Can you actually connect to
http://72.14.207.99 from your browser, or even ping it? (Note the latter doesn't always work if the host or any gateway blocks ICMP echos, though here the host allows ping since I just tried it!) If not, then your problem isn't in your application and is likely a network issue as mentioned above. BTW, it's happening in the connection.getInputStream() if you read the stack trace correctly, not in the Scanner constructor. This has nothing do with the Scanner.
Oh, and Java uses the IP settings of the NIC it connects to the LAN on. It knows nothing else unless you tell it.
[ October 09, 2008: Message edited by: Charles Lyons ]
Charles Lyons (SCJP 1.4, April 2003; SCJP 5, Dec 2006; SCWCD 1.4b, April 2004)
Author of OCEJWCD Study Companion for Oracle Exam 1Z0-899 (ISBN 0955160340 / Amazon Amazon UK )