News about nformation systems throughout MIT
Volume 14 • NumberI 6 SJ u l y / A u g u s t 1 9 9 9 . . . A Microchip That Releases drug or chemical delivery chip cap- . . Medicine and More tured Santini’s interest, but the project . did not get far in those few summer . Lee Ridgway Special Y2K Insert! . weeks. Santini returned a year later . . as a graduate student, with the chip . IS Revamps Telephone and . E arlier this year Nature, the inter- as the focus of his doctoral thesis. . Voice Mail Web Pages ...... 2 . national journal of science, published Although the concept behind the . . a two-page article modestly titled chip is simple, engineering a prototype Software Spotlight . required innovation and patience. It . “A controlled-release microchip.” IS Recommends Netscape . involved methodically finding solu- . Unlike a typical computer processor, Communicator 4.6 ...... 3 . tions to numerous technical challenges. . this chip can store and release drugs Network Notes . and other substances. This new twist These included selecting compatible . materials; developing design, fabrica- MIT Announces Policy Related . on the microchip is the work of John . tion, and operation processes that were 4 . Santini, Jr., recently granted a Ph.D. in to Accessibility of Web Pages ...... free of defects; and figuring out how . Chemical Engineering, and Professors Computer Corner . to fill reservoirs that are about a quar- ...... 4 . Michael Cima and Robert Langer, of . Materials Science and Engineering, and ter the size of a grain of salt. MIT Computer Connection/ . . Chemical Engineering, respectively. Bits and Bytes . Materials and Fabrication . As with much of today’s innovative Apple Offers Back-to-School . The research team looked for ma- . technology, the device is small – about Promotion ...... 5 . terials that could be made into a chip . the size of a dime. It is the first micro- using current microfabrication pro- . ECAT2 Enhances Electronic . chip of its kind that can store one or cesses. One critical material would be . Purchasing Options at MIT ...... 5 . more compounds in any form (solid, that for the extremely thin membrane . liquid, gel), and release those com- . covering the reservoirs. It had to be Publishing Pointers . pounds on demand with no moving . chemically inert, so that it would not Reporting Service Provides . parts. Potential uses include medical . interact with the substance in the res- Web Usage Statistics ...... 6 . diagnostics, drug delivery, chemical ervoir or the surrounding environment. . . detection, and combinatorial chemis- It also needed to be an electrical con- Tap into Online Chemical . try. It might even have applications 7 . ductor, so that when a small voltage Information Resources ...... in cosmetics and entertainment, by . was applied, the membrane would . enabling the release of various scents. Configuring Netscape to . dissolve. Gold filled the bill for these Download MacBinary Files ...... 7 . . Prototyping electrochemical properties, and is also . biocompatible – crucial for a device Getting Help ...... 8 . The effort that led to a prototype . that might go inside our bodies. . chip began in 1993, when Santini came Surf Sites: Medical and . Having determined what materials . from his undergraduate school, the Health-Related Information ...... 8 . University of Michigan, to participate in would work best, the next step was . . the MIT Materials Processing Center’s to put them together. Fabrication, es- . . Summer Scholars Program. Langer and pecially for the membrane, had to be . ▲ . Cima’s description of their idea for a continued on page 2 ▼ were about 50 to 60 micrometers in MICROCHIP diameter. (A micrometer equals one- continued from page 1 millionth of a meter.) For the microinjection process, a strictly controlled. Microscopic holes 200-micrometer diameter needle on a or weaknesses might cause the mem- microsyringe was positioned using a brane to rupture and result in chem- microscope, while the plunger was Before and after shots of the chemical icals leaking out of the reservoirs. manipulated by a computer-controlled release mechanism in the microchip. Through experimentation the team piston. Micrographs reprinted by permission from Nature came up with modifications in stan- Proof of Concept 397, 335-338 (1999) Macmillan Magazines Ltd. dard chip manufacturing processes Next came experiments to release that led to the successful prototypes. compounds from the reservoirs. The the reservoirs may be made to open Filling the Reservoirs loaded chip was placed in a solution automatically, without electricity, in Now that the researchers had their containing saline, such as is found in response to surrounding conditions. chips, the next challenge was to accu- body fluids. When an electric poten- Rebecca Scheidt is working on a rately fill