Just a guy in Vermont trying to connect all the dots...
Dan York
Author's posts
Jan 07
The End Of Herception – And Of Living Life In 3-Week Increments
It's her final Herceptin infusion. And it marks the end of our living life in three-week increments.
For the past 12 months, our pattern has basically been this:
- Week 1:
- Monday - she goes in for the infusion. After a couple of hours we pick her up with her being tired and dizzy/woozy from the effects of the other medicine they give with it. In the evening she's pretty much just wiped out.
- Tuesday - Fatigue, nausea, feeling horrible.
- Wednesday - By the afternoon she's often back to being able to do things like drive a car... but still not feeling great.
- The rest of the week - progressively feeling a bit better but still feeling rather sick/tired/fatigued.
- Week 2: Gradually feeling a bit better
- Week 3: Gradually feeling a bit better... almost back to where she was at the start of Week 1
And then... WHAM!... time to start it all over again.
This was how 2012 was... planning around "Herceptin weeks," knowing that they would effectively be written off in terms of my wife being able to do much at all.
And over the year it got worse, not better. We'd perhaps naively thought that after a few Herceptin treatments it might get more routine. But in fact there seemed to be cumulative effects... more fatigue... more pain...
Now, granted, not all of her condition can be attributed purely to the Herceptin. With each infusion they also give her "pre-meds" that are there to "help" her body tolerate the Herceptin. These include something like Benedryl and also a steroid.
Plus, around the same time that she started Herceptin she also started the joyous daily pill of Tamoxifen, which brings on chemically-induced menopause with all the hot flashes, joint pain, mood effects and a zillion other symptoms.
The combined effect of all the drugs, plus, I suspect, the lingering effects of chemo, hasn't made for a pleasant time.
As with many aspects of cancer treatment, too, it's not entirely clear that the treatment was necessary for so long. "The studies show" that 52 weeks of treatment with Herceptin lead to a decrease in recurrence of breast cancer of the type my wife has. But does it need to be for 52 weeks? Could it be equally effective in 26 weeks? Or 9 weeks?
The studies haven't yet been conclusive on that... and so we have to go with what is known. But my hope, certainly, for future women who need the treatment is that the researchers out there can zero in a bit more on what is really the optimal treatment time - and hopefully it can be less than a full year.
Today marks a milestone, though. We can stop thinking in 3-week intervals. She still has four more years of daily Tamoxifen pills, but at least these infusions will end. We're hoping that we can return to some degree of normal routines.
We're still "going on faith" that all this will help... hopefully it will.
UPDATE: A conversation with my wife on her way to treatment this morning reminded me that in fact the "3-week intervals" began even earlier, back in September 2011 when her chemo began. The chemo infusions, too, were every three weeks... so we are are SO ready for this all to end. :-)
Jan 07
Verisign Labs DANE Demonstration Page and Test Sites
Are you developing software that uses the DANE protocol to combine the strong integrity of DNSSEC with the encryption of TLS/SSL?
If so, the folks over at Verisign Labs have stood up a demonstration page and a series of test sites at:
They provide a number of different test cases that you can use to test your DANE support. We’ve added their sites to our list of DANE test sites and we definitely thank Verisign for making them available.
Check the sites out… and lets see DANE support getting added to more applications!
Jan 07
FIR #685 – 1/7/13 – For Immediate Release
We kick off our eight year; Ekaterina Walter interview is up, another on PR Apprenticeship is coming; Quick News: Brands are experimenting with sexting services, Hawaii Five-0 to let viewers choosing episode ending in real time, doctors are using social media more, father hires in-game hitmen to deter son from planing; Ragan promo; News That Fits: will PR take over the world in 2013?, Michael Netzley's Asia report, highlights from Nielsen's 2012 social media report, listener comments, how to add value to LinkedIn endorsements, Dan York's report, can or should you avoid Google+?; how to comment; music from Sound Tribe Sector 9; and more.
Jan 03
Facebook Rolls Out VoIP In Canada on iOS!
