http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/07/09/no-thanks-comcast Comments On: No Thanks, Comcast by Sam Machkovech en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:45:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Ryan]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:51:53 -0700 The Stranger
opting out and using comcast's dns is the best. big websites that are distributed all over the world through things like akami will respond faster when you use comcast's dns servers because they point you to a close copy of the webpage.

i wish it was happening on my comcast line so i could probe into how it actually works since i question its ability to interfere with things like email and ftp.

not that this idea doesn't blow in general.
Posted by Swearengen]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:18:33 -0700 The Stranger 4.2.2.2 and 4.2.2.4
Posted by Corydon]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:53:04 -0700 The Stranger
In other words, Clearwire is run by the same folks who consistently come in at the bottom of the customer service ratings for both cable and mobile phone service. But never mind that...it's gonna be da BOMB! LOL
Posted by Corydon]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:50:26 -0700 The Stranger http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comca…

Getting rid of DNS redirect is actually pretty easy.

1) You can use the opt out procedure that Comcast supplies (in that link that's on the DNS redirect page)

2) You can manually set your DNS server to something else like OpenDNS or Level3 (4.2.2.2 and 4.2.2.4 works well). Just configure it in your router or (if your directly connecting a computer to your modem) in your computer's TCP/IP settings.

or 3) If you really like using Comcast DNS (no idea why that might be but whatever) and you've statically assigned your DNS servers, then you're automatically opted out. They're only putting this on new DNS servers. Here's a few of the old (opted out) ones: 68.87.85.98, 68.87.66.196, 68.87.69.146

FWIW, Comcast is trying to work on improving industry standards for DNS redirection through a Best Practices Document draft submitted to the IETF. Geeks may be interested to know that one of the authors is interacting with the nerd community here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r2267919…
Posted by Corydon]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:46:00 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Just opt me out bitch]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:29:26 -0700 The Stranger 192.168.100.1 and click on "Addresses" at the top.

"HFC MAC Address" is the one you want.
Posted by Ben]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:11:14 -0700 The Stranger Posted by christopher575]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:44:27 -0700 The Stranger
It doesn't make such a stupid corporate decision any easier to swallow. In fact, it's worse, because no matter how much we hate it, you're going to give us "information" and deploy your ad-laden "solution" that nobody asked for anyway.
Posted by unhelpful, you have no power to change this decision]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:10:27 -0700 The Stranger
Figure it out. Cable providers don't want you to watch free video on your computer...they want you to pay them for cable.

Figure it out. Digital TV is horrible and choppy. They don't want you to have free tv any more.

Figure it out. Wimax has the power to take over and deliver cheap mobile IP for phone, data, video. Obviously 3G apparitchniks don't want you to have that.

Posted by Lasagna]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:00:10 -0700 The Stranger search2.comcast.com. (Although ICMP pinging IS disabled on those servers.)

I'm saying this:
C:\Users\Jon>ping blablahwoooooooooooo.com
Ping request could not find host blablahwoooooooooooo.com. Please check the name and try again.

It does not RESOLVE to an IP address to ping in the first place.
Posted by jon]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:38:20 -0700 The Stranger
The most expensive, most effective advertising on the web is "search match". That's what happens when you go to Google or Yahoo, type a search term, and get sponsored links back.

The less effective, cheap traffic is "content match". This is banners and graphical ads that appear on, for example, your blog which are supposed to be matched to the content. You read an article on an air crash, and see an ad for discount tickets.

"Domain Match" are the ads that appear on bullshit web sites. You type "mespice.com" into your browser and land on a bullshit site that somebody slapped together to catch traffic from typos.

OK-- here is a dirty secret. Domain match traffic is billed to the advertiser as if it were search match. Because you typed in a phrase you were looking for, right? So all these advertisers are paying for links that they thought were appearing on Google, Yahoo, etc. But really they were appearing on craptastic bullshit sites that were registered to cash in on typos.

Comcast is using their position-- between you and the web-- to rip off advertisers, dump unwanted content on your eyeball, and collect top dollar.

Every link that Comcast renders up for you was paid for by an advertiser who has no idea that you were looking for something else.

Posted by eclexia]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:52:33 -0700 The Stranger
ICMP echoes (pings) are easy to turn off (like Fnarf said) without really affecting the functionality of any other services at that address.
Posted by Lee]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:47:52 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Fnarf]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:40:11 -0700 The Stranger
And as much as the purist in me doesn't want shit like this, I still realize that Comcast is actually like one of the last ISPs to implement something like this. So, if I were making decisions for them on behalf of their shareholders, I would pretty much be fired for not taking advantage of this potential advertising revenue.

It's another day in the Long September. The time has long since passed when networking providers were mainly focused on the demands of those of us who actually know or care how networking works.
Posted by Lee]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:32:20 -0700 The Stranger Posted by MR. Language Person]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:49:12 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Curmudgeon]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:15:24 -0700 The Stranger
Interestingly enough, I've noticed that when I try to connect to http://badurlwooooyeah.com I get their new page, but when I try to ping it no IP address resolves. Maybe they're doing something more clever than we're giving them credit for?
Posted by jon]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:11:02 -0700 The Stranger
If the name is not found, on the other hand, the DNS is supposed to tell you that in as few bytes as possible. What Comcast, and basically most ISPs in the world now, is doing is instead of sending you a simple "not found" message, it sends you to a complicated, unnecessary web site that says "that address wasn't found -- try this!"

So, yes, if you're just using a web browser, that's somewhere between mildly annoying and kind of helpful. Since this redirection service was, for all intents and purposes, designed for web browsers.

If you're using anything else that sends out a DNS request, though, you can get into trouble. Even something as common as e-mail could be thwarted by this. A bogus domain name could get redirected to the ISP's "helper" server, and take longer to bounce back as undeliverable.

Frankly, I think most of the problems would be experienced by end-users as unnoticeable delays. But, if I'm gravely wrong about that, someone will let me know.
Posted by Lee]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:54:53 -0700 The Stranger
Clearwire sucks donkey ballz.


Posted by merry]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:35:11 -0700 The Stranger
http://www.yelp.com/biz/clearwire-kirkla…
Posted by Pol Pot]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:33:09 -0700 The Stranger Posted by MR. Language Person]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:27:22 -0700 The Stranger
New boss, same as the old boss.
Posted by jon]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:16:29 -0700 The Stranger
I would love to have something other than a cable company. We can't get DSL at our house (yes, right here within sight of downtown Seattle, on part of Beacon Hill), and Clearwire is too slow.

I'd be happy if we could even get Comcast. We are stuck with Broadstripe, one of the worst ISPs in existence. Comcast would be a step up, though ideally I'd prefer not to use a cable company.

(FWIW -- we used to have DSL, then Qwest changed the configuration somehow so it no longer works because we are "too far from the CO".)
Posted by litlnemo]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:48:49 -0700 The Stranger Posted by pahana]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:42:28 -0700 The Stranger