Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with blocked

Devices can't access Internet

clockworkjoe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:29 -0800

My Tivo and 360 can no longer access the internet because my provider has set up a Terms of Service page that you have to click on through a web browser before it will let you access the internet. What can I do to get internet for my browser less devices? My apartment complex offers free internet access. However, when you connect to it, it redirects you to a page saying "You must agree to our terms of service. Click here to agree." Once you do that it sends you to 1.1.1.1/agree.cgi and then redirects you to Yahoo. Obviously this is no problem for my computer but my Tivo has stopped working since they began this change. I have a series 2 tivo I think (got it last year).

Google's services don't work in a specific way

msbrauer — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:30:10 -0800

Why aren't most google services working for me and why do the error pages look identical in firefox, chrome, and IE8? For about a week most google services have stopped working for me. Oddly, I get identical error messages that look like this in all three browsers on my computer (firefox, chrome, and IE8 in Windows Vista) as well as on Mac with Safari in OSX. By identical, I mean that the layout, font, and wording is exactly the same. I am in China, so this may be related to the Great Firewall, but I don't think so. As a comparison, here's an image of the error page I get when trying to view youtube (which is currently blocked in China): firefox, chrome, IE8. While the error is the same in those 3 screenshots, the browsers display them differently.

This behavior happens with all www.google.com/* services that I can remember, but gmail (www.gmail.com redirecting to mail.gmail.com) doesn't exhibit the problem.

Does my webhost not like Google?

tropikal — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:54:17 -0800

How can I figure out if my webhost is blocking Google indexing? A site I manage is listed on Google but any references to it are at least several weeks old. More info inside. Also I tried getting the site into the Adsense program but Google responded that our site was down or blocked. I have had trouble with the host server over aggressively blocking IP addresses for "too many bad logins" but somehow I think this is different.

When the users get blocked ive been able to submit their IP address or range to the host and 'tada' no more problems, but with Google, I've no clue what range. Or even if it's my host, maybe its my config or just Google.

http://thebehrendbeacon.com
Its a college newspaper site using Wordpress along with the SEO plugins that seem reasonable, (All in one SEO, A sitemap generator that submits to Google and others, and some others)

The robots.txt only blocks the crawlers from, non website folders, like mail, spam settings, etc.

I have tried Google webmaster tools, when I try to verify the site (HTML), it gives me an error saying it cant find the html file, or there was a DNS error.

My webhost is Mysticdreaming.net, cheap, small time, and nearly instant support. (this is really the only problem)

Any help would be appreciated

Is my router (or Comcast) blocking i.dell.com?

Artw — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:29:49 -0800

Something odd is happening on my internet connection at home. I have two machines both of which connect to the intenet via a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router (or Comcast variant on it) and a Comcast cable connection. Both of them do not display the Dell homepage properly. After viewing source I determined that they couldn’t find the supporting files at the subdomain i.dell.com (it’s possible other subdomains are missing as well, but that is the one causing the most dramatic effect). Viewing the site from another internet connection it appears fine. Is something up with the router, or with Comcast? Looking for steps to determine what is going on and (hopefully) rectify it. Also, as a data point, I think I had something similar happen a while back where I couldn’t get to downloads from Windows Live Messenger from either machine, but could when not using that connection. That problem seemed to resolve itself somehow though.

Ooh, what's inside there?

sixcolors — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:43:46 -0800

So what's inside areas that are closed off to the public, in buildings? I know places like hospitals have certain areas that are closed off to the public because they are morgues, have hazardous materials inside, or whatever...but there's other places I have trouble guessing why they restrict access.

Some examples:

On my campus, the library, business, and education buildings have areas where students and sometimes faculty aren't allowed. Same thing with the dorms, but it is even weirder. Some of the stairwells are locked. Isn't that a fire hazard? One of the dorms obviously have a fourth floor, yet no one lives up there, and you can't get there from the stairs or elevator.

Not too long ago, I looked at the floor plan of my favorite casino, and noticed that there was at least five rooms that didn't have a number or name.

As for elevators...I sometimes see keyholes instead of buttons on certain floors. It's usually the very top or very bottom floor(s).

I don't know if this is urban legend or not...I heard that the 13th floor in some buildings aren't open to the public. Superstitious much?If that's true, what's there?

What should I try before I take the plunge and bring in a plumber?

