V o l u m e 1 6 • N u m b e r 4 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 1

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. continued on page 2

I SNews about nformation systems throughout M I T

Project Oxygen Takes the Leadin Human-Centered Computing . . . . . 2

Software SpotlightPhotoshop 6 Offers ImpressiveNew Features for Print and Web . . . . . 3

Network NotesWho’s Reading Your E-Mail?Facts You Should Know . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Bits and Bytes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MCC/Computer CurrentsDell Unveils New Optiplexand Latitude Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Excellent References: MITLibraries Launch Ask Us! – Live . . . . . 5

Telecom TalkVoice Mail Refresher: Greetings and Processing Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Element K Site Offers Many Training Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Tech Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

MIT Cable TV Celebrates25 Years of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Surf Sites: Resources for Human-Centered Design . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Human-Centered Computers and What They Can Do For Us• Lee Ridgway

n 1997, Michael Dertouzos, Director of MIT’s Lab for Computer Science,

published What Will Be, in which he forecast the technological future as an information marketplace, where people and computers will buy, sell, and freely exchange information and information services. For him, this information revolution would exert an impact equal to that of the Industrial Revolution.

Dertouzos is back with The Unfinished Revolution: Human-Centered Computers and What They Can Do for Us (Harper Collins). In this book he focuses on the need for what he calls human-centric computing, and declares his premise in the very first sentence of the Preface: “The Unfinished Revolution sets forth a radically new direction for information technology, and the way it could be used to make computer systems serve people …rather than the other way around.”

What happened to cause Dertouzos to take off the somewhat rose-colored glasses with which he viewed technol-ogy in the earlier book? Frustration – the same kind which those of us who are not computer scientists face daily when trying to get computers to work for us, instead of having to adapt to them. Quoting Dertouzos again: “…computer systems should focus on our needs and capabilities, instead

I

of forcing us to bow down to their complex, incomprehensible, and mechanistic details.”

Five ForcesHow to achieve human-centered

computing? Dertouzos proposes that five capabilities of computer and communications systems are key to making systems serve people: natural interaction, automation, individualized access to information, collaboration, and customization. Dertouzos refers to these capabilities as “forces” that can enable human-centered computing:• Natural interaction means systems

will talk with us.• Through automation, systems will

do things for us.• With individualized access, we will

get the information we want.• Collaboration technology will help

us work with other people and organizations.

• Through customization, technology will adapt to our individual needs.

Natural InteractionDertouzos believes that a computer

should be natural to use. Just as most of us use our eyes, ears, and mouth, to sense and communicate with the world around us, we should be able to use sight, hearing, and speech to commu-nicate with machines. Dertouzos con-siders this the biggest lever of system simplification, which at the same time can provide a full, rich experience to the user.

• March / April 2001 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/2. . . .

i/s

A

Managing EditorRobyn Fizz

Writer/EditorLee Ridgway

i/s is published six times a year. MIT faculty and staff receive copies through campus mail; i/s is also available in lobbies around campus. Individuals at MIT may subscribe by contacting the managing editor.

Send comments or subscription requests to:MIT Room N42-290b, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307Phone: (617) 253-0540Electronic mail: <fizz@mit.edu>

i/s is also published online athttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/

A companion Web site, i/s NewsLink, offers frequent news updates. It’s located athttp://web.mit.edu/is/newslink/

All products names are trademarks of their manufacturers.

© 2001 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

HUMAN-CENTERED COMPUTERS

continued from page 1

Project Oxygen Takes the Lead in Human-Centered Computing

In 1999, MIT’s Lab for Computer Science (LCS), in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Lab, launched a five-year multimillion-dollar research project called Oxygen. The goal is to bring “abundant computation and communication, as pervasive and free as air, naturally into people’s lives.” With Michael Dertouzos at the helm of LCS, it’s no surprise that the project em- braces the human-centered approach detailed in The Unfinished Revolution.

The envisioned Oxygen system consists of a global web of personal handheld devices; stationary devices in offices, homes, and vehicles; and dynamically configurable networks. A related project seeks to design a new type of microchip that can be automati- cally reprogrammed for different tasks: this chip would power Oxygen devices.

The handheld device, called the Handy 21, replaces multiple gadgets, serving as cellular phone, beeper, radio,

TV, geographical positioning system, camera, or personal digital assistant, as needed. It changes function depending on the software that flows into it.

The stationary device, called the Enviro 21, provides large amounts of embedded computation in your work and living environments. Its “tentacles” may hook up to phones, faxes, scanners, printers, whiteboards – as appropriate to the environment. Users communi- cate naturally in these spaces, using speech and vision.

Connecting these portable and stationary devices is Network 21, a set of protocols that adds conventions for mobile users on top of the network protocols used for the Internet. Net-work 21 can query physical devices, create secure collaborative environ-ments, and switch networks as needed.

Curious?To learn more about Oxygen, read

the chapter devoted to it in The Unfin-ished Revolution or visit the Web site athttp://oxygen.lcs.mit.edu/ ø

Speech should be the primary way a person communicates to the computer, and vision should be the primary way a person perceives infor-mation from the machine. Of course, there are going to be circumstances where alternatives must be in place, and Dertouzos emphasizes that these must be as simple and effective as speech and vision.

AutomationWith automation, the idea is to help

individuals do more by letting them do less. The goal is to prescribe to our computers how to handle the informa- tion we care about, and how to control and coordinate other machines, and then to do these tasks for us auto-matically, accurately, and repeatedly, when ever the need arises. Dertouzos envisions this automation as cutting across the range of systems and ma- chines that surround us wherever we live, work, and play.

Individualized Access to InformationRelated to automation is the idea

of being able to ask a computer to find

the information which, at that moment, matters the most and is vital to our personal and professional lives. This goes beyond the mere rummaging we now do, to having the machine be able to understand the meaning of the information we want. The machine would then organize that information, bring in new, related information, and label and link it for easy retrieval.

CustomizationAlmost as much as we want ma-

chines to do things for us automatically, and give us only the relevant informa- tion we need at the moment, we want machines to adapt to us, to learn our characteristics and habits. This is essential to human-centric computing because humans and organizations have widely varying interests, capa-bilities, styles, and goals. Instead of giving us one tool which we have to use for every job, human-centered customization gives us tools more specifically adapted to different jobs.

CollaborationAn important aspect of current

communications and information tech-nology is its potential to easily connect people geographically distant from each other. The challenge is how to turn this machine-mediated proximity

into productive collaboration, between individuals, small groups, or large organizations.

Dertouzos sees collaboration tech-nology as having a major impact on society, and his discussion is extensive on such issues as how to work together across widely separated time zones, how to maintain the integrity – and often the strict privacy – of information that is part and parcel of collaborative work, and what the social consequences might be if some of our closest relation- ships are virtual with people who are far away, instead of face to face with those nearby.

Problems, Prototypes, ScenariosThese summaries only hint at the

detail Dertouzos devotes to his dis-cussion of these forces. He provides abundant examples of current prob-lems, promising prototypes of emerging technologies, and visionary scenarios of a possible future in which technol-ogy can be integrated into our lives, working for us and with us. He dis-cusses not only how the technology itself must change, but also how the mindsets of many technology develop-ers need to change, so that the focus is properly on people and not just on machines. ø

MIT Information Systems

S o f t w a r e S p o t l i g h t

3. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • March / April 2001 •

A

Photoshop 6 Offers Impressive New Features for Print and Web • Robyn Fizz

dobe Systems unveiled Photo- shop 6 last August. This version

of the popular image-editing software has garnered favorable reviews for both its print- and Web-oriented features. Key among them are a streamlined user interface, integrated vector support, improved text handling, enhanced layer management, and tools for Web graphics production.

Interface EnhancementsThe most obvious interface change

is the new tool options bar beneath the menu bar. This context-sensitive toolbar changes as you select different tools, making it easy to access the spe-cific options for each tool. For example, when you select the paintbrush tool, the tool options bar displays the Brush menu, where you can edit and load brushes, create new ones, access brush libraries, and choose options such as blending modes and opacity.

