The “Great Migration” in East Africa Is One of the World’s Greatest Spectacles. But Will Tourism Ruin It?

One guide’s viral social media post is forcing the safari world to confront the pressure that tens of thousands of tourists put on East Africa’s most iconic wildlife event.

Food & Wine

I Tested 6 Ways to Cook Corn on the Cob — and the Winning Method Was Clear

From boiling to grilling, I tried six ways to cook peak-summer corn on the cob. But one method produced the sweetest, juiciest and most flavorful corn.

CNN

A British Restaurant Is Launching the UK’s First Water Menu

La Popote is tapping into a global trend away from alcohol.

Birds Across the World Are Singing All Day for a Disturbing Reason

After analyzing a dataset of more than 60 million recorded birdsongs, researchers found that birds are singing an average of 50 minutes longer per day.

Architectural Digest

The Best Teapots and Kettles for a Better Brew

Check out which vessels will have everyone at the afternoon tea party talking

USA TODAY

Who’s In and Who’s Out at ‘Saturday Night Live?’ Lorne Michaels Promises a Shake-Up

Lorne Michaels is promising a major change in the “Saturday Night Live” lineup.

Popular Science

Retired Doctor Discovers New Dinosaur Species Deep in a Museum Archive

Istiorachis macarthurae may have used its impressive back fin to find a mate.

Fast Company

Employees Perform Better When Life Outside Work Is Fulfilling. Here’s Why

Employers that overwork their employees contribute considerably to their mental health issues, burnout, and high turnover rates.

Parade

The Viral Recipe That Has Us Rushing to the Store to Buy Pickles

This couldn’t be simpler.

Condé Nast Traveler

6 Venice Film Festival Movies That Will Spark Your Wanderlust

A look at the latest films shot in incredible locations around the world.

Texas Monthly

First Look: Hacienda Del Rio, the French Cowboys’ New Hill Country Hotel

The hospitality moguls recently unveiled the hip Hacienda del Rio.

The 19th

What It Means to Have a Woman in a Wheelchair Featured on U.S. Currency

The late disability justice co-founder and activist Stacey Park Milbern is the first woman in a wheelchair featured on U.S. currency and the first person whose wheelchair is actually shown.

Grist

US Mines Are Literally Throwing Away Critical Minerals

The U.S. discards vast quantities of critical minerals in mine waste each year - including enough lithium to power 10 million EVs.

Real Simple

7 Things You Really Need to Stop Storing in Your Bathroom, Pro Organizers Say

Turns out, a hot and steamy bathroom isn’t the best place to store lots of things. Here, professional organizers share what you should never stash near the tub and why.