The farther away I get from college, the more I realize how cool it was to be in an environment that was solely focused on the gathering and applying of knowledge. (And, um, beer.) Even though I don't have the time (or the inclination, while we're being honest) to get a second degree, I've recently realized that there are a lot of ways I can smarten up without spending tons of time or lots of money. Starting with these five free and low-cost Mac apps.

 

If you have any fave shareware or freeware apps like these, let me know in the comments.

 

1. World of Where ($15.95)
Geography whizzes need not apply. But if you are, like most Americans, light on your knowledge of world geography, World of Where can help you learn the lay of the planet in no time. Spend 20 minutes a day in World of Where and you'll soon know the difference between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, or the capital of Malta.

 

I started my geography lesson with the Middle East. So that's where Qatar is...

 

 

 

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2. Who Said This? (free)

I love a witty or pointed quote. What's even better is knowing who spoke or wrote it. This freeware app quickly made me feel stupid (I rarely guessed the quote's author correctly). But it's nonetheless enjoyable.

 

Will Rogers! I should have known.

 

 

 

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3. Before You Know It Lite (free)
It's depressing to admit how rusty my Spanish has gotten since college, when I minored in it. The "lite" version of Before You Know It comes with lists of animals in a dozen languages (including Dutch, Irish, and Polish) and you then download more lists from the BYKI website.

 

Now I know why farfalle (bowtie) pasta is so named.

 

 

 

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4. Aquallegro (free)
If I had one wish for any children I might have in the future, it's that they be musically inclined. I played the violin and piano as a child but gave them up too soon - before I realized what I was missing. And I can't sing on key to save my life. (Patrons at the various karaoke bars where I have "performed" will attest to that.) Aquallegro can't help me sing better, but it's taught me a lot about music that I'd forgotten or never knew. Maybe one of these days I'll sign up for piano lessons.

 

I'm pathetic at recognizing notes by ear. But I vow to improve!

 

 

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5. Organized Gourmet ($15)
There are quite a few flashy recipe organizers out there for the Mac, but I recently stumbled upon the decidedly unflashy but truly useful Organized Gourmet. The best part about it is not that it can store all of recipes and export them to my iPod, but that it also lets me plan out menus and combine ingredients for multiple recipes on the same list. It even comes with a couple dozen recipes preloaded - which all seem to be vegetarian. I'm not vegetarian, but for some reason I found this endearing.

 

It's beer tofu and strawberry shortcake for dinner tonight.