For the last few years, tech forums have been sprinkled with people reporting that periodically, they can get to any website they want, unless it’s a Google-owned site (Gmail, YouTube, etc.).  The problem usually resolves itself after a couple of hours.

What’s going on?

If my thoughts on the subject are to be believed, the ISPs are periodically blocking their DNS servers from redirecting to Google-owned sites.  This reduces the amount of data flowing across their networks, saving them money.

ISPs provide service to their customers in the hopes that they will not utilize high amounts of bandwidth.  Think in terms of an all-you-can-eat buffet: if you pay full price and eat one plate of food, you’ve given the restaurant a higher profit than the World-Hot-Dog-Eating-Champion who can skeletonize a bucket of fried chicken faster than I can come up with a metaphor.

What do I do?

First, set your router to use a Google Public DNS server.  (Due to the variety of commercially available routers, I cannot give you instructions for this — apologies.  Consult the manual that came with your router.  You DO have the manual, don’t you?)

If you’re having trouble reaching Google because you’re presently a victim of this atrocity, they have two server addresses: 8.8.4.4 and 8.8.8.8.  You can also use other public DNS servers, but I can guarantee that these will be able to find Google!

Once you’re back up and running, email your ISP and demand an explanation.  You contracted with them to provide a service, and if they are unable or unwilling to provide the service that they promised, you should be entitled to a credit on your bill.

(Good luck with actually getting a credit, but you’ll be standing up for fair practices when you tell your ISP that you won’t sit idly by while they take your money for nothing!)

What’s going on?

This is typically referred to as the box model problem.  IE and FF interpret the padding element differently.  Chances are you’ve pulled up this article in a teeth-grinding search to correct the problem, so I’ll just make with the solution:

Add another <div> for your padding.

<div class=”TheStuffYouAlreadyHave”>
  <div class=”ThePaddingYouSeparated”>
    Content
  </div>
</div>

Support web standards! Go to WebStandards.org, educate yourself, and prevent articles like this from being necessary!