Binary? Ecch!

Here's an easier way to do this (with a normal pocket calculator) that doesn't require any conversions to or from binary:
  1. Do an nslookup on a non-filtered box to get a dotted decimal IP address. (In Windows 9x, use ping instead of nslookup.) For example, slashdot.org used to be 66.35.250.150 until it moved from Exodus East to Exodus West.
  2. Key into the calculator, replacing each . with = * 2 5 6 +
  3. Press = to see the IP address. Now key it into your web browser: http://1109654166

Caveats

Because an nslookup is involved, it won't work on sites that use NameVirtualHost (such as goatse.cx or Pin Eight), dynamic IP addressing (anything on cjb.net), or free hosting services (GeoCities, Tripod, FortuneCity, etc.). It also doesn't work with censorware products that do a reverse nslookup, cache IP addresses of blocked sites, or do regexp matching on the path portion of the URI. One surefire way to defeat client-side URL filtering is to use the Peacefire package.