by the Foreign Exchange Editorial Staff Not too many people haven’t heard about electronic mail, a.k.a. e-mail, by now. Plenty of folks use it regularly for local and worldwide correspondence, academic discussion lists, and collecting information of all sorts, among other things. But plenty of other people still haven’t taken the plunge. The defenses are many: “I’m no good with mechanical things.” “I don’t even know how to do word processing - how can I do e-mail?” “I can’t finish all the things I have to do the way it is - I have no time for frivolous things like computers.” “I don’t want my privacy invaded.” “It’s too expensive.” “I have no idea where to start.” Or, most typically, “I hate computers!” Of course, none of these excuses really holds water. First of all, most people, and academics in particular, are computerphobic and suspicious of anything mechanical. This no longer need be a concern since, in contrast to just a year or two ago, e-mail has now become so user friendly that you don’t need to know much at all about computers to become initiated. Knowing how to type does help, but many e-mail aficionados are strictly one-finger hunt and peck types, and they get by just fine.
The “I don’t have time” excuse is thoroughly specious. Everybody wants to save time, and one of the most obvious ways for bookish types to do this is to get the research materials and other information you need quickly and conveniently. It would be difficult to argue for a more efficient way to do this than over a world-wide communications system through which you have access to the catalogs of thousands of libraries, as well as uncounted experts in your field of interest who can and usually will help you find what you want on the spot. A bit of courage and a very modest investment of time can bring back unimagined returns. Invasion of privacy? Not unless you allow it. You control what you send out and receive. Too expensive? E-mail is free to NTU students and faculty. No joshin’, no strings attached. And you can use the facilities on campus if you don’t have your own. So how do you get started? Step One: head over to room 211 in the NTU Computer Center with just your student or faculty ID and a pen. (They may even have a pen you can borrow.) Fill out the very simple form, and photocopy both sides of your ID. Then smile, say thank you to Ms. Chen, and wait a few days. Come on, this much you can handle. Once your account is activated take an avid e-mailer friend to lunch, followed by an instructional trip to the Computer Center to get you going. Or wait for the next issue of the Foreign Exchange for Step Two. a
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May 2024
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