On the right end of the tool options bar is a well for storing palettes. You can drop the palettes you use the most into the well, to maximize screen real estate. When you need a palette from the well, just click on its tab.

Integrated Vector SupportPhotoshop 6 goes beyond pixel-

based editing; you can now incorporate vector-based graphics and type into your images. These will output at your printer’s resolution, independent of file resolution.

Vector shape tools let you quickly create basic shapes such as rectangles, ellipses, and polygons, as well as custom shapes such as arrowheads and stars. You can combine basic shapes into more complex shapes and save them for future use. You can also edit vector shapes using the new direct selection tool, and save a shape’s outline in a layer clipping path.

Improved Text HandlingPhotoshop 6 lets you enter and edit

text directly on canvas. Type remains editable unless you rasterize it: you need to do this to take advantage of certain options – such as filter effects and painting tools.

The new Warp Text tool lets you style text in a variety of shaped forms to produce special effects, from arcs and bulges to waves and twists.

The character and paragraph pal- ettes and revamped text engine work the same way they do in Adobe’s page layout program, InDesign. This means that you can specify alignment, indents, and the like for each paragraph, and apply color on a per-character basis.

All About LayersPhotoshop 6 offers enhanced layer

management. There is no longer a limit on the number of layers in a file. You can organize layers into sets to keep track of related elements. You can apply masks and clipping paths to layer sets, as well as specify opacity.

The new Layer Styles dialog box lets you specify a variety of effects – such as drop shadow and glow – and save your selections to a layer style. It then appears in the new Styles palette, where you can click on it to apply it to type or shapes on a layer.

In the enhanced Layers palette, you can drag and drop layer effects from one layer to another. You can also color code layers and layer sets, and lock them to prevent accidental editing.

Web Graphics ProductionIn Web parlance, a slice is a rectangu-

lar area of an image that you can use to create links, rollovers, and animations on a page. Slicing an image lets you selectively optimize it for Web viewing.

Photoshop’s new slice tools let you output Web graphics directly. To create rollovers or animations, you need to use ImageReady, Adobe’s advanced Web production software. ImageReady comes with Photoshop 6, and the two programs are tightly integrated.

System RequirementsPhotoshop is demanding of system

resources and storage space. While the program will run on a system meeting the minimum requirements, it is not advisable to do so for serious work as you will quickly run into resource con-straints. The minimum requirements for Macintosh or Windows are:• PowerPC or Intel Pentium processor • 64MB of RAM (128MB to run Photo-

shop and ImageReady concurrently) • 125MB of available disk space • CD-ROM drive • 8-bit or greater display adapter card

SupportInformation Systems does not offi-

cially support Photoshop, but the Com-puting Help Desk will try to field basic questions. Adobe itself offers many free support resources – including tips and tutorials, updates and plug-ins, technical guides, and more – through its Expert Center athttp://www.adobe.com/expertcenter/photoshop/

You need to enter your Photoshop serial number the first time you access the Expert Center.

On campus, IS Training offers basic and advanced courses in Photoshop 6. For details, start at http://web.mit.edu/is/training/

Purchase and TryoutNECX does not offer academic dis-

counts on Adobe software, although this may change in the future. To get academic pricing on Photoshop, buy it at PC/MacConnection (1-800-800-0019, x3016), the Coop, or other retailers rec-ommended by the MIT Computer Con-nection. Academic pricing varies, but you should save at least half off of the retail price of $609. There is no aca-demic pricing available on the upgrade from earlier versions of Photoshop.

To download a free tryout version of Photoshop 6, go tohttp://www.adobe.com/products/ photoshop/tryreg.html

Photoshop 6.0.1 UpdateRecently, Adobe released an update

to Photoshop 6. For more information and to download the update, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/ photoshop/update.html ø

The Brush menu is easily accessible from the new tool options bar.

N e t w o r k N o t e s

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B i t s a n d B y t e s

• March / April 2001 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/4. . . .

i/s

This column presents announcements and news to help you make the most of information technology at MIT.

