Dear Reader, It’s been a long time since we’ve connected; unfortunately, I haven’t been able to post here as much as I’d have liked over the past 2–4 years. I had plans—for example, to write the usual Techtorial/ITBN experience reports, network security case studies, and even some documentation of my CCIE Service Provider preparation. Sadly, none of that happened—and I won’t be catching up. What’s in the past is already gone. In exchange, there are now plenty of exciting areas worth exploring, especially for those interested in networking. For example, the rise of AI in network monitoring and management systems, or “new,” paradigm-shifting solutions like segment routing. Currently, my main focus is on the CCIE exam and its successful outcome, so I’ll soon write a brief experience report about Segment Routing and other related innovations, such as FlexAlgo, PCE, or NetConf/NSO and similar technologies—which, while they may not fundamentally change the traditional MPLS/BG...