| HOME | October classic now available on the Web Oct. 13, 1996 By JIM BROOKS October means more than frost on the pumpkin; for sports fans it means the World Series. With the division championships decided and the playoffs underway, the first place to look for information on the October classic is @Bat, the official presence of Major League Baseball on the World Wide Web. And what a nice site it is. You can catch the latest news on the playoff games, as well as travel back to World Series' game s of the past. Test your knowledge of the game in their on-line trivia game, or visit the Clubhouse Shop and browse through their officially licensed apparal -- all available for purchase on line. There's nostalgia for those of us who remember the heady days of the Cinncinati Reds' sweep of the New York Yankees in the 1976 World Series (a classmate of mine predicted the sweep, and collected handsomely on a number of wagers). If you have your Web browser set up for it, you can even get a virtual tour of some famous stadiums. And if you can't watch the Series on TV, you can catch the action courtesy of your PC or Macintosh. Making use of RealAudio software, the games will be simulcast live over the Internet. It doesn't matter if you're a veteran of the World Wide Web or a newcomer, you've probably encountered at one time or another one or more of those cryptic error messages. Messages like ``Failed DNS Lookup,'' ``Error 404,'' or any variation of the many error messages unique to the Web often have newbies and experts scratching their heads. And despite their puzzling nomenclature, these difficult-to-understand messages can actually be useful -- or at the least, convey useful information. Here is a list of some of the more common ones I've encountered, and the usual meaning associated with them. 401 Unauthorized -- There's probably a user name and password linked to access to this site. But don't fret, most sites have some way to register on-line for access privileges. 403 Forbidden --similar to above; you'll need to be registered or have some sort of clearance to access this page. 404 Not Found -- Your Web browser found the server for the page you're looking for, but the page itself is missing. Sometimes Web pages are moved or deleted; often if you go up to the URL and remove the document name (the part with the ``.html'' or ``.htm'' extension), you'll wind up on another page on the server. For example, if you're surfing to www.gadget.com/widgets/stuff.html and get the 404 error, remove the ``stuff.html'' from the URL. Try it -- sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. 500 Server Error -- most likely a problem with the HTML of the Web page you've requested. Not much you can do about this one, unfortunately. Failed DNS Lookup -- DNS stands for Domain Name Server, and that's the first place your browser looks to find the location of the Web page you're looking for. A doman name is the ``www.widget.com'' address or URL that you type in to get to a Web site. The doman name corresponds to a numerical address, and your request is then piped to the proper place. But sometimes the DNS can't find the domain you want. Sometimes it's because of an error typing it in on your browser; other times, it's due to some sort of ``burp'' in the system -- someone's server may have crashed or been reset. Either way, you'll have to try again later to see if the domain name has been located by the DNS. File Contains No Data -- this error message sometimes is returned when there's a error in the URL. Check your typing and try again. Not Found -- usually refers to a dead link that's probably never been updated at the Web site you're visiting (I probably have a few of those on my own Web site). If the URL is entered correctly, you're next step is try a search engine to find the new location of the Web page. NNTP Server Error -- This is an error that comes up when you're using your Web browser to read Usenet newsgroups. It usually means there's probably an error in the software's setup for the news server. Double check the address for the NNTP server and try again. There Is No Respnse -- I have this one pop up when my connection to the Internet isn't as solid as I thought. Usually it means my modem is offline or I've lost the connection. In either case, I wind up making a new connection to eliminate the problem. ``TODAY'' ON THE NET. NBC's long-running ``Today'' show has launched its own Web site to complement its two-hour live broadcast each weekday morning. The site contains features, on-line opinion polls, a scrapbook that looks back on the show's history; transcripts of the show as well as a schedule and of course, Willard Scott's birthday features for those reaching age 100 and beyond. To visit Today on line, point your browser to http://www.today.msnbc.com for details. MSN REVAMPED. Microsoft Corp. has revamped its Microsoft Network as it moves the service to the World-Wide Web. The 1.6 million-subscriber service is also restructuring its rates, which now range from $6.95 per month for five hours of access per month, to $19.95 for unlimited access. Microsoft Network -- known as MSN -- has grouped its content into four main categories in an effort to give its subscribers easy access to the information they want. Sneak previews are already underway for 100,000 of its subscribers, with a full roll-out and media blitz planned for November. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME |