Travel to the future: 2003, the US hotel e-reservations market is expected to hit US$9 billion. That might be why Expedia Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE)—which allows users to book flights and hotels online—has acquired Montreal’s Newtrade Technologies. Right now when you book a hotel on Expedia.com or Expedia.ca, the e-travel giant faxes your request to the hotel, which enters your reservation into its system (provided there’s a room available) and faxes back confirmation. Newtrade’s software will automate that process for Expedia’s 6,000 hotel partners. Nice to see online businesses actually doing business online.

Search for a cure: Need a medical miracle? Myhealthcanada.com lists all the clinical trials (for such illnesses as diabetes, cancer and HIV/AIDS) currently being conducted across Canada. You’ll also find information on how to qualify for those trials.

Nerds ‘R’ Us: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a computer nerd handy each time your computer craps out? Well, go to nerdsonsite.com, and a nerd will come to you (within 24 hours). The nerds, who serve cities across Canada, can fix everything from basic problems on your home PC or Mac, to major networking failures at your business. Sure beats lugging your machine to the repair shop.