Network Operator Groups Are the Last Functional Standards Body
The IETF writes the RFCs. The IEEE writes the cables. The MEF and OIF and IETF and ITU all write specifications that vendors implement. None of them write the document
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RAG: Giving the Model Good Notes Before You Ask
RAG is one of the most useful AI ideas for beginners: search first, give the model the right notes, then ask it to answer.
The Mac Studio Moment
When your own AI hardware starts to make sense, and why buying it should be a consequence, not the beginning.
Why Every NOG Should Run Its Own Looking Glass
Looking glasses go down. The hosted ones get neglected, the vendor-sponsored ones get retired when a vendor exits, the community-run ones suffer when the volunteer doing it changes jobs. Five-year
Local Models: What Actually Happens on Your Own Machine
Local LLMs sound like rocket science at first. The first lesson is simpler: control, limits, and an honest view of performance.
Keep Ukraine Connected — The Cable, the Drone, the Diesel
I want to write about this carefully because the topic is real and the people doing the work deserve better than dramatic prose. A network operator group is not a
A Plain-English Glossary for This AI Journey
A non-technical glossary for the words that keep appearing in AI conversations: LLM, model, prompt, RAG, adapter, LoRA, MCP, gateway, and more.
Seven Years of NOG Support — What Volunteer Networks Actually Build
I joined a NOG mailing list in 2019. It was the first time I'd been in a community where network operators talked to each other as peers rather
Memory: Why Notes and Git Became More Important Than Good Prompts
LLMs forget. Projects should not. Memory made of notes, decisions, and Git history turns single AI sessions into real progress.
When Answers Become Tools
The step after the chat window: not only asking AI, but letting it read files, change code, and verify results.
// projects & tools
Magatama
Unified Security Platform — 6 pillars covering AppSec, Cloud, AI, Pentest, Runtime & Compliance.
magatama.dev →
PeerCortex
Network Intelligence Platform — RPKI, ASPA, BGP Health Reports for 70,000+ networks.
peercortex.org →
GitHub
Open source — PeerCortex, PaperCortex, ShieldX, Transceiver DB & more.
github.com/renefichtmueller →
fichtmueller.org
20+ years in optical networking, ISP infrastructure & peering. Social Networker.
fichtmueller.org →
NOGnet
Global NOG Support Program — empowering Network Operator Groups worldwide.
nognet.net →