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Artwork for The Hedge

The Hedge

Russ White
Networking
Network Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
Cloud Computing
Automation
Network Automation
Data Centers
BGP
Computer Networking
Cybersecurity
Ipv6
Sonic
QUIC
Productivity
Energy Efficiency
RPKI
Self-Publishing
Blockchain
Telecommunications
Open Source Software

culture eats technology for breakfast

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes64Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for The Hedge

Latest Episodes

Over time, services like DNS and email have been centralized, leaving the Internet itself much more centralized. In this episode of the Hedge, Doug Jacobson joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to discuss centralization and service consolidation.

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AI is everywhere. While there are many questions about whether AI is a bubble, the ethics of AI, and the cultural impact of AI, in this episode of the Hedge Mike Bushong joins Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ to talk about how network engineers can use AI. Are... more

It’s time for Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ to gather round the hedge and talk about various items of interest. In this roundtable, we consider what we can learn about product development from Bastiat, and the various ins and outs of Parkinson’s Law.

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How effective are AI tools–even agentic AI tools placed into a system–at building and testing software? Derick Winkworth and Donald Sharp Join Russ to discuss various projects they’ve worked on using AI tools, lessons they’ve learned, and how develop... more

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Recent Guests

Donald Sharp
Network engineer with experience in FR routing and AI-assisted workflows
Episode: Hedge 317: AI Tools and Coding
Colin Cosgrove
Episode: Hedge 316: AI Governance
Cat Hicks
Psychologist
Episode: Hedge 315: Engineering Psychology
Michael McCollum
Network engineer in a healthcare environment overseeing wireless, wired, NAC, and other network responsibilities
Health care networking environment
Episode: Hedge 314: Questions from a New Engineer
Doug Smith
Software engineer with focus on networking, frontend Android development, and author of Mind Matters piece on AI development
Episode: Hedge 311: The Dangers of AI
Shiloh Heurich
Representative from Fastly
Fastly
Episode: Hedge 309: DNS Persist
Michael Slaughter
Representative from Amazon Trust Services
Amazon Trust Services
Episode: Hedge 309: DNS Persist
Justin Wilson
Writer on J2SW, network engineering expert
J2SW
Episode: Hedge 308: Hidden Competence
Thomas Alfroy
Postdoc at University of Strasbourg working on bgp routing data collection
University of Strasbourg
Episode: Hedge 307: bgproutes.io

Hosts

Russ White
Host with deep concentration in networking and theory, frequently leading discussions on DNS, routing, and incident analysis.
Tom Swyche
Co-hosts and frequent contributor, often guiding practical workflows and meeting etiquette in engineering discussions.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 47 ratings
  • So helpful!

    I learn so much with each episode. Thank you for all that you share with us!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dug-i-am
    United States2 months ago
  • Great podcast, thank you!

    Great information and interviews!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    linux 66
    United States4 years ago
  • most informative podcast for neteng

    Hosted by Russ white! what more could you ask for 😊

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mskhan7
    Singapore6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High value for networking topics and incident mindset.
Engaging long-form conversations that reward careful listening.
Clear, practical engineering insights with guest perspectives.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#152
Belgium/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#225
Poland/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#231
United Arab Emirates/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#232
Russia/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Hedge 314: Questions from a New Engineer
Q: What should a new engineer do to understand what is expected from them by management?
Start by understanding the business problem the team is trying to solve, do some research, talk to colleagues to learn how the team operates, and then ask what the manager expects from you, tailoring your contributions to those goals.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: What is the practical cost of implementing AI agents in a large enterprise network, and how is ROI addressed?
The initial investment to build a system where agents can operate is a concern, but early use cases show significant speedups in security compliance audits and operational tasks. The ROI depends on TCO and how quickly automation and reduced manual effort scale, with ongoing evaluation of unit economics as the technology matures.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: What about data quality and preventing AI from hallucinating when controlling network devices?
Hallucinations are mitigated through context engineering and a traversable knowledge graph that combines intent, live state, and operational history. By constraining the AI's view to a well-defined context and providing explicit change-management and device-level constraints, the agent can make safer, more accurate inferences and actions.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: How does AgentOps sit on top of existing tooling, and what role does the abstraction layer play?
AgentOps sits atop the current instrumentation and monitoring tools, using a universal abstraction layer to convert heterogeneous data into a context suitable for AI agents. This layer enables agents to communicate with tools via MCP or similar interfaces, turning human-oriented tooling into machine-readable interactions for proactive and automated operations.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: Explain to me what AIOps is and how it differs from traditional IT operations.
AIOps is defined as applying AI to IT operations, serving as a broad umbrella under which specific approaches like AgentOps can be built; the emphasis is on augmenting day-two network operations with AI-driven analysis, troubleshooting, and automation rather than only pre-built rules, and on integrating AI agents with existing instrumentation.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Hedge

What is The Hedge about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-dive tech show focused on networking, security, and infrastructure, featuring practitioners and researchers who share practical insights, design philosophies, and real-world workflows. Episodes repeatedly explore topics like BGP, DNS, certificate management, AI in operations, and education in network engineering, often weaving in hands-on experiences, career advice, and opinions on how emerging technologies reshape engineering work. A standout pattern is the blend of rigorous technical discussion with practical guidance for navigating incidents, improving team culture, and staying current in a fast-moving field. The format tends to attract listeners who value concrete, experience-based perspectives and long-form analysis over quick t... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Hedge?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Hedge:

1. Heavy Networking
2. Total Network Operations
3. Network Automation Nerds
4. The Art of Network Engineering
5. Network Break

How many episodes of The Hedge are there?

The Hedge launched 7 years ago and published 64 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Hedge?

Recent guests on The Hedge include:

1. Donald Sharp
2. Colin Cosgrove
3. Cat Hicks
4. Michael McCollum
5. Doug Smith
6. Shiloh Heurich
7. Michael Slaughter
8. Justin Wilson

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