Tag Archives: dns

OpenDNS Feeling Lucky Fixer For Firefox

Aug 31, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Software & Scripts 2 Comments

Do you use OpenDNS?

I have for awhile, since my ISP’s DNS servers can be kind of flaky sometimes. The one thing I don’t like about the service is how it hijacks mistyped domains and I’m Feeling Lucky searches that Firefox would usually redirect to the site I’m looking for, sending me to an OpenDNS search page with some ads on it. Sure, it helps support the service, but as a Firefox power user, the added time-waste is frustrating.

Luckily there’s a solution. The Feeling Lucky Fixer extension for Firefox restores the functionality to the browser, allowing you to simply type a website’s name (e.g. “imdb”) into your URL bar and wind up in the right place. Huzzah!

OpenDNS Guide

DNS Pinger

May 15, 2008 by Matt | Posted in Domains One Comment

DNS updates are a pain. They test your patience as you wait “up to 72 hours for your changes to propagate,” and often you need to know when it’s done. If you’ve ever moved from one web host to another, you know how tricky it is to make the transition seamless. You have to get the site working on the new server, put the active copy of the site into maintenance mode, then update your DNS settings, and hope everything works out fine.

In case something goes awry, it’s a good idea to be there, ready, when it happens. That’s where DNS Pinger comes in. Just enter your domain name, along with your email address, and the service will automatically ping your site every three minutes. You will receive an email alerting you the minute the DNS update is complete.