Who’s Reading Your E-Mail? Facts You Should Know• Joanne Straggas

he Electronics Communication Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986

established a reasonable expectation of privacy for e-mail by making it illegal to intercept or disclose private communications in digital form. How-ever, the ECPA does allow for certain exceptions. System operators can look at e-mail to debug a problem with their system. Service providers may ask users to sign a consent form waiv-ing their ECPA rights.

Further, the ECPA doesn’t prevent employers from looking at employee e-mail. The courts have stated that there is “no reasonable expectation of privacy” in e-mail communications on company-owned systems. Many com-panies and some universities reserve the right to monitor e-mail on their systems.

MIT does no such monitoring, nor does the Institute keep any records of e-mail activity. But beware. Your e-mail could still be read by others.

Post Office ServersEudora messages and e-mail in

the Athena environment are stored on post office servers until they are deleted. Those servers are backed up daily as a safety measure in case of hardware failure. The backups are encrypted, stored on secure computers, and kept for a day – until the next backup. These machines are monitored and have good defense mechanisms against outside intruders.

Occasionally, in the course of main-taining post office servers or keeping the network running, network opera-tions staff may see your e-mail. These individuals are instructed about pro-tecting the privacy of the information passing through the machines and about abiding by the legal restrictions of the ECPA.

Security ConcernsDepending on how you configure

your e-mail program, mail may be stored on your computer’s hard drive. Just like any file on that drive, this mail is accessible to anyone who gains physical access to your computer. The e-mail on your hard drive can be read

by others unless your computer is behind a locked door or you have taken precautions, such as encrypting files or password-protecting your machine. Another option is to store your mail on a disk or removable cartridge and lock it up when you are away from your machine.

Prying can also take place during transmission of a message. “Packet sniffing” on the Internet is a continu-ing problem. Sniffer programs can cap-ture all data traveling over a network, including the contents of e-mail mes-sages. Thus it is very important to remember that sensitive or confiden-tial information may be intercepted.

If you are using another Internet service provider for e-mail at home or while traveling, it’s a good idea to find out what their policy is regarding the privacy and confidentiality of e-mail. If you use systems such as hotmail, always sign out when you are done. Similarly, if you use a public terminal, at an Internet café for exam-ple, it is advisable to close the browser you were using to end your Internet session.

Backup and ForwardingDepending on where you store

your backups of e-mail, the backups may still be available after you have deleted the original e-mail. Even though MIT does not monitor e-mail, a court order could require the Insti-tute to turn over any information that it has access to, including e-mail stored on backup tapes.

Also, anyone who receives one of your e-mail messages can forward it to other individuals or groups, even if that was not your intent. Recipients can also archive or print messages. You have no way of knowing when this happens.

The Bottom LineDon’t send anything in e-mail that

you wouldn’t be willing to send in an unsealed envelope. As a medium of communication, e-mail may lend itself to spontaneity, but the messages you send and receive can have a very long shelf life. There is no guarantee about who will read a message, or when. ø

Mac OS X Not Yet SupportedIn March, Apple released Mac OS X, a new version of the Macintosh operating system that has a UNIX-based founda-tion called Darwin with an updated Macintosh graphic user interface.

Information Systems will not be supporting Mac OS X at this time. The tentative goal is to begin support in the July time frame when Apple starts to ship Mac OS X in addition to Mac OS 9.1 on new computers. The final date has not been determined, but IS will keep you updated through its Web pages and other communication vehicles.

You can find information about Mac OS X, including test results, alternate support options and resources, and known issues at http://mit.edu/is/help/macos/ macosx/

Windows Update and Windows 2000 Service PacksWith today’s huge operating systems so full of bugs and vulnerabilities, there needs to be an easy way to keep them up to date. Luckily, there is just such an option for current Windows oper-ating systems: Windows Update. It is built into Windows 2000, where you can find it at the top of your Start Menu.

The Windows Update shows only patches that are applicable for your computer. Windows Update down-loads from Microsoft the complete list of available patches and then com-pares that locally with your machine’s current setting to display only the patches that are relevant. You can even have it show which patches were already installed.

