Add a Comment   Return to Previous Page

Problem Solved

Entry 298, on 2006-03-13 at 14:55:03 (Rating 3, Computers)

By the time you read this, the problem I am blogging about will have been solved. I know this because the problem I'm talking about is lack of an Internet connection, and I will only be able to post this blog entry once the Internet problem has been fixed.

I have become increasingly dependent on the Internet. I communicate with many people every day, but never write letters, and rarely use a phone. I catch up with news from many sources each day, but don't have time to read a traditional newspaper. I publish comments, opinions, news, and photos to the world, but I've never written a book. I modify database and other computer systems in various locations but never leave home or send a disk in the mail.

Why use these old technologies when I have email, instant messaging, on-line chat, news web sites, podcasts, blogs, my own web site, remote login, and file sharing? Well, one reason might be, that when the Internet connection fails, I can still read the local paper (for example). That's true, but I still generally prefer the on-line experience.

Unfortunately, most of New Zealand's telecommunications is controlled by a particularly useless company called Telecom. If you have read some other blog entries of mine you would probably know I do indulge in a bit of Telecom bashing. Some people wonder why. Their phone works most of their time and they wonder what the problem is. The problem is Telecom provide poor services at inflated prices, and use their monopoly situation to stifle competitors who offer better services than they do. They are like a smaller version of Microsoft, and don't get me started on them!

The initial assumption is the current problem is a result of another Telecom failure. If that doesn't turn out to be the case I apologise in advance for blaming them on this occasion, but I suspect my initial thoughts will be correct and it will be their fault yet again that my Internet experience has been interrupted.

Comment 1 (186) by OJB on 2006-03-13 at 15:36:11:

Oh wow, this is really poetic justice (or something). It now seems that the Internet problem may have been caused by a DoS attack - against one of my servers! This is slightly embarrassing, although its not really my fault. Also, how an attack against one machine (which keeps running happily) can bring down a connection for 10,000 computers, I really don't know!

You can leave comments about this entry using this form.

Enter your name (optional):
Enter your email address (optional):
Enter the number shown here:
Enter the comment:

To add a comment: enter a name and email (optional), type the number shown, enter a comment, click Add.
Note that you can leave the name blank if you want to remain anonymous.
Enter your email address to receive notifications of replies and updates to this entry.
The comment should appear immediately because the authorisation system is currently inactive.

I do podcasts too! You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2026-04-14 How Far is that Star?: How would we really know how big the universe is? Or subscribe to my podcast RSS feed, on my RSS Feeds page.

If you're not sure what to view from the thousands of pages on my site, here are some suggestions: My Latest Airshow Report (photos and movies from Warbirds Over Wanaka, 2026), My Favourite Wines and Beers (tasting notes for some of my favourites), An Interesting Astronomical Observation (learn a bit about astronomy from these observing notes), See Some Photos (A short rail journey through the Taieri Gorge), Read Some Mac Tips (Learn about how to use your Mac, and fix some problems).

Latest Site News and Notifications (Desktop): You are currently viewing OJB's web site, version 2.4 which has some major changes, and possibly errors! Please report any problems to ojb@mac.com.