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npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Aargh!!! I always worried this day would come. IT has blocked my access to pipesmagazine.com, smokingpipes.com, and any and all searches with the word pipe or tobacco in them. This is actually a real problem for me because it’s one of the few things I have during the day to occupy and distract me for a couple minutes at a time. The funny part is, the kid from IT contacted me via email with a warning that I had suspicious Internet use.
And on another note, my state just passed a hands-free driving law. Although it technically applies only to cell phones, I have been told that it will also apply to pipe smoking since you cannot do that hands-free In the car. Of course they excluded cigarettes.
Another issue is that my eyes are getting older. I now wear reading glasses and I hate searching boards on my cell phone.
Sad times.

 

kickinbears

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 21, 2018
200
1
With the number of ways they can track your online activity at work (and expanding / growing), I abandoned browsing anything but news channels long ago on a work PC. That’s what smart phones (or smart phone hotspots plus your favorite tablet) are for. :)

 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,339
23,496
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I do most of my browsing and emailing on my tablet. If you can get a free WiFi hotspot in your office, pick up a cheap tablet and enjoy your breaks again.
The hands free driving law sounds very broad, yet selective. Pipe smoking singled out? I am all for cracking down on distracted driving, but what's the ratio of those who use their phones while driving compared to pipe smoking?

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
I hear you @kickinbears. But the funny caveat in my case is that I’m a partner in the company, and I’m the head of Technology for my group. So I’ve been able to do what I want for a long time. And now I’m told by the very group I oversee that I have to do what they say. I suppose this is normal stuff, but it’s just striking to see it actually start to take hold.

 

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,102
53,840
41
Louisville
You could browse through a proxy server..
IT might take exception to that as well but I'd flex my seniority muscles.

 

kickinbears

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 21, 2018
200
1
Haha ... Big Brother’ed by your own company? Now that’s new
Sounds like you need to explore setting up your own IT profile with filters reduced ... what’s the point of your entrepreneurial success and big title if you can’t go swingin’ dick every now and then?

 
Pipesmoking is hands free for me.

But, at home we use our city’s free WiFi, and about a year ago, Pipesandcigars did something to their internet site that marks it as tobacco by the filters, and it is blocked from the entire city. I can still get smokingpipes and almost all cigar sites, and this one, but pipesandcigars is banned. I have not been able to use them in about a year. I have no idea what they did, but I imagine all cities that have free WiFi access cannot access them any more. Whatever they did, blocks themselves from possibly a large cross section of customers or potential customers. I guess smokingpipes and the others just left out trigger words like tobacco or smoking or something that pipesandcigars did not. I had sent the company an email back when it happened, but it must have just hit the dead email letter room. Or else, maybe they intended for this to happen. Anyways, I miss using that company. I can still see it if I access it on my mobile data, but shopping on my phone sucks.

 

cohibajoe

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 2, 2018
722
1,165
Branchburg, NJ
That’s what smart phones (or smart phone hotspots plus your favorite tablet) are for. [:)]

Now your talking my language...There are Anonymizer Proxies you can use to Bypass your Proxy/Firewall at work...More likely your IT is using Content Control which can also block this...But since your Name was tagged...I would use the Smart Phone as a trip to HR in not worth it.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Yeah I do use my phone as a hotspot and carry a small apple laptop for personal use. There’s always a way around it. I guess I was just more doing a rant. The biggest problem is that the word tobacco itself is becoming blocked.
So as an experiment I typed in marijuana and got no block. Go figure.

 

kickinbears

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 21, 2018
200
1
Prohibition on marijuana is ending, wheras prohibition on tobacco is just beginning

 

irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,157
3,807
Kansas
Well I'm yakking here from work now. Work is over-rated. :D On the rare occasions I'm behind the wheel on highways, I can manage to light a pipe while still having hands on the wheel. Though this state hasn't made that an issue as yet.

 

mnewb1

Might Stick Around
May 9, 2018
70
31
Just wait until net neutrality kicks in and your provider can decide what you see and what you don’t.....

 

seacaptain

Lifer
Apr 24, 2015
1,829
7
I haven't looked at anything on the internet on my work computer except work related websites in the last 10+ years. Why take the chance that you run afoul of some stupid company policy (or person) and lose your job?

 

kickinbears

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 21, 2018
200
1
While I highly doubt outright blocking is going to be an issue (terrible publicity for US based ISPs), there will almost certainly be subversive throttling that will only be overcome via a higher price point plan (bandwidth and/or data usage).
Having worked for AOL / Time Warner at the height of it’s success pre-merger and throughout the merger, I know many of the cheap shenanigans they’ll likely put in motion. I am very glad to be completely out of the telecommunications / ISP business (and loathe having to interact with them today as a B2B customer ... )
Of course, net neutrality has nothing on an internal IT block list, as the OP is experiencing

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Yeah, like mentioned above I’m not worried about my job or net neutrality. Guess I’m just shocked tobacco is now considered an offensive and blocked topic while marijuana is not. And as always there are lots of separate issues to be discussed on this topic. But seriously, I googled bongs and was able to go to all kinds of sites with no block. I followed up with IT and they agreed that was crazy.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
The irony of it being the group you overlook is hilarious, if not annoying.

Yes, for sure. This one is particularly ironic and close to my heart. It's personal this time.

 
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