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An easier modem power-cycle?

cgs — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:27:05 -0800

I want to add a power switch to my modem + router so I can easily restart them. Advice? When my connection poops out, I do the following:
1. unplug my cable modem + router
2. wait a bit
3. plug back in the modem
4. pause, then power up router.

And I do all this by squatting down, moving some crap around on my shelf, reaching behind each and pulling out its power source. I'd like to buy something or splice something so that I can flip an easily-reached switch, then flip it back on and it does it all.

Questions:
1. do I need to wait (in step 2)? I've heard I need to wait for the ip address to reset.
2. do I need to pause in step 4? I thought I should wait for the modem to do its thing before turning on the router.

If #2 is "no", then I guess I could just get a powerstrip w/ a switch on it. Any better ideas?

Thanks for your help-
cgs

Where's the fire?

avocet — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:00:43 -0800

Seeking fire department incident response websites from anywhere in the world – updated on the fly (e.g. Toronto) or whenever they get the chance (Shropshire), it doesn't matter. Does your area's fire service do this?

How big a pipeline?

BigLankyBastard — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:52:51 -0800

Is there a straightforward set of recommendations or standards for how much internet bandwidth to set up per number of expected users? I have been asked to consult on a project to provide internet access to a large apartment building. There are between 60 and 80 units in the building. I am fairly sure that their current plan regarding the shared internet connection will be inadequate, but I have had a very hard time finding any source to back up my instinct, let alone any simple way to calculate what the shared bandwidth SHOULD be for that many home users.

Bonus points for anyone who points me to a company that provides that sort of large-scale shared internet access.

Help me logon to my email!!

dmbfan93 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:37:19 -0800

Please help me fix an internet/computer problem....I keep getting the message "Invalid Security Certificate" when I try to logon to my email accounts. I'm trying to logon to both my gmail account and my msn account and this morning I get the message "google.com uses an invalid security certificate"? This is just occuring, I was able to login last night. Does this have anything to do with a windows update that installed on my computer last night?

I try to logon to my MSN account and the exact same thing is occuring. The following message I get:

# This could be a problem with the server's configuration, or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server.

# If you have connected to this server successfully in the past, the error may be temporary, and you can try again later.

Please help me fix this!

Prepaid iPhone data plan in Mumbai?

jesseendahl — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:40:15 -0800

Hi, I will be living in Mumbai for 11 weeks next summer. I have an unlocked iPhone 3G. What is my best bet in terms of carrier and plan for the cheapest and most reliable data access? I plan to do local calls over the cell phone voice network and international calls via Skype on the iPhone. Thanks in advance!

Websites for flow charts or concept maps?

tnygard — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:10:19 -0800

Is there a good website for making flow charts or concept maps or cognitive maps in groups? A group of my students and I will be making a website together, and I am hoping to find a free or low-cost way for all of us to make such a chart together online. This would be to show how all of the sections of the website relate to each other. Any thoughts or experiences with such services would be most appreciated.

What is a security key for a wireless connection?

jaruwaan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:37:43 -0800

My new computer can find our wireless router; it asks for a "security key" in order to connect. What is a security key? I bought a new Dell laptop, Windows 7. The icon in the tray shows a connection to our router. I clicked that thinking I would just need to enter our password. Wrong!

It does show the name of the internet connection we set up, and that the signal is strong. The only prompt is for a security key, which does not accept either the password or pass phrase that were created for this connection.

Is the security key something related to the actual router (Netgear)? The modem (Time Warner cable)? And how do I find it, whatever/where ever it is? Halp!

Internet killed the radio star

bunny hugger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:07:09 -0800

What are some jobs that the Internet is killing, or making obsolete? I know some but am looking for more.

How to send a fax via internet without a phone line or number?

Violet Hour — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:01:51 -0800

I need to send a fax, right now, without a phone line or a fax machine. I'm applying for a job and the only way specified to send a resume is via fax.

I don't want to sign up for a plan. I don't want to pick out a number, which makes something like efax not what I want. What I want to be able to do is go to a webpage, have a way to browse my harddrive from it, pick out the document I want, and send it to a number I specify. I do not need or want to be able to receive faxes, only send them.

I need it to be pay-as-I go or free, but it cannot have ads or look tacky (since it's for a job application).

