Seekers of knowledge, or just an odd fact, can tap into a growing number of Internet reference sites, many of which are free. And sluggish telephone connections may leave you searching for a thesaurus to freshen your expletives. Still, online sites free you from the tether of a disk and can offer extensive searching abilities, links to other resources, and updates. Encyclopedia Britannica last month began providing the full text of its venerable reference work online. It includes news, magazine articles, selected TV listings, and connections to Web sites on such diverse topics as philosophy and sports.
Some snafus remain.
The encyclopedia entries deliver the expected depth and authority, but the tone is ponderous. Most people do not believe in ghosts, but some do. No secrets, but global statistics, descriptions of countries, government information, and maps. The material is updated yearly. All the data and trivia that make almanacs useful and fun, retrievable by keyword or category.