What is a paraprosdokian?
A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or…
Author: The Smart Reader Staff
Briefs and quick reads selected and edited by The Smart Reader's editorial team of Rick, Allyson, and Ryan Good.
A high-tech heist for the history books
The worst mistake you ever made at work can’t compare to the one that Ben Zhou, CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, made on the evening of Feb. 21….
This QR code goes to wikipedia
Use caution with QR codes QR codes are convenient, easy to use, and increasingly common in our everyday lives. We use them to access restaurant menus,…
Cutting-edge space plane returns to Earth
There were no crowds of enthusiastic onlookers to cheer the return of a secret space plane in March, but U.S. Space Force personnel are now releasing some…
Trees with email addresses attract fans
In 2015, the City of Melbourne gave about 70,000 trees unique ID numbers and email addresses as part of an urban forestry project. The goal was practical:…
Lobsters get a better rep
Today at a good restaurant, you are going to pony up at minimum $100 for a lobster dinner. Too bad you didn’t live in the 1800s. Lobsters were once seen…
Why do you get brain freeze?
Brain freeze, technically known as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, happens when something cold hits the roof of your mouth fast’like chugging an icy…
The secret lives of dinosaurs
Ever since we learned about dinosaurs, we’ve been thinking about the differences between dinosaur sexes. Scientists have been studying it for decades and…
Tech buyer’s guide: Laptops that won’t break the bank
Are you in the market for a budget laptop? Arm yourself with a little information before you pull out your credit card so you can make the most of your…
Romance scams target dating app users
After losing his wife of 43 years, 72-year-old Gary was understandably lonely, and used technology to dip a toe back into the dating pool. According to…