For Windows 2000 machines, IS recommends installing Service Pack 1, all Critical Updates, the Recommended update for Office 2000 SR-1, and the High Encryption Pack for Windows 2000. Other updates may be appropri-ate for your machine. Once you have selected the updates you wish to in- stall, click the blue download button and follow the instructions. Windows Update will walk you through the installation. ø

T

M C C / C o m p u t e r C u r r e n t s

5. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • March / April 2001 •

Excellent References: MIT Libraries Launch Ask Us! – Live• Lisa Horowitz

he MIT Libraries recently launched a pilot project called Ask Us! –

Live. As its name implies, this service offers live online assistance to students and others in the MIT community who are involved in research activities but who are not physically in a library.

Traditionally, MIT reference librar-ians help community members select from the array of information resources at their disposal (both those freely available on the Web and those to which the Libraries subscribe). Librarians show users how to search these resources effectively, understand the relation-ships among them, assess the quality and authoritativeness of materials identified, and facilitate access to them. It is this broad set of tasks that the MIT Libraries are now attempting to translate into a virtual, real-time environment.

T

Chat and Co-Browsing Community members can access

Ask Us! – Live via the Web browser on their computer. Through a combination of chat software and co-browsing (the ability to send and share Web pages over the Internet), Ask Us! – Live enables one-on-one online conversa-tions between librarians and those using library resources. Together, users and librarians can search databases, navigate through Web pages, and fill out forms. The software, from eGain and Hipbone, is provided through LSSI, a library-products vendor.

Positive Pilot The public pilot of Ask Us! – Live

began in January. For now, the service is offered from 2 to 4pm, Monday through Friday, and is restricted to the MIT community. You can access the service through several Web pages, includinghttp://libraries.mit.edu/ask/

http://libraries.mit.edu/vera/

http://libraries.mit.edu/barton/

Those who have tried the service have expressed a high degree of en-thusiasm, despite bugs they may have encountered. Students in particular are comfortable with chat software.

The enthusiasm for online assistance is well founded. Most reference ques- tions can be answered without a visit to the library or even a phone call from the user. (Behind the scenes, the librari- ans staffing Ask Us! – Live can and do call each other and use print sources as needed to ensure the most accurate assistance.)

ExpansionThe Libraries hope to expand Ask

Us – Live! by offering more hours in the future. They may also collaborate with other institutions of technology around the world to offer the MIT community assistance at any time – especially in those late night hours favored by students.

You can send questions about Ask Us – Live! to <digref-lib@mit. edu>. Better yet, give the service a try: the Libraries are eager for feedback. ø

Dell Unveils New Optiplex and Latitude Models• Ryan Flanagan

ell introduced two systems in March. The Optiplex GX400 is

the newest addition to the Optiplex desktop family; the Latitude L400 is the lightest Latitude notebook to date.

Optiplex GX400 The GX400 is the first Optiplex

model to include a Pentium 4 processor. This processor operates at speeds of 1.3 or 1.4GHz and includes the new Intel 850 chip set. A faster system bus tech- nology, called Intel NetBurst micro-architecture, runs at 400MHz. This significant speed boost over the former 133MHz bus allows for much more ef- ficient use of Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), which runs at 600, 700, or 800MHz.

The GX400 comes with 128MB of RDRAM and supports up to 2GB. This model uses the latest in ATA hard drive technology, ATA-100. The standard unit has a 10GB hard drive, but can be configured with up to 80GB of storage.

D

The GX400 features integrated audio and an on-board 3Com network interface card. Dell has included four USB ports on this machine, reducing the need for USB hubs.

It also comes with two serial ports, a parallel port, and two PS/2 ports. The video is powered by a 16MB AGP Nvidia TNT graphics accelerator. You can upgrade to the 32MB AGP Nvidia GeForce card or the 32MB AGP Matrox G450 graphics card, which is dual-monitor capable.

Latitude L400 Weighing in at just 3.4 pounds and

only one inch thick, the Latitude L400 is the lightest of all Dell notebooks. It features a 700MHz Pentium III proces-sor and comes with 64MB of SDRAM, upgradeable to 256 MB. The 6GB hard drive can be upgraded to 20GB. The L400 has a 12.1-inch XGA active matrix LCD, which supports 1024x768 screen resolution at 16 million colors with the help of a 4MB ATI Rage video card.

