IT: Connecting with Yale

Good afternoon, everyone.

One week from now, all your smiling faces will be sitting in the Common Room, happy-go-lucky and carefree. Perhaps.

I will admit that since the blog on Dale Mail, several people have asked about technology and connecting. Being rather clueless about technology (this is my first blog, still have never Tweeted, still fondly remember my Mac LCII for its bulkiness and unwieldiness that allowed me to figure out what to do as it took 5 minutes to start up), I have turned to outside help. Meet Josh Kammerer, who will walk you through connectivity. He went through Hebrew with me, and in that struggle, a trust was formed...he won't steer you any more off-base than I would, I can assure you of that.

"I, Josh K., your resident student, Durkheimian Techno-shaman (aka Student IT Tech), would like to provide you with some techno-rites that you can use to protect yourself against the wrath of the technology gods. If you follow my ritual prescriptions to a “T,” you won’t have to worry about getting struck by lightning,1 being overtaken by technological pestilences (computer viruses), succumbing to severe seasonal technological famines (computers operating very slowly), being attacked by the temple guards (getting fined by the RIAA), or remaining cut off from the blessings of the technology gods (severed from access to our blessed networks).

That being said, I’m going to provide a series of four pdf files to help you identify the necessary steps you need to take to prepare yourself for the Fall, which is, by the way, when all Hell breaks loose on earth (that was a cheesy Biblical joke for those who were paying attention).

When you arrive for BTFO, I will be manning a table somewhere, using my shamanic giftedness to appease the gods and get you connected to our networks (Stage 1 Connectivity). But for me to be able to do my job, I need you to read what I’ve just written and take the following steps. If you fail at any of these steps, we won’t burn you as a heretic on the Peace Pole (even though Denys Turner might like to); however, we might ask you to bake us cookies after we get you connected."

File one: The Gods, in fact, are crazy--preparing yourself to connect to Yale's networks before arrival

File two: How to foil a foreign spy--how to access Yale's resources remotely

File three: Tips and tricks to avoid getting eaten by the Kraken--general stuff about Yale computing

File four: How to catch a digital leprechaun--getting connected to Yale's encrypted (and preferred) wireless network, once you arrive

P.S. This is Alex again. Try these steps, they are designed to make it easier once you arrive. If they don't work, then try again (I know I mess things up, don't think you don't). If it still doesn't work, wait until you get here, and we'll go from there!