ChaCha is one of the most fun and useful things for my cell phone I’ve found in a while. It’s kind of like a human Google: simply send a text message from your phone to 242242 (chacha), and within minutes, a live human texts back the answer. No registration required, and it’s free (except for whatever your cell phone provider might charge you for text messages)! It’s easier than googling because you don’t have to worry about putting in the perfect search query, or wading through bunches of possible matches. And texting is much faster than using a browser on your cell phone.

The human "guide" who answers your text sometimes has a wry sense of humor. I enjoy clicking on the link at the bottom of their reply to see who answered me… students, retired air traffic control officers, librarians. The "guides" get paid .20 per answer (up to $10 per hour!), so they’re obviously doing it for the love of the hunt.

Now’s your chance to find out all those things that you’ve always wondered about but never took the time to google. My friend Jennifer and I texted this the other day: "Do you get drunk faster drinking through a straw, or is that an urban myth?" ChaCha wrote back, "No, unless you are able to consume alcohol faster with a straw than by chugging."

They also can give you useful information, too. I asked "Where can I find a coffee shop with free wireless in Richardson?" They told me "The Starbucks on Shiloh offers 2 hrs free wireless with a Tom Thumb card." Who knew?

I’m not sure how ChaCha plans to make money or how long they may be around, but until then, I’m going to keep on doing the ChaCha.