the miniscule reservoirs. In tial of one volt was directed to the device with its own microprocessor, the prototype chip, the reservoirs were gold membrane over a reservoir, an memory, and power supply that will pyramid-shaped, with the larger electrochemical reaction caused it to still be extremely small. The micro- opening on the back of the chip used dissolve in less than 10 seconds, re- processor could be programmed to for filling and the smaller front open- leasing the substance inside into the open its reservoirs in simple or com- ing used for release of the substance. surrounding fluid. As the researchers plex patterns. The chip could even Filling the reservoirs required care- recount of witnessing the first release, contain sensors that would determine “That was an exciting moment!” ful control, in order not to damage the when, what, and how many reservoirs membrane or overflow the reservoirs. Applications would be opened, in response to certain The researchers settled on two methods: Conceiving applications for a conditions. The latter would be par- inkjet printing and microinjection. An controlled-release microchip requires ticularly applicable to drug therapies inkjet printhead, like those found on thinking about control mechanisms. where dosage, timing, and the mixture very high-quality printers, was hooked Three members of the research team of substances might be crucial. up to a computer-controlled apparatus are at work on this. Amy Richards is In a related research application, developed in Professor Cima’s lab that developing a passive-release chip made postdoctoral fellow Horst von Recum allowed for extremely fine position- entirely of polymers. Through materi- is modifying the chip for use in his in ing. The drops from the inkjet head als selection, design, and fabrication, vivo gene therapy studies. ø
IS Revamps Telephone and and for telephone equipment and Voice Mail Web Pages accessories at http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/ MIT Information Systems equip-prices.html The Telephone, Voice Mail, and Tele- Managing Editor communications Support team recently make it easy to look up installation Robyn Fizz updated their Web site at and monthly service charges, as well Writer/Editor http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/ as descriptions of different classes of Lee Ridgway telsupport.html service for telephones and voice mail. The dialing instructions at i/s is published six times a year. MIT faculty and The new site makes it easier for staff receive copies through campus mail; i/s is http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/ customers to also available in lobbies around campus. Indi- dialing.html viduals at MIT may subscribe by contacting the • Find answers to their questions managing editor. detail how to place calls on and off • Have the correct information on campus. To use voice mail effectively, Send comments or subscription requests to: hand before contacting a consultant see the full-featured guide at MIT Room N42-290b, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 • Find the right consultant on the http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/ Phone: (617) 253-0540 first try userguide.html Electronic mail:
. . 2 . i s • July / August 1999 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ . Software Spotlight
IS Recommends Netscape Communicator 4.6 Mary Ellen Bushnell
In the beginning Netscape released Navigator, and it became MIT’s sup- ported Web browser. By the time Navigator 4.6 has an MIT-customized personal toolbar under the Location Toolbar. Netscape’s software had matured to version 4, the Navigator browser had • MIT-specific Web pages – including ftp://ftp.netscape.com/pub/ been bundled into the Communicator MIT Certificates, IS Help Desk, and communicator/extras/NSMacPrefs/ suite. Now, IS supports Netscape Athena Consulting Stock Answers – NSMacPrefs1.0.sit.hqx Communicator 4.6 on Macintosh and have been added to the Help menu. Athena users moving from version Windows, and Communicator 4.61 • The News Server defaults to 4.05 to 4.61 should read the page at on Athena. The Navigator browser news.mit.edu http://web.mit.edu/infoagents/ remains the primary component of the www/netscape/changes.html Communicator suite, and is often still • The MIT site certificate is already referred to generically as Netscape. included on the Macintosh Consolidating Bookmarks Communicator 4.6 has improved Several components and features The MIT-customized version of security, a player from RealNetworks, have been omitted from the installer or Communicator 4.6 contains an MIT- and updated NetHelp content. disabled for privacy or security reasons. specific bookmarks file (Netscape Among them are Smart Browsing, Communicator 4.6→Essential Files→ System Requirements SmartUpdate, and