I'm finding it hard to believe that something like this does not exist, but everything I can find wants me to sign up for a plan or wants me to have a phone line hooked up to my computer, which I don't.

So far the best option I'm seeing is faxitnice, but I can't tell if it has ads.

Help?

Please suggest books, movies or shows like Bel Canto

reenum — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:26 -0800

I loved the plot of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Any recommendations for similar books, shows, or movies? I loved how Patchett's book showed hostages and hostage takers forming a sort of community within their besieged compound.

I also remember an essay with a similar theme by P.J. O'Rourke. It involved him being stuck in a hotel with a bunch of foreign correspondents during a bombing and talked about how they coped.

Any suggestions?

Is Wordpress right for us?

mahoganyslide — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:20:58 -0800

I'm constructing two websites that display the progress of social science research currently underway. I need a system that allows ease of use for all involved student researchers. Is Wordpress the way to go? One of the projects had its own HTML/CSS website but the researchers were frustrated with having to go to the webmaster in order to make even the slightest changes. The webmaster then converted the website into a wiki (via MediaWiki). Although this alternative allows for easy modification, it is limited when it comes to posting multimedia content and tweaking the interface.

I recently took over the web aspect of the projects and believe that Wordpress-based websites will be the best compromise in terms of being easy to modify but being flexible enough to allow for more than just text (I have handy widgets in mind, google maps, youtube videos, etc). Unfortunately, my knowledge of Wordpress only extends to what I've picked up from various blogs raving about this platform.

My concerns are:
-will it be easy for student researches with no coding experience to login from any browser and manipulate the content? (I don't need to worry about various permissions so one login ID will suffice)
-how easy is it manipulate a standard Wordpress website that is best suited for blogs into a static page with text and pictures/videos?
-am I right to think that Wordpress is better than a wiki platform when it comes to posting multimedia content such as youtube videos?
-how does a Wordpress site handle flash animations?

I basically want to make sure that Wordpress is the better alternative to wikis and HTML websites for student researchers with no coding experience, but who can manipulate content on a web interface as if it were their facebook page.

If not, what else is out there?

Need. Internet. Back.

Beardman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:57:33 -0800

Why can't I connect to the internet anymore? Is customer service giving me a plausible explanation? Our home internet connection has been down all weekend. We use a new and speedy 24" iMac. When we try to connect to PPPoE, it just says "Connecting...Connecting...Connecting" and finally says that it can't connect to the server. No amount of power cycles and restarts make a difference. This has happened once before, a few months ago, and changing the access password with the ISP solved the problem (until Friday).

Our apartment sucks and there is only one working phone jack, which is in an inconvenient location. Thus, we run a 15 foot phone cord from it to a normal telephone cord splitter, from which a 10 foot (filtered) telephone cord goes to the modem, and a second cord goes to our telephone.

Yesterday, my ISP's customer service guy said that the phone cord from the wall to the modem has to be 6 feet or less, or else it'll be unreliable. He correctly surmised that we often have connection issues (i.e. sometimes it says "Authenticating..." for a long time), although never before recently has it totally failed to connect, and for a couple of years we never even had the long authentication issue either.

When I told him that this issue has previously been solved by a password change, he tried that again and it didn't solve the problem. I asked him why, if the cord length is the issue, we were able to have the same setup for years without a problem. He replied that the cord can deteriorate over time.

Various forums online debate whether the length of the phone cord has anything to do with internet speed or connection reliability. Does it? Could the problem be that I'm using that splitter? Does it matter where the splitter is--i.e. should the splitter only be at the wall jack, or can I have it where it is, after the first 15 foot cord? Should I do as my ISP suggests, and either (1) replace the telephone cords that go to the modem with new ones (to solve the supposed "deterioration" problem), or (2) try to rig it up with a 6 foot cord and then a really long ethernet cable (to solve the supposed "long phone cord" problem)?

Thanks for any advice you can give me. FYI, this is in Toronto, and the ISP is Primus. (I would rather switch to Teksavvy, but when I put my number into their website it says they can't provide service to me, even though I live right downtown...?)