This notebook is MITnet-ready: it includes an integrated 3Com network interface card and a 56Kbps V.90 mo- dem for dialup access. This system has no internal drive bay, but you can add a CD-ROM, DVD, CD-RW, Zip, or diskette drive externally.

The L400 has one PS/2 port for input devices and one USB port for peripheral connectivity. It also comes with a VGA video port for use with a standard VGA monitor, an expansion connector for port replication or dock- ing, and a parallel port for various peripheral devices. The standard battery is a 4-cell lithium ion; Dell also offers a 6-cell upgrade. The L400 has a microphone input and a line output for headphones or speakers.

Purchase You can order the GX400 and L400

through the NECX catalog for MIT athttp://web.mit.edu/ecat/necx/

For more information on these and other Dell products, contact the MIT Computer Connection at <mcc@mit.edu> or x3-7686. ø

T e l e c o m T a l kA

• March / April 2001 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/6. . . .

i/s

Element K Site Offers Many Training Resources• Lee Ridgway

ast fall, IS brought Element K Web-based training to MIT to

supplement its on-campus offerings. Element K courses cover a range of Macintosh and Windows applications. These include Microsoft Office, desk- top and Web publishing software, and design and database software. As new products or versions of software come on the market, Element K adds equiva-lent courses. Some courses have multi- lingual versions.

Most courses are self-paced, but Element K also offers instructor-led courses. These run periodically, and range from one to eight weeks in length. Everything takes place online: lectures, assignments, questions, and discussion. The students and instructor communicate through message boards, forums, and chats. For most instructor-led offerings, you will need to buy course materials.

L

Course Matrix To see what Element K courses are

licensed for MIT, go to http://web.mit.edu/is/training/ wbt/matrix.html

For some courses, the matrix includes IS Training’s recommendations about appropriate use. It also indicates wheth- er or not an Element K course is for an IS-supported product; many of the courses available through the license are for products that IS does not support.

Learning Advisor and BrainbenchIf you are looking for courses on a

specific topic, the Learning Advisor sug- gests a path through Element K courses related to that topic. This may be par- ticularly helpful if you are looking for courses leading to certifications.

Element K has teamed up with Brainbench, an online skills testing and certification authority. Brainbench lets you validate what you learned in Element K courses and earn industry certifications. More information about certification is available when you enter Element K as a registered user.

Books24x7Element K provides access to

Books24x7.com, an online resource for technical information. This library presents the complete contents of over 600 computer-related books. You can also access this resource from the MIT Libraries by going tohttp://library.books24x7.com

RegistrationElement K is available for free to

MIT staff and students, but you need an account to access the site. For infor-mation on how to register, see http://web.mit.edu/is/training/wbt/

This Web page also outlines computer system and software requirements.

FeedbackThe Element K option supplements,

but does not replace, the computer training offered by IS. If you take an Element K course, IS would appreciate your feedback. Send your comments or questions about Web-based training to <wbt-help@mit.edu> or call Jeanne Cavanaugh at x3-0852. ø

Voice Mail Refresher: Greetings and Processing Messages• Lee Ridgway

oice mail can be more than just an answering machine if you know

how to use its standard features. Here are some basic tips to get you started.

GreetingsFor day-to-day coverage, you can

have two different personal greetings. One plays when you are away from your desk or otherwise don’t answer the phone; the other plays when you are on another call (your line is busy). Set up the greetings as follows.

From your MIT phone, call x8-6245 and enter your password.

To record a greeting that tells callers you are away from your phone, press 4-3-1-2-1. A sample greeting might be:

“Hello, this is [your name]. I’m not available to answer the phone right now. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief mes-sage, and I will call back as soon as possible.”

V

To record a greeting that tells callers you are on another call, press 4-3-1-2-2. A sample greeting might be:

“Hello, this is [your name]. I am on another call. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, and I will call back as soon as possible.”If you’re going to be away for sev-

eral days and won’t be checking your voice mail, record an extended-absence greeting that will play in place of your regular greeting. (It will not overwrite your regular greetings.) To do so, enter your voice mailbox, as above, and press 4-3-2.

