To the Editor: Upon reading Monday's "Our Heroic Women," by Conor Dugan, I felt compelled to mention a few things that were missing in his tribute to the All-American woman: the mother.
Some students who live off-campus have complained that the software Kiewit Computation Center mandated last week makes it difficult or impossible for them to check their e-mail using a modem. Many students report that their computers spend several minutes attempting to connect to Kiewit, and then fail to connect. Steiner Kierce '97, who lives in an off-campus apartment, said, "I have been having a horrible time with it." It's a pain," he said. Kierce said he went to Kiewit for assistance, but the solution they suggested failed to work for his modem. "Apparently, they don't have my modem type logged into their system," he said. Farran Briggs '97 said she has always had problems with her "temperamental modem," but said her "ability to connect has become even less frequent with this new system." The new software was mandated to combat unauthorized use of Dartmouth's computer network by outside sources. Kiewit has also instituted a new set of dial-up numbers. Kiewit Consultant Brian Hughes said that before the software change, anyone with ModemTalk or AppleTalk software could connect to the College server, even if they were not affiliated with the College. "There were many other technical reasons behind the switch, but the biggest reason was an attempt to move away from non-authenticated dial-up," Hughes said. Hughes said problems may have arisen because some students living off campus missed the announcement about the change. But he said, "To expect the change to run completely smoothly is too optimistic," and some students will have to bring their computers into Kiewit for individual problems. "Minor glitches were expected," Hughes said.
Lynn Margulis illustrated the importance of bacteria to the study of life using slides, her video "Gaia to Microcosm" and excerpts from her book "What is Life" to a packed crowd in 3 Rockefeller Center yesterday afternoon. Margulis rejected the idea of a possible answer to the question "What is life?" But she did explain the minimum ingredients which would make a material living -- a simple system of genetic materials and minerals. Her pursuit of an answer to the question: "What is life?," has been complicated because so few books address the issue, she said.. "Apparently, biologists take life for granted," she said.