Would you pay to post?

bryon — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:57:01 -0800

I'm starting a web forum. Should I charge users? The forum will focus on a popular topic which should draw many people. I'm thinking hard about charging a nominal fee ($5) for registration. That would prevent spambot signups and discourage the casual troll from ruining everyone's fun. You know, like we all did when we signed up here. There are two potential disadvantages: 1) I would have to spend lots of time dealing with new registrations (I'd get over that), and 2) it might discourage some people who would otherwise register and be productive members. What do you think? Bonus question: if I do go with paid registration, how do I make it happen on phpbb3? Many thanks.

Vintage Internet news stories and articles?

starman — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:18:47 -0800

I enjoy vintage articles about the early days of the Web. Suggestions? For example, The Best Cybertech of 1999 isn't exactly from the early early days but it puts into perspective where Google was at the time.

Does my girlfriend spend too much time on online forums?

kleenkat — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:25:23 -0800

Am I being unreasonable about how much time my girlfriend spends on online forums and message boards? It's ironic that I am asking this on metafilter, but I really feel like my girlfriend spends way too much time online talking to strangers about every day things, hobbies, etc. What is weird though, is that she doesn't actually participate in many of the hobbies she claims she is on the message boards for. She just talks about them and the stuff she talks about sits and collects dust in our apartment (cameras, guitars, etc.) Hasn't touched them in over a year. She is a moderator on one forum and probably spends 4-5 hours each day, if not more, on these three forums. One being Fluther, where a bunch of people ask questions that can simply be Googled. I understand online community and what not, and when I say something to her she gets pissed off because I'm doing work for school. I am not, however spending nearly as much time doing graduate work as she does online. She is only these forums throughout the work day, and on her computer when I get home from work every day, even when we are cooking dinner she intermittently checks the forums for new posts or to answer ridiculous questions on Fluther.

Am I being picky or unreasonable? I just think it's strange but hey to each their own. I just feel like she is constantly at her computer. Yet, when I try to get her to go out in the "real world" and hang out with friends, she says the general population annoys her. Since I started dating her I really miss REAL social interaction with people, even with strangers. It now makes me reluctant to participate in many social events because I know she will be bored or despise being there. What should I do? I love her very much, and I don't want to come off as insensitive....I just wonder if it is unhealthy. She's a sweet, caring girl.

THanks in advance...

How to separate open wifi from wired network.

Jackie_Treehorn — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:37:12 -0800

How can I offer guests in my home or business wifi that is separate from my home or business network? I'd like to be able to easily offer guests in my home or business free, unsecured wireless access, but at the same time not allow them access to my other wired or secured wireless network.

How would I do that?

Thank you!

It's a small world

woodway — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:36:26 -0800

Automatic language translators: which is the best, for now? What efforts are underway to improve them? How much progress have we seen, on what sort of time scale? My interest pertains to Latin script languages, but I'm curious about the matter generally.

How can I get my laptop to work with a wired connection?

biochemist — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:16:56 -0800

Follow up to this question. We tried the D-link, but it doesn't seem to be working with the laptop. The desktop computer connects fine. The laptop also doesn't recognize the desktop for file sharing. We've tried all sorts of things with network connections, to no avail. I'm not sure what the problem could be/what we need to do. It works fine if the cable is running straight from the router to the computer, but when we connect the switch the laptop won't recognize the connection. They're both connected using ethernet cables.

I just want the damned router to work.

ocherdraco — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:41:39 -0800

Is my wireless router dead? If not, how do I fix it? The details, as I understand them:

I'm on a Mac. I have cable internet via TimeWarner, and an RCA Cable Modem. When I plug the ethernet cable from this modem directly into my computer, I am able to access the internet. When it is plugged into the wireless router, I am not.

Currently, on my wireless router (Netgear WGR614 v7), when the ethernet cable from the modem is plugged into it, the only light that turns on is the power light, and, of course, the network does not appear in the list of available networks. I have tried: unplugging and replugging the ethernet cable, unplugging and replugging the power cord. No change. The Netgear website infuriatingly refers me to the user manual to "troubleshoot the light status," and the user manual just tells me to turn it off and on again, with no indication of what to do if that doesn't work.

I have, over the past several days, had increasingly spotty wireless, and last night, the signal was dropping every minute or so, but when it was there, it was as strong as normal.

Is there anything I can do, or must I just go buy a new one?

