Burrowowl

Disabling PPPoE should be easy, and in most cases it really is. This applies to the 5100b and 4100 Efficient Networks Speedstream modems:

1. Surf to http://192.168.0.1/ in your web browser of choice. If your system has assigned itself a 169.mumble address, you will first need to manually assign your computer an IP address like 192.168.0.5, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and a default gateway of 192.168.0.1 to do so.
2. At some point you should be challenged for a Modem Access Code. This should be located on a sticker on the bottom of the modem itself. Type it in, and click Continue.
3. You will be presented with a swizzy web interface. It will be asking you for your ISP login name and password. Ignore this, and click the blue “Advanced” button on the left.
4. Several options will appear as grey buttons. Click the one labeled “PPP Location” to continue.
5. There should be a radio button labeled “Bridged Mode (PPPoE is not used).” This is what you want, so click it.
6. Nothing has taken effect yet, so scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save Changes.”
7. The change to the settings has been saved, but not implemented. You will be prompted to restart. Click the “Restart” button that is presented to you (this is in the web browser, not the the modem itself).
8. You will be presented with a little countdown page. This page is BS, and will not actually go away when your modem is ready to go again. When your DSL light goes solid green, you should be able to surf. Forcing your computer to renew its DHCP lease may be a good idea if you can’t get back online right after the light goes solid. Of course, if you previously had to manually set your IP address, you’ll want to switch it back to DHCP.

The above instructions apply to the Speedstream 4100 and 5100b only. 5100a modems have no PPPoE capability that I’m aware of, and should work on any ADSL circuit using pins 2 and 3.

The 5100a has four lights, and should not require any special configuration:

The 5100b and 4100 have five lights, and may need PPPoE disabled (5100b shown):

For those who don’t care for lists of written instructions, and simply have to learn by doing, check out the 5100b Interface Simulator from Rick n Mia’s World. Thanks, Rick!

Speedstream 4100 User’s Guide (PDF)
Speedstream 5100 User’s Guide (PDF)

Avast, ye scurvy web-surfin’ dogs, today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, so ye best be prepared. As ye man yer desk-jobs, perusing the web like the keyboard-lubber ye are, remember to give a big, hearty “yar” to yer matey. Hoist yer colors today, ye bilge rats, knock back a pint or two of yer best grog, and may be wind be at yer back!

Noritaka Sawamura is a loser. He isn’t smart. He isn’t strong. He isn’t agile. He is, however, extremely tenacious. To win the heart of his fair maiden, Nakayama, he endeavors to become the high school King of Fighting. This series is full of slapstick, potty humor, social awkwardness, braggadocio, and pointless fist-fights. You’ll love it. Alas, there are no HTTP mirrors for this scanlation (at least not to my knowledge), so you’ll have to dust off the old IRC client, and head to #TamaScans@irc.irchighway.net for a copy. Tama Scans picked the title up only a few chapters ago, but I’m sure somebody has the first 25 chapters on an fserve somewhere.

Ok, so Fighters in D&D have traditionally been pretty lousy at a wide variety of things, excelling only in pumelling, piercing, or hacking opponents into pulp. The d20 system did a lot to make the Fighter a more appealing character class, largely through the customization allowed by the class’s feat progression. This allows them to closely match the archery or two-weaponed fighting skills of a Ranger, the mounted combat skills of a Cavalier, the brutal attacking power of the Barbarian, or any suitable blend of the above. Alas, the d20 core rules don’t give them a viable means of beating the living snot out of their opponents with their bare hands.

For ease of reference, here are the d20 Modern unarmed combat feats, grouped by “feat tree.” They provide three separate ways that a Fighter could progress in unarmed combat prowess, and while they don’t make a Fighter the equal of a Monk for this purpose, it gives them some room to grow. Consider using them in your fantasy campaign.

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The folks over at DirectNIC are having a pretty rough time of things right now, what with being headquartered in New Orleans. Amazingly, they’ve kept their ISP services up and running this whole time, with their staff having to not only cope with the expected stresses of a massive catastrophe but also working guard duty to deter looters and a withering tech-support load. One of the employees has been almost continuously updating his blog with observations about the situation both for their business and the city in general.

Security has become a major concern now, because the NOPD is ineffective and the looters
terrorists are roaming the streets. Word is now that they’re lighting
buildings on fire, but I can’t confirm that. Anyway, we have to run
guard shifts and patrol and it limits our downtime.

It is a
zoo out there though, make no mistake. It’s the wild kingdom. It’s Lord
of the Flies. That doesn’t mean there’s murder on every street corner.
But what it does mean is that the rule of law has collapsed, that there
is no order, and that property rights cannot and are not being
enforced. Anyone who is on the streets is in immediate danger of being
robbed and killed. It’s that bad.

It’s good to see some ordinary computer nerds keeping their heads under pressure and trying to hold things together.