Freebase, which I discussed just the other day, has now opened to anyone, at least for reading and searching. Registering so that you can contribute to the site still requires an invitation. I have 20 invitations, and I can probably get more if they run out. Email me at martin_heller@infoworld.com if you need one. One of the recent improvements in Freebase is that you can now construct the URL for a c Freebase, which I discussed just the other day, has now opened to anyone, at least for reading and searching. Registering so that you can contribute to the site still requires an invitation. I have 20 invitations, and I can probably get more if they run out. Email me at martin_heller@infoworld.com if you need one.One of the recent improvements in Freebase is that you can now construct the URL for a common topic by guesswork. For example, try:https://www.freebase.com/view/bob_dylan, or https://www.freebase.com/view/jane_austen, or https://www.freebase.com/view/pride_and_prejudice.The power of Freebase still lies in its data typing, but from a user’s point of view that is a little more transparent than it was, because they’ve improved the algorithm for auto-completing searches within the site. You’ll see that when you try it. For example, go to https://www.freebase.com/view/ and start typing “new york” into the search box. Enjoy! Software Development