There is indeed a module for automated wikipedia access. Lucky me. :) I'd feel better if I'd discovered it a few days ago, but...
Note to self...CPAN -- It's not just frameworks, doofus.
After the PPM installation, a small voice in my mind told me insistently that it might be too good to be true, and it was, in some way. I'm getting an error (something about how LWP::UserAgent's loaded) and I don't really have the time to figure out precisely why right now.
NBD -- just work on it when I get home.