Talkback. The AOL Defaults). Communicator 4.6, how- Communicator 4.6 does not run on Instant Messenger and Calendar mod- ever, opens your default bookmarks Macintosh 68K or Windows 3.1 systems. ules are not installed since most people file, which lives at different locations On the Macintosh side, you need OS at MIT are using other solutions. depending on your system: 7.6.1 and 16MB of physical RAM, or For details about MIT customiza- • On Athena (your personal file system): OS 8.0 or greater and 24MB of physical tions and instructions for downloading ~/.netscape/bookmarks.html RAM. PC users need Windows 95, 98, the installers, start at → or NT on their machines. • On Macintosh: System Folder http://web.mit.edu/is/help/ Preferences→Netscape ƒ→ Custom Installers netscape/ Bookmarks.html For the first time IS has created cus- Read the Readme file before proceeding. • On Windows: C:\Program Files\ tom installers for Netscape on Windows A Few Caveats Netscape\Communicator\Program\ and Macintosh. The Communicator 4.6 Defaults\bookmark.htm installers make it easy for members of If you are upgrading from Naviga- the MIT community to get the supported tor 2.0 or 3.0, you need to reinstall any If you want to consolidate your version with MIT customizations already plug-ins that you want to transfer to default bookmarks file with the MIT- in place. Communicator 4.6. specific bookmarks, follow the online IS used Netscape’s installer tool to In order for Communicator to auto- instructions at create the installers. On the Windows matically transfer plug-ins from 4.0x http://web.mit.edu/is/help/ side, you may find a few shortcuts on versions, you must install Communi- netscape/bkmkfiles.html cator 4.6 in the same folder as the 4.0x your desktop that you don’t want; the Support installer tool would not allow these to version. There are two additional caveats For full details about Communicator be omitted. 4.6, see Netscape’s release notes at The installers do not remove earlier for Macintosh users: http://home.netscape.com/ versions of the software. You can remove • Before you install Communicator, eng/mozilla/4.6/relnotes/ them manually, after installation. make sure that your hard disk names do not include the slash (/) windows-4.6.html MIT Customizations character. Account Setup won’t If you need help with Communica- The Netscape 4.6 installers set the run if any of your hard disk names tor 4.6, send e-mail to the Computing following custom defaults: include this character. Help Desk at
. . http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • July / August 1999 • i s . 3 . . . Network Notes . Computer Corner . . . . . MIT Announces Policy Related The most comprehensive guide- . This column presents news and tips . to Accessibility of Web Pages lines that address this issue were . from the consultants who staff the released recently by the World Wide . Computing Help Desk. Check out Joanne Costello . Web Consortium (W3C), here at MIT. . their Web site at . The group’s Web Accessibility Initia- . http://web.mit.edu/helpdesk/ . T he World Wide Web has become an tive aims to eliminate the need for . . integral part of how people communi- extensive retrofitting by educating . Why doesn’t MIT offer a way . cate today. At MIT, it is a primary tool developers and designers about ac- . Q of sending automated e-mail . for presenting the Institute’s public cessibility issues before the release of . replies when someone is on vacation Web pages. The W3C guidelines are . and not reading e-mail? image and for communicating with . its various constituencies. available at . . Automated reply programs (also Unfortunately, as the Web has be- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ . come increasingly graphics intensive, . A known as vacation programs) If these guidelines seem a bit over- . people with visual impairments have . don’t work in all circumstances and the whelming at first, start at the WAI’s . been cut off from a significant portion . resulting problems can be anywhere Quick Tips section at . of Web content. Similarly, the hearing . from annoying to a significant drain on . impaired cannot access content posted http://www.w3.org/WAI/Refer- . the e-mail system. Here’s a quick run- . in audio formats – such as interviews, ences/QuickTips . down of some of the problems; in these . scenarios, “you” are the person who has news reports, and music files. Support on Campus . Recognizing the Web’s central role, . set up an automated reply program: MIT has developed its own set of . MIT has developed a policy and guide- . • If you’re subscribed to an e-mail Web accessibility guidelines. You can . lines to ensure that people with dis- . list, the automated reply program find them, along with a statement of . abilities have reasonable access to . may send e-mail to the author or MIT’s new policy, at . online information. MIT’s new policy . all members of the list each time http://web.mit.edu/ada/ . conforms to the Americans with Dis- . e-mail from the list is sent to you. . abilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section Starting this fall, IS plans to offer a . • Some automated reply programs 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 . free Quick Start class that covers tech- . are not equipped with a feature (see the box below for details). niques to make Web pages accessible . . that will send a reply only once to to those with disabilities. For dates . Solutions . a specific recipient. So if someone and locations, check the monthly IS . The good news is that designing . routinely sends you mail or includes calendar card that arrives via campus . you in the Cc: field during your Web pages to be accessible by all users . mail. ø . absence, this person will get an is easy to do in most cases. . . automated reply to each message. . . • Certain circumstances can cause an Laws and Policies Related to Web Accessibility for the Disabled . . automated reply that you’ve set up . . to engage in an infinite loop of re- • Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Accessibility Requirements . . plies with another e-mail message. Entities to Title II or III of the ADA must provide effective communication to . . This can potentially generate hun- individuals with disabilities, and covered entities that use the Internet to provide . . dreds of thousands of messages. information regarding their programs, goods or services must be prepared to offer . For example, if you receive a piece those communications through accessible means. . . of spam (also known as junk e-mail), . . your automated reply to the spam- • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 . . mer generates an automated reply No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall, solely . . from the spammer, to which your by reason of his or her handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the . . program responds, and on and on benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving . it goes. This infinite loop will con- federal financial assistance. . . tinue until you return and deal . . with it and can severely diminish • MIT’s Policy . . the functioning of MIT’s e-mail MIT is committed to providing equal access to Web-based information in . . system. Besides junk mail, some accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans . . moderated lists, other automated with Disabilities Act. This ensures that MIT Web pages will be readable by users . reply programs and some listbots with disabilities. All Web pages associated with administration and services, . . can also cause this infinite loop courses of instruction, departmental programs, and Institute-sponsored activities, . . problem. must conform to the Web accessibility guidelines listed below. . . Currently, no automated reply The guidelines are at http://web.mit.edu/ada/. MIT’s policy was crafted . . program can overcome all of the prob- by a team drawn from the Provost’s Office, the Personnel Office, Information . . lem scenarios described above, so IS Systems, and the ATIC Lab, along with legal counsel. . . does not recommend or support their . . use. ø
. . 4 . i s • July / August 1999 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ . The new PowerBook G3 is 20 percent MIT Computer Connection/Bits and Bytes thinner and almost two pounds lighter than its predecessor. It is available with a 333- or 400-MHz PowerPC G3 pro- Apple Offers Back-to-School • Hewlett-Packard 810c Inkjet Printer cessor. All models include a 14.1-inch Promotion NECX # 140324 $124.49 active-matrix display, a built-in 56K Kathleen Moriarty These peripherals are specially priced modem, and 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet. in the NECX online catalog to reflect You can choose between a DVD-ROM the discount, and should be ordered at drive or a high-speed CD-ROM drive. B uy any qualifying Macintosh the same time as the computer using New technology extends battery life computer before October 22, 1999 and the NECX numbers listed above. up to 5 hours, or up to 10 hours with save $50 each on select peripherals Apple has posted details about the an optional second battery. bought at the same time. For example, eligible systems and peripherals at The Flat Panel Apple Studio Display if you buy a Power Macintosh G3 with a http://www.apple.com/education/ relies on thin film transistor (TFT) 17-inch Apple Studio Display, an Iomega promos/backtoschool/ active-matrix LCD technology. It is USB Zip Drive, and Connectix Virtual For additional information about sharper and brighter than a traditional PC with Windows 98, you save $150. Apple’s Back-to-School promotion, monitor, and supports 16 million colors Qualifying systems include iMacs, contact an MCC consultant at x3-7686 and resolutions up to 1024 x 768. While PowerBook G3s, and Power Macintosh or
