By Mary Ellen Bates
“Looking for an obscure fact, and need the answer right now? Forget search engines: Specialized search tools can help you track down offbeat information in a flash.
Search engines are great, but they often obscure simple, direct answers to straightforward questions in a sea of other information. For example, what was the original title of the first Godzilla movie? (Gojira, released in 1954) Who said "I'm as pure as the driven slush?" (Tallulah Bankhead) What percentage of adults have gone to a jazz performance in the last year? (11%).
Here are a few of my favorite sites for finding answers to those there-must-be-an-answer-out-there questions.
For the electronic equivalent to the "ready reference" shelf of resources that most librarians keep hidden behind their desks, check out RefDesk. It is particularly good for answering factual questions—Where do I get the new Windows XP Service Pack? Where is the 386 area code? How do I contact my member of Congress?
Another resource for lots of those quick-fact questions is InfoPlease, the publishers of the Information Please almanac. Right now, it's full of Olympics data, but it also has links to facts and factoids that you would look up in an almanac, atlas, or encyclopedia.
If you want numbers, start with the Statistical Abstract of the US. This source, produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, gives you everything from the divorce rate by state to airline cost indexes going back to 1980. It's a virtual "secret weapon" for pulling numbers together quickly.…”
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3450911
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment