TCP-AO for BGP: What it is and what is does
TCP Authentication Option (TCP-AO) comes in. It is defined in RFC 5925 and exists to protect TCP sessions from spoofing and reset attacks.
Technology & Industry Commentary
Here I discuss general technology trends across various market segments, including Internet Service Providers. What are some of the geeky things going on around the Capital I Internet.
BGP Traffic Engineering for Regional ISPs: Practical Control Without the Pain
Traffic rarely flows where you expect. BGP picks the “best” path, but that does not always mean the fastest or cheapest one.
When Competence Is Unnoticed: Navigating the Phase of Professional Invisibility
Effective network engineering is intentionally unobtrusive. When systems remain stable, support tickets are not generated. If routing functions correctly, inquiries are absent. When redundancy operates as intended, disruptions are imperceptible.
Certifications in the Era of AI
If AI can perform many tasks previously handled manually by engineers, do certifications still hold value? The answer depends on the original intent behind certifications.
Categories updated and site changes
I have distilled down many of the categories on this site to just a handful. This should help my readers find and keep track of topics. For a while I have used categories instead of tags. Its a by-product of using WordPress for over 15 years now. You don’t know what you don’t know. On … Read more
ISPAmerica 2026 Photos1
I will be talking about some of these in more detail in later posts. These are some random photos of gear and of the ISPAmerica 2026 show in Atlanta Georgia.
AI Traffic and FD-IX. An exchange perspective
AI traffic does not behave like normal internet traffic. Traditional transit models were built for north–south traffic. That means users pulling content from somewhere else. A house streams Netflix. A business checks Microsoft 365. Traffic leaves the local network, hits a transit provider, and finds its way to a remote. That model works because most flows are bursty and asymmetric. Download heavy. Upload light. Predictable
Remote workers Noise vs Camaraderie
Lately, I have been struggling with cohesion with remote colleagues. There is a fine line between focused teams getting off track and also engaging in normal human conversation. This is not necessarily water-cooler talk, but basic interaction. Remote work is taking away the physical office, but it doesn’t change human nature. People still want to … Read more
When emails are important but get lost in the noise
Companies love email. It is cheap, fast, and easy to send at scale. That ease creates a quiet risk. When everything is “important,” nothing is. This is like the modern version of crying wolf.
Ultrasonic Beacons: How Your Phone Hears Ads You Can’t
An ultrasonic beacon is a short audio signal. It lives above normal hearing, often above 18 kHz. Speakers in TVs, kiosks, or stores can play it. To you, it sounds like silence. To a phone microphone, it sounds like data. The beacon often carries a simple ID. That ID links to an action, such as logging a visit or triggering an ad.