answers

Dictionary.com: Direct object of a $100 million deal

Answers, the creator of Answers.com, plans to purchase Lexico Publishing Group, the parent of Dictionary.com.

Through the deal, Answers will inherit a collection of Web properties that "generate approximately three times the total page views of Answers.com," according to an Answers statement.

In addition to Dictionary.com, Lexico also owns Thesaurus.com and Reference.com.

Lexico Web sites had a total of 11.5 million unique users in June, Answers Chairman and CEO Robert S. Rosenschein said in a Tuesday Webcast.

"The combined properties (of Answers and Lexico) would have reached a total of … Read more

Fluther: A fun, jellyfish-themed Q&A service

Fluther is a social question and answer site. Like similar services, it gives people a place to ask and answer questions amid a community of users. Fluther has taken this idea and given it an interesting twist, in adding a built-in tracking service. This service keeps track of your activity on the site and will let you monitor questions you've asked or answered in real time. The service also promises to direct questions toward so-called experts once they've successfully answered several questions in a certain topic or area of interest.

Oh, and if you're wondering what that … Read more

Answers.com

Category: Reference

Want to find out more about something? Check Answers.com. The service pulls information from several different reference sites to provide answers to your questions. You get full encyclopedia entries from services such as Wikipedia and Britannica, as well as spelling, usage information, and translations into different languages. Since these other services are updated frequently, entries on Answers.com tend to stay fairly current.

In addition to its Web site, Answers.com also offers a software program users can install to look up any word they come across on their computer, be it in other Web sites, e-mails, … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 9 - Show Notes

Our best show yet. No disrespect to previous guests and callers but this show just rocked! Thanks again to the rag Dolls for coming on and schooling me!

Watch the show

Things we Crave

Anti-spying undergarments

Speed Racer's 'Mach 5' comes to life.

Insider Secrets

Keith writes, "Everybody stresses the importance of backing up important data, but nobody addresses the unfortunate lack of technology available to do so. How do I backup my data without spending a fortune?" - We've got some of the answers to Keith's conundrum on today's Insider Secret.

Back up your hard drive … Read more

CNET Live: Put another shrimp on the barbie

Most weeks, callers get to grill Tom and Brian on their most difficult tech quandaries. This week, the tables get turned!

Okay, so the boys won't be barbequing or grilling loyal callers with their issues (the legal department was not too happy with that pitch). However--they will be taking a look at the latest and greatest in outdoor-entertaining gadgetry. What's the difference between infrared cooking and traditional flame cooking? Cooley is determined to find out.

Also this week, Tom gets out his box of Star Wars toys to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars films. Tom'… Read more

Tune in to CNET Live today

Hosts Tom Merritt and Brian Cooley have struck gold with their new Live streaming program on CNET TV. With a hot live guest every week and an opportunity for viewers to call in to get their personal tech queries answered, it's the best thing to do on a Thursday afternoon...since afternoon cartoons!

Past guests include Justin Kan of JustinTV and James Kao at Green Citizen, who shed some wisdom on earth-friendly tech. Last week, Biz Stone from Twitter.com joined CNET Live to talk about the future of mini-blogging. Tom and Brian also took a number of calls, … Read more

Answering machine or sushi plate?

As technology manufacturers continue to design products that blend more naturally into the decor, some are taking the concept to an extreme--so much so that the items aren't even recognizable at all. Take the new voice-activated answering machine from Hammacher Schlemmer, for example. The idea behind the device is admirable, activated by the simple phrase "answering machine" and responding to 15 voice commands including "play new" and "set volume." We're just not exactly sure about the design; is there some reason it needs to look like a sushi plate? It's not … Read more

LinkedIn Answers can hook you up

Question-and-answer Web sites can connect the curious with the well informed, but some fail to live up to their promise. For instance, Yahoo Answers covers a vast array of subjects, but too often it attracts too many teenyboppers. With the new LinkedIn Answers, however, you can tap into the wisdom of a professional crowd.

This could be a great way of reaching out to those in the know without having to directly contact individuals who aren't so familiar with you. You can close a question to all but a small circle of chosen contacts. I also like that LinkedIn … Read more

inChorus tries to harness the wisdom of the crowd

Last August, I covered MyCroft, which was making a unique service that broke down tasks, such as translation, that could only be done well by humans. It spread out these tasks as challenges on advertising banners. Cool idea, but it was so way out there that it was unlikely to succeed. And indeed, is hasn't. The company has renamed itself inChorus and launched a new service with that name that takes the original MyCroft concept in a new direction. I got the skinny at last night's Silicon Valley New Tech Meetup.

Now, instead of challenging random users to … Read more