10 Essential Websites

Despite repeated attempts to compromise its integrity, Wikipedia remains the most popular online encyclopedia on the Web. Since anyone can create or edit a Wikipedia page, both companies and individuals have been caught airbrushing and embellishing their own entries. The Wiki community usually intervenes, however — egregious edits get reported on WikiScanner and Wiki trolls are given the heave ho — or at least a Wiki humiliation. Now you can even enjoy Wikipedia's wisdom without ever clicking on it. The Microsoft Live search engine automatically pulls up the first paragraph of any relevant Wikipedia entry in its search results. And a new print-it-yourself travel guide called Offbeat Guides (still in beta as of June 2008) culls information from the site to create custom travel guides tailored to the exact dates of your trip. Now that's neat.

—Anita Hamilton