On 3 December 2009, Google launched its Public DNS service. Google Public DNS is a free Internet name resolution service similar to the free version of OpenDNS. Both Google DNS and OpenDNS are designed to speed up and help secure the Web browsing experience by leveraging a fast worldwide network of DNS servers.

What's the difference between these two services? As of now, OpenDNS is the more established product, having existed for four more years than Google's and offering more options for setup and control. Which one is faster, or more secure, can be debated. The primary and secondary public IP addresses of each differ, obviously:

OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

→ See also - What Is DNS?

[via dailywireless.org] - How much network bandwidth does it take to transmit high definition video of a world famous event? If you said 1.5 Gbps, you have correctly pegged the size of the feed Level 3 Communications plans to deliver for Super Bowl 44. The broadcast of Super Bowls in previous years required compression at the site before uploading to the broadcasting station, but this time Level 3 expects their fiber optic cables to handle the real-time stream uncompressed, enabling a higher quality broadcast. Impressive.
→ More - First-Ever Uncompressed High-Definition Feed for Super Bowl (businesswire.com)
→ More - Level 3 and Super Bowl XLIV (level3.com)

Super Bowl XLIV (Miami, FL) - Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Doug, one of our readers, can no longer send email from his computer. After some troubleshooting, he has isolated the problem. "Turns out that my IP address has been blacklisted, but not my fault. The ipconfig/release and renew commands do not change the IP address."

"Are these the only ways to get a new IP address, being 1) get a static address, 2) shut down the network for a week or 72 hours, or 3) change ISPs?" Is there any better solution to Doug's problem?

→ Discuss - Changing Your Public IP Address
→ See also - How to Change Your IP Address

A Princeton undergrad and his advising professor recently published the results of their survey on BitTorrent file sharing. ArsTechnica claims the majority of files being shared over BitTorrent are movies and music that are likely being shared illegally, and the data from Sauhard Sahi indeed seems to confirm that. It's too bad we can't find more productive uses for such excellent P2P network technology than just (mostly) pirating stuff.
→ More - Census of Files Available via BitTorrent