A pretty interesting tool for the web researcher is the Wikipedia. Set up as a comprehensive (and then some) encyclopedia in wiki format, you can find information on just about any topic, encyclopedic or otherwise. However, since it is a wiki, accuracy is not guaranteed. (If you’ve never heard of a wiki, that’s ok, not a lot of people have. A wiki is a web document (or series of documents) that are editable by the users at large.)

Also as part of the Wikipedia project, there are some other useful tools, including Wiktionary, Wikibooks and Wikinews. However, because of its open nature, vandalism and inaccuracy are problems in Wikipedia. You may also wish to read with an open mind, as there is no guarantee that a particular author will have the same political, religious, or philosophical slant as you.

Visit the Wikipedia here.

Have you seen the new Google Maps? Check them out at http://maps.google.com/.

This is probably the best online map that I have used. Certainly better (IMO) than Yahoo’s or MapQuest’s. The biggest reason? It doesn’t reload the page everytime you scale/zoom or move side to side. It will continue to load new images into the map, but not the entire page. This is nice should you decide you need to hit the “back” button to return to the previous page or site. Now you won’t have to go through endless resizes, etc. of the same map.

Of course, as with any useful online map site, there are driving directions. The local search is very functional and also ties in to the driving directions. All in all, an easier interface than similar features on Yahoo or MapQuest.

The one creepy thing for me was that it is also tied in to the Google phone directory. Try typing your phone number into the main Google search (if you’re in the book, you’re in there), and you are presented map choices for Google, Yahoo, and MapQuest maps. I know it’s no big deal to look up a listed number and then find the address on a printed map, but it’s still a little spooky when you do it in a couple of clicks.