The extended-absence greeting takes effect immediately. The next time you call your voice mailbox, you will be prompted to retain or delete the extended-absence greeting.

Processing MessagesVoice mail gives you several

functions for listening to and saving messages. When listening to a mes-sage, you can speed it up (press 6) or slow it down (press 4), fast-forward (press 3) or rewind it (press 1).

To forward a message to another MIT voice mail subscriber:1. Press 6 after listening to the message.

You will be prompted to record a comment to attach to the message. Press the # key when you have fin-ished your comment.

2. Enter the five-digit mailbox number of the person to whom you are for-warding the message, or press # and spell the last name of the recipi-ent. (The recipient must be able to accept messages in their mailbox.) Press the # key to send.To reply to a message from another

MIT voice mail subscriber, press 8 after listening to the message and record your reply.

Voice Mail in DepthFor details on these and other fea-

tures, see the Voice Mail User Guide at http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/userguide.html

If you have questions about voice mail options at MIT, call x3-3677 or send e-mail to <vmail@mit.edu>. ø

7. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • March / April 2001 •

Todayat the'TuteD

What’s the best way to protect my computer against new

Windows or Macintosh viruses?

MIT has site licenses for virus protection software: VirusScan for

Windows and Virex for the Macintosh. You can configure these programs to get updates automatically.

On Windows machines, set up Virus-Scan to do automatic weekly updates:1. Access the VirusScan Console by

double-clicking on its magnifying glass in the Windows Tray.

2. In the VirusScan Console, double- click on the icon, AutoUpdate. The Task Properties window opens.

3. On the Schedule tab window, check Enable, then select update frequency, start time, and day of the week. IS recommends that you choose Mon- day as day of the week. Check Enable Randomization, then click OK.

T e c h T i p s

This column presents answers to frequently asked technology questions. For more Q&As, check the IS Stock Answers database athttp://hdstock.mit.edu/

On the Macintosh, set up Virex 6.1 to do automatic monthly updates:1. Open Virex, go to the Schedule

menu, and select Edit Schedule.2. On the Schedule Editor menus to

the left, select these options:– Magnifying glass icon: select

eUpdate from the pop-up menu.– “I” icon: select At Specific Time

from the pop-up menu.3. On the frequency menu that acti-

vates, select Monthly.4. On the date and time windows,

highlight an item, then use the up and down arrows to make your selections.

5. Select Add. The new task appears in the upper Event/Description section, as an untitled event.

6. You can assign a meaningful name to the event by placing the cursor in the Untitled box under event and entering a name. Select Save. For more information about com-

puter virus protection at MIT, seehttp://web.mit.edu/is/help/virus/

How can I make the Eudora e-mail program less susceptible

to viruses?

To protect against viruses that trigger when you open a message,

disable two Eudora features: the message preview pane and automatic opening of messages. You can then examine messages before opening them and delete any that look suspicious.

On Eudora for Windows:1. Under the Tools menu, choose

Options, then Viewing Mail.2. Uncheck “Show message preview

pane” and “Automatically open next message.”On Eudora for Macintosh:

1. Under the Special menu, chooseSettings…

2. Select the Mailbox Display icon and uncheck “Show message previews by default.”

3. Select the Moving Around icon. Click on the “Nothing” radio button under “After transferring or deleting or paging past end of current message, open:” ø

Q

AQ

A

MIT Cable TV Celebrates 25 Years of Operation• Robyn Fizz

“…members of the Center for Advanced Engineering Study recognized that our instructional processes were lagging behind current technology. In an attempt to remedy the situation…”

oes the quotation above sound like a familiar refrain? It’s taken

from an article in The Tech 25 years ago, and it goes on to describe why the MIT Cable Television system was launched.

The mission was educational: to develop “experimental curricula materi- als” and build “a cable communications system of novel design.” With a $620,000 grant from the Sloan Foundation, these plans moved forward.

