In my column last week, we asked, "What are your tricks for breaking out of the daze and seeking real solutions to your problems?"

Here are the responses:

>Contacting other papermakers and experts.

>I try to use the space between my ears for more than just a hat rack! I tend to be like the 4 year old across the street...I ask a lot of questions and "why"...or maybe "why not" seems to be one of my favorite ones.

>Start asking specific questions. If no "real" answers are forthcoming from the "authorities", I start researching on my own. Usually stems from "we have never done that here" mentality.

>Talk to vendors Web searches Industry contacts

>Google key words, websites of government organizations, websites of universities (global)

>I bet that nothing is new. The company has a strong, searchable data base of the research done since the mills were built. I start there.

Then, we asked, "What are your favorite resources?"

Here are the responses:

>TAPPI Papermakers Committee - other TAPPI Members. Other compadres in the paper industry. Vendor personnel with mill experience.

>A known expert on the subject ... or two.

>Other old farts like me and (not to plug them) Google...the good old internet, you would be surprised what you can find out there.

>Google is amazing...typically on my laptop although I have used my iphone as well.

>Google Wikipedia Engineering handbooks

>USDA Forest Products Lab, IPST historical (IPC) reports, my personal filing cabinets

>Internal library in our intranet, TAPPI, PAPTAC

You may take this week's quiz here.