One of my least favorite kinds of iPhone App is the “web clone.” Typically these are little more than a mobile version of a web page kept within the skin of a downloadable App. The premise of a web clone is that encapsulating the website in the App will make it more convenient to the user. In reality, most of them exist because the owner of the web service (whether it be a site, a bank, or a social network) is too lazy to code up a “real” App but wants to benefit from the publicity of the App Store. On the other hand, there are a few exceptions to the rule. This week’s App appears to be a web clone of Wikipedia, but as it turns out, the developers did a great job and found new ways to navigate the site.
Wikipedia is definitely one of the world’s most valuable resources. It is used by millions around the world and is a great educational resource for nearly anything. Many sites have been launched due to Wikipedia, and some of them even assist in helping you get a better experience with Wikipedia.
With over 2,461,000+ English articles as I write this, it would be tough finding the most accurate information and find what you are looking for all the time. I thus have found some of the best and most accurate Wikipedia search engines to help you get the most accurate information whenever you need it.
KallOut is a very simple, yet very functional, Windows program. For highlighted text in many programs (including Firefox, Adobe Acrobat, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office and Notepad) it puts a small icon next to the highlighted words, which looks like this 
. When you hover your mouse over that icon, it gives you a menu to look up the selected text in many popular services like Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, eBay and many more.
Also with the BestGuess™ feature, KallOut even analyzes the content you’ve selected and suggests the most relevant places to search for that phrase.
When you talk for a living, it’s usually a good idea to know the proper pronunciation of the words you’re using. As a radio newscaster, I come across the occasional word that baffles me, either because I’ve never seen it before, or because I’ve seen it written, but have never heard it pronounced.
Case in point, recently a Canadian tourist fell off a building and died in the resort city of Cebu, Philippines. I’d never heard of Cebu before. Often a quick Google search for something like “pronounce Cebu” will provide a link or two with a written pronunciation guide, but there’s nothing like actually hearing someone who knows, pronounce the word.
As Wikipedia grows more and more in momentum, people will start to use Wikipedia as their one and only source of information (of which I am becoming increasingly guilty of). But the internet doesn’t begin and end with Wikipedia.
Here’s some other reference websites worth a look, sites you can make use of.
1. Dictionary.com - One of my favourites. Also includes Thesaurus.com and Reference.com. Has email subscription services and RSS feeds.
2. About.com - This site has become much more commercialized over the years with more and more advertising. But nevertheless, you can find a wealth of information on numerous subjects, with more subjects being added all the time.
OK, you can quit yawning. As soon as you heard the phrase “US Government websites”, you probably thought I was going to take you on a riveting ride through the complexities of the Internal Revenue Service. Au contraire, mon ami. Perhaps you didn’t realise until now that there are actually some really smoking hot websites built and maintained by the US Federal Government with your tax dollars.
‘HowTo’s (HowTos, HowTo’s, or whatever you prefer to call them) are excellent problems solvers: they provide quick, easy-to-follow and non-overwhelming solutions to one or another problem that pop-up during daily routines. People love them, especially when they’re free, regardless whether it’s a step-by-step guide or a couple of minutes long video.
Good news, the amount of freely available, user-contributed HowTo’s out there is staggering. There is something for everyone: ranging from fun stuff i.e. how to make invisible book shelf, imitate gunshot wounds and even open up a Coke machine to more practical stuff i.e. how to negotiate a raise or tie a Tie. All categorized, commented and rated by users like you and me. Below you’ll find all ‘HowTo’ services we could find, as always all free, well-categorized and hopefully objectively ranked. Plus a bonus ‘HowTo’ search engine at the end. Enjoy!
Despite writing about it only now, this is one of the first services I discovered and really liked. It is fun, fast, very useful and free. Eventhough it is fun to use it, reviewing it here seemed little overwhelming, but I am through. Enjoy!
You need to find out how something works? Whether it is as complicated as ‘stem cells‘ or simple as simple as ‘quartz watch‘ HowStuffWorks has it covered. It is comprehensive and number one source for credible and easy to understand explanations on how things work. Service is free and all you need to do is to enter right search term. In addition to how something works you are also provided with a number of tips, guides and reviews related to the subject. In other words, if you serach for banks then apart from ‘how banks work?’ you get banking tips and guides.
