DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE BRITANNICA COMPANY OR WEBSITE, NOR WITH ANY OF THE IMAGES IN MY BLOG POSTS
Intro
People can look down on general knowledge for how nerdy, pointless, and dull it can be, but obscure knowledge, if it is done well, will always hold a special place in my heart (or head?). Knowing things like that those weird concrete highway barriers are called Jersey Barriers or that the first version Oxford dictionary took 70 years to make might not be useful, but they bring me the smallest amount of joy. Maybe you'll learn something new, and maybe not. But it's harmless, right?
Info Dump
Britannica offers a myriad of genuinely interesting quiz options for every learner, such as 'The Dating Game: Which Came First?' and 'Can You Answer these Questions from the United States Citizenship Test?'. There are picture based quizzes as well, like 'Guess the Movie: Emoji Quiz' for those who understand things better visually. Almost all subjects of knowledge are included, from the Entertainment and Pop Culture to the classic (yet still fun to try) Vocabulary Quizzes, and when you answer a question correctly or incorrectly, extra information about the subject comes up for those are even more curious. If you create an account, you can save your scores from quizzes, which are not a simple mark out of this many questions but can involve speed bonuses, if you like a challenge. Leaderboards for points and comparison charts for your age group make the experience feel gamelike and engaging, unlike the sort you would encounter at school.
There is also a host of unique (mostly) word games such as Octordle ( Wordle with eight words at a time) and Pilfer (an online multiplayer word-making game where you can steal words from opponents), which I love, some of which so much that they get their own link on the Existently Website Directory. These games are shared with Britannica's 'sister' quiz site, Merriam-Webster (yes, the dictionary), which also has a variety of great quizzes that I may or may not write about in the future.
So yeah...
'Time is Money'. This saying is synonymous with modern culture, where every minute of our lives is optimised and prepared. We predict arrival times for road trips by the minute, not the hour, and we await the end of work or school with rapt attention to the second hand of the clock, going around and around endlessly. But if time is money, isn't enjoyment also money? And knowledge (we will discuss 'Knowledge is Power' in another episode)? So what would happen if you carved out a tiny portion your time for something that would make you smarter and happier? That's for you to find out.
-Tomatobean
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