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Electrictelegraph Blog

Why ElectricTelegraph ?

The domain name pays homage to the early start of the communication revolution, the Victorian Internet  of the Electrical Telegraph, Morse Code, and the first trans continental arial wires and trans oceanic undersea cables linking the world together just like the internet of today.   When I first got into IT I read Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet and was fascinated by the early routers - the IMPS, and how they turned into the first global computer network, fascinated by routing and how BGP allowed this crazy thing called the Internet to function.   Later I read another book that would leave a huge impact on me and solidify in my mind the historical connection  between the telegraph era and the modern Internet -     The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers.  I highly recommend both books, I'm sure I read first editions but I see both are now updated.  Life moves pretty fast, let's remember our past and say thank you to those pioneers who gave us this great connected world.  

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About Me Introduction



Hello, my name is James Kelly and I work for Presidio as a Senior Cybersecurity Solutions Architect in the Pacific Northwest.  I am passionate about Cybersecurity and technology in general.   This website and Blog are my attempt at sharing my knowledge with the community and a place for me to ramble on and on with my  own particularly non traditional cyber geekness.

One of the reasons I love working in the security field is how fast paced it is, how much it's in the headlines, and how much I've enjoyed getting to know my customers, partners, and co-workers all around the globe.  I'm a huge fan of some of security solutions and have seen the real good they do here in the Pacific NW.  Not marketing, real world use cases, real world successes, a few crazy nights and weekends sprinkled in there too.


I hold a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Minnesota and here I am working in IT years later.  I've got a few certifications and have made several attempts at the CCIE Route Switch Lab.  I have goal of passing both the CCIE Route Switch and CCIE Security.  


Oh and I must include a quick disclosure statement:

The opinions expressed on these pages are my own views and not those of Presidio. This page is run as an independent website and blog. Thank you.

 





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History

I'm a researcher and author and interested in obscure historical stories and facts.  I've done extensive research on my ancestor, fur trapper and adventurer Russel Farnham who lived in the early 1800's.   I'm a huge fan of vintage technology.  My first computer kit was a Sinclair ZX81.  I've collected vintage computers (I even had an dedicated storage unit for this at one time) and video games in the past.  I even attended on of the first vintage computer festivals and really enjoyed buying and selling vintage LED calculators on eBay for a few years.  My favorite obscure network protocol is DEC MOP which you'll probably find running on your ethernet interfaces if you know where to look.    

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#useallyourvacationtime

While I love technology, cyber security, and our connected social media enabled cyber lives, I'm a fan of disconnecting for short periods, a fan of setting boundaries between second life and first life.  Travel often (ok current COVID-19 situation as the exception) .  Get away, shut out work, get out beyond cell phone coverage, don't bring electronics, breath, ground yourself, read a paper book.