diff --git a/ai/ai.py b/ai/ai.py
index 40201e240..6c22c925b 100644
--- a/ai/ai.py
+++ b/ai/ai.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import json
 import pickle
 import requests
+import urllib.request, urllib.parse
 import pdb
 import time
 import ai.ml_ids
@@ -110,9 +111,18 @@ def check_results(self,timestamp=None):
         #payload.update(self.static_payload)
         # get new results
         r = requests.post(self.exp_path,data=json.dumps(payload),headers={'content-type': 'application/json'})
+        # r = requests.post(self.exp_path,data=json.dumps(payload))
+        baseURL = 'http://hoth.pmacs.upenn.edu:5080'
+        experimentsURL=baseURL+'/api/experiments'
+        postvars = {'apikey':'Oed+kIyprDrUq/3oWU5Jpyd22PqhG/CsUvI8oc9l39E='}
+        params = json.dumps(postvars).encode('utf8')
+        req = urllib.request.Request(experimentsURL, data=params,
+          headers={'content-type': 'application/json'})
+        r = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
+        data = json.loads(r.read().decode(r.info().get_param('charset') or 'utf-8'))
         # if there are new results, return True
         pdb.set_trace()
-        if len(json.loads(r.text)) > 0:
+        if len(data) > 0:
             if self.verbose:
                 print(time.strftime("%Y %I:%M:%S %p %Z",time.localtime()),
                       'new results!')
diff --git a/tests/extract_ml_experiments.py b/tests/extract_ml_experiments.py
index 4a7dca7eb..0ba8ddabc 100644
--- a/tests/extract_ml_experiments.py
+++ b/tests/extract_ml_experiments.py
@@ -5,9 +5,11 @@
 unixtime = int(datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%s")) * 1000
 #last 8 hours
 lastupdate = unixtime - (8 * 60 * 60 * 1000 )
-baseURL = os.environ['FGLAB_URL']
+#baseURL = os.environ['FGLAB_URL']
+baseURL = 'http://hoth.pmacs.upenn.edu:5080'
 experimentsURL=baseURL+'/api/experiments'
-postvars = {'apikey':os.environ['APIKEY'],'date_start':lastupdate} 
+#postvars = {'apikey':os.environ['APIKEY'],'date_start':lastupdate} 
+postvars = {'apikey':'Oed+kIyprDrUq/3oWU5Jpyd22PqhG/CsUvI8oc9l39E=','date_start':lastupdate}
 params = json.dumps(postvars).encode('utf8')
 req = urllib.request.Request(experimentsURL, data=params,
   headers={'content-type': 'application/json'})