Ever since I discovered Jott, I've been waiting for the next fun, useful, how-the-heck-do-they-make-money-on-this web 2.0 application. Yesterday I found it. The service is called ChaCha and it so much fun! It's great for cocktail parties, proving yourself right in a bet and generally satisfying the burning desire to know something without doing any work to figure it out.
Here's how it works: you call 1-800-2Cha-Cha (or text 'chacha') and ask any question you want (no need to register). They'll send you a text confirming your question, and anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes later the ChaCha guides will send you an answer. The guides are a network of stay-at-home moms, college students, etc who make $0.20 on each answer they provide. Looking for extra cash? Here's more info on how to get paid doing this (average wages are $4-$10 an hour).
So yesterday I went ChaCha crazy. My brother and I asked what the largest whale species is and got the following reply: "Dwarfing even the largest dinosaurs, Blue Whales are the largest known species. The largest blue whale was recorded at 110 feet long." We also asked about sports statistics, the most popular hybrid vehicles and the distance to Palm Desert. Despite the fact that I have an iPhone and could very well look this stuff up on my own, it was so much more fun to call ChaCha instead!