Finding information is often one of the hardest aspects of writing. This page will be an ongoing project to post useful links for a variety of topics. On-line is often easy but not always the most reliable source of information. If you need facts, please make sure you check more then one source. The library, and librarians, are a wonderful resource to find books on most topics.
 
Alaska Historical Research Paranormal Investigation Performing Pregnancy Science Research Space Types of Punk Unexplained Discoveries

General Activities: This page has general information about regular activities. Right now it is more on dating, relationships and marriage than anything else. But its a start.

Works Cited
Purdue On-line Writing Lab (OWL): This has information about MLA format.
MLA Citation Style: This has examples.
Purdue On-line Writing Lab (OWL): This has information about APA format. APA is the American Psychological Association. This format is for psychology papers and social sciences. Please ask your instructor if you are unsure which format to use.
APA Citation Style: This has examples.

Search Engines
AltaVista: This search engine was recommended at the community college for researching technology information. I find it wonderful for this.
Ask: I believe this was formerly "Ask Jeeves" and is used much like ones plays Jeopardy.
Google: This is my search engine of chose. It also has a number of free options including email, an article site similar to wikipedia, websites, group lists (although requires members to have gmail accounts for restricted groups,) and various other options.
Yahoo: Another good search engine. It has various free options including email, a good messenger program, bad chat options for adults, group lists (am not positive but I don't remember Yahoo lists requiring a Yahoo email,) one player and multi-player games, and additional options to numerous to remember nevertheless mention.

Articles, Definitions and "Encyclopedia" Content
Dictionary.com: This is a free dictionary. It has a free daily dictionary word option where the site emails a word with definition and example of usage daily. It sometimes repeats words, but it is wonderful for increasing ones vocabulary.
The Free Dictionary: I just found this one. I tested it out by dropping in "gopher." Not only did it offer multiple options for the type of gopher, it gave paragraph descriptions of the furry little critters when I chose "gopher: animal." It also has options not listed below, including an Acronyms, Idioms and definitions for financial terms.
The Free Dictionary (medical dictionary): I chose this site option and dropped in "bone density." The definition was not in paragraphs, but it was in plain English and I understood it.
The Free Dictionary (legal dictionary): I clicked this link and dropped in "Roe vs. Wade." Extensive information for a basic posting. Includes wonderful links to works cited. I chose the topic because it was a court case I knew the name of. (It is in no way a pro or con statement about the case or related topics.)
The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliche: Hilarious cliches found in video games. Is a wonderful tool to research how not to write stories.
Knol: This is a Google resource similar to Wikipedia. It is not "encyclopedic" and articles are not as rigidly formatted. (Examples of Wikipedia's control of information is available.) The articles are written by general users. I have not found Knol to be as useful as Wikipedia, but it is a more open forum for posting articles if that interests you.
Wikipedia: I find this resource wonderful for finding various tidbits and topics ranging from agriculture to Einstein's brain. I have found information on almost everything I looked for. The downside of its wide range of free information is that it is posted by random people on-line. It is not a "reliable" source of information, but the information is a good start and the citations on individual pages are often more reliable then the Wikipedia page itself.
Wiktionary: This is a dictionary, of sorts, associated with Wikipedia. It looks promising.

Cultural and Location Information
CIA Factbook: USA-published material. Wonderful information on any country, including obscure ones, I have ever needed information on. It also includes information on countries that are not safe for Americans to travel.
Lonely Planet: Wonderful information on any country, including obscure ones, I have ever needed information on.
MapQuest: Great site for finding information on location. It has standard maps and aerial maps (taken by satellite) that given wonderful details for setting. (Remember to check your details to know if a building was there five years ago or isn't there now.)

Resources for Paranormal Investigation
The Atlantic Paranormal Society (also known as TAPS): This group is behind the "Ghost Hunter" series. I heavily disagree on tactics used in the TV program for ghost investigation. This site, however, has a wonderful forum to discuss experiences people have had. Wonderful resource to track real life accounts of paranormal experiences.
Washington State Ghost Society: This page has what indications might be a haunting, suggestions for what could be mistook for a haunting, and suggestions to keep a journal on suspected activity. Has great ideas to inspire mischievous, annoying and dangerous ghosts for stories.
Wausau Paranormal Research Society: I am not entirely sure where Wausau is. However, the page has a wonderful listing of equipment used in researching paranormal phenomena, particularly ghost hunting.

Quotes
Sigmund Freud: This has some really bizarre quotes, but I do like, "Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock."
Mark Twain/Samuel Clemmons: Quotes are organized in alphabetical order and has a site search to track quotes with key words.
Dreams: This page has quotes from Douglas Adams to Chuang Tzu on Dreams. I find them inspirational.

Information on Creating Unique Story Settings
Fantasy Worldbuilding: A section of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website. Has lots of wonderful information on realism or simply consistency.

On-line Language Translators
Stars21: This link indicates English to Irish. However, it has a long list of languages translated from English, including Latin.
Online Conversion: Ever needed to translate kilometers into miles, or vice versa? Or maybe needed to figure out gradients. This is the website for you. It has information ranging from land distance to dates/times to energy conversion. Wonderful for pesky things like Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Miscellaneous Information and Amusements
Fortean Slips: Toliet Paper Plagiarism: This is one of those stories found that makes people laugh and shake their head. It also makes one think about copyrights, respect and bizarre lawsuits. Roger Penrose, an author/scientist I like for other reasons, once realized that a mathematical design he had discovered and patented, I guess, was being used by a toliet paper company for a design on toilet paper. I can imagine that would be upsetting. (I also doubt it was intentional.)
My First House: This is a blog about a house renovation. It has information on the process and some amusing discoveries. I rate it PG-13 for some more mature humor I have seen so far in the blog. For LS members, its written by a member.
Roger Penrose: Is an English mathematician. What I found interesting about him is a theory of consciousness he implies related to quantum physics. I have yet to be able to find translations for the science involved. Nerd to English translators are not easy to find.
Yahoo Answers: Have a question to a problem and can't find the answer? Yahoo Answers is a wonderful place to ask on-line people questions from physics to naming babies (for naming characters, I recommend the Books & Authors section.) The answers are opinions of random people. Sometimes questions get spammed. Some individuals give bad information, alternative ideas, and preach. I have found good information, including links. It does require a free yahoo email account.