What is the best option for temporary Internet?

pbh — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:39:01 -0800

Best cheap, temporary Internet access by dial-up or cell? (In Kittery, ME.) For about a week I will be in a house in Kittery, ME (area code 207) that does not have any sort of broadband Internet. (I don't particularly want to go to the library or a cafe for wifi, so that's not an option.) What is the best way to get temporary, possibly slow Internet at the house for the week?

Relevant details:

Dial-up: My Ubuntu laptop has a modem, though I don't have a dial-up account with local access numbers for Kittery, ME/Portsmouth, NH. The house itself has a phone line. Are there temporary dial-up ISPs, or do I have to sign up for an account with a regular one and then cancel immediately? This thread mentions some explicitly temporary dial-up options, but it looks as though if I'm going to use it for 32 hours-ish most are pretty expensive. I also probably have one or two non-local dial-up numbers I might be able to call---are there any very, very cheap calling cards that would last tens of hours within the US?
Cellular: I have an iPhone, but I haven't jailbroken it so I'm pretty sure it won't tether. Are there any temporary 3G wireless options (or equivalent), or do all of the fast cellular options require having a separate account and buying a USB dongle or PCMCIA card? (This thread mentions some options, but it's a little old and most seem to start at $50+.)

gauging online community health

A Terrible Llama — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:12:08 -0800

What are the five metrics you would use to measure the health* of an online community? That pretty much sums it up. I'm open to more or less than five, but I'm trying to keep it the list of measurements short and the descriptions simple.

*how 'health' is defined is yours to decide.

TorontoFilter, the Second Part

setanor — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:18:38 -0800

Followup TorontoFilter: I'm here now, and you helped out our move immensely. Things are going great! New questions abound, however. Our move went well, and we now have mostly everything taken care of - you guys were really such a great help in the previous post and I don't think it would have gone as well without you. Claps!

We're here now. I'm enjoying a delicious iced americano at Luna on Dovercourt, and a few more things have cropped up in the week we've been moving in. Can you help us one more time? I can now take you for drinks to repay you! If you would like.

1. Internet! It's crazy. I need unlimited downloads as I do a lot of music work with someone who's still far, far away and we're always passing back and forth Ableton project packs, and I do web work with some RAW files, etc... I'd have a panic attack if I had to stay under a limit. That said, we don't have a home telephone line, and "Dry Loop" DSL (like through Teksavvy) adds another $10 or so a month, and we need to buy a modem... what should we do? Unlimited downloading is more important than speed, to a point.

2. Say the farmer's markets are all closed. I live near, more-or-less, a Price Chopper, a No Frills, a Metro and a Sobey's. Which has the best produce?

3. Are there any Albanian restaurants in Toronto?

4. Any good off-the-radar sources for used/salvage mid-century and 70's modern furniture?

5. When's this meetup I keep hearing so much about? Maybe I should just go ahead and make it happen myself!

Thanks again!

Stealing (and showing, but not selling) stolen work.

dogmom — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:11:50 -0800

I have an internet etiquette question. If I reproduce someone else's drawing/vector/artists interpretation of a copyrighted image and then post my rendition to flikr or whatever, should I get permission from the original interpreter? I'm sorry. I have no idea how to frame this question so it makes sense.

This was my last question. Via Google's image search, I found this drawing of Mr. Stay Puft. I printed the image, traced it to fabric and embroidered it. My embroidery is not as detailed as the drawing, but the general outlines were copied from the drawing.

I'm guessing that most artists who do their own interpretations don't get permission from the company that created the characters. I also know that two wrongs don't make a right. I do not plan on selling my finished project or profit from it in any way. If I post pictures it will probably just be to flikr, and maybe facebook.

Should I try to contact each artist whose work I use for permission to post pictures of my finished work to the internet? Should I make the futile attempt to contact the copyright-owning company? If I should, what if I can't find the artist or get no response? Should I blur out those images?

Choose Details in OS X

reenum — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:43:43 -0800

Mac OSX Filter: How can I change the details displayed for files in a directory while in list view? This may be a really easy question, but Google has failed me thus far.

When I used XP and viewed directories as lists, I could go to View and then click on 'Choose Details' to pick which file info I wanted displayed.

I can't seem to figure out how to do this on Mac OSX.

The reason I want to do this is because I listen to a lot of podcasts, and the title in the file info is often more instructive than the filename.

Is there any way to 'Choose Details' on Mac OSX?