Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

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.

Literary Hub

Looking Back on the Magical Mystery Series ‘Pushing Daisies’

It had everything: homemade pies, murder mysteries, touchless romances, and waking the dead.

MIT Press Reader

The Engineered Student: On B. F. Skinner’s Teaching Machine

The story of teaching machines is deeply intertwined with Skinner’s psycho-technologies, which laid a foundation from which education technology has never entirely broken.

Mental Floss

20 Chucklesome Slang Terms From the 1910s

Nothing makes you feel more like a flivver than getting too peloothered and waking up with the woofits.

Atlas Obscura

A Quiet Revolution in Botany: Plants Form Memories

Inside a quiet revolution in the study of the world’s other great kingdom.

The Washington Post

How to Improve Your Sleep Position to Wake up Feeling Better

Adding an extra pillow under your lower body can help ease pressure on your joints and relax your back muscles.

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.

Fast Company

Why Doing the Easy Parts of Your To-Do List First Can Be a Bad Idea

There's a scientific reason you probably shouldn’t give in to the temptation to tackle the easy things on your to-do list first.

Bloomberg Businessweek

How an Unknown Chinese Phonemaker Took Over Africa

Shenzhen Transsion Holding has spent years building devices to cater to African consumer tastes.

Aeon

How Wonder Works

One emotion inspired our greatest achievements in science, art and religion. We can manipulate it – but why do we have it?

Fast Company

How To Work With Someone You Can't Stand

It’s a problem most of us encounter at some point in our careers—and working remotely can exacerbate the issue.

Inverse

Are You Eating Too Much Protein? This Common Amino Acid Could Reveal the Answer

Maybe time to go less ham on the ham, for your arteries’ sake.

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

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.

The New Yorker

The Redemption of Chance the Rapper

His new album, “Star Line,” has the difficult task of reacquainting the world with the artist after several tumultuous years.

The Washington Post

What Science Considers a Path to a Good Life

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

WIRED

AI Isn’t Coming for Hollywood. It's Already Arrived.

An early winner in the generative AI wars was near collapse—then bet everything on a star-studded comeback. Can Stability AI beat the competition?

The Guardian

The Silent Epidemic: The Pros and Cons of Screening for Prostate Cancer

In the US, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men – but experts can’t agree about testing.

The Ringer

The Oral History of ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’

Twenty years ago, chest hair was ripped, improv was maximized, and a V-card was taken. Here is the story of the movie that kicked off a golden age of raunchy bro comedies.

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.

CNN

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

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

Amazon Is Betting on Agents to Win the AI Race

David Luan, Amazon’s AGI Labs chief, on why agents are going to be the next major turn in AI.

Variety

Horse Racing As a Metaphor for Life Explored in Sanfic Industria Title ‘The Curve’

Uruguayan documentary ‘The Curve’ follows a retiring horse trainer as filmmaker Agustín Flores reckons with the suicide of his father.

BBC

The Race for the Two Miles-a-Second Super Weapons That Putin Says Turn Targets to Dust

Russia and China are leading the global race in hypersonic missiles - how worried should we be that the US is playing catch up and the UK has none?

The Cut

Your Post-Vacation Guide to Getting Your Finances Under Control

Financial experts share advice for dealing with the post-vacation money hangover.

Al Jazeera English

Walmart Scoops Customers From Rivals but Warns Inventory Cost Is Rising

Second-quarter results showed that the retailer has continued to benefit from price sensitivity among US consumers.

Inverse

Infinity Nikki’s Player Housing Update Is Also Launching an Unexpected Crossover

Two cozy gaming giants are getting a crossover in a new update, but how exactly their worlds will collide is still unclear.

The Conversation

Parenting Strategies Are Shifting As Neuroscience Brings the Developing Brain Into Clearer Focus

Old-school parenting strategies like ‘go to your room!’ can often amplify the very behavior that parents want to correct.

The Hollywood Reporter

From Anne Hathaway to Drake, Hollywood’s Top Sports Team Owners

Celebrities and entertainment moguls love to call the shots, and nothing is more fun than owning equity in a sailing, paddleball, soccer or football team.