Being a know-it-all isn’t quite what it used to be. Once upon a time, book smart info-maniacs were able to win bets and stump friends by reeling off the kind of information that could only be found by double-checking the facts in an Encyclopedia Britannica. It used to take years of education to learn those obscure little nuggets of information that could make or break a major party bet. Today, sadly, the answers to difficult trivia questions are readily available via a quick search on Google! Darn it. Being smart just isn’t what it used to be.
Let’s take a look at some of the online options for looking up obscure information. Wannabe movie buffs can now fake their expertise with the best of them by checking out the IMDB.com. Every famous actor, director, stunt person and animator worth their fan base is there, with a listing of all their roles, the years they been working, who they worked with and more! Basic information is free on the site, but a membership is required for more intense biographical tidbits and fan history.
For a major overview of science, literature, geography and everything else, go to www.britannica.com. The site has pages and pages of written history plus video as well. Reading the whole site is probably equivalent to a degree at Harvard University. The catch? The site requires a membership after a free trial period, which runs around $100 a year. For info-maniacs, it’s worth it.
For more information about almost everything, there’s Wikipedia.com. It’s an innovative online encyclopedia that has been developed by different contributors. The range and depth of information is impressive, though the site has been criticized for factual mistakes. It’s worth a look as one source of information, however, on a wide range of topics. And it’s free!
Now there’s no excuse for being trivia challenged, as a quick search online will make you an expert on almost everything!