The Official (OK, maybe it’s not “official”) Cisco Live Pedometer
Official Cisco Pedometer Count
7416 steps, 400kcal burned, and 3.5 miles. No idea how accurate it is, but I’ll be using it all week, so we’ll just roll with it. I obtained this device back in March for the express purpose of getting an idea of how much walking there is to be done at the conference. Today’s number should be the low for the week…
Day 0 Summary
Today was the pre-conference day. I don’t have any tutorials scheduled this year, but wanted to get in a day early to get checked in and take my free exam. There was also a social media reception, a collaboration user group reception, and some general conference recon to do.
Cisco Live 2013 Social Media Hub
After registration, I had some time this morning to visit with the Tweeps this morning and investigate the Social Media Hub. Much better location than in previous years, mainly that it’s not located in the WoS, so it’s much more accessible! Wandered around and found important locations like the Cisco Store and NetVet lounge, the testing center, meals, and to get a feel for the layout so I can find my sessions throughout the week more easily. Struck up a conversation with someone in the NetVet lounge and we had a nice bit of shop talk. He looked me up to follow me on Twitter, only to discover that the reason my name seemed familiar was because he already did. The Internet can be a very small place, indeed.
Next up was my attempt at the CCIE Routing and Switching written exam. I did not pass, but I didn’t really expect to, either. I scored a 692 with a required score of 790 to pass. I think if I had more of the “trivia” memorized, I would have passed. It’s the “what does this bit in the in the header of an IP packet do” kind of questions. It was good to give it a shot and see what the test is like. The test is $350, so using it as my free test that is included with the conference registration was time well spent on recon. Very helpful. I should probably buy the Boson practice test now, since we’ve now confirmed no changes will be happening with the CCIE R&S in the near future. I can register to take another exam for 50% off, so I might take the CCDA exam later this week.
Some attendees talking at the Cisco Live 2013 Tweetup
After the exam I had a little time to decompress and start investigating the Cisco Live scavenger hunt, which lead directly into the official Tweetup. It was a great event with a couple hundred people (it’s the number I heard thrown out, but it seemed reasonable). It was an opportunity to meet a lot of new people and reconnect with people that I usually only see at Cisco Live. These events are a highlight, primarily because the conversations are so great. Rarely does one get to make jokes about routing protocols and QoS that actually make others laugh, while at the same time sharing our knowledge with each other.
After the Tweetup I went to the Collaboration User Group reception at Universal CityWalk. We had our own reserved area that had a really great dinner buffet. Chatted with a few people, but didn’t stay that long. Headed back to the hotel, talked to my family for a bit, and started writing this post. Now it’s 00:14 of Cisco Live 2013 Day 1. To quote Dr. Sam Beckett, “oh, boy…”
FIN