I discovered Wikipedia some years ago by accident. I would notice that everytime I searched for something, one of the first google search results was a page on wikipedia. I started to read it, and found that it was a great source of information for basically everything I wanted to know. It was like your typical home encyclopedia, except better, because Wikipedia also has information on all the current trends, media news, anything interest and contemporary, and it's always up to date.
I recently learned about the WikiReader, a handheld digital gadget that is your own personal, carry-along Wikipedia. You can carry in you pocket or purse, and it contains all the information on Wikipedia. It works with a touch screen that allows you to type in what you are looking for, with immediate results (you have to press firmly for it to sense what you are trying to type, though, because it's not very sensitive). Because the entire Wikipedia is installed, you don't need internet access for it to work (no down-time), and the WikiReader provides articles on over 3 million topics (so you can look up anything you want more information on, no matter how obscure a topic, like say...lutefisk). The articles are not as thorough as you might find in an actual encyclopedia, but you'll get the important points.
It's easy to use, with three buttons to navigate- search (lets you search for a specific word or phrase), history (a list of what you've searched for in the past), and random, which has become my favorite option. Random pulls up an utterly random topic, and is a great way to learn about something new you never would have thought to research or look into. Today's random topic is Branchline, a Canadian railroad-related periodical. I'd do great on Jeopardy if I read a few of these a day.
This is a great gift for dads, even though they already know everything, and also for recent graduates, an easy way to take along a ready reference source as they begin college. Trivia fans would get a kick out of having this gadget handy too. The WikiReader retails for about $99, which is a good price if you remember how much actual encyclopedia sets cost. I still can't believe how much we paid- each volume cost about $30 in the late 1980's. It's also a good way to have a ready source of information with you at all times without having to wait until you get home and go on-line.
The Pandigital WikiReader
is currently available on Amazon with free shipping.DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2
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