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, a virtual Encyclopedia Britannica, except better because it has information on current trends, 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, but you have to press very firmly for it to sense what you are trying to type, because it’s not very sensitive. This was actually a pain because I’d have to press five times and with the very tip of my finger, or else there was no response or the wrong thing was activated.
The WikiReader provides articles on over 3 million topics; the articles are not as thorough as you might find in an actual encyclopedia or the wikipedia, but you’ll get the important points. It features 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 neat Fathers Day gift idea for tech-challenged dads who are fighting the internet (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 pretty good price if you remember how much actual encyclopedia sets cost. It’s also a good way to have a ready source of information with you at all times if you don’t have online access with a tablet or phone.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: cmp.ly/2