Collections for Your Pocket

Curated guides to the best of the web

Pocket’s Top Stories of June 2023

How AI is making your job more tedious, what your new car knows about you, and more.

Do Smartphones Belong in Schools?

Device bans in schools are meant to protect young minds from being “forever elsewhere.” But some teachers are concerned by the potential for a different kind of distraction.

It’s Time To Stop Moralizing Every Daily Habit

The constant pressure to become a better version of ourselves might actually work against us.

Everyone Has an Opinion About Your Name

Karen and Kayleigh and Stryker, oh my! Explore the many ways we’re shaped and connected by our names.

What Writers and Editors Are Reading: May 2023

Sneak a peek inside your favorite writers’ Pockets to learn about their favorite recent reads—and why they’re obsessed.

How a Texas Housewife Got Away With Murder—and Inspired a Miniseries

Before Candy Montgomery—played by Elizabeth Olsen—captivated streaming audiences around the country, the real Candy was at the center of Wylie, Texas’s biggest scandal. Travel back in time to see how the developing case captured the kind of interest that has yet to wane, even after 40 years.

Pocket’s Top Stories of May 2023

Investigating the “jobless employed,” why no two people will ever see the exact same color, and more.

Sure, AI Can Make Art—but Is It Any Good?

Just because ChatGPT can write poems or podcasts doesn’t mean it should.

The Streaming Wars Enter Their Budget Era

Streaming CEOs are in belt-tightening mode. What does that mean for your favorite shows—or your shared passwords?

We’re All Living in the Wealth Gap Doom Loop

A snapshot of our inequality-driven housing market, from McMansions to predatory real estate investors.

How to Book a Trip Without Losing Your Mind

If it feels like booking a flight, hotel, or Airbnb takes more of an effort than it used to, that’s because it does. Here’s why the travel industry is increasingly tougher to navigate—plus, solutions to your booking woes.

How to Grill Everything This Summer

Foolproof recipes and time-tested advice for cooking over an open flame, from brisket to watermelon burgers.

How to Make the Most of Patio Season

Make the most of your warm-weather shindigs, no matter the size of your living space or wallet.

‘Simply the Best’: Remembering Tina Turner

A look back at the ‘Queen of rock ‘n’ roll’ through her music, her story, and her legendary career comeback.

Get Up to Speed: Why You Should Care About the Debt Ceiling

The high-stakes Congressional battle over paying the nation’s bills.

‘Dupes’ Are Changing How We Value Our Things

How a new generation of shoppers—fueled by TikTok and clever rebranding—have jumpstarted the knock-off economy.

Montana Banned TikTok. Now What?

Montana is the first state to ban the Chinese-owned social media app—what kind of example could it set for the rest of the country?

It’s Been 111 Years: Why the Titanic Remains a Cultural Obsession

The news is abuzz over the detailed new digital mapping of the Titanic, but our national fascination with the doomed sea vessel runs deeper than a ship-sinking iceberg.

Expanding What Motherhood Looks Like, One TV Show at a Time

How Lucy Ricardo, Clair Huxtable, and Chilli (yes, from “Bluey”) have shaped the way we see and experience motherhood.

What to Read if You Grew Up Playing “The Legend of Zelda”

Take an epic journey through the history of one of the most beloved franchises in video games.