Aug. 23rd, 2005

substitute: (computer)
Original author: [livejournal.com profile] substitute

The Diedrich coffee houses offer free wireless internet access. When access fails, it is often the result of the wireless access point failing to give out addresses and other information. This document describes the procedure for connecting during such service failures.

  1. Introduction

    The arrival of free wireless Internet access at the 17th St. Costa Mesa Coffeehouse was welcomed, but reliability has been spotty. In most cases, a failure to connect is the result of the wireless router's DHCP server behaving unpredictably. One can see a strong signal, but cannot get to any Internet sites, and service that has been working properly can suddenly stop. To make matters more confusing, other laptops will have connected just fine but not your particular one. Here's how to fix that.

  2. Document History

    This is the first issue of this document, version 0.01, August 2005.

  3. How to use this HOWTO

    If you cannot reach the Internet but have a wireless signal, follow the instructions in this document. If that does not work, you are S.O.L.

  4. General Information about Wireless Networking at Diedrich Coffee

    The Diedrich coffeehouses offer free 802.11b wireless access to the Internet. They do this by installing open access points made by Linksys, which are connected via NAT to the DSL router; upstream is handled by Covad Communications. In theory, anyone with a standards-compliant wireless card can easily connect to the network and enjoy Internet access along with a beverage or pastry. In practice, it is common to connect and find the network inexplicably unable to route out to the Internet.

  5. Network Configuration when DHCP is not available

    Open your operating system's network configuration program. On the Mac OS X system this is the Network Preferences Pane in System Preferences; on Windows it will be the Network Control Panel. Other operating systems are not discussed here, since the general information below should be sufficient for users of Unix-like systems.

    Find the screen for your wireless adapter's TCP/IP connection settings. Change the configuration method from "DHCP" to "Manual". Insert the following settings:

    IP Address: 192.168.199.200 (see note 1 below)
    Netmask: 255.255.255.0
    Router Address: 192.168.199.1
    DNS Server Addresses: 64.105.132.250 64.105.166.122

    Note 1: If this does not work, choose an address ending in 201, 202, 203 etc. until your operating system stops telling you that the address is already in use.

    Make sure that you have applied these new network settings. At this point you should be able to browse the web, read email, etc. If you still cannot do so, go back to your network settings and change everything back to DHCP the way it was before. You are S.O.L.

  6. Glossary of Terms used in this document

    DHCP: DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It is a system by which a pool of Internet addresses can be handed out as needed to client computers by a server. A client set to connect via DHCP sends out requests in a predefined manner to the server, which then returns the appropriate configuration information to the client.

    802.11b: The 802.11b standard defines a wireless network access method with a maximum network throughput of 11 MB/sec. It is of the "Wi-Fi" wireless access standards the most available and most compatible.

    S.O.L.: Shit outa luck. Go do something else today.

  7. Acknowledgments

    I would like to thank Lauren Maddox for letting me rant at her tonight about how messed up the wireless is there.

  8. Copyright

    The Diedrich Coffee 17th St. Coffee House Wireless Internet HOWTO is © Copyright 2005 [livejournal.com profile] substitute.

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the: Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
substitute: (matchbook)
I'm excited to be going back to school. How could someone of my background and aspirations miss the "live educational event of the decade"?

From: info@trumpuniversity.com
Subject: Personal Invitation from Donald Trump
Date: August 23, 2005 12:44:44 PM PDT
Reply-To: info@trumpuniversity.com

I'm writing to invite you to meet me personally, online, at a once-in-a-lifetime event. On September 13th I am launching The Trump Way to Wealth. It will be the live educational event of the decade, and I want you to join me (see link below).

hilarity )
substitute: (asphalt)
It's hard to take pictures of birds. Mean old men stay still longer.

This bird posed for a few shots
Bird #4

The meanest and coldest of the Cigar Guys.Cigar Guy

Intense business conversation. Why'd he remove/hide his shoes?
Business Guys
substitute: (chinatown drive)
From Automotive Digest, a charming story. ADP Dealers Services (a division of the payroll giant) was caught surreptitiously taking data from auto dealers and selling it to Carfax, the automotive data company. The rest of their summary of an Automotive News story not available to nonsubscribers is below. I'm glad that they are aware of the sensitivities.

Situation
1. ADP Dealers Services admits taking data from dealers; sold it w/o their knowledge
2. Says repair and maintenance records taken after hours, then sold to Carfax
3. ADP says it's stopped pulling data due to dealer complaints
4. Won't say how many dealers involved in action from Dec through March
5. Experts say dealers need to have lawyers review all contracts w/ vendors
6. Some dealer groups want states to require dealer consent before vendors pull data

Significant Points
1. At issue is who owns data on dealer computers
2. But automakers and vendors often have access
3. Dealers worry about identity theft, privacy lawsuits
4. ADP furnished Carfax w/ VIN data, not protected by federal privacy laws
5. ADP competitor, Reynolds & Reynolds, sells data to Power Information Network
6. But contract promises to get dealer's permission

Says
"And they're taking our information and selling it to other organizations. Every dime of that money (paid to ADP) needs to be returned to the dealers." -- David Farris, owner, Farris Motors

"While the goal of the program was in the best interest of dealers and consumers, a better job should have been done thinking through potential dealer concerns and communicating to dealers the rationale and advantages of the program." -- Kevin Henahan, senior VP marketing, ADP

"Privacy is a huge area of concern. We are aware of the sensitivities." -- Mark Feighery, spokesman, Reynolds & Reynolds


Web Source
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=54175
http://www.adp.com
http://www.carfax.com
http://www.reyrey.com
substitute: (bunny death)
I should not listen to the Replacements' Let it Be and Pleased to Meet Me albums unless I am in a very good mood and with friends. Hello, PTSD trigger!

That kind of memory has an intense good/bad rush for me. I am at once suddenly held down hard by a weight of sadness and regret, and also nostalgic and grateful for it all: being in my early 20s, screaming out lyrics back at the band, living on rage and spaghetti, getting permanently broken by my first love, hitting bottom and never really leaving. The whole decade took place at 3 am with a chili cheeseburger in my lap and someone's mix tape in the deck. I want it back and I wish it all never happened.

Music was everything. It was the glue that held us together as friends, the bread we lived on, the soundtrack to every high and every car crash, the obsession that got us thrown out of school, and for many of us a career. We all lived from the neck up with occasional genital excursions. None of us knew how lucky we were.

Holden didn't catch us in the rye and I went over the cliff, but what a hell of a ride it was, singing the whole way down.

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