Most citizens in the United States will be receiving their census questionnaires this week. There is a wealth of free census records available from the last headcount (2000) for public access on the Web; you can use these to see demographics in your local area, look at population stats, state by state information, and more. Here we go:

• Census.gov: The official site of the 2010 Census. They've got some official information about Irish-American/St. Patrick Day up right now, along with an American Community Survey, Local Employment Dynamics, and Genealogy.
• Factfinder: This is where you're going to be able to really dig into some interesting statistics, all nicely arranged for easy access. You can pull up a quick Fact Sheet for your community simply by typing in your zip code.
• Population Finder: As of right now, the 2009 population estimate for the United States is 307,006,550.
• State and County Quick Facts: This includes data for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with more than 25,000 people; you can also access Student State Facts, a site aimed at the younger crowd.
• Census in Schools: Speaking of the school-age set, this is a site specifically for them. State and country facts, history and pop culture, even a section just for teachers to help them teach about the Census.
• How about past census records? Here's the 2000 Census, the 1990 Census, and Selected Historical Census Data from 1790 to 1990.

More fun with government information

The Top Twenty Essential US Government Web Sites: Get the information you need with my picks for the Top Twenty Essential US Government Web Sites. There are literally hundreds of thousands of US government and government-related Web sites online today, however, I found that these sites consistently offer the best user experience, helping you to find what you need quickly, easily, and efficiently.

A reader wrote me last week with this question:

Where can I watch whole movies online for free?

There are actually quite a few great sources for free online movies on the Web, and yes, that does mean complete, full-length movies. Here we go:

• Top Ten Sites for Free Full Length Movies: Lots of websites promise free full length movies, but I've sorted through it all to show you the top ten very best sites that will deliver great video right to your desktop.
• I've rounded up dozens more of the best places on the Web to watch free movies in my article titled Free Movie Sites. You'll also want to check out A Guide to General Free Movie Downloads on the Web and Independent Films and Documentaries.
• If you'd like to skip right to the best sites and search engines for JUST movie torrents, then you can check out the Top Ten Sites to Find Movie Torrents.. It's easy to be overwhelmed with the number of torrents found in an average search engine query, soI've made finding the best movie torrents a little bit easier.
• In order to get your movies, clips, and videos exactly how and where you want them - whether that be on your computer, iPod, or television - you'll need to use tools that convert these free movie downloads into a compatible format. Read more about these free movie download tools here: The Top Fifteen Free Movie Download Tools.

The Web is a fantastic place to find music, and there are a lot of great sites and search engines that will let you do exactly that. Here are just a few of the best ones I've come across lately:

• GrooveShark: Search for a song, add it to a playlist, and listen to that playlist. Simple!
• Deezer: Free streaming music that you can share with your friends via blogs and playlists.
• Bloson: Over 8 million songs available here, create playlists, and earn points to help the cause of your choice when you give an opinion or share music with other people.
• Find Music You Like with Music -Map: Find music you like with Music-Map, a site that finds music that matches your taste.
• Musicovery: One of my favorite ways to listen to music on the Web while I'm working is Musicovery, an interactive Web radio station.
• Pandora: Pandora is a free way to listen to music online, but not just ANY music. You create your own radio stations, you choose which music will actually be played on those stations, so if something comes up that makes your ears want to bleed, you can tell Pandora to stop playing it (and they will apologize, too).
• Last.FM: Last.fm is a unique way to listen to free music on the Web. In the words of Last.fm itself: "Last.fm taps the wisdom of the crowds, leveraging each user's musical profile to make personalised recommendations, connect users who share similar tastes, provide custom radio streams, and much more." Put simply, it's a social music platform.

And not just music, my friends...you can also Listen To A Movie, free audio books, even free sound effects.

Lots of news in the wide world of web search (say that five times fast), so let's get to it before that Saturday chore list rears its ugly head:

• Yahoo Goes Hollywood With New TV, Celebrity Shortcuts (Search Engine Land) (domainmacher.com)
• Analyst downgrades Yahoo on search share concerns (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Maintenance Emergency? Get it Fixed Through Facebook. (matei.org)
• T-Mobile Swaps Yahoo Search for Google (appscout.com)
Read more...