Having a status page forced Comcast to fix my internet

TL;DR: Comcast had a local area issue. I set up a status page for my house after many outages. The status page actively monitoring connectivity forced Comcast to look outside our home for a fix after several visits. Forced switch to Comcast Business The pandemic hit, and our lives became 100% “virtual” last year. As a family that “cut the cord” years ago and I’ve been working from home for quite some time, our internet consumption was pretty high....

October 5, 2021 · 6 min · Chris Short
Be helpful. But, this isn't your day job.

'Tis the Season of Family Tech Support

It’s the most wonderful time of year! When everyone gets together with family or friends they haven’t seen in who knows how long. Of course, the topic of Trump, social media, and burnt gravy stories will come up. But, my personal favorite topic is, “I have this issue with PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY XYZ. Please help me!” Luckily, despite having not worked on anything other than Mac and Linux the past seven years, I don’t get too many wild questions from family....

November 20, 2018 · 7 min · Chris Short

The Demise of Google Fiber and Internet Under Dirt

If you have not heard the news, Google Fiber is no longer expanding its installation in the 10 markets they service and the head of Google Access (the Google Fiber overlord company), Craig Barratt, is stepping down. Also in the news, was a little-publicized statement from AT&T’s chief executive, Randall Stephenson, where he said, “I will be sorely disappointed if we are not going head-to-head” with cable companies by 2021....

October 30, 2016 · 3 min · Chris Short
Recording device used to record this extensive interview

North Carolina Veterans Oral History Interview Part 1

As part of a North Carolina State Archives initiative to obtain oral histories of veterans I volunteered to be interviewed for the North Carolina Veterans Oral History Collection. I was interviewed by Matthew Peek, Military Collection Archivist for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (later referred to as MP). The interview was well worth the time it took to coordinate and conduct it. I would encourage all North Carolina veterans to contact Matthew and provide their unique story for preservation....

August 17, 2016 · 40 min · Chris Short

VeriSign's rapid DNS updates in .com and .net

SlashDot is running a story saying that the twice a day DNS updates of .com and .net domains will cease to exist; VeriSign Naming and Directory Services will be switching to a near real-time system on September 8, 2004. From the announcement: After the rapid DNS update is implemented, the elapsed time from registrars’ add or change operations to the visibility of those adds or changes in all 13 .com/.net authoritative name servers is expected to average less than five minutes....

November 6, 2004 · 1 min · Chris Short

Microsoft and the Death of the Internet

Microsoft and its products and services are slowly destroying the Internet or at the very least changing the dynamics of the Internet. There are three main reasons for this rift in the Internet. The first reason is Microsoft’s standards. The second reason is the popularity of Microsoft software. The final reason is the security (or lack thereof) of Microsoft software. When you combine these three reasons together you get a potential Internet killer....

October 9, 2003 · 6 min · Chris Short

Blogs Explained

What is a blog? Blog is short for weblog. Blogger.com defines a blog/weblog as, “a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically - like a what’s new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly - from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction.” Blogs are essentially evolution of Internet communications....

June 24, 2003 · 5 min · Chris Short

Content is King

Let’s face it, information rules the Information Superhighway we call the Internet. If it weren’t for worthwhile information, formulated opinions, and reviews the Internet would not be as popular as it is today. For all intents and purposes in terms of web site design, search engine optimization, and search engine promotion, information is the equivalent to content. There is good content and then there is bad content. Bad content, in my opinion, is content that serves no purpose, has no goal, and doesn’t inform anyone reading it about any general or specific topic....

June 8, 2003 · 4 min · Chris Short