Virginia lit the fuse for Independence — 250 years ago this month
July 4th gets the fireworks. But the fuse of independence was sparked on May 15, 1776, 250 years ago this month, in Williamsburg, Virginia. That was the…
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.
World Otter Day — May 27 The otter who hijacks surfboards
Something is happening at Steamer Lane, the famous surf break in Santa Cruz, California, and it is not what surfers signed up for. A sea otter has taken…
Costco membership earning its keep?
A Costco Gold Star membership costs $65 a year, which means it pays for itself the moment you’ve saved $5.42 a month. For families, that’s almost…
A raccoon’s excellent adventure
It started innocuously enough. A raccoon in Ashland, Virginia found a gap in the ceiling of a state liquor store, squeezed through, and helped himself to…
Expensive subscriptions
Americans spend an average of $200 a year on subscription services they are not actively using, according to research by the Motley Fool. Gym apps,…
Meta exec provides a teachable moment
OpenClaw’s developer Peter Steinberger describes his agentic AI as “AI that actually does stuff,” a promise that has drawn legions of fans in the tech…
Make your grill a cutting-edge experience
Do you want to up your summer grilling game? Establish yourself as the barbecue champion of your neighborhood? Good news — there’s almost certainly a…
Amazon to attempt another smartphone
Amazon’s Fire Phone famously crashed and burned after its 2014 debut, but according to Reuters, the online shopping and media giant plans to make another…
Publisher cancels horror novel over AI use
Hachette Book Group cancelled publication of upcoming horror novel Shy Girl over allegations that author Mia Ballard used artificial intelligence to…
Lego introduces the Smart Brick
Lego is integrating technology into its classic interlocking brick system with the Smart Brick, launched as part of a larger Smart Play range of building…