What do I need to use the AyeAye Toolbar?

You will need a PC with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or above installed. To find out which version of Internet Explorer you are using, select the 'Help' menu option, then the 'About' option. You will see something like:

Version 5.00.2919.6307IS

The number shown in this example is larger than 5 so the AyeAye Toolbar should work on this PC.

How do I install the AyeAye Toolbar?

Open the AyeAye Toolbar installation page by clicking here.
Follow the steps shown to install the toolbar. You will need to close all the Internet Explorer windows you have open and then re-start Internet Explorer to see the toolbar.

How do I search the web using the toolbar?

Simply highlight some text on the web page you are viewing and then click the 'Search' button. You can highlight text by holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse across the text.

You can also use all the text on the web page by simply clicking the 'Search' button without bothering to highlight the text. However, this may produce less accurate results, especially if the web page contains text about a number of unrelated subjects.

How do I select a different search engine?

You can see which engine is currently selected on the toolbar itself - the default is 'Google'. Click the selection box to display a list of search engines and select one. AyeAye will automatically change its settings to take advantage of the unique features of the new engine.

I use a search engine not in the list - can I add it?

Currently you cannot add a search engine of your own choosing to the list. However, if you would like a particular engine to be added please email us at:
ayeaye@lemurconsulting.com
and we will try to add the engine to the list. Since every day AyeAye runs it attempts to download an updated list of search engines from http://www.lemurconsulting.com, the new engine will automatically be added to the list of all AyeAye Toolbar users.

How does AyeAye work?

Ah, that would be telling!
Seriously though: the AyeAye Toolbar uses a unique new document analysis and categorisation technology, codenamed AyeAye, developed by Lemur Consulting. This technology automatically recognises which words in a given block of text are most significant. AyeAye is already being used by several of our customers.

Why didn't I get relevant results?

Maybe you tried to use the AyeAye Toolbar while viewing a web page that contained too many different concepts - for example, if you used a web page that contained all the news headlines for a particular day it is difficult if not impossible for AyeAye to zero in on a particular concept. Try highlighting the area of text that you are interested in.
AyeAye will also have trouble if the text on the page is not actually text at all, but actually a graphic image (i.e. a picture of some text). To see if this is the case, right-click on the text you are trying to use and look at the menu that appears - if one of the options is 'Save Picture' then the text actually isn't text at all.

What languages does the AyeAye Toolbar work with?

The version of AyeAye included with the free Toolbar only works in English. However, we have a commercial version of the AyeAye technology that will work with 11 different European languages with more being added all the time.
Please contact us if you are interested in commercial applications of AyeAye.

How do I remove the AyeAye Toolbar from my system?

If you would like to remove the Toolbar, click the small arrow to the right of the search box and select 'Remove AyeAye'. If you liked it, please tell us - if you didn't, please tell us why! You can email us at ayeaye@lemurconsulting.com.

Where does the name 'AyeAye' come from?

Ayeaye is named after the bizarre Aye-aye lemur of Madagascar (Daubentonia madagascariensis.) Looking more like a cross between a rat and a raccoon than a primate, it occupies a similar evolutionary niche to the woodpecker, tapping the surface of trees and listening to the sound to locate juicy grubs (a large part of its diet) in wood below. It is the only mammal known to do this, and it does it with extraordinary accuracy. The aye-aye has adapted to this style of foraging by evolving huge sensitive ears, and rodent-like teeth for gnawing through wood. The middle fingers of both hands are elongated and skeletal, ideal for reaching in and retrieving the prey.

Like all lemurs, the aye-aye is severely endangered, mostly due to the destruction of its habitat by "slash-and-burn" agriculture. It is also considered by the Malagasy to be a harbinger of evil, and is often killed on sight. The aye-aye appears to be surviving for now in several protected areas of Madagascar, and there are also captive breeding programmes at Duke Primate Centre and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.

Find out more at:

Duke University
Aye-aye information
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
"The Aye-aye and I"