To help us weed out sock puppets and whatnot, we started logging IP numbers, which is why that little “IP: LOGGED” deal has started appearing on the lower right of each post. We didn’t want to post the actual IP for fear of giving hackers ideas. However, now that I see this thing in place, it looks a little ominous. It’s not like we need it that bad. We already scan your hard drive for bank statements, XXX-rated pictures, etc. Let me know if it freaks anybody out.
Maybe it’s the word “logged” that seems ominous. If you replaced it with another word, such as
IP: Here
it would be less threatening to some people. (of course, it might be confusing.)
Um… Ed, just so you know, those naked pictures of Ernest Borgnine I have were strictly for research purposes.
Ed - it doesn’t bother me one bit. With all the wierdness on the 'net, it’s probably a good idea.
Oooh, say, so long as you’re getting my bank statements, can you e-mail them back to me? I still need to do my taxes…
Anyways, logging the ISP sounds like a fine plan to me.
JMCJ
“Y’know, I would invite y’all to go feltch a dead goat, but that would be abuse of a perfectly good dead goat and an insult to all those who engage in that practice for fun.” -weirddave, set to maximum flame
The flaws in IP logging, as anyone who has stats on their web page knows, are:
Lots of sites, like AOL, and almost all the free ISP’s (AltaVista, Bluelight, NetZero, FreeI, WorldSpy.net, Freewwweb, etc…) give all neighboring users the same ISP #, and switch IP’s constantly as more people log in.
If you have a fixed IP, like at school or work, all your co-workers have the same one.
If you log in from a public place, like a school computer lab or library, BOTH of the above kick in.
The result? About 50% of users seem to live in Vienna, VA., which is somebody’s hub.
Also, a sock puppet can switch between free ISP’s and get free email addresses every day (from all of the above and more), to get a clean slate whenever they wanna. 
I love the nightlife, I gotta boogie!
How about IP: GOTCHA ? Or maybe IP: CATALOGUED AND REFERENCED ?
I ask not what you can do for me, but what you can do for me right now.
Vienna, VA is AOL
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I have over 2000 posts, dammit! Show some respect.
http://fathom.org/opalcat/showmerespect.jpg
O p a l C a t
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I agree, the IP often doesn’t tell you much. As a dialup AOL user, I’m going to check my own IP whenever I post to see how wide a range of IPs I get assigned. If three out of four quads change, obviously IPs are going to be pretty useless as a way of nailing sock puppets who use big ISPs.
A freemail account doesn’t affect your IP, I’m pretty sure. How easy it is to change ISP’s frankly I don’t know.
this is a test
another test
Well, anything that can help you guys keep up with reappearances of banned trolls is all to the good, IMO. You guys can play with it and find out how helpful it really is, but if it even gets a few of those guys when they bounce right back up again, it’s a good thing.
Whether it works or not, thanks for trying to do something about the trolls. I, for one, appreciate the effort.
“IP number” is for my Internet Service Provider?? That’s the same as the ISP, right?
So, when you have ‘logged’ in the corner, are * you * doing that? Is it coming up automatically as a reminder ** you have us in the system **?
My service provider is NetZero and I wasn’t aware I had a number, do you already have mine because you have my e mail address, or is it something I have to go find out from them, and e mail it to you???
What is an ICQ number?? Is that only if you have your own web page, and since I don’t, I don’t have an ICQ either?
Thanks for all this initial training! I can only wish the hackers, sock puppeteers and multiple people were as ignorant as I about computer stuff! It would at least slow them down.
Judy
“Muck should replace ‘suck’. For ‘muck’ is yucky, while ‘suck’ feels very lucky. So, don’t stay stuck on suck, switch to MUCK, today.”
Oh! So, ‘logged’ does come up automatically, which means you DO have a number for me, okay, I’ll save that worry spot in my head for something else! 
An internet service provider (ISP) will generally have a block of IP addresses. When you dial in, you will be assigned an IP address from that block. In order to use the Innternet at all, you need to have an IP address, as that is what tells routers where to send the information you ask for.
ICQ is a program you can download from www.icq.com that allows you to send instant messages to other people that have it. Each person has a number. It is similar to AOL Instant Messenger, which uses unique names rather than numbers.
Logged comes up to say they got your IP address. Some people are rather security conscious, and don’t want others having this information, as it is what you need (among other things) to hack someone’s computer. As long as you trust Ed not to do that, you don’t have anything to worry about.
Anti Pro, here’s a few quick internet lessons. “IP” stands for internet protocol. An “IP address” is a number assigned to each computer that communicates on the internet. Your ISP (internet service provider) has a large block (sometimes thousands) of IP adresses that it assigns to it’s users. If you use a dial-up connection, you would get an IP address from your ISP out of it’s pool of addresses, each time you connected.
Your e-mail accounts are totally separate, although your IP address is included in your e-mail header.
ICQ is a service, like Instant Messenger, that you type back and forth with others in real time, kinda like private chat. If you use the ICQ you are assigned a number that identifies you. It is not an IP address, it’s just an indentification number for the service.
Lastly, a personal web page is just like any other web page, except that you control what is dispayed. It has little to do with any of the above.
I know there are technical shortcomings in the above explanation, but I hope that explains some of the terms that are being thrown around.
JIm
I hope this means y’all have fixed all the “board goes up, board goes down” issues…in my experience, adding software to an already-unstable system is, shall we say, contraindicated.
If you want to have an idea of what your IP address is, launch the MS DOS Prompt from Start > Programs
For Windows 9x machines, type in
winipcfg
For Windows NT machines type in:
ipconfig
I think that’s right.
Write it down and check to see what your IP address is the next time you log on.
If you access here via your office’s network and are behind a firewall, most likely your IP address will show up to the outside world as the same IP address.
I’m totally against indiscriminate IP logging. It’s a rape of our national IP resources. How long do you think it will be before all the IPs are logged? What will we say to our children when they grow up in a world with no more IPs? We must carefully harvest IPs so that they are replenished by natural or cultivated IP growth. Think of the children, man!
Peace.
You know, moriah, I’ve wondered why in my jaunts about the country I’ve noticed a severe lack of old growth IP’s. I hope you realize the repercussions of your actions, Ed, and are willing to live up to the responsibility.
I ask not what you can do for me, but what you can do for me right now.