The quickest way to go bankrupt would be to screw over your customer base.

Everyone using Netflix does so because we've had it with the bullshit dished out by the big players. ( cable, satellite, uverse, etc )

We don't want the GD ads. Why is this so difficult to grasp ? The whole POINT of paying for content is so we don't get harassed with advertising every ten fucking minutes. It's so bad we now go out of our way to avoid or actively filter it. That alone should tell you something.

Believe me when I say your bandwidth / peering problems will go away almost overnight when you start putting in ads because you'll probably set a world record for customers lost in shortest amount of time.

Don't say we didn't warn you. . .

THIS. Lots of THIS.

Folks like to toss around the idea that Cisco Certifications are just dead simple and after reading a book or two, you can waltz in take the test and bazinga! Thou art certified.

In their defense, once upon a time this was true. However, today's certifications are much tougher to obtain and you really need to know what you're doing before you attempt the test. ( Tests are about $300 a pop by the way )

I'm currently working on CCNP R&S and there is a TON of information you have to be able to recall on demand. To top it off, Cisco updated the CCNP level certification in January of this year so it includes quite a few things that were previously reserved for the CCIE curriculum. ( You'll find much of what used to be on the CCNP certifications have bled down into the CCNA. )

If memory serves me correctly, there are about ~2000 pages of material you need to know for the CCNA. Ditto for the CCNP and we're just talking the Core Routing and Switching Certs. Not the Voice, Security, Wireless, Data Center, etc. etc.

The stuff you get to learn isn't common sense material either. There is so much information it can be overwhelming and it all tends to bleed together after a while.

Cisco expects you to have detailed knowledge of the tech down to the point where you know the minute details as well as the ability to configure and troubleshoot them when things don't work as they should.

Most Cisco certifications are good for three years. The exception being the CCIE which are good for two.

It's unlikely you're going to find CCIE financial compensation to be anywhere near what you're currently making. I've certainly never met one making $200k+ There is a newer certification known as CCAR ( Cisco Certified Architect ) but I've yet to meet one. Pretty much going to be the God of Networking to reach this level.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not trying to be the rain cloud but rather pointing out some of the realities of what you're facing. I have to go with some of the other posters here in that while it's good you're trying to plan ahead, you really should be able to set aside massive amounts of cash at your current pay level. If you can't, you are spending far more than you should be.

You really need to sit down, figure out where your money is going and get that squared away before you do anything else.

Go ahead and start working on the certifications, but be prepared for the mountain of information you're about to face off against.

If you can dedicate a lot of time to studying and lab practice ( yup, go buy some Cisco gear and build yourself a lab. . . you'll need it ) you might can pull a CCIE certification in 2-3 years unless you're some sort of Network Savant who dreams about routing protocols and Wan technologies. . . :D

Why even bother with drones ?

Just hop down to your local Police Station or Sheriff's department, steal the MRAP they bought to intimidate the peasants . . . . er. . . conduct their police business in a safe manner without fear of landmines or IED's, load it with explosives and drive that bastard right onto the front lawn ?

I mean, if we're going to go all Michael Bay on things, why do it with tiny ass drones ? Retrofit that MRAP so you can control IT with a transmitter, pack that baby full of ANFO and REALLY do some damage.

Better yet, in true MB fashion, send in dozens of drones first, cue some epic music THEN send in the MRAP.

"I submit that there is not a single human being, alive or dead, that can stay true to their promise of integrity AND be in the highest power office in the world. its not possible, its not do-able and we should stop expecting it. abs power corrupts absolutely, we all know this and we can see it, first-hand."

I will respectfully disagree with you here. There are likely plenty of folks who have the will, personal capacity and incorruptible temperament to make this country great again. Unfortunately, their integrity not only disqualifies them from sitting in that seat, it ensures they also have no interest in chasing it.

That seat is only for those who lust for power and are willing to do anything, no matter how depraved or perverted, to obtain it.

True greatness is rarely attained by those seeking it.

Maybe.

I'm sure there are quite a few who are clueless and / or don't care because they naively believe it doesn't impact them.
( There is a reason both parties target young ( read that: inexperienced in how corrupt politics really are ) voters so much. )

There are also quite a few who DO care, but are pretty much powerless to do anything about it outside of partying like it's 1776.

We can pretend we're still a Democracy and that voting for X over Y will magically fix things but, in reality, both X and Y are just mouthpieces of Z.
( Z = big business / big campaign donors / pretty much anyone with large checkbooks and an agenda )

So no matter whom we vote for, it's pretty much business as usual. ( See Mr. Hope and Change for the most recent example of this in action )

Or they spend many hours researching them and have come to the logical conclusion that it doesn't matter who you vote for, they're all just slightly different flavors of the same poison.