ECAT2 Enhances Electronic For links to the vendors’ Web sites authorizations by going to the Web Purchasing Options at MIT and more details about ECAT2, go to interface to the Roles Database at http://web.mit.edu/ecat/ http://rolesweb.mit.edu/ Lee Ridgway webroles.html Ordering and Authorization Ordering in ECAT2 is a matter of and selecting “My authorizations.” M IT’s Web-based purchasing MIT Web certificates are required. capabilities took a major step forward going to the vendor’s Web site and in June with the launch of ECAT2 and selecting items from the catalog. The Changes in the New Version its expanded list of MIT partner vendors. order is then passed to SAPweb where Unlike the earlier ECAT, you don’t Vendors currently available through a requisition is created with most of need to complete an application form ECAT2 are BOC Gases, NECX for the information filled in automatically. to use ECAT2, and you don’t need to computer hardware and software, and All that the purchaser needs to supply install additional software on your desk- Office Depot for office supplies. VWR on the SAPweb form is cost object and top computer. Also, in ECAT2 dollar Scientific, for lab supplies and chemi- other account information. After the limits on orders have been removed and are now geared to the individual cals, will be available through ECAT2 requisition is processed and approved purchaser’s own authorization limits. in mid-August. ECAT2 replaces MIT’s in SAP, the vendor is notified to fulfill Restrictions on buying certain items still earlier ECAT version, which was rolled the order. All of this happens electron- apply; for details, see the MIT Purchas- out almost three years ago and was ically, saving paperwork and time for ing Guidelines at shut down on July 31. MIT and for the purchaser. ECAT2 integrates the vendors’ Web- Access to the vendors’ sites relies http://web.mit.edu/purchasing/ based catalogs and ordering systems on the same certificates now used with purguide.htm MIT’s other secure Web services, such with MIT’s SAPweb system for quick, Training and Contact Information as SAPweb, the Roles Database, or the all-electronic shopping and creation of For a demo and training, attend an Benefits Office. Authorization to order requisitions by MIT purchasers. The upcoming Overview of Purchasing on is based on the purchaser’s SAP profile. vendors’ Web sites include up-to-date the Web class, held in N42. If you have If you are not sure that you are set up catalogs with improved searching and questions about ECAT2 or the partner in SAP, check with your department’s browsing features. Prices shown in the vendors, contact Glenn Curtis in the vendors’ catalogs reflect discounts to financial administrator or AO. You MIT Procurement Office at x3-3820 or MIT. can also check your SAP requisitioning
. . http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • July / August 1999 • i s . 5 . Publishing Pointers
Reporting Service Provides Institute administrative systems. To Interpreting Web Reporting Data Web Usage Statistics learn more about it, see Experts on Web reporting often say http://web.mit.edu/warehouse/ that Web statistics are meaningless be- Jag Patel cause of limitations in Web server and Retrieving Data with BrioQuery browser protocols. For example, hits to P ublishers at MIT using Information Once publishers have requested and a page by search engines count as page Systems-supported servers such as received access to the Data Warehouse, views, and access to a page with a non- web.mit.edu and tute.mit.edu for Web they can query it for data on any of graphical browser may not be counted content have indicated a growing need their Web pages that contain the HTML at all. However, data collected on Web for metrics on usage of their Web sites. marker. For examples and a demonstra- pages can be helpful in aggregate as a tion, see the Web Reporting page at Such data could help them way to detect patterns of usage. http://web.mit.edu/is/help/ Publishers may be able to answer • Track volume and learn about their web-reporting/ the following questions by examining audience Web reporting data: To retrieve data from the Ware- • Customize Web pages and services house, IS recommends and supports • How have page views on the Web to improve customer satisfaction the query tool, BrioQuery. With the site fluctuated through time? • Understand how external communi- launch of the Web Reporting Service, • Which browsers and operating cation efforts – such as news articles IS now supplies standard BrioQuery systems are visitors using to view or giveaway items printed with the reports for Web publishers that offer the site? site’s URL – influence site traffic preprogrammed data views – such as • Are most visitors from MIT or from • Target spending on Web publishing hits by month and charts that show outside the Institute? the percentage of hits by browser type. IS recently began providing a Web • Which browsers are non-MIT visi- Users can download these standard reporting service for publishers who tors using most to access the site? provide content through MIT’s main reports from the Web Reporting page listed above and also from the Data • How many page views are coming Web servers. This service enables pub- from outside the United States? lishers to examine the usage of partic- Warehouse Web site. Experienced ular Web pages. Data is collected about BrioQuery users can also create their • Of the non-MIT page views, what individual page views; a page view own custom reports. are the most popular domains? occurs each time a Web page is loaded You need BrioQuery installed on • After a Web site redesign, have the into a browser. your computer to run the reports. For site’s page views increased? more information about BrioQuery, see How the Service Works Answers to these questions can sup- http://web.mit.edu/is/help/brio/ plement other forms of Web feedback, Publishers with Web pages served IS provides BrioQuery training such as user comments, surveys, links from MIT Web servers can add the throughout the year. For details, see from other sites, and anecdotal data. following HTML “marker” to any page that they are interested in tracking: http://web.mit.edu/is/help/ For More Information brio/briohelp.html This page also has information about a presentation on the Web Reporting BrioQuery help and documentation. Service at its meeting on September 23, This marker returns a transparent In addition, check the Web Reporting starting at noon in 1-190. If you have 1x1 pixel image to the browser, and page for upcoming training sessions questions in the interim, send e-mail permits data from the page to be col- designed for Web publishers. to
. . 6 . i s • July / August 1999 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ . Tap into Online Chemical SciFinder Scholar Additional Resources Information Resources Using SciFinder Scholar, you can Other valuable resources for chemi- access Chemical Abstracts from 1967 to cal information include the following: Erja Kajosalo the present, including the CAS Registry • Web of Science enables cited refer- with over 19 million substances, and ence searching to retrieve papers T he MIT Libraries have made it CAPlus, the most comprehensive data- that have referenced earlier works easier to access current chemical infor- base of all chemical literature including by a specific author. patents and conference proceedings. mation by subscribing to several new • BIOSIS covers journals, conferences, electronic resources. These include the The database may be searched by chemical substance, structure, reaction, and reports in major biological fields American Chemical Society’s (ACS) including biochemistry, bioengineer- Web Editions, SciFinder Scholar, and research topic, author name, or specific reference like CAS Registry Number. ing and biophysics, ecology, and Beilstein CrossFire. Any member of environment. the MIT community can access these The MIT Libraries subscription allows resources. For a complete list, see four simultaneous users after 5pm and • INSPEC covers scientific and techni- during weekends. You can link to the cal journals and conference proceed- http://libraries.mit.edu/science/ journals that are available online and ings in physics, physical chemistry, Subjects/Chemistry/ to which the MIT Libraries subscribe electrical engineering and electronics, ACS Offerings (e.g., ACS journals and Royal Society of computing and control, and infor- ACS Web Editions includes 32 Chemistry journals) directly through mation technology. journals, including the Journal of the SciFinder Scholar. • MEDLINE/PubMed indexes more American Chemical Society, Chemical & Beilstein CrossFire than 3,500 journals in biomedical Engineering News, and the new journal Beilstein CrossFire is a database of research, neurosciences and clinical Organic Letters. Journals are available over 5 million chemical reactions, 7 mil- medicine. in HTML or PDF formats. In most in- lion organic compounds, and millions stances, articles go back as far as 1996. of property data fields. You can search More Information ACS Directory of Graduate Studies the database by chemical structure or If you have questions is a searchable database that contains substructure, reactant, or product. about these chemical all the information printed in the ACS Other reaction searching features in- information resources, Directory of Graduate Research 1997 on clude atom-atom mapping and bond contact Erja Kajosalo at chemical research and researchers at fate. Searchable fields include physical