The cable officially opened on the first day of IAP in 1976 with three MIT channels. Today, MIT Cable TV offers four MIT channels, four language chan- nels, two student channels, a NASA channel, and eleven Boston channels, all broadcasting 24 hours a day. A new

Research channel will broadcast courses and lectures from other universities.

MIT Cable also oversees the com- mercial cable TV service for student residences, where much of the edu-cational content is watched, along with more conventional TV programming.

Out of the OrdinaryMIT Cable’s offerings are not your standard fare: they can range from a lecture by

Noam Chomsky to the Clinton com-mencement speech, from live coverage of NASA’s Zero-G mission to MIT’s famous 2.70 competition. In addition to the usual campus outlets, most MIT Cable programs are broadcast on the Internet courtesy of the StreaMIT webcast service.

Another MIT Cable service, Today at the Institute, is an old friend. This community bulletin board of activities and events broadcasts on Channel 12 and can be seen in Lobby 10. An MIT student developed the script for this service in 1988, and it’s been running on an Apple II computer ever since.

To submit items, send e-mail to <tv-messages@mit.edu>.

Behind the CurtainMIT Cable Television operates out

of modest quarters in Room 9-050. The wizard behind the scenes is Randy Winchester, aided by a phalanx of stu-dents. Winchester works closely with MIT Video Production Services and Audio-Visual Services to bring educa-tional programming to the community.

Winchester has seen many changes over the years, including digital audio, satellite hookups, and the introduction of broadcast-quality equipment. Right now, he’s enthralled by a $300 Linux-based TiVo box. With a bit of coding, it can automate video playback tasks that would have required $30,000 worth of equipment in the past.

For More InformationThe MIT Cable TV Web page at

http://web.mit.edu/mitcable/

includes a channel guide and schedule, as well as news and contact information.

And now, let’s raise our glasses to 25 years on the air! ø

G e t t i n g H e l p

S u r f S i t e s : R e s o u r c e s f o r H u m a n - C e n t e r e d D e s i g n

MIT Information Systems

i/s is printed with soy inks on recycled paper, and can be recycled in MIT’s “mixed paper” bins.

• March / April 2001 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/8. . . .

i/s

If you don’t know where to get help for your computer, network, or telephone problems, dial one of the help lines listed to the right.

If you prefer to use e-mail, you can send your questions to the cor-responding e-mail addresses on the far right. (When logged into Athena, you can also use the olc command to send questions to Athena’s online consultants.)

For a complete list of services offered by Information Systems, see http://web.mit.edu/is/services/

The Unfinished Revolution (see lead article) highlights a growing enthusi- asm in our midst: an interest in making computers, software, and Web pages more usable. Part of the reason is that technology now belongs to Everyman and Everywoman, not just to a chosen elite. Another part of the equation is commercial: Web pages that don’t work don’t get repeat business. Finally, as technology grows more powerful, some of that power can be harnessed to design better products.

Interested in being part of the revo-lution? The list on the right points to Web sites that focus on making tech-nology easier to use.

Usable Webhttp://usableweb.com/

The Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usabilityhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/

Bruce Tognazzini’s AskToghttp://www.asktog.com/

HCI Bibliography : Human-Computer Interaction Resourceshttp://www.hcibib.org/

HCI-Sites (Links on Human-Computer Interaction)http://www.acm.org/sigchi/hci-sites/

Tomalak’s Realm: Daily links to strategic web design newshttp://www.tomalak.org/

Usability around the Globe – Resourceshttp://webword.com/moving/global.html

For help with… Dial… Or send a message to…

Administrative applications 2-1177 business-help@mit.eduAthena Computing Environment 3-4435 olc@mit.eduComputer and printer repairs 3-0815 hardserv@mit.eduComputer pre-sales consulting 3-7686 mcc@mit.eduDisabilities and computing 3-7808 atic@mit.eduMacintosh computers 3-1101 mac-help@mit.edu(including network problems)PC computers 3-1102 pc-help@mit.edu(including network problems)Telephone repairs 3-4357 5help@mit.eduUNIX/VMS (by subscription) 3-1103 unix-vms-help@mit.eduVoice mail 3-3677 vmail@mit.edu