The lucky 1 out of 3

It started yesterday. A note from my Mom asking why she couldn't get to the church website. I tried it on my machine and got right in. I logged on to her machine (via PCAnywhere) and got a lovely 404. Rounded up the usual suspects - blew out the cache, blew out the history (yeah I was grasping), updated IE, rebooted numerous times... nada. I can get the website from home and from work and had friends who could get there. But, of course, none of us wanted to get there... Just Mom who couldn't.

I suggested to her that maybe if she had not skipped church the last two Sundays... she didn't buy it.

Finally, I posted a note to a web mailing list I belong to and got a response from a guy who says the church has screwd up their zone file record. One of the three IPs is wrong. So 1 out of 3 people who try the website, can't get in. My Mom got lucky.

The guy was appalled at the security leak this created and encouraged me to contact the church right away and tell them that even if they have an intenal network at their site, using 10.0.0.1 as a zone IP was very very bad.

Ok, the very fact that this Presbyterian Church in Charleston, SC has a website is amazing. They post PDF's of the Sunday bulletin and they post the sermons of the one minister who isn't older than God. If DefCon needed a SNL-type skit, I'd write up the conversation I imagine would happen if I picked up the phone to call the church and tell them about this appalling problem.

As it is, I clipped the guy's info into a note to my Mom and prefaced it with 'all you need to know is - you'll likely be able to get to the website in a couple of days'. I also grabbed the latest bulletin and the latest sermon and attached it to the email.

She said she printed out the email and snailed it to the church. "They will surely want to know that they are breaking rules!" Lord, help us all.

The lucky 1 out of 3

It started yesterday. A note from my Mom asking why she couldn't get to the church website. I tried it on my machine and got right in. I logged on to her machine (via PCAnywhere) and got a lovely 404. Rounded up the usual suspects - blew out the cache, blew out the history (yeah I was grasping), updated IE, rebooted numerous times... nada. I can get the website from home and from work and had friends who could get there. But, of course, none of us wanted to get there... Just Mom who couldn't.

I suggested to her that maybe if she had not skipped church the last two Sundays... she didn't buy it.

Finally, I posted a note to a web mailing list I belong to and got a response from a guy who says the church has screwd up their zone file record. One of the three IPs is wrong. So 1 out of 3 people who try the website, can't get in. My Mom got lucky.

The guy was appalled at the security leak this created and encouraged me to contact the church right away and tell them that even if they have an intenal network at their site, using 10.0.0.1 as a zone IP was very very bad.

Ok, the very fact that this Presbyterian Church in Charleston, SC has a website is amazing. They post PDF's of the Sunday bulletin and they post the sermons of the one minister who isn't older than God. If DefCon needed a SNL-type skit, I'd write up the conversation I imagine would happen if I picked up the phone to call the church and tell them about this appalling problem.

As it is, I clipped the guy's info into a note to my Mom and prefaced it with 'all you need to know is - you'll likely be able to get to the website in a couple of days'. I also grabbed the latest bulletin and the latest sermon and attached it to the email.

She said she printed out the email and snailed it to the church. "They will surely want to know that they are breaking rules!" Lord, help us all.

Double Duh

So I'm still futzing with my Mom's computer and the church website. One of my buds from IT comes by and says, have you tried releasing ip's and then renewing? Nope. So, hooked up via PCAnywhere, I just fire up CMD on her computer and type in msconfig/release.... BOINK! Duh. No more connection since I just released it. (Sound familiar kyrielle?

But, that didn't, apparently, make me feel stupid enough. I had to wait an hour for her to wake up from her nap to call her and tell her to reboot (easier than walking her through msconfig/renew). She reboots but I can't get in via PCAnywhere. Over the phone I walk her through checking all the PCAnywhere configuration. This is not easy but we manage it and everything seems fine but I still can't get in. I give up.

Minute after we hang up I think to check on her IP address. I have a little program on her computer that slaps her IP address onto a website back from the days when she dialed in and it changed all the time. Duh again... if you release the IP then she gets a new one! Slapped the new one into PCAnywhere and got right back in.

Still, alas, no action on the church website but me thinks I should leave it alone for a bit.

Double Duh

So I'm still futzing with my Mom's computer and the church website. One of my buds from IT comes by and says, have you tried releasing ip's and then renewing? Nope. So, hooked up via PCAnywhere, I just fire up CMD on her computer and type in msconfig/release.... BOINK! Duh. No more connection since I just released it. (Sound familiar kyrielle?

But, that didn't, apparently, make me feel stupid enough. I had to wait an hour for her to wake up from her nap to call her and tell her to reboot (easier than walking her through msconfig/renew). She reboots but I can't get in via PCAnywhere. Over the phone I walk her through checking all the PCAnywhere configuration. This is not easy but we manage it and everything seems fine but I still can't get in. I give up.

Minute after we hang up I think to check on her IP address. I have a little program on her computer that slaps her IP address onto a website back from the days when she dialed in and it changed all the time. Duh again... if you release the IP then she gets a new one! Slapped the new one into PCAnywhere and got right back in.

Still, alas, no action on the church website but me thinks I should leave it alone for a bit.

Interesting Cellphone Twist

Of course I cannot give up the jones on the new cellphone. I called Best Buy today and, no, they don't have any in yet. So I called Sprint to see if they had any in stock thinking that if they did, I might just try that avenue again. After many long 'holds' but, thankfully, no annoying hold music, she comes back on and says 'Are you looking to order a second one because I see your first order was shipped out today.'

I explained that I had been told that my first order had never been made. And she said well, it left the warehouse today and was picked up by UPS. She gave me a tracking number which she said should be in their system tomorrow. Neither the charge (or the credit that I arranged for yesterday) are on my card as of today. I guess we'll wait and see what happens.....

Interesting Cellphone Twist

Of course I cannot give up the jones on the new cellphone. I called Best Buy today and, no, they don't have any in yet. So I called Sprint to see if they had any in stock thinking that if they did, I might just try that avenue again. After many long 'holds' but, thankfully, no annoying hold music, she comes back on and says 'Are you looking to order a second one because I see your first order was shipped out today.'

I explained that I had been told that my first order had never been made. And she said well, it left the warehouse today and was picked up by UPS. She gave me a tracking number which she said should be in their system tomorrow. Neither the charge (or the credit that I arranged for yesterday) are on my card as of today. I guess we'll wait and see what happens.....

Discover Card - I just love them

I've had a Discover Card since they first came out and nobody honored them. They are accepted fairly widely now. Every year I get my cash back - usually about $75 or so and I love that. They are very dititized. I download my statements, upload my payments and their online service integrates with everything else I have. I rarely have to call them but whenever I do they are fast and efficient and friendly and have more of a quick little telephone bush rather than a complicated telephone tree. But, now they have outdone themselves.

A couple of weeks ago I was on their site and noticed a cool key ring/card thingie... The info said it was free, all I had to do was ask - so I did and it came today. It is very very cool. It comes with one of those double jointed key rings that split apart when you press the button.

I'm a great admirer of companies who do what they do well. Discover is on the top of my list.

Discover Card - I just love them

I've had a Discover Card since they first came out and nobody honored them. They are accepted fairly widely now. Every year I get my cash back - usually about $75 or so and I love that. They are very dititized. I download my statements, upload my payments and their online service integrates with everything else I have. I rarely have to call them but whenever I do they are fast and efficient and friendly and have more of a quick little telephone bush rather than a complicated telephone tree. But, now they have outdone themselves.

A couple of weeks ago I was on their site and noticed a cool key ring/card thingie... The info said it was free, all I had to do was ask - so I did and it came today. It is very very cool. It comes with one of those double jointed key rings that split apart when you press the button.

I'm a great admirer of companies who do what they do well. Discover is on the top of my list.