Dear Hit the Slopes,
You can contact Federal  Express  at www.fedex.com or visit their office on Warren Road just north of Route 13. (Did you see the movie about their business, "Castaway"?) The United States Post Office is just beyond Fed Ex on Warren Road, and their website for moving households is at www.usps.com/moversnet.  PakMail is at 907 Hanshaw Road or call 257-5505. Don't forget to pack firmly and carefully. I hope all your boxes make it through safely.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Movin-on,
I cannot recommend any one mover over another, but I can give you the local listings from the Yellow Pages.  You can call them and ask questions about your particular concerns.  It is best to be present when they are packing and unloading to make sure your most valued possessions are handled carefully. Mayflower is 257-0411 or http://www.mayflower.com, North American is 273-7262 or http://www.dimonandbacorn.com, Mapes is 272-1232,  United is 272-0072, Hired Hands is 272-2000 or http://www.studentagencies.com, QCA is 275-3476, and Zolar is 272-7839.
        For those on a tighter budget, U-Haul (272-7491 or 272-4302) or Ryder (277-0524 or 277-6000) or Penske (277-6076) rent moving trucks.
        The staff of hardware stores are excellent resources for "how to" questions.  I asked the clerk downtown and he suggested fingernail polish remover or laquer thinner.  I would try it on an out-of-the-way place to make sure it doesn't mar the finish of the counter.
        I'm glad you're thinking about leaving your apartment in good shape.  If you have "stuff" to leave behind, don't forget the Student Recycling Project who will make sure your clothes, furniture or nik-naks get reused rather than going to the landfill.  Call Daniella Leifer (dhl9@cornell.edu)  at 277-8097 or check the SRP website at http://www.ithacahours.com/archive/0103.html.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Cousin,
The Commencement Office says they have nothing planned for the young ones.  Perhaps some car games, activity books or coloring materials could help.  Things are fairly casual that day, so kids won't be a disturbance.  They may even enjoy the process.  There is lots to see -- balloons, funny hats, confetti, and lots of happy people.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Lost,
How frustrating for you!  And it must seem a bit curious, too, that this information is not clearly available to you. The question here seems to be where to go with the question. Your first few tries were unsuccessful, so it's time to go to the next level.  Copy your letter to your professor to the department chairperson.  You should at this late date try to make an appointment to get things straightened out before the exam.  If that avenue is not successful, copy your paper trail to the Dean of your College. In your communications, be as specific as possible about the course, what was or was not on the syllabus, your attempts at getting the information and what if any response you received.  If you had other students corroborate these experiences, it would lend credence to your argument.  I hope you can resolve things quickly.
        Sometimes you can feel like just one in a flock of herded sheep in large undergraduate classes.  But each student is important, so don't let dissatisfactions go unresolved.  You are right, you deserve your money's worth, but more than that, you have invested a lot of time and energy in this class and getting this far.  Every bit of it counts and should give you returns so that you feel good about what you have learned and what you will do with it from here.  I hope that you will reap the rewards of your hard work.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear '98,
Your friend's flame tank destroys your construction yard?  Oo-K. Life does get more real doesn't it?  May there always be many good friends with whom to celebrate in your future halls and creeks. Perhaps they will be the halls you design or build or the creeks you save from pollution.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Leaving,
What makes a place essential?  Is it the rocks and beautiful things, or is it the memories to which they play a perfect backdrop? I took a poll and got everyone's favorite spot, but there are surely some I missed, so -- others, feel free to write in.
        Any spot to which you have an emotional attachment, where you have had important experiences, might be fun to revisit.  Lock the specialness of these places in your memory and it will be there for you to draw on when you need it as you move on through your life. The campus, the exteriors of the buildings, Beebe Lake, the waterfalls or gorges, the Suspension Bridge and the bridge from the Geology Building to Collegetown (not the road, but the little bridge upstream). The Performing Arts Center, the Johnson Art Museum, Sage Chapel.  The Red Barn and the Andrew D.White House and its gardens. The Minns Garden in front of Plant Science and the Plantations gardens. Your favorite Collegetown hang-outs, coffeeshops or pizza joints or ethnic food restaurants (that includes American).  A walk on the Commons with attention to the building facades. Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.  Your favorite dancing or social gathering spots. The parks -- Buttermilk, upper and lower, and upper and lower Treman, Taughannock Falls, and Cayuga Lake there in at Stewart Park.  Further afield, Watkins Glen gorge, and MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, Corning Glass Museum.
        Most essential is to let your heart lead you where it wants to go.  Don't make a list and follow it when your heart says "stay and smell the roses and forget about the next thing on the list".  Be with yourself and your friends.  "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Dancer,
It is fun to see people having fun with our technology.  Did anyone join you in the dance?

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Campus Viewer,
Both the "Live View of Cornell" web page and the "North Campus Residential Initiative" web page use the same software, SiteCam from NuSpectra, to produce their live views on the web. However, they use two different settings in that software, which is why one works for you and the other doesn't.
        The "Live View of Cornell" page doesn't require any additional software, simply displaying a JPEG image in the middle of the web page. It takes advantage of the fact that many web browsers will keep displaying changes to an image if the web server never stops sending the image. Unfortunately, some browsers, notably certain versions of Internet Explorer for Windows, decide once they've gotten a complete picture to stop accepting the file. The copy of Netscape Navigator 4.08 that's distributed with Bear Access for Windows does display the streaming video properly. (A variety of IE and Netscape browser versions for Mac OS seem to work fine.)
        By comparison, the NCRI view of construction on North Campus uses a Java applet that not only displays the streaming video but also allows viewers to take turns controlling the camera, pointing it in different directions or even zooming in on items of interest. Unlike the "Live View of Cornell" page, this does require that your browser have Java installed, working, and active. (Some users turn off Java in their web browser as a security measure, and some don't even have Java available in their browsers.)
        This past winter's "Big Red HockeyCam," which showed live online video of Cornell men's ice hockey games from Lynah Rink, similarly experimented with different approaches to displaying an online streaming image, first using SiteCam's ever-updating JPEG approach, and then using streaming QuickTime. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, and each approach, unfortunately, leaves a few viewers out.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Busy,
Librarians generally can help you find these kinds of references. I asked one of our librarians, who suggested this link:
           http://w5.ci.chi.il.us./CityCouncil/index.html
        If not, it is best to ask staff from the Map Collection about this one:
           http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/maps/map.htm
        Good luck with your project and future work.

Uncle Ezra