How come your site doesn't look right in my browser?
This site is made to work especially well with Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, the two most common browsers. Most other browsers should work though, if you're on AOL, you can download either of those two browsers, and, while connected to AOL, run one of those browsers as you would any program. The site should "work" on any browser, though.

No matter how many times I try, I can't get welcome.to/ramaz to work on a school computer!
The school computer uses a firewall (something designed to block out certain data entering or leaving the computers via the internet) which is not configured well (heh). It is NOT my fault, but occasionally, due to incorrect configuration, it won't allow my redirect (see above) to work. In this case, you should use my "true" web address, which is http://reviewmaterials.tripod.com you should probably write that down or something.

What are your e-mail addresses?
I don't really think that Avishai wants to get mail about this site anymore, but I won't remove any trace of his involvement, because he's responsible for the nifty design. You can reach me (Ben Dweck) at dweckb@olin.wustl.edu.

How come you don't have notes for Mr./Mrs./Dr. (whomever)?
It is nearly impossible for us to outline every teachers' curriculum by ourselves (especially true now that we don't go to Ramaz anymore). If you enjoy the site, you can submit an outline that you or a friend did, it will be greatly appreciated and credit will be given where it is due.

How come you don't put up old tests/reports?
At one point, the answer to this had to do with wanting to keep ourselves and others out of trouble. Since I've graduated, and I likely don't know any of you, the answer to this is now more of an ethical one.

Who are you and why are you doing this?
Thank you for asking. I am Ben. I started this site during the second semester of my Freshman year of high school (so, around 1997). I have since graduated. I am now at Washington University, majoring in marketing and English literature.

The site was first started as a matter of convenience -- swapping outlines was a common practice in my day (I have no idea if this is still the truth), but these sort of things tend to lend themselves to a kind of spoke-and-wheel situation whereby one altruistic soul distributes his outline to many people, who go on to forward it and such. This distribtion system kinda naturally led itself to a web environment, where no longer does one have to worry about e-mail or Kinko's or anything, and a lot of the social issues that come with asking someone you may not have a close friend-type relationship with for help on an exam are alleviated. The motives then shifted to something of a desire to "beat the system," though it's hard to say to what extent that was realistic. Does the existence of a site like reviewmaterials make tests more fair? That depends. It likely won't affect those whose grades were good in the first place, and will surely help those who simply aren't organized enough to take the kind of systematic approach to studying necessary for most to succeed on the Ramaz history exams I took. But to the question of "does reviewmaterials make tests more fair," my response has to be yes. By providing a more democratic and systematic way of distributing outlines (something that, in all honesty, I don't find terribly ethically troubling), reviewmaterials does "level the playing field" quite a bit. I see no inherent reason why those who happen to be friends with someone conscientious enough to make and distribute a thorough outline should have an advantage to those who don't. So, yeah, tell your friends.