[Editors] MIT Editors' Club Minutes, March 2013

[Elizabeth A Thomson]

MIT EDITORS' CLUB

*Meeting Notes from March 27, 2013*


*Magic Mugs and a Hacking Headache*

Bet *that* headline got your attention :)  And, it's quite accurate! We had no sooner assembled at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research when Julie Pryor, our hostess and McGovern's Communications Administrator/Science Writer, invited attendees to take a McGovern mug and flash drive. And what a mug! Way cool: Black with a white outline of a human head, when filled with a hot liquid the head becomes filled with a whitish line drawing of the brain. As your drink cools off, the "brain" disappears. Check out the following video Julie made about the mugs: http://mcgovern.mit.edu/news/videos/mcgovern-institute-magic-mug/  Could be tweet-worthy, eh??

Julie also brought up the topic that dominated this meeting and riveted those in attendance: hacking. She proceeded to tell us about what happened when the McGovern web site was hacked (several times) this year. Her story is an important case study for all of us.

In a nutshell:

In early January, the site was first hacked with, I believe, a photo of Aaron Schwartz. Julie and what she describes as a very effective IS&T Swat Team got the site down, but it was soon hacked again (this time with a Turkish flag and a photo of a wolf). As a result, the site's been down for about 1 1/2 months (what you see on the web is actually a mirror site that is quite awkward to administer) while Julie and colleagues build a completely new site at some expense.

Here are some of the lessons Julie learned:

--Once your site is hacked, it's put on some kind of "hacking list" that means it's more likely to get hacked again.

--MAKE SURE to continuously update your security software.

Others at this meeting referred to a WBUR story that also had an important tip: CHECK YOUR PASSWORDS. According to the story, a huge percent of users use the password 1234--which is one of the first passwords hackers will try. Make your password more difficult.

*Pesky Passwords*

That last tip led to a round of groaning about passwords. How do you remember all of the darn things? Robyn Fizz of IS&T uses a program called lastpass, which essentially means you only have to remember one password to get access to all of your other passwords. For more: https://lastpass.com/index.php?fromwebsite=1

*Win $1,000*

I used that headline to get you to READ this. I could have titled it Office Ergonomics, but….

Anyway, Robyn told us about computer vision syndrome, something we should all be aware of and take steps to prevent. For more, go to Robyn's story on the topic at: 

http://ist.mit.edu/news/computer_vision_syndrome

That also brought up general office/computer ergonomics. Here's some important info that I'm reposting from a previous edition of MIT Editors' Club minutes:

> In my opinion the most important thing to come out of this meeting has nothing to do with editing or communications: it involves your health. Robyn Fizz of Information Services and Technology got us talking about the ergonomics of our computer workstations. Next week a gentleman from MIT's Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Office will be dropping by her office to do an analysis of her workstation setup. This is a free service available to all of us, and it could potentially spare you from repetitive strain injuries (RSI) or other problems related to a poor computer setup or bad posture/typing habits.
> 
> To arrange an EHS analysis, send a note to <environment at mit.edu>. Emily Ranken of EHS was also at this meeting, and alerted us to two other useful resources related to this topic. First, EHS offers  a computer ergonomics course that you can take on the web. For a link to this course and answers to many other questions about ergonomics, go to: <https://ehs.mit.edu/site/content/ergonomics>.
> 
> Emily also recommended the MIT Assistive Technology Information Center (ATIC). Through ATIC, you can try out a number of different assistive technologies like alternative keyboards; you can even take them back to your office for a period of time. For more: <http://web.mit.edu/atic/www/>.
> 
> I'm personally a fan of all of these services, having used them over 15 years ago when I had a bad case of RSI--shooting pain up both arms when I tried to type. I'm fine today, thanks in large part to a great manager, what I learned from the EHS and ATIC folks and the resulting changes I made to my computer habits and workstation.

*Communication Production Services (CPS) Workshops*

There are two upcoming CPS workshops involving social media. To check 'em out, go to: http://commtoolkit.mit.edu/events/upcoming-events

PLEASE NOTE that several of these are already "sold out." HOWEVER, register anyway because 1) CPS keeps a waiting list, and 2) our feedback helps them determine interest (and whether to repeat a given session). Please also note that if you DO get in to a session and ultimately have to cancel, send CPS a note at cps at mit.edu so that your spot can be given to someone else. 


*Thank You*

Many, many thanks to Julie Pryor, who hosted today's meeting at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

*Next Meetings*

Here are the MIT Editors' Club meetings for Spring 2013. All meetings are from 12-1, and you are welcome to bring a lunch.


Monday, April 22
66-360 (Chemical Engineering)


Thursday, May 16
1-236 (Civil and Environmental Engineering)


NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FOR THE JUNE MEETING. IT IS NOW:
Tuesday, June 11
NW17-218 (Plasma Science and Fusion Center)


Cheers,

Elizabeth


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Elizabeth A. Thomson
Associate Director of Communications
MIT Resource Development
Office of Communications
600 Memorial Dr., W98-300
617-258-5563, 857-756-9457
<thomson at mit.edu>, giving.mit.edu
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