Tag Archives: ReferenceAnswers

Answers.com as a source – for an entire book!

Many of you have used Answers.com for writing research papers, settling heated trivia battles or just plain browsing. But what about using Answers.com to write an entire book?

Harold Kirsh, a retired physician and longtime user of Answers.com, recently did just that. To write Thank You America, Kirsh referenced our “encyclo-diction-almanac-apedia” heavily using 1-Click Answers.

Thank You America, a reader-friendly overview of American history, follows the travels of Dr. Kirsh and his wife (more than 14,000 miles total!) as they visit every American president’s birthplace, burial site, and over one hundred associated museums and memorials. Among the highlights of their journey were: sitting in John Adams’ pew in his church, touring Truman’s library with Harry Truman himself, meeting the man who made FDR’s leg braces, and spending a day poring over scrapbooks with Eddie Jacobson’s 16-year-old daughter.

The result is a proud, heartfelt American journey, packed with historical gems and anecdotes.

“Almost all my Internet searches were performed by utilizing Answers.com,” Dr. Kirsh said. “When I began writing the book I found out how useful a function it was since I could easily improve my writing while on the word processor.” 1-Click Answers allowed him to define words, check spelling, find synonyms and reference American history articles.

Answers.com is very proud to be mentioned in the acknowledgements of Thank You America! For more information on Dr. Kirsh and his book, visit haroldkirsh.com.

Have you used Answers.com as a source recently? Let us know about it in the comments.

Tax Day Delayed! (You still have to pay them though.)

If you woke up last night in a cold sweat realizing April 15th is fast approaching and you haven’t filed your taxes yet, we have some good news for you. Your tax return isn’t due until next Monday! Why did Uncle Sam cut us Americans some slack this year? You can thank a little known holiday, Emancipation Day, celebrating the abolition of slavery. This year it falls on a Saturday but will be officially observed in Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 15th, closing many federal buildings. As a result, the IRS pushed the income tax deadline to Monday, April 18th.

Haven’t filed yet? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The IRS estimates “20 to 25 percent of all taxpayers file in the final two weeks of the tax season.” The average individual spends upwards of 14 hours on his tax return, so an extra weekend should be plenty of time, right? Check out this clip from Video Answers for tips on how to prepare your tax return this year.

Angry that you had to cough up more cash to the government? Hey, at least America’s tax rate isn’t close to 50 percent like other countries!

Some more helpful answers to prepare you for Tax Day:

Heal what ails you: whether with words or medicine.

I’m delighted to announce two more licensed titles added to Answers.com’s reference collection. Which one speaks to you more?

Modern English Usage, the classic authority on grammar and style.

Should you use a split infinitive, or a preposition at the end of a sentence? Is it infer or imply? Who or whom? What are the main differences between British and American English? Here are clear recommendations on issues of grammar, pronunciation, spelling, confusable words, and written style. Includes examples drawn from classic and contemporary literary sources, newspapers and magazines, and the internet.

An A-Z of Medicinal Drugs, a reference source for the wide range of medicines available today.

This dictionary covers over-the-counter, pharmacy, and prescription medicines, listing side effects and interactions with other medicines; there are entries on conditions and the medicines used to treat them. See juniper berry oil, quinine, or abacavir.

Happy reading!

Check stock quotes on your phone, from Answers.com.

Did you know? You can easily check company stock quotes, charts and news on Answers.com with QuoteMedia. Aim big and see how Google is doing, or find out the latest news and media for Ethan Allen Interiors.

But wouldn’t it be even better on the go? Yeah, we agree. Check the same data on your phone by going to answers.com in your browser on your Android, iPhone and other handheld devices. Look up the company on Answers.com and get your info, organized in expandable tabs:

Slang, popes and molecular biology: It’s all here.

We’re proud and pleased to announce that we now have live on Answers.com six new reference titles. We dare you to come up with a common theme for all of them; but even if you don’t, you’ll still enjoy learning to rhyme popes, using modern slang, in British places while pretending to peruse biochemistry textbooks (but really reading Australian literature).

So here they are for your browsing convenience:

As always, we aim to answer. Happy reading.

Cold where you are? Consider 500 other places…

Last time we announced our publication of Frommer’s Guide to 500 Extraordinary Islands. This time, we’re thrilled to add more destinations for you to consider when planning your next getaway, all covered with the customary Frommer’s expertise and readability.

500 Places to See Before They Disappear

500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up

500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference

500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers

500 Adrenaline Adventures

And if those places are too close to home, consider The Universal Book of Astronomy: “Covering everything from major observatories and space telescopes to biographies of astronomers throughout the ages, it showcases an extraordinary array of newfound wonders, including microquasars, brown dwarfs, and dark energy, as well as a host of individual comets, asteroids, moons, planets, stars, nebulas, and galaxies.”

We also have a gorgeous and super-informative Visual Food Guide, which will teach you how to best buy, prepare, serve and store foods, with nutritional info and lovely illustrations thrown in for good measure. See leek, tofu, or foie gras.

And for those who need to know what’s inside, we are pleased to offer an Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics, which reveals the chemical composition, uses, toxicology and pharmacology of items like jojoba, jasmine and Job’s tears.

We aim to answer. Happy reading.

Words, travel, eating; eating words during travel: Brand new content on Answers.com.

We’re pleased to announce tons of new stuff on Answers.com recently.

Pride of place this month goes to Word Menu. It’s hard to explain how useful this can be when you’re at a loss for just the right word. It’s a reverse dictionary, thesaurus, almanac, and collection of glossaries divided into logical categories to help you find the precise word you are looking for. For example, say you’re writing about questions and answers (now, who do we know who does that?) but need more specific shades of meaning.

Word Menu advises that you can impetrate, implore, importune, inquire, interrogate, or investigate instead of “ask,” and you can react, rebut, refuse, rejoin, reply, respond, retort, or retract instead of “answer.”

Or let’s say you you’re writing a novel and a bunch of your characters walk into a bar. Only you know your characters well enough to know what they would order – but what if you can’t think of it? Word Menu comes to the rescue with more words than you knew existed for types of beer, wine, spirits, mixed drinks and more.

On to other matters. Answers.com invites you to explore 500 Extraordinary Islands. Take a virtual tour of Fraser Island, Kauai, Antarctica and other mouthwatering destinations with the famous Frommer’s Guides.

Speaking of places, we’ve got stats and facts galore about 100 or so U.S. Cities – useful if you’re thinking of relocation or just want to know where to find info on shopping in Charlotte, quality of living in Seattle, or the population of Portland.

Next up we’ve got the Flavors Dictionary – especially for biologists, chemists, pharmacists, etc. See info on cashew, butyric acid or butterscotch.

Also, we’ve got our Oxford Articles, a miscellany of information from the Oxford University Press. Enlighten yourself regarding the Babbage-Chambers Paradox, the baboon watch, and Bach flower remedies.

Kitchen Q&A is a collection of straightforward, clear answers relating to food and cooking. It’s almost impossible to stop reading this one, as questions address need-to-know topics like

Cheers and bon appétit!

As always, we aim to answer. Happy reading.

Diets, literature and counties: New reference content on Answers.com.

We’re pleased and proud to announce three new collections of information that are now live on Answers.com, each of which can feed a particular type of craving.

  1. Encyclopedia of Diets. Learn the pros and cons of the Chocolate Diet, the Kidney Diet and the Warrior Diet.
  2. Literature and Its Times. From Hamlet through The Little Prince to Angels in America, here are literary classics discussed and analyzed in context.
  3. United States Counties. For lovers of stats, here’s where you can find out the population of Queens County, New York; the average income in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma; and where Coffee County, Alabama got its name.

We aim to answer. Happy reading!

Time to learn Hinglish. And Rhyming Slang. And…

Today’s a good day if you’re looking for new and unusual ways to express yourself. Answers.com is proud to announce we’ve got three new highly idiosyncratic dictionaries for your logophilic pleasure.

And, on whole other note (ahem) we are also pleased to announce the publication of biographies of contemporary musicians and bands (1980s through 2010). From Abba to ZZ Top, through Madonna and Michael Jackson and thousands of other lesser-known entertainers, even one-hit wonders, these are truly endearing homages.

We aim to answer. Happy reading.

Getting political (Q&A) on Answers.com.

Answers.com went live this week with two new collections of ReferenceAnswers Q&A – U.S. Politics and the Supreme Court. They answer questions like:

Both sets of Q&A go back to the nation’s founding and continue up to nowadays. They manage to present topics that are quite complex in a very straightforward manner.

In addition, our site now displays the entire contents of Beacham’s Guide to the Endangered Species of North America – 1,200 species of animals and plants facing the threat of extinction. Take a look at the Mariana fruit bat, the black lace cactus, and the quino checkerspot butterfly.

We aim to answer. Happy reading.

Night of the Radishes?! Now you know.

Last week, while I was in New York attending BookExpo America on behalf of the Answers.com Content Team, our content integrators published a slew of new content on our site. I should go away more often.

Festivals and Special Events: every celebration, commemoration, feast day or fast day that’s important to any culture around the world – be the event holy or profane, solemn or kooky – all the relevant info is in here. Learn about the Dog Days, the Night of the Radishes, the National Manly Man Festival and Spam Cook-off, or the Tanabata (Star Festival).

In a related development, we also went live with a collection of “When is?” questions. For every one of the special days and events in the group mentioned above, we have an entry that asks and answers the question, “When is ?” E.g., When is Purim, When is Kentucky Derby?

Need a new set of wheels? Avail yourself of the professional expertise in our new Car Reviews and see what car writers have to say about the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, and my own next car (heh heh), the 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Are you wondering: Is anyone keeping track of the asteroids and comets that come close to the Earth? Need to know what was the deepest oil well ever drilled? Curious about how dolphins are similar to humans, or what the newest Hawaiian island is? You can find the answers to these and hundreds of others questions in Geology Q&A and Oceans Q&A. Don’t forget to watch out for the black smokers.

We aim to answer. Happy reading.

Up at bat: Baseball Stats.

To lots of us, springtime means baseball.

So Answers.com is pleased to announce its new collection of Baseball Stats – a fun, somewhat idiosyncratic analysis of the top players of all time in each position. The author, an amateur but incredibly devoted baseball statistician, developed a whole new way of rating players. And he’s not afraid of telling you who should be in the Hall of Fame and who shouldn’t – even if the player already is.

See if you agree with him on Jim Rice, Gil Hodges, and The Top 100.

We aim to answer. Happy reading.

A Plethora of Incredibleness on Answers.com

There is a plethora of evidence to support the fact that Plethora is an amazing Answers.com Supervisor and contributor. With over 15,000 contributions – including 750 awesome answers – Plethora is the kind of contributor that makes us want to sing in the rain, catch fireflies through fields of clover…paint pictures of monarch butterflies on the sides of our cars! Okay…we really just want to share how wonderful she is. Enjoy reading this plethora of incredibleness!

What is your Answers.com user name and the history behind it?

My Answers.com user name is Plethora. Years ago I saw a nice butterfly pic on the Internet and, when I saved it, its default file name was plethora. That is when I started using Plethora as my pen name. I also named my daughter Plethora.

Are you a Floating or Category Supervisor?

I am a Category Supervisor of the Filipino Language and Culture category.

What is your first name?

Mark Melody Joy

What is your age?

I am 27-years-old.

Would you care to tell us about your family?

I am the second child. I have one sister and one brother, but my parents separated and now have families of their own. On my father’s side, I have two more sisters and on my mom’s, two siblings. I am married and blessed with a 5-year-old smart girl.

Do you have any pets?

Right now, no. But before I used to keep kittens, cats…when I would see them on the road, I would bring them home. :)

Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?

I am staying now in Bangkok, Thailand since January 1st of this year. I am working as a teacher. I must like the area (LOL); if not, I would be buying a plane ticket for the next flight back to the Philippines (kidding)! Seriously, there is not a lot of difference here from the Philippines. So it has not been hard to adjust to the place or the weather.

Where did you grow up and do you have any special memories of your childhood?

I grew up in the Philippines! My hometown is in Laguna. Hmmm. I cannot think of any special childhood memory. :(

What educational information would you like to share?

I took BS Info Technology. I am undergraduate in college, and then I took and was able to finish a Caregiver Vocational Course.

What are some of your past and/or present occupations?

My first two jobs I was a customer assistant in computer cafes. Later I worked in a supermarket for promotions only, as a customer service representative at a call center and a Quality Control Agent in another call center (where I was promoted to an Escalation Agent). My present job is a K1 teacher.

What are your key areas of knowledge, interests or expertise?

I believe I am quite good with computers. Here’s a story. When I got my first job in a computer cafe, I knew nothing about computers. I had no interest in them. I intentionally didn’t review for the entrance exam at a university, because my sister wanted me to take BS in Computer Science, and as expected I failed the exam. I also never attended my computer class in high school. But when I got my first job, I had no choice but to use and like computers. And so I learned on my own. The cafe had so many books about computer programming. Within two years of working there, I started computer tutorials, Web page design, making animations and programming. I am also into writing poems, drawing and painting.

Do you have any collections or hobbies?

When I was in high school, I collected Hanson Brother posters, cassette tapes and CDs. Now, what I am keeping are some hard copies of my poems and my drawings.

What do you like to do for recreation?

I just go on the Internet and play Flood It! But it is not as good as signing into Answers.com! It’s the best kind of recreation ever…when you sit on your laptop and answer questions, merge questions, split, ask questions and learn from facts and answers!

Do you have any special talents you’d like to share?

Nothing really special. I can sing, play guitar, dance, draw and write…but I’ll only rate myself a 5 in all of those talents!

What accomplishments are you proud of?

Becoming a part of PenMen Writings, an international poetry site.

What are your special goals or dreams?

I want to buy a house. I want to be home with my family…(sighs).

How would you describe yourself or personality?

I am a quiet type of person. I’m more of a listener. I am a dreamer, a perfectionist but not perfect, hehe.

What brought you to Answers.com?

In my last call center job, we used ReferenceAnswers for references. That’s when I found out about WikiAnswers. And then a friend, an office mate, noticed me answering questions so she suggested that I sign up. Later she recommended me as Floating Supervisor and that was that…I became addicted! Unfortunately when the IT staff noticed that I spent most of my time on WikiAnswers, they blocked the site. Tsk tsk tsk. :-(

What keeps you coming back to Answers.com?

At first I found it amazing when I discovered good answers to my questions and reading the opinions from different community members. But when I became a Category Supervisor, that’s when I realized that it is more of the concern that you feel for the site. You will feel that responsibility even though you’re not obliged to do so. It is like the feeling of being a mother knowing your responsibility to raise your child, and honestly, it feels bad when I get busy and don’t have time to visit the site.

What is your favorite Answers.com activity?

Merging – because of the many Tagalog questions in the category that I am Supervising. Some Filipinos must not realize that there is a Tagalog version of WikiAnswers for their Tagalog questions. I also love deleting bad answers. :D

Too close for missiles, I’m switching to words.

The sky is a little bit closer now that the 250+ titles on ReferenceAnswers include an Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation.

The new reference book provides definitions and illustrations for the entire spectrum of aviation: aerodynamics, navigation, meteorology, aircraft equipment and maintenance, aerial photography, avionics and more.

So where else are you going to learn the science of the reflex camber, check out an illustration of an absolute angle of attack, or learn that ‘eyelid’ is a term for… wait, what?

ReferenceAnswers has a new face.

ReferenceAnswers, the resident trivia wiz over at Answers.com, got a new look this week. Not to worry, it’s still the home of Today’s Highlights, where you’ll find newly updated trivia about today, every day.

ReferenceAnswers homepage

So get going – find out today’s Answer of the Day, and what it has to do with… Patrick Dempsey!?

Learn American Sign Language on Answers.com.

This has to be one of the coolest reference resources on Answers.com right now: Sign Language Videos and ASL diagrams.

Good morning in sign language

It’s a good idea to pick up a new language – so why not American Sign Language?

Learn how to say terms like ‘good morning’ on Answers.com with a diagram or a video.

You’ll know you’re doing well when you’re told good job! Or you might be a bit of an overachiever if you’re told you’re signing fast:

But if you’re getting frustrated, just calm down… It takes time to learn a new language!

There are probably a lot of people across the United States who are hoping not to use this next one anytime soon:

And for those random, obscure moments when you just need to be able to express this, well:

Your father is nice looking

For now, you’re still a newbie so you might want to be sure you know how to ask your conversation companion to ‘please repeat‘:

Please repeat in sign language

Get started ASAP: Check out the full range of sign language videos and ASL image guides. Also, check out the American Sign Language category and learn some fun facts about the Deaf community:

Hope this helps… You’re welcome.

Any questions?

Any questions in sign language

Just in time for spring semester.

libraryPop quiz: What do you get when you mix ReferenceAnswers, new resources and awesomeness?

Answer: You get your questions answered (and a lot of homework help, too).

The content team behind Answers.com’s reference library has been adding more titles to bring you more great topics with quality info. And just in time for spring semester!

I’d like to highlight two of those today, if you please.

American Annals: Barack ObamaSpeeches, essays, biographies, landmark court decisions, editorials, and more bring history to life. Noted contributors include Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the author of “America the Beautiful.”

Wordsmith Words: A.Word.A.Day is about the magic and music of words. AWAD includes a vocabulary word, its definition, pronunciation information with audio clip, etymology, usage example, quotation, and other interesting tidbits about words to subscribers every day. You can think of it as a word trek where we explore strange new words. Words are usually selected around a weekly theme.

Care to check out the entire reference selection? Leave your library card behind and click here.

New Answers.com launches at DEMO 2009.

Here is the exciting news from Answers.com, which is launching its new product today at DEMO 2009 in San Diego:

New Answers.com Launches First Site to Combine Community with Hundreds of Editorial Resources under One Roof

International Languages Now Supported: Spanish, French, Italian & German

New Answers.com combines the power of the company’s WikiAnswers® community-driven content with hundreds of expert resources from licensed content on ReferenceAnswers™. Users can ask anything and automatically receive the best available answer, which could be user-generated or from an editorial resource. Through the contributions of a large and growing community, answers can be edited and improved over time.

To sum it up, Answers.com has officially combined its user-generated WikiAnswers Q&A database and the licensed content of ReferenceAnswers to create one powerful answer engine, designed to offer you the best answer to your question.

In addition, four new language Q&A communities have opened up. These new international versions are:

Watch Answers Corp’s onstage presentation at the DEMO conference! Visit www.demo.com TOMORROW (Wednesday), shortly before 11:48 a.m. EDT (8:48 a.m. PDT).

UPDATE: Below is the footage of the talk given by Bob and Shaya at DEMO…