- The Verge: Facebook tests free voice calling in Messenger app
- iPhone Hacks: Facebook Testing Messenger-Based VoIP in Canada (And it’s Amazing)
I was alerted to this by (appropriately) a Facebook post from Tris Hussey, author of the iPhone Hacks article.
Since I'm not in Canada, I can't test it myself... an update to the Messenger app for me will only get me the ability to leave "voice notes". But I'm looking forward to learning more from my friends in Canada.
If this rolls out to users outside of Canada, this has the potential to be huge and a major disruption to telecom. Yes, there is Skype on mobile phones, and a dozen other apps like Viber and Voxer, but...
... Facebook has the directory and the eyeballs!
You have your friend connections already in Facebook. Plus, people are already spending a significant amount of time in the Facebook app. This just makes it simple to move into real-time communications with someone.
I'm looking forward to learning more from friends up north... and to hopefully trying it out at some point!
UPDATE: Here's the iOS update message for Facebook Messenger:
So the way I read that, we should all be getting this capability in the next few weeks.
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Jan 03
Want To Learn More About IPv6 Deployment? Join the IPv6-Ops mailing list
Want to learn more about IPv6 and how it is actually used in network operations? Want to connect with a community of people who are working with IPv6 on a daily basis?
If so, have you thought about subscribing to the “ipv6-ops” mailing list? Just go to:
and fill out the subscription form. If you take a look at the archive of the list, you will see all sorts of interesting discussions that take place. In November there was a fascinating thread about IPv6 in Windows and the beginning of a lengthy thread about IPv6 firewalls in customer premise equipment that continued on into December. This month there’s been some good discussions about IPv6-only networks and also which countries have the highest deployment of IPv6.
What continues to impress me about the list is that even as much as I work with IPv6, I’m very often learning even more from the high quality of people involved with the list.
It’s a great place to be, even if you just lurk to listen and learn… why not subscribe today?
Jan 02
Next SIP Forum “SIP Over IPv6″ Call on January 9th
UPDATE – Jan 9, 2012: Unfortunately due to some scheduling conflicts, the call on January 9th was cancelled. There will be discussion on the SIP Forum discussion list to determine the date of the next call.
One week from today, on January 9, the SIP Forum’s “SIP Over IPv6 Task Group” will be having it’s next conference call. Andy Hutton, co-chair of the group, provided notes of last call where discussion continued about how to move efforts forward. As he notes, a message with an agenda and more details should be sent to the list soon (you can check the list archive).
As I wrote about before, this Task Group is an important step toward getting more Voice over IP (VoIP) communication happening over IP. If you are interested in getting more involved, the Task Group web page explains more about what the group is doing – and the SIP Forum IPv6 mailing list is open to all to join.
Jan 01
30 Years Ago Today, the Switch to TCP/IP Launched Today’s Internet (Featured Blog)
It was 30 years ago today, on January 1, 1983, that the ARPANET had a "flag day" when all connected systems switched from using the Network Control Protocol (NCP) to the protocols known as TCP/IP. This, then, gave rise to the network we now know as the Internet. More...
Jan 01
My 3 Words For 2013
As has become my tradition since 2010, I like to start the year off by posting my "three words" for the year. These are not "goals" or "resolutions" but rather words that I hope will define how 2013 will go for me. They are more guides for how I aspire for my life to be.
EXECUTION
While last year I was trying to focus more on fewer things, this year I want to execute on some of the plans I have had for some time. There are some things I have been thinking about, talking about and even writing about for several years... but have yet to actually start. Not so much in my professional/work life, as I have been all about executing plans there, but rather in my personal life with some of my various side projects. As an example, 2013 really needs to be the year I either reboot VOIPSA or just close it down. There are a number of other similar projects and activities that are stalled, including a couple of boards of organizations I am on where I have not been able to fully participate. There are some projects, too, around our house that I have been wanting to do for quite some time.
