From Pine View Farm

Question 4

Why would the Department of Homeland Security want to look at my picture of a magnolia tree?

From the stats (emphasis added):

URL: /weblog/?m=200604
Date: 2009-Jan-23 15:53:32
Referer: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pineviewfarm.net/graphics/magnolia.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pineviewfarm.net/weblog/%3Fm%3D200604&usg=__dPjKV009qCbCCtyjW80S–urFL0=&h=497&w=435&sz=222&hl=en&start=20&tbnid=rZe-p23wXqEhYM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=1
IP: 204.248.24.163
Host: sbcp4.dhs.gov
Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; DHSI60SP1001; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.1)

One would think they could find better things to do with our time. Not, of course, that I ever surfed the web while at work.

(Frankly, I think it should never had been created. Congress blew that one. And, if it had to be created, it should have been called the “Department of Domestic Security.” “Homeland” sounds too much like “Vaterland.“)

“Whois” information below the fold.

Whois results via Sam Spade:

OrgName: Sprint
OrgID: SPRN
Address: 12502 Sunrise Valley Drive
City: Reston
StateProv: VA
PostalCode: 20196
Country: US
NetRange: 204.248.0.0 – 204.251.255.255
CIDR: 204.248.0.0/14
NetName: SPRINT-BLKD
NetHandle: NET-204-248-0-0-1
Parent: NET-204-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
NameServer: NS1-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET
NameServer: NS2-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET
NameServer: NS3-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET
Comment: ADDRESSES WITHIN THIS BLOCK ARE NON-PORTABLE
RegDate: 1995-02-01
Updated: 1995-08-21
RTechHandle: SPRINT-NOC-ARIN
RTechName: Sprintlink (Sprint)
RTechPhone: 1-800-232-6895
RTechEmail: NOC@sprint.net

OrgAbuseHandle: SAET-ARIN
OrgAbuseName: Sprint AUP Enforcement Team
OrgAbusePhone: 1-800-232-6895
OrgAbuseEmail: abuse@sprint.net

OrgTechHandle: ARINS-ARIN
OrgTechName: arin-sprint-iprequest
OrgTechPhone: 1-800-232-3458
OrgTechEmail: ip-request@sprint.net

OrgTechHandle: KRW1-ARIN
OrgTechName: West Ken R
OrgTechPhone: 1-703-689-7173
OrgTechEmail: ken.r.west@sprint.com

OrgName: DHS/BSL002A
OrgID: DHSBS
Address: 7681 Boston Blvd
City: Springfield
StateProv: VA
PostalCode: 22153
Country: US
NetRange: 204.248.24.0 – 204.248.24.255
CIDR: 204.248.24.0/24
NetName: SPRINTLINK
NetHandle: NET-204-248-24-0-1
Parent: NET-204-248-0-0-1
NetType: Reassigned
Comment:
RegDate: 2008-04-18
Updated: 2008-04-18
RTechHandle: JDO143-ARIN
RTechName: Dowell Jerry
RTechPhone: 1-703-921-6599
RTechEmail: jerry.dowell@associates.dhs.gov

OrgTechHandle: JDO143-ARIN
OrgTechName: Dowell Jerry
OrgTechPhone: 1-703-921-6599
OrgTechEmail: jerry.dowell@associates.dhs.gov

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4 comments

  1. Karen

    January 23, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    I would ask him, if that is an actual person & phone number.

     
  2. Frank

    January 23, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    I am always mildly surprised to find out who reads this damned thing. But the picture of the magnolia tree?

    It is a most unusal magnolia.

     
  3. Bill

    January 24, 2009 at 9:29 am

    And I’m the one responsible for making it a “most unusal [sic] magnolia.”

    Don’t make too much of it. I’ve done searches at work for something work related and ended up at sites that had nothing to do with what I was looking for. Or I’ve been looking for a picture or line of text or reference – nothing devious or criminal. Could be the webmaster of one of those sites wondered why someone from USDA was looking at his/her site. You need a new hobby.

    As an aside, we have a program called WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program). One of our program managers did d search for “WHIP” and told me he would not do that again. Apparently most of the results were sites one should not attempt to visit while working.

     
  4. Frank

    January 24, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    (grin) I don’t flatter myself that DHS was looking for me. If they were, the search term wouldn’t have been “magnolia.” But if I can have some fun with them, I shall.

    All they can get me for is shooting off my mouth.