Artw — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:58:56 -0800

My toilet blocks repeatedly, what to do? I'm a new home owner so I'm new to this sort of thing, so forgive me if I'm being dumb here. Just recently my downstairs toilet has been getting clogged about once a day. A quick application of teh plunger sorts it out but it's getting a little tiresome. My currnet theory is that there's some kind of partial blockage further down the pipe that is causing clogs to become more common. Is there something I should try doing about this before bringing in a (presumably expensive) plumber?

What has hijacked Firefox?

NorthCoastCafe — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:14:23 -0800

My Dell Win XP laptop caught some kind of infection via Limewire which blocks Firefox from loading and produces contast popup ads via IE. I never use IE. I've removed Firefox and redownloaded it. Still doesn't load. I've run Ad-Aware, RegScrub, and every other spyware program I know about. What happened, and how do I fix it?

Gmail Blocked – Even Worse!

fantasticninety — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:12:59 -0800

How do I get around gmail being severely blocked at work? The following alternate addresses used to work but no longer. All of my email goes through gmail and it would be hugely annoying to try and use the office supplied email inbox which is horrible. Instead of going to the IT guys and risking having them make the block even worse, could anyone make any possible suggestions?

* http://www.gmail.com or https://www.gmail.com
* http://gmail.com or https://gmail.com
* http://m.gmail.com or https://m.gmail.com
* http://googlemail.com or https://googlemail.com
* http://mail.google.com/mail/x/ or https://mail.google.com/mail/x/

I can't install new software and have to use Internet Explorer. Let's try and be creative about some solutions! Thanks!

Give me my websites, dammit!

calistasm — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:01:02 -0800

My computer won't let me access certain websites. What gives? The sites I cannot get to are, among others, Get Rich Slowly, Barebones Software, and Ebates. I don't think they all use the same hosting provider. I'm running Leopard on a Macbook Pro with Speakeasy as my home ISP. I also have access to the University of Washington wireless network and this problem persists on that connection too, so it's probably something on my computer. I'm not running a firewall of any kind. I'm using BonEcho (for some reason Firefox is really slow) with Adblock Plus and Filterset G extensions as my main browser, although it persists on Safari and Opera too. Using a proxy allows me access to the sites. I tried disabling the adblocking extensions to see if it was that, and no dice. I don't have any weird stuff in my hosts file (AFAIK), so what's going on? I know this is a pretty weird and obscure question, but if you guys don't know, nobody will.

Why Does GMail Hate My Jokes?

Corky — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:12:22 -0800

How can I stop Google Gmail from blocking my OUTGOING emails to my distribution list? I'm a recent convert to Gmail. I access my Gmail through MicroSoft Outlook at home.

I have a list of between 50 - 100 folks that I send stuff to at least every other day. (Jokes, humorous stories, news recaps, my own essays, etc. ) Twice now, Gmail has blocked me from sending to the entire list, and all emails were marked as undeliverable.

I tried separating the list into thirds, thinking Gmail might be confusing my list with spam. That worked - once. The problem seemed to go away for a while. Yesterday, all of my emails to the list were stopped before they got out. I split the list, but even that didn't work.

I've tried to find an answer at Google. No dice.

Error message:

Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: Message rejected for Sector 5 policy reasons

I can't find anything about Sector 5. I can't find any way to contact Google, and the help groups don't address this issue.

We're just a million little gods making rainstorms...

regicide is good for you — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:42:08 -0800

LostPassionAndCreativityFilter: How does one rekindle one's skill in the zany, lateral, eccentric, imaginative, radical, random, funny, artistic, and kind? Maybe this is one of those "quarter-life crises," but I find myself in a multidimensional rut when it comes to everything from having quirky ideas for writing and art projects, to making absurd jokes with chums on the fly, to engaging in random loveliness for the benefit of friends and lovers, to acting out freely in public, to having good instincts on how to fill free time creatively.

These used to come easily. I used to be known to many as a consistently funny, often impulsive, sometimes sloppy and dangerous but always interesting, and generally imaginative and inspiring person. As adulthood and the concomitant responsibilities have taken hold in earnest over the years, I find I'm just not that force of random loveliness in my life or the lives of those around me anymore.

What do you do to keep yourself open, to chance, impulse, yourself, and others?
What pushes you artistically?
What keeps you creative and light on your feet?
What is it that makes you inspiring to those in your life?
What allows you to keep your life a choose-your-own-adventure?
What weird little things do you do every day to stay awake, stay human?

