There is so much to be learned in life - some of it useful and vital, some of it trivial or pointless other than for the sake of simply knowing it. The irony in this is that more often than not, it is that which has been deemed "unnecessary" that is the most difficult to find. Those of us with an interest in either the strange or simply the little-known are therefore posed with a few challenges. We must not only search for the ken that we crave but we must also be wary of invented or mistaken information, as what we seek is not common knowledge. In this guide I will share some of my strategies and resources that have helped me in my quest for what I feel to be facts worth learning.

When it comes to finding interesting and reliable facts, a non-fiction book picked up at your local library or your favorite book store just cannot be beat. In this digital age, it may be hard to imagine that there are any significant disadvantages to the possibility of online research, but step back and think about what comprises a great portion of the web - personal websites, homepages, and blogs that can be created by anyone and can contain almost anything their creators wish. While anyone can publish a book, books are also subject to a heavy amount of proof-reading, editing, fact-checking, and general quality control. In many cases, a non-fiction book that you can purchase in, say, a Borders or a Barnes & Noble can be considered a relatively reliable source.

The logic behind this assumption of mine is that major book store chains are obviously looking to make a profit. They aim to carry only those books which a customer interested in the subject matter would consider worth buying. While they obviously can't inspect each and every title they carry, they have to have some way to decide at a glance what is quality, sellable material and what is not. This is not to say that every decent-looking book can be trusted - this is far from the case. It can be assumed, however, that a non-fiction book is less likely to contain bogus information than your average run-of-the-mill website.

As I stated previously, the internet is a potentially misleading resource and is to be used with care. However, that being said, it is an infinitely valuable source of all types of content and one can learn from it a great deal of interesting facts with smart and efficient researching. By smart and efficient research, I mean going further than a quick Google Search inquery. Below are some ways I go about my searches.

While Wikipedia is open for anyone to edit, its content is constantly being reviewed for mistakes, lack of proper citation, and the like. Articles that turn up such errors are clearly marked as suspect in order to warn the reader of them. A cursory glance at the citations can give you an idea of how well- or poorly-researched an individual article is, and you can make the call as to whether or not you choose to trust it. Any article marked with a gold star in the top right corner should be considered legitimate, as the star indicates that the article in question has been distinguished as particularly well-done.

If you know which topic or general subject you wish to know about, Wikipedia is a good starting point and may prove particularly useful. If you do not have a subject in mind or are looking to learn about a variety of subjects, Wikipedia might not be the best place to begin.

The StumbleUpon toolbar often entertains me for hours at a time, and I personally recommend that anyone who has not used it before look into it. At its most basic, StumbleUpon takes you to a new random (or not so random, depending on how you configure it) website at the click of a button based on subjects you select as interesting to you. Websites are recommended, rated, and categorized by members of the StumbleUpon community. You can 'stumble' through websites chosen based on a particular subject, or websites chosen based on any of a list of chosen subjects. Once you join the SU community and download the StumbleUpon toolbar, you'll be just a few steps away from stumbling into fascinating facts, among a plethora of other possibilities. (Two interesting subjects to try stumbling are "Bizzare/Oddities" and "Paranormal".)

Last but certainly not least is good ol' TV. There are many fascinating cable television channels with programs to satisfy our inner geeks. I find the Discovery network channels to be especially interesting - whether it be the original Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health, The History Channel, or the most recent addition (and probably my favorite) the Investigation Discovery or ID Channel. However, TruTV is also a good channel. And this list far from includes all the channels suited to us fact-seekers; these are simply the ones I enjoy.

That is my advice to you, fellow knowledge-nut. Through these methods I have learned many needless but absolutely enjoyable factoids. I hope you can make good use of it, too. Now, go forth and learn. May you encounter many tales of webbed-toed dictators!