Every year the Defense Department puts online a downloadable database of military contractors. It includes the contractor's name, city, state, amount and much more.

Research shows that most Web searchers never look beyond the first few pages of search results. Some search engines, such as Google, allow you to change the number of results returned per page. I've just bumped my Google preferences so Google returns 100 results per page, which results in less clicking to review them. This tip is courtesy of search guru Mary Ellen Bates.

IRE/NICAR has updated its OSHA inspection workplace database, "consisting of all federal inspections at companies in the U.S. and its territories between January 1972 into February 2004. It includes details of each Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection during that time, including violations, accidents and penalties. It also gives names of the employers, accident victims, the degree of injury and any hazardous materials involved." You will recall that The Courier-Journalist lost the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service to The New York Times' OSHA series, which made heavy use of this database. (Although I believe the NYT obtained the database on its own, not through IRE/NICAR).