" '"B" Cell batteries: Mystery solved. Stefan sez:
If you go to a battery display in a drug or convenience store or Radio Shack, you'll find AAA-cell batteries, and AA-cell batteries, and C-cell batteries and big 'ol D-cell batteries.
But no A or B cell batteries.

This has bothered me for years, and past searches turned up nothing.  Now, thanks to an article on the Discovery Channel Canada site, I know what a B cell looks like. Apparently, A cells are available in Canada, but they didn't include one on the little photoshopped battery line-up included in the article. Link Discuss (Thanks, Stefan!) [bOing bOing]'

I'm including this only because I nearly posted a question about this on Tuesday. I had to replace the batteries in my two month old's bouncy chair, and realized that I'd never seen a B battery. That struck me as odd, and I resolved to post a question here in the hopes that someone could answer it for me.

This is just proof that blogging really is powerful technology: blogs answer my questions before they're asked, further simplifying my life. :)" [tins: Rick Klau's weblog]

If you have a factual question "that's been bothering you for yours" (and I'm not talking about philosophical kinds of questions), then please just contact your local library. We specialize in this kind of thing, you know.  :-)

+ Meta Search + Invisible Web + Virtual Librarians = Wondir!

" 'A team of respected search industry veterans is building a new and different kind of information service that seeks to unify cutting edge technology with the web's original egalitarian vision of people freely helping people."

The Wondir Foundation's ambitious goal is to offer a unique combination of broad metasearch, deep search of the invisible web, and live human answers. Also unique is Wondir's organization as a non-profit foundation, designed to avoid the commercial pressures faced by for-profit search engines and directories."

"The project is spearheaded by Matt Koll, the founder and CEO of Personal Library Software, which was acquired by America Online in 1998 to bolster its internal search capabilities. Koll is also acknowledged as the first to write and speak about the Invisible Web, the vast portion of cyberspace that is unindexed by most search engines.' (from Searchday)

from the Wondir site - 'The Wondir information service will help people find practical, focused answers to questions, with an emphasis on connecting people who have questions with other people who can provide needed help. These answer-givers, tutors, mentors, experts, enthusiasts, and peers could be volunteering on their own or as part of an organized online help program, such as an AskA service, government or social service, civic group, professional association, university, school or library. In addition to live resources, Wondir will make extensive use of FAQs, stored Q&As and other searchable web resources. Relevant human resources will be integrated into the results and featured in a targeted way."

"We think of Wondir as the blending of a universal search engine and a universal message board enlivened with real time communication. Wondir will unite Search and Community - two pillars of the Internet that have not yet lived up to their potential - by making human help accessible and as simple as asking a question of a search engine.'

LS thoughts - This looks like a very interesting product, just in time to give Google Answers a run for their money. I can't wait to see Wondir in action. Our friend Gary is on the advisory board. Librarians rule, don't they?" [Library Stuff]