Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

The Guardian

Exercising for 30 Minutes Can Improve Memory

Research shows walking or bicycling improves cognitive performance for day ahead – and day after.

Quartz

Designers and Statisticians Disagree On What Makes a Good Information Graphic

The fundamental disagreement between designers and statisticians isn’t rare, nor is it new.

Smithsonian Magazine

America’s First Black Physician Sought to Heal a Nation’s Persistent Illness

An activist, writer, doctor and intellectual, James McCune Smith, born enslaved, directed his talents to the eradication of slavery.

Inc.

21 Books Highly Recommended by Successful Executives

Looking for a good title to pick up? Here's where to start.

WIRED

How to Start a Cassette Collection in the 21st Century

The most unlikely of music formats is staging a return. Part novelty and part nostalgia, here’s how to dive in.

Men’s Health

How Many Calories You Can Burn Just By Walking

Walking is an effective, low-impact cardio workout with benefits that go well beyond calorie burn. Still, here’s what to keep in mind if you’re keeping track.

Bon Appétit

Your Dishwashing Style Says a Lot About Who You Are

There are two types of cooks: Those who clean as they go and those who let it all pile up for later.

Atlas Obscura

The Illegal Ramen Vendors of Postwar Tokyo

Black markets and American wheat imports popularized ramen.

Slate

“Aw—Mommy Will Make It Better”

Are parents turning their kids into whiny weaklings by overconsoling them?

Mental Floss

Who Was the Original ‘Poster Child‘?

While the exact phrase didn’t enter the language until the 1930s, using children as a means to raise funds for hospitals goes way back.

Men’s Health

A Bodybuilding Coach Shared His 10 Most ‘Underrated’ Exercises

Eugene Teo recommends some lesser-known movements and variations to try in your next workout.

Stylist

The 5 Most Common Regrets of the Dying—and What We Can Learn From Them

Bronnie Ware, a former palliative care nurse and bestselling author, shares the five most common regrets of the dying—and her advice on how to live a life full of happiness and joy.

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

Sunday, July 13

The Guardian

‘It’s the Only Thing Between Me and a Divorce!’ The Remarkable Rise of the Big Family Planner

Many households would descend into chaos without somewhere to jot down work commitments, after-school activities, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries … But do you run the planner, or does the planner run you?

WIRED

AI Is a Lousy Chef

I asked an AI-powered recipe generator to make some menus. It didn’t tell me to put glue in my guacamole, but the results didn’t come close to besting recipes written by professionals.

Texas Monthly

The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.

On July 4, the Guadalupe ripped our home from its pillars, pulling my family into its waters and into the night. Then morning came.

The New York Times

How a Single Overdose Unraveled an Empire of Heroin

A man’s death after using “Flow” in a small Vermont city exposed a drug operation that spanned continents and sent a New York prosecutor on a heartbreaking journey.

Texas Monthly

At 40, She Discovered She Was One of America’s Best Free Divers

Sara Burnett went from an introductory course to a world championship in just over a year.

Elle

How a ‘Breakup Moon’ Trip Helped Us Say Goodbye

My boyfriend and I knew our relationship was over. We decided to go to New Zealand anyway.

The New Yorker

How to Save a Dog

For nearly a year, a motley crew scoured New Orleans for a shaggy white mutt named Scrim.

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?

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

CBS News

Texas Floods Endangered Livestock and Damaged Crops. Here’s How Farmers Are Dealing With the Aftermath of the Disaster

Flash floods in Texas last week killed at least 121 people and left more than 170 missing. Farmers are now working to assess damage to their properties.

Business Insider

Why the Next App for Relationships Won’t Look Like a Dating App, According to a VC

Amber Atherton is a VC looking for the next big app to disrupt how we build new and maintain our existing relationships.

Vogue

Why Is Everybody Standing on Vibration Plates?

Medical experts weigh in on the trend.

Context

Asian Garment Industry Braces for Higher U.S. Tariffs

With new U.S. tariff rates, Asia’s garment industry workers risk losing livelihoods as factories seek better deals.

NBC News

Canadian Lovers’ Message in a Bottle Found 13 Years Later and 2,000 Miles Away

The note was “like a little secret,” said one of the people who opened it, “but now it has brought so much joy to so many people.”

Popular Mechanics

The 4 Coolest Minivans That Should’ve Never Existed—but Absolutely Did

From “a sailing ship for dry land” to a cult classic, these minivans have bucked trends left and right to earn a place in our hearts.

The Conversation

The Forgotten 80-Year -Old Machine That Shaped the Internet – and Could Help Us Survive AI

Leading American engineer and scientist Vannevar Bush thought that the memex was the answer to information nightmare of the 1940s.

ProPublica

Anchorage Rebuilds Its Prosecutor’s Office After Our Reporting Revealed Hundreds of Criminal Case Dismissals

The city dropped more than 250 domestic violence assault cases and more than 270 drunken driving cases between May 1 and Oct. 2 last year. Now it says it has hired a full staff of 12 “frontline” prosecutors who will take cases to trial.

Business Insider

Our Daughters Are Named Kyle and Cameran. People Are Often Confused, but We Don’t Care.

Nicole Johnson and her husband have two girls, Kyle and Cameran, and two sons, Brooks and Zachary. Though it's caused confusion, they don't regret it.

CNET

I Tried the First Full-Scale, AI-Powered Gym. It’s Great, but Humans Are Still Required.

I visited LA’s Fred Fitness to exercise with the AI it uses to create custom workout plans. This is how it compares to a traditional gym.

Los Angeles Times

‘The Aviator and the Showman’ Untangles Amelia Earhart’s Fateful Marriage — and Thrill-Seeking Ambition

‘The Aviator and the Showman,’ Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s vibrant account of Amelia Earhart’s union with a publicity-seeking publisher, unpacks the mystery surrounding her final flight.

Harper's Bazaar

The Best Travel Outfit Ideas to Inspire a More Stylish Journey

From Kendall Jenner to Bella Hadid, these looks are so easy to re-create.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

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.

Psyche

What to Do When Someone Goes on the Defensive

Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology.

NBC News

Job Scams Are on the Rise and More People Are Falling for Them

As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

USA TODAY

Increase Your Social Security Income in Retirement With Three Powerful Moves

There's a reason people are commonly advised not to retire on Social Security alone. The average monthly benefit won't go very far in helping seniors cover their costs.

Vox

For Years, Women Complained That This Medical Procedure Was Painful. Doctors Are Finally Listening.

How a common birth control method became the center of a reckoning.

Harvard Business Review

New Research on Why Teams Overwork—and What Leaders Can Do About It

Why do so many high-performing professionals keep working at a punishing pace, even when it damages their health, relationships, and personal well-being?

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.

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.

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.

Gizmodo

This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia

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

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.