While pouring over my logs I noticed that the largest search engine used to find my site is not 'Google', not MSN, but 'Google Images'.

I know when I'm doing Google Image searches, I rarely ever actually look at the pages themselves, I'm just out to scarf an image for something I'm doodling.

So the question is... I wonder how I would affect my actual traffic (and ad-clickers) if I were to tell Google it couldn't index my media directory?

Even though my server logs are not publicly viewable, they get filled with about 1/4 referrer spam. This is where someone requests the main page, saying they came from 'play-blackjack.org' or some such, but never really views the site. They just hope that I'll post who linked to me online and have Google index it so they raise in page rank.

So this time I'm told the reason they can't reactivate my DSL is because I have an 'outstanding balance on the old account.'

Now, keep in mind, I had a bundle deal - 4 phone lines + DSL all on one bill. I still have the 4 phone lines, actually 5 now - still on the same bill. I checked our bills and actually received a CREDIT back when they 'cancelled' our DSL after the move.

So... Jason tells me things aren't adding up and he'll have to get back with me.

Fed up with the circular hold patterns at Verizon, I sent a letter via overnight Fedex to Virginia Ruesterholz and included a printout of my blog entry. She's President of Verizon Telecom.

I got a call today from a Jason Serrano saying he was going to get this resolved for me and if anything else goes wrong during the process I could reach him at his direct number. He says he would have 'his people' call me.

It's all a matter of getting the attention of someone who cares.

I've never had much good to say about Verizon so I had already braced myself for a bad call today.

I have a Business DSL line that used to be our primary connection. When we relocated, I told Verizon I'd be keeping the line, but I also set up a T-1 through Sprint for our primary data connection. I chose Sprint simply because they were NOT Verizon, and they were $200 a month less expensive.

I don't think I'll ever stop laughing at this...

Here's a real nice recap of the entire SCO debacle for those who don't want to read all the court documents.

Thanks for the link Vermyndax... it made my day.

I was already at the office working on things and my wife calls my cellphone 'Did you know the phones there aren't ringing?'

Sometimes one of the ports in the phone server will lock up and not recognize rings. I figured a quick SSH into the phone server and a reboot would solve it. Unfortunately there was no response to the SSH. Ping: no route to host.

Ugh. I go look in the server room and find that the UPS that powers the phone server is off. I checked the logs on the server and find that it went down around 8:30 AM. What the heck? I better order another UPS.

After finding our host DNS was down at work, I took steps to move our DNS to another location. Then I decided to take advantage of the lack of customer connections and install a third NIC in the firewall so I could handle both the Sprint and Verizon lines on the network. I haven't used the Verizon DSL line since the move.

Then the bad luck started.
I threw the third NIC in the server, only to have it lock up during boot when it came time to configure the network cards. I removed that card, thinking it might be bad, and put in a different card.

I just tried to use HP's website to submit a support request. I need to update the firmware on my iPaq.

At first all was going well. I entered all the information into the web form and clicked submit. Unfortunately I noticed something on the 'verify' page that gave me the willies:

<%image(20070112-hpbad1.png|410|168|)%>

I didn't expect people to be calling me correct this early. Remember my 2007 predictions? Well it turns out I may have been right on my call about SCO imploding. From Groklaw:

For SCO, bankruptcy is inevitable; it characterizes its assets as merely those ?remaining? and does not rebut Novell?s arguments that its bankruptcy is imminent.