Now, in fairness, a lot of these projects have been stalled for most of the past two years because of the unwelcome intruder in our lives that has sucked up pretty much all of my time outside of work. My wife is and always will be a FAR higher priority than all these other activities (as will my daughters be). She and I are hoping, though, that with her last treatment in early January we can stop living our life in 3-week increments and get back to having a more regular life. We'll see how it all goes, but that is certainly our hope for this year.
Outside of projects, though, there is another aspect to "execution" that hits on a daily basis - it is far too easy to get distracted by social networks and online news sources. Instead of spending time creating content, I find myself reading about other people's content. I need to change the priority there and focus more on creating content first and THEN engaging with social networks. (As an example, it would have been extremely easy to get sucked into Facebook instead of writing this post.) I need to be executing on my content plans first.
AUDIO
In 2012 I came to a realization that... I really miss working with audio. As I have for the past seven years, I continue to contribute my weekly reports into the For Immediate Release podcast and I enjoy that immensely... but I have found a hunger to do even more again. There is something about working with the medium of audio that I just really enjoy. It is a wonderful way for telling stories, explaining topics, providing education and interacting with people.
I don't know yet the full form this will take this year. We've been toying with adding a podcast component to the Deploy360 Programme. I have been thinking about reviving the Blue Box Podcast, at least for some interviews. I am intrigued by SoundCloud and may expand my experiments there. I have half a dozen other ideas running around inside my head for new podcasts and other projects... all I know is that I would like 2013 to be the year I expand my usage of audio.
TRANSFORM
In a 2012 leadership workshop for one of the boards I am on, we were asked some questions that could perhaps best be summarized as "how are you using your life to transform the world?" To make it a better place? To bring people together? To strengthen connections and build stronger communities?
That question stayed with me because in all honesty the last two years have really had to be all about surviving. In the process of just getting through each day, I haven't had the luxury of spending much time to contemplate the bigger picture. But as we move through all that, the question returns to my mind.
Obviously, as a parent a large part of this work involves the raising of our two daughters and giving them the foundation, strength, knowledge and skills to affect change in the world. That is perhaps the ultimate transformation that all of us can do as parents.
But is there something more direct... that can even involve them in some way?
Not necessarily something grand and glorious, but perhaps something simple and local... I have ideas... It all kind of comes back to that first word earlier in this post! :-)
What are your aspirations for 2013? What are your goals? Or guides?
Whatever they may be, may 2013 be a great year for you all - Happy New Year!
Jan 01
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! After a fantastic 2012 we’re looking forward to bringing you even more real-world deployment information this year about IPv6, DNSSEC and now our latest topic of Routing Resiliency / Security.
The question is… what will you do in 2013?
Will you deploy IPv6 in your network? Will you sign your domains with DNSSEC? Or deploy DNSSEC-validating resolvers in your network? Will you look at ways to make your routing infrastructure more resilient?
The second question is… how can we help you?
What can we do to help you deploy IPv6 or DNSSEC? How can we help you better secure your routing?
Please let us know… we want to help you makeyour networks stronger, more flexible and more secure… and in doing so make the open Internet just that much better!
Dec 31
Will Your New Year’s Resolutions Include IPv6? DNSSEC? Routing?
It’s the last day of 2012… are you making resolutions for the New Year?
If so, how about one of these:
- Get IPv6 fully deployed in our network.
- Set up an IPv6 test network in my home or office.
- Read a book about IPv6.
or
- Sign at least one of my domains with DNSSEC.
- Deploy DNSSEC-validating resolvers in my network.
- Understand what DANE is all about.
or
- Read one of these reports to better understand the Internet’s routing infrastructure.
- Attend one of Deploy360′s ION Conferences in 2013.
- Send Deploy360 some feedback about what you’d like to see them add to their site.
or
- Join the Internet Society as a member and help keep the Internet open for everyone.
- Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks
- Tell your friends about IPv6 or DNSSEC
Or, of course, you could always go with:
- Post more kitten videos online, because clearly there aren’t enough
What will your resolution be for 2013?
Photo credit: Lori Ann of MamaWit on Flickr.
