Website/Hosting

As noted by Joe …

Let’s hope it’s just a temporary glitch; Don Burnside’s website has more details:
Unfortunately MotoringFile is currently down due to our host having shut down the server the site happens to reside on.
Twinshosting (who we rent server space from) is having attacks and they’ve somehow traced it to the server MF happens to be on (with other sites). They’ve now shut-down the server and are investigating with no time-table given

This sounds a lot like the behaviour I had with Site5 a month ago, which forced me to move hosting companies … the problem for me was specific comment-spam attacks from just two IP addresses; none of the comment-spam got through but attempts continued anyway and were responsible for more than half of all web access. Of course Site5 could have simply blocked the rogue IP, but instead chose to shut down my site. Has TwinsHosting done the same to MotoringFile?

Meanwhile:
Gabe has pics of his new R56 MINI online …

I thought this might amuse some of you – it made me laugh!
My Verizon DSL connection gets sick sometimes, particularly during and after heavy rain … well it rained last night, and this afternoon the connection is dropping out every few minutes; the modem reverts between steady DSL light, slow flash, fast flash, steady (for a few minutes) then back to flashing, etc.

I thought I’d call Verizon DSL help; silly me!
First, I had to lie about having rebooted my computer, not having a router, etc, etc – all designed to get rid of me quickly and with minimum effort. Only after that was I able to reach a person (in India, apparently).

Next, the lady decided that I should remove the DSL filter and have the DSL modem be the only thing connected – I explained that (a) this would disconnect my phone call with her and (b) it wouldn’t prove anything since the DSL modem fails intermittently anyway. But she was not to be dissuaded, so I did it.
I also pulled out a trump card – I had a different DSL filter (Verizon supply many and I need only one) … so after disconnecting the filter, and confirming the DSL modem was unaffected, I replaced the filter with a brand new one!

She called back (my phone re-connected), and I told her that the brand new DSL filter was fitted but still I lost DSL connectivity – it dropped again right on cue!

But she had a trump card of her own … swap the two ends of the wire between phone connection and DSL modem! What?! She was convinced that this would resolve my issue; there must be “one way” signs inside the wire 😉
So I swapped the plugs over and of course for a while the DSL connection didn’t drop – she concluded her work was done …

Currently, I seem to have “happy electrons”, now my wire is the right way round; can’t understand why there isn’t any “modem this end” labels on the cable if it’s that important 😀

[and look, she must be right, because I was able to post this without the DSL dropping!]

If you can see this post, you’re seeing WestHost instead of Site5! One of their major features is the use of “RAID” for hard drive mirroring, so a single drive failure doesn’t leave my website down for a day … the fact that my personal PC has the same feature and in my opinion ANY hosting company should do the same, doesn’t appear to have occurred to Site5 😦

Anyway, let me know if anything is strange for you; but it should all be fine!