As a heavy internet user I am always looking at ways to improve response times of websites… Thanks to Chris Prillo via Twitter I have now discovered the magic that is OpenDNS. I have tried free DNS servers in the past, but never been happy with the results. However this one seems to be working well for me.
OpenDNS has servers situated strategically at the most well-connected intersections of the Internet. Unlike your ISP, our network uses Anycast routing technology, which means no matter where you are in the world your DNS requests are answered by our closest datacenter. Anycast routing also means that you are automatically routed to our next closest datacenter in the event of maintenance or downtime. This makes your Internet faster and more reliable.
If you want to try OpenDNS for yourself, you can find detailed instructions over at their website: https://www.opendns.com/start
Give it a go, and let me know what you think.