Answer in whatever way moves you. Meditation techniques, books, specific pursuits or disciplines artistic or otherwise (ie., I used to be in theatre - maybe I need that again), explanations of vague perspectives you try to hold, obscene haikus, tales of weird acts you engage in, advice on places to visit, or just long rants on the beauty of life and all the small unnecessary ways in which we cheat ourselves of it.

I hope this all makes sense. Please run free with it.

Why does my router hate you so much?

bicyclefish — Fri, 11 May 2007 06:38:07 -0800

Networking mystery! My router hates one site on the Internet: MetaFilter. Why? Here's a stumper: my wireless router will let me access every site on the Internet, except one: MeFi.

After MeFi changed servers (and, I'm presuming, IPs) a few months back, I suddenly found myself unable to access it. My browser would appear to do the DNS lookup and "find" MeFi, but then the loading process would just hang. The page would never appear.

It wasn't my computer's fault; I could reach it from other people's networks. It wasn't my ISP's fault; I get my DSL from a small outfit that, believe it or not, has a human answer the phone on the second ring - and that human was willing to tool around because one subscriber can't see one website. It wasn't my IP address getting blocked, since I've been assigned several new ones.

In the end, the culprit seems to be my wireless router: when I connect my computer straight to my modem, I can connect. I figured that resetting the router would solve the problem, but no: it's adamant that MeFi is out.

Now, this isn't a pressing support question, since it's an old clunker (a US Robotics USR8054 802.11g) I picked up for $25 a year ago, and I'm going to replace it anyway. But I'd be really interested if anyone has any ideas as to why a router would hold such a peculiar grudge?

I swear I'm not a spammer - will you please deliver my mail?

RustyBrooks — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:23:29 -0800

Due to a mail server that was not properly mailed down, about a year ago, some spam was sent through my mail servers. That's fixed but I still seem to be on the blacklist. What can I do? I can't send mail through my mail server to (at least) aol and hotmail, perhaps others I don't know about. From AOL I get a nondescript unable-to-deliver message. From hotmail I get nothing back, but the emails don't get received.

Who do I talk to to get this fixed? Are they likely to believe my story, or give a crap?

I also suppose it's possible that this isn't the reason, that there is some other cause for this. If anyone has a hotmail or aol address, and also another address, maybe you can help me out - I'll send an email to both your hotmail/aol and your "other" address, and see if you get both.

Why is nose partially blocked in some cities but not others?

shivohum — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 09:15:44 -0800

Why is my nose blocked outside in LA and New York but not in Pittsburgh or Boston? I know it's apparently normal for many people to only breathe out of one nostril at a time, and that certainly is the case when I'm sleeping. However, when I go outside, in many cities my nose completely clears up and I am able to breathe through both nostrils at once.

This is not true of all cities' outdoor air. I would have thought it may have something to do with pollution but then why do LA/New York not work while Pittsburgh (more polluted than New York) and Boston do?

Any ideas? Are there particular allergens that might be in the LA & New York air that are not in these other cities that keep one nostril blocked all the time?

Blocked nose on one side

lunkfish — Thu, 05 May 2005 04:44:35 -0800

I’ve always had a constant blocked nose right through the winter and summer. I can usually breathe okay through one nostril, but the other is blocked. The side that is blocked can shift, for example if I lie down on one side, that will become the blocked side. They will never both be unblocked.

Does this ring a bell with anyone? Does it point to any problem in particular?

Why can't I download the albums I want from iTunes just because I'm in America?

Lokheed — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 05:07:42 -0800

LegalMusicDownloadFilter: Why can't I download the albums I want from iTunes just because I'm in America? [MI] Yesterday I discovered that a british band I love has made virtually all of their albums available for download via iTunes, including a couple of earlier ones that I do not have. The reason I do not have them is because they are not available in the U.S., and paying for them as imports makes them more expensive than I want to pay. But paying for them as a digital download and then burning my own CDs would be completely reasonable. Unfortunately, when I follow the links on the band's website to download the album, iTunes comes back and says that they are not available for sale in the United States. Why should iTunes care what country I am in? Do I just need to download some UK version of the software, or change a setting somewhere? I'm trying to be legal here and actually pay for the music rather than stealing it. You'd think they would want that.