John O. Andersen

An excellent article.

From the text:

>>I've just had a phone call from a friend who tells me that, in preparation
for an upcoming trip to Benin, she's downloaded 75 to 100 pages of
information, from a score of sites, on that West African country --
information on everything from the local currency, political situation and
weather to the latest local news and the street address of the American
Embassy. "I'm starting to feel almost like I know the place, even though
I've never been there," she said. Marco Polo, eat your heart out.<<

Before we moved to Portland, I did a similar information retrieval. It was
amazing how much I could learn about the place without actually being there.

John


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-11/01/014l-110199-idx.html