It's going on six hours that I can't connect to Google via its domain name. I can connect via the IP address, but that's it. Instead, I was earlier being redirected to another search engine called SOGO (I took the screenshot to the right at about 9:15 a.m. Eastern time). Now, I'm simply timing out when trying to connect to the domain name google.com.

When trying to connect to www.google.com/ig, which I use as my home page, I was receiving the following error message:

Not Found

The requested URL /ig was not found on this server.
Apache/2.0.50 (FreeBSD) PHP/4.3.8 Server at www.google.com Port 80

I no longer receive that error message. I simply time out. After posting my belief on Digg.com that Google was down and being told by 20 people that I was nuts, I can only assume this is a local DNS issue. The mystery now is why I'm not being redirected to the SOGO search engine anymore.

The timing couldn't be worse: I'm finishing a book about Google right now that's due within the next week. Hopefully, the IP address will continue to work for me until the DNS issue(s) is resolved.

Last month's scuttlebutt about Google creating its own WiFi service is gaining some traction in the mainstream press today.

Reuters is reporting that several pages on Google's site reference this supposedly new wireless service. One FAQ page refers to a service called "Google Secure Access." Another offers a free download of "Google Secure Access."

According to Google's site, the product exists to "establish a more secure connection while using Google WiFi." With its recent stock offering, Google certainly has the cash to make a move into WiFi access. "Google hotspot" could become the phrase of 2006.