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Seeking Answers

By MICHELLE MALTAIS
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The truth is out there. The trouble can be finding it online when you need it. Several applications can help bring information to you quickly.

Atomica (https://www.atomica.com), formerly GuruNet, will fetch information for you within seconds. You indicate what you’re looking for by holding down the Alt key and clicking the mouse. Or you can type the words you’re looking for in the rather unobtrusive AnswerBar box the application opens at the bottom of your screen. It gives you a list of related content from sources such as Houghton Mifflin, Stockpoint and Accuweather. Atomica also offers a Palm OS version for hand-helds with Internet access. Atomica is free for individual use.

Also, Flyswat (https://www.flyswat.com) advertises that it gives answers on the fly. In Internet Explorer, it adds a small toolbar to the window and underlines key words in yellow. If you’re looking for a word that’s not underlined or you’re using a different application, you can press the Alt key and click on the word. This download also is free.

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Michelle Maltais

Michelle Maltais served as deputy director of audience engagement until leaving the Los Angeles Times in 2017. She joined the newsroom in 1997 as a copy editor, served as its broadcast producer and interactive video executive producer, and occasionally wrote on a variety of topics including technology and family.

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