We need to burn the existing system to the ground and rebuild it. It's the only way to put us back on the right path.

I wonder if China has taken into account the sea-level rise that is likely forthcoming on all those little islands they're building in the South China Sea ?

Fast forward to 2020 when China converts said islands into a submarine base . . . lol

My mind is trying to wrap itself around what sort of person over at Mozilla sits around and thinks:

"Hmmmm, what could be our next feature to win over the folks using Chrome or IE . . . . something to really get folks excited . . . . "
. . . time passes . . .
"OH I KNOW ! How about MORE advertising !

Because obviously, the internet doesn't have enough of it already :| Brilliant . . . .

Dear Mozilla ( and the rest of you browser developers while we're on the subject ):

We develop and install things like Adblock, filter our traffic through proxy servers, use VPN's, and / or use every means at our
disposal to sanitize and disrupt as much advertising / tracking as possible from what is rapidly becoming an Internet that tastes like Cable TV.

If your ultimate goal is to destroy everything you've worked for up to this point, you're doing an outstanding job of it.

Based on Oregons pricing schedule, my tax would be $150 / year, just driving to and from work.

This will impact the poor much more than the upper-class since the poor typically can't afford to live close to work.

Homes start at the half-million dollar range if I want to live withing walking / cycling distance to where I work, so that's not an option.

Curious how they plan to implement such a thing in the larger States where you can drive for hours before you reach a major city.

"None. When I go to Japan, it is impossible not to notice how intelligent people are. Intelligent as in being able to express themselves, to think, reason, and synthesize positions out of multiple sources of information. This is not to say there aren't ignorant dumb-asses over there, but you can tell that basic, common education delivers over there."

This is because their basic, common public education is pretty much on par ( or exceeds ) with college level coursework here. Unlike the United States, being intelligent / smart or getting high marks isn't looked down upon. Here, you get ostracized for showing any sort of aptitude for learning. Their high schools exist to educate, vs merely serving as a location for hosting a Football stadium. I have nothing but respect for their educational system and none at all for our own.

Many of the other countries on the planet have figured out that a well educated population easily trumps the ignorant ones. Apparently the United States hasn't quite got there yet considering how piss poor our public education system really is. ( Especially funding wise ) They'll certainly figure it out in a generation or two when the other nations leave us in the dust.

To be honest, we should copy / emulate their public education system but I don't think our society could handle it. Can't put too much stress on little Timmy now can we ? He's in the starting lineup for Friday nights game ! :|

and voice recognition is still quite crude twenty years later.

I can barely get the software to recognize simple phrases especially in a noisy environment like a car.
I say CALL, it hears MALL, and so on.

I cannot imagine trying to dictate code / script this way ( I would go insane )

print space backquote date backquote space pipe space awk space singlequote leftcurlybrace print space dollarsign two rightcurlybrace singlequote . . . etc.

Now imagine a cubicle farm of fifty people all doing this aloud. :|

Chuckle. If one is using a GUI to configure Cisco gear, one should probably not be using Cisco gear.* :D

*Unless you're trying to learn it, then the GUI will help get you started.

While using "technology" ( streaming video ) to deliver training for the certifications I'm pursuing, I have found that taking notes via pen and paper is what helps me to retain it. I have tried using a laptop and the info just doesn't stick.

ONLY by writing it down manually do I remember it.

No matter how I try to emulate it with tech like a pen / tablet combo, it just isn't the same.

Interesting it is, but certainly nothing new.

It's your standard Fire Control problem. It's pretty much the same systems in place to keep ships guns pointed where they need to be regardless of how the ship is moving about in all axis. The only difference is this is a zero time of flight vs a ballistic solution. If you think about it, it's probably EASIER to keep a laser on target than it is to drop a projectile on one. ( You don't have to dial in spotter offsets for time of flight issues, wind, etc )

and damned if you don't There are only so many seats. They either try to distribute those as evenly as they can ( affirmative action ), or they fill it up with just the best candidates ( read that, test scores ) where they later catch nothing but hell because their student population isn't diverse enough. :| So they get hit with discrimination claims either way. Just from different groups. What this really shows is that not all colleges are equal. A Law degree from X is not the same as a Law degree from Y. So the folks complaining about discrimination are themselves enabling it, just later on down the road. In case I lost you with that last sentence here's how I explain it. Folks go to the Ivy League schools why ? Because they know top tier employers will choose students from those schools over other qualified candidates who didn't go to an Ivy League school. Two perfect candidates for the job, one with Ivy League credentials, one without. Who do you think will get picked up ? :| ( and everyone knows it, thus the competition to get in ) While not race based, it's still discrimination based on school reputation. Were all schools funded and staffed equally, this becomes a non-issue.