It's A Series Of Tubes

So I've spent all of today up until now plus a lot of yesterday evening with no Internet connectivity. I'm posting a heads-up about it while I can. The server closest to Washington University has been getting worse; it's hit over 50% packet loss and ping times through it are completely random, varying from 20 ms to 2,000 ms. Earlier today, there was no connection at all, so I consider this an improvement.

Tracing route to www.livejournal.com [204.9.177.18] over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 * * * Request timed out. 2 3 ms 3 ms 4 ms ncrc-orc87.wustl.edu [128.252.87.254] 3 6 ms * 7 ms umrath-to-rts.wustl.edu [128.252.1.89] 4 4 ms 4 ms 4 ms 128.252.100.97 5 5 ms 6 ms 6 ms 128.252.100.110 6 * * 2745 ms stlsmo1wcx2-gige0-0.wcg.net [64.200.237.21] 7 66 ms 23 ms 45 ms brvwil1wcx2-pos5-2-oc48.wcg.net [64.200.210.57] 8 2052 ms 1966 ms 23 ms 64.200.249.186 9 * 22 ms * te-4-3.car2.Chicago1.Level3.net [4.68.110.33] 10 156 ms 24 ms 103 ms ae-1-53.bbr1.Chicago1.Level3.net [4.68.101.65] 11 260 ms * * 64.159.0.242 12 * * * Request timed out. 13 * * * Request timed out. 14 * * * Request timed out. 15 * * * Request timed out. 16 * * ^C
I may not be online much until ResTech gets this fixed. With luck, it won't be too much longer, but I won't count on it.

In the meantime, because I need some source for news and weather (especially weather, given the potential for violent storms this time of year and how bad the last two years have been so far), I'm buying cable TV. I admit this is partially motivated by the lack of a common building television (I have to go to Mudd for that and there's a lot of competition) with The Amazing Race coming on, and by Mythbusters, but overall I wouldn't call that worth $285 for the academic year. But for emergency weather reports, when my dorm room is placed such that my antenna is a lost cause, it's pretty much my only option.

I need a "RARRRRRGH" userpic.

This is really frustrating because a lot of my assignments require online research. According to the ResTech guy I talked to earlier today, everybody's having connectivity issues- the server upstream from the South 40 has decided to hate us. Nothing to do about that, I suppose.

9 comments — :

( 9 comments — Leave a comment )

It is not a truck.

elynne

2006-09-18 12:16 am (UTC)

If you want a "raargh" userpic, feel free to borrow/steal this one. It's by Louis Wain, who painted cute pictures of anthropomorphic kitties in little vests and hats until he WENT CRAZY and then started painting increasingly surreal and bizarre schizophrenia-induced cats. This image is not the most schizo of his kitties, but it's definitely well into his post-crazy period.

Re: It is not a truck.

2006-09-18 12:17 am (UTC)

Or there's this one. Grrr, fierce kitten! Grarh. :D

puropis

2006-09-18 12:30 am (UTC)

If you don't mind a really slow connection rather than no connection when the connection drops, you could use the dial-up Internet subscription (I think) you still have from the summer. When there's stuff that needs to be done online for classes, anything is better than nothing.

And that tracert is scary. I'm amused by the random 2 s times interspersed amongst more reasonable ones.

kistaro

2006-09-18 12:42 am (UTC)

Using the dial-up service (which I'm letting a friend with even worse Internet access use) would require me to have a personal phone line. Suite phones are shared, and my suitemates use this one extensively. I know this because it rings at ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT and I'm very tempted to unplug mine. Wait, I never answer it because it's always a telemarketer or for someone else, and I always dial out on my cell phone, so why haven't I?

*the poink of a cable being disconnected*

2006-09-18 12:54 am (UTC)

*amused* That definitely sounds like a good thing to do with your phone. It'll probably also reclaim you some desk/shelf space. My school-provided phones always lived under the bed or in the back of the top of the closet, though in my case it was because I had a cordless one I used instead.

I had forgotten that suite phones are shared, and I wasn't sure whether you were already letting your friend use it, but I thought I'd at least mention it. I still have AOL, and I sometimes forget that I can get online when the power's down until something (or someone, namely R) reminds me.

I hope your Internet gets reliably fixed soon.

kamoranakrre

2006-09-18 01:26 am (UTC)

Do you think you could get reception on a weather radio in your room? It doesn't have the benefits of being entertaining (unless you particularly enjoy listening to "The National Weather Service in St. Louis, Missouri has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 11PM, Central Standard Time, for the following counties in East Central Missouri: Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles..." repeat every couple minutes on a rainy day), but it works even when the power's out and usually even when everyone's in the basement avoiding tornadic fun.

2006-09-18 07:38 am (UTC)

I've tried- no luck.

2006-09-20 12:08 am (UTC)

You could do some fancy tunnelling through the CEC (or just remote desktop to browse the internet)... It won't be optimal speeds, but at least it should work...

limeonaire

2006-09-18 10:42 pm (UTC)

HAHA. I just looked back and noticed the title of this post.

madhouse_city and I talk about that all the time.

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kistaro

Kistaro Windrider, Reptillian Situation Assessor

Unfortunately, I Really Am That Nerdy

It is not a truck.

Re: It is not a truck.