Configuring Netscape to Helper Applications Follow these steps to configure Download MacBinary Files Since more Macintosh files are Netscape correctly: being made available in MacBinary 1. Select Preferences from the Edit Al Willis format, it is very useful to have Net- menu. scape, MIT’s supported Web browser, In the not-so-distant past, Macintosh deal with them correctly. Netscape 2. Select the category Navigator/ users commonly downloaded files doesn’t handle MacBinary files on Applications from the scrolling from ftp servers or the Web in BinHex its own, instead relying on a helper menu. format. This format turns binary files application to do the job. 3. Scroll the Applications window into text files, making it possible to Netscape usually comes configured until you see the description transfer files over connections that to use a helper application called Mac- application/x-macbinary or don’t support binary code. Binary II to decode MacBinary files. application/macbinary. Today, while you can still down- However, most people don’t have this 4. Select it and click the Edit button. load many Macintosh files in BinHex application installed. IS recommends format, an increasing number are be- that Macintosh users opt for a more 5. In the description field, enter ing provided in MacBinary format. robust and readily available program MacBinary. MacBinary packages files so that they to decode MacBinary files – namely, StuffIt Expander 5.1.2. This freeware 6. The MIME type should be set to can be transferred without losing file application/x-macbinary. attributes, such as type and creator. program is available from the Aladdin Also, MacBinary files are typically 30 Systems Web site at 7. The suffix should be set to bin. percent smaller than equivalent BinHex http://www.aladdinsys.com/ 8. In the Handled by section, the files, so download times are faster. expander/expander_mac_login.html Application radio button should be Some Macintosh downloads are Configuring Netscape on. Click the Choose button and available only in MacBinary format. navigate through your file system Two examples of this can be found To designate StuffIt Expander as the helper application Netscape uses to find and select the StuffIt Expander on MIT’s net-dist software server: application. the Mac OS 8.5 disk image and the to decode MacBinary files, you need Mac OS 8.6 upgrade. to modify Netscape’s table of helper 9. Click OK. ø applications.
. . http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • July / August 1999 • i s . 7 . Getting Help
If you don’t know where to get help For help with... Dial... Or send a message to... for your computer, network, or telephone problems, dial one of the Athena Computing Environment 3-4435 [email protected] help lines listed to the right. Athena hardware repairs 3-1410 [email protected] If you prefer to use e-mail, you can Computer and printer repairs 3-0815 [email protected] send your questions to the correspond- ing addresses on the far right. (When Computer pre-sales consulting 3-7686 [email protected] logged into Athena, you can also use Disabilities and computing 3-7808 [email protected] the olc command to send questions Macintosh computers 3-1101 [email protected] to Athena’s online consultants.) PC computers 3-1102 [email protected] For a complete list of services offered by Information Systems, Telephone repairs 3-4357 [email protected] see the Web page at UNIX/VMS (by subscription) 3-1103 [email protected] http://web.mit.edu/is/services/ Voice mail 3-3677 [email protected] Year 2000 issues 3-2000 [email protected]
Surf Sites: Medical and Health-Related Information
The Web is a great resource for keep- ing up with medical advances like the Ask Dr. Weil pharmacy on a chip (lead article) and http://cgi.pathfinder.com/drweil/ health-related news. Well-known sites Centers for Disease Control and Prevention range from the databases of Medline, http://www.cdc.gov/ to the alternative focus of Dr. Weil, to the Healthfinder gateway to informa- drkoop.com tion from government health agencies. http://www.drkoop.com/ In addition to covering medical Healthfinder conditions, the sites on the right link http://www.healthfinder.gov/ to medical encyclopedias, journals, prescription drug information, and Mayo Clinic Health Oasis online support groups. http://www.mayohealth.org/ For a comprehensive list of reliable Medline Plus (National Library of Medicine) health-related Web sites, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ http://www.intelihealth.com/ RxList – The Internet Drug Index and, under Health Resources, click on http://www.rxlist.com/ the Health Web Sites link.
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. . 8 . i s • July / August 1999 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ .