> A sort of odd event: Using my geo-locating tools and my javascripts,
> when I go to those places which identify my whereabouts, I am always
> correctly located in Independence, KS (although not on my exact spot
> on the map but within a couple blocks); but when I was using my
> TerraWorld modem backup line yesterday, the same pages and tools said
> I was in 'Ballwin, Missouri' (which is not that far away, about a
> hundred miles east and a bit south -- but still). I wish I knew how
> those geo-locating tools worked. PAT]
Well, perhaps TerraWorld doesn't share its customer data with the
geo-locating sites in realtime.
The matching of an IP address to a location works a lot like the
matching of a telephone prefix (e.g., 620-402) to a city/town (e.g.,
Winfield, KS). If someone with an FX line entered their prefix at a
site like Fonefinder, would you expect them to see their actual
location or the one associated with their exchange?
Back to TerraWorld: I see no reason they would have an IP address
permanently allocated to Patrick Townson's modem backup line. ARIN
isn't in the habit of handing out IP blocks large enough for such
behavior. Instead, when you dialed their modem, they handed you an
address from the pool. And apparently, Ballwin is the listed address
for that bank of modems.
To be honest, the "within a couple blocks" for your normal connection
is unusually close. Is there some equipment housed at that location?
Or might the locator be using some sort of geographic center for that
position?
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My longitude is -95.699697 and my
latitude is 37.218839 going by the ICBM program and my nine-digit zip
code 67301-4349. Giving those coordinates to Google Maps puts the
little dot across the street from my house, as well as on Frappr.com
but Blogflux mapstats does claim it is 'Independence, KS' based on the
above coordinates as well as my usual IP address, 24.119.70.45,
however the little dot on the map is placed on the corner of Wald
Street and Edison Street, two or three blocks east and south. I am on
Poplar Street between Second Street and First Street so I walk a half
block east to First Street a block further east to Wald Street, then
south one block to Hill Street then south another block to Edison
Street. Maybe the final digit in the latitude or longitude is rounded
off one way or the other.
Regards 620-402 and 620-331, the latter is the telephone exchange for
_everything_ in Independence except municipal government which is 332
and cell phones which are either 330, 331, or 332. An exception is the
very odd exchange 620-714 which is listed as Independence but there is
no one on it except for the TerraWorld dialups. But the guy who owns
TerraWorld also owns Prairie Stream, our local CLEC. He said to me
that '714 was assigned to him when he started Prairie Stream' and that
'in theory' if he took on new customers who did _not already_ have
phone service from SW Bell he would put his 'new' customers in
620-714. But, he 'uses SBC to do his credit checking for him'; in
other words, you have to have working service from Bell before he will
give you his phone service, therefore his customers already have
phones with 331 or 325 (Neodesha) or 289 (Tyro/Caney KS rural) or 251
(Coffeyville) so if SBC has not cut you off, he assumes you are a good
credit risk and takes you on with Prairie Stream if you wish to
switch, and he just ports your existing 331 (325,289,251) number as he
did with me when I started using Duane's company. In any event,
TerraWorld's dialup in Independence is 714-0005. I think Coffeyville
is -0008 and Neodesha is -0002. 620-714 is 'local' to all of us.
Regards 620-402, that prefix is in Winfield, KS, a tiny little place
about 50 miles west of here. It is also the Vonage POP for this part
of S.E. Kansas. I have Vonage service here in my home (620-402-0134)
as well as my Prairie Stream [nee, SBC] service on 620-331. But I do
not have five cents worth of SBC service, a company which is starting
to fall out of favor with many folks in Independence since Duane, with
his good reputation for ISP service started Prairie Stream Communications
as well, and now he is licensed to do business anywhere in Kansas
which is otherwise SBC or Sprint/United territory. The Kansas
Commission _loves_ him; they _hate_ SBC/Sprint/United. PAT]
panoptes@iquest.net