MySimon.com ranks as one of oldest personal shopping assistants on Internet.

Highlights of service include an extensive homepage directory to help you choose correct product category to search and a database of millions of products.

On negative, MySimon.com does manipulate their merchant listings pages based on how much money advertiser pays to show up in results.

~ PriceScan.com ~

Pricescan.com does not accept money from advertisers to manipulate their search results, though they will show targeted advertising on search results pages.

A very nice feature on this site involves ability to enter features you want in a particular item (such as a computer) and then search all makes, models, and manufacturers matching those features.

You'll find this especially valuable when comparing things like computers, which often carry many different variables and configurations.

~ Froogle.com ~

Operated by Internet giant, Google.com, Froogle.com allows you to search for specific items you want to buy and then sort them by price.

You can also specify a price range you're willing to pay for item and Froogle will only search for and display those items that fall within range.

Froogle also clearly draws a line (literally) between unbiased search results on left side of page and advertisers on right.

In testing for this article, Froogle consistently returned highest quantity and most relevant search results for specific product names entered.

There are even sites that help you find out information about your own ancestors. You can get more insight into why you are way you are after reading newspaper articles centuries old about exploits of your bloodlines. Maybe you’ll come across name in a family tree of a relative you didn’t even know existed. They might even live just around corner!

Just hit ‘finding people’ on your search engine and quest begins. You can search your own name through Detective type agencies and see just how much information about yourself is out there. These agencies pride themselves on finding hard information like your ‘silent’ phone number! I guess these guys could be going a little too far. For example, one site invites you to search out background information on person you’re just about to start dating. What ever happened to judging someone on his or her actions? How about innocent until proven guilty? Sounds like there might be a little too much paranoia going around.

If used for positive means I believe these ‘people finders’ can be a great help to humanity. I just think we have to be careful about getting a bit to intrusive on our neighbors. It’s none of my business if they’ve been divorced or been to jail.