The One Hundred Episode

The mic feels heavier at 100—not from gear, but from history. We started with a doctoral dare, a $40 class, and a shaky first recording. We built a library that helped learners pass A+, Network+, and Security+ while connecting the dots between hardware, operating systems, storage, networking, and the human choices behind every device and policy. Along the way, our mission sharpened: pair skill with story, prioritize curiosity over checkboxes, and keep ethics at the center of cybersecurity and cloud.

We revisit the moments that defined the journey: early fundamentals that formed a base, a pivot into security architecture and zero trust, and the realization that protocols carry purpose. DHCP becomes resource allocation. Firewalls express trust. Wireshark reveals perspective. The show grew with the audience—from notes to narratives to lived stories sent from classrooms, help desks, and late-night study sessions. A single email about subnets “finally clicking” mattered more than download spikes, shaping how we teach: simpler words, stronger analogies, and transparent context.

Five pillars now anchor everything we make: accessibility for every learner and veteran, context that grounds acronyms in origin, curiosity that asks better questions, community that turns listeners into collaborators, and reflection that slows tech long enough for wisdom to land. We also share the personal side—health resets, renewed consistency, and the choice to keep going when the stats dip—because sustainable teaching requires a sustainable teacher.

Looking ahead, we’re doubling down on practical Q&A, live sessions, and clear paths through Network+, Security+, and cloud that never lose sight of ethics and inclusion. If you found value in the archive—from storage myths to authentication breakthroughs—help steer the next hundred. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s studying, and send your biggest question for episode 101. Your curiosity sets the agenda.

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Chapters

• 9:18 [Ad] Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
• 9:52 (Cont.) The One Hundred Episode

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:27

And welcome to Technology Tap. I'm Host J. Rodney. In this episode, it is episode one hundred of Technology Tap. Let's talk about it. Today we pause. Today we reflect. Before we move on to the next chapter, wherever that may lead, we look back at the first 99 episodes. The stories, the lessons, the people, the growth. When I launched this podcast, I never imagined we would build a library of nearly 100 episodes. I thought maybe a handful of episodes, some steady listeners, and a modest archive. What emerged instead was a community, a journey, a living classroom. So join me now as we walk through that journey, the themes, the milestones, the turning points, and how they shape what technology tap has become. Let's begin. The moment we press record, the spark, a professor, a microphone, a mission. I was told by one of my instructors when I was doing the doc my doctoral program to write a paper of what are my three goals. And one of them, you know, two of them I thought of right away, which was, you know, write a paper and do a presentation. But I couldn't think of the first one. And it had to go in an order of like which is going to be the hardest one. So for the easiest one, I picked doing a podcast, thinking that she would never ask me to do it. And then she turns around and she tells everybody, all right, do number one. And I and I wrote to her and I told her, I don't know how to do a podcast. And she said, figure it out. Fortunately, I had like maybe a day or two later, I got an email from my local community college. And when I clicked on the email, it's it it I couldn't believe it. It said how to how to create a podcast. It was a class that they were offering online for like 40 bucks. So I signed up and I, you know, I was able to do it. It finished the class, and the lady was great. And I was able to create my first episode. And I just showed it to people. Like I, you know, I submitted it as my assignment, and I was showed it to my family, my friends, and they were like, wow, is this you? And I was like, Yeah, they were like, wow, this is really good. Even the lady who was teaching the class asked me if I was on radio before. I guess, I don't know why. I guess I got a radio voice. I don't know. I hate the way I sound about voice, but most people do. So then I thought, you know, maybe I can help you pass your comp T exam and also show the story behind the technology. Right? This podcast will give you help with passing your Compte exams. We also sprinkle different technical technology topics, which is one of the first episodes I think I wrote. So from that statement, sprang a dual mission, skill plus story. Skill, the fundamentals, the certificates, the hands-on story, the past of computing, the contest of cybersecurity, the human angle. In the early episodes, we laid our foundation A Plus Fundamentals, network protocols, then the history from punch cards to microchips. We told the story of how machines make humanity. I remember one early episode, The Hidden World of Internet Addressing, where we walked through public versus private IPs, how the internet speaks to itself. And I took a moment to reflect on the bigger picture that isn't just numbers, it's identity. And just like that, the mission took shape. Equip, explain, connect. The early themes, foundation. Every technician needs a base. A plus fundamentals, operating system, storage, networking. Those early episodes were the bricks. History and context. How does RAID matter? Why does boot order matter? Because they are part of the story of how technology evolved. We explore that in the episode Exploring the Digital Realm, User Interface and Networking in OS. Human tech bridge, not just how, but why. How does it affect you, the student, the learner, the person trying to belong in this field? As we passed the first 20 episodes, something changed. The community got clearer, the questions got deeper. We weren't just installing drives or configuring routers. We were asking why security matters, how remote work changes the game, what responsibility we have as technologists. We introduced the series A Plus Fundamentals, Network Plus, Cybersecurity Fundamentals. We branched out, we done into enterprise security architecture, zero trust, cloud deployment. The contact mattered. And I matured. I shifted from simple teaching exams to sharing insights from a field, from education, from lived experience. I remember telling students technology isn't a mystery, it's a map. Because the more we understand the story, the better we troubleshoot, the better we teach, the better we learn. Episodes began to reflect the dual identity technician plus educator. The mic became a bridge between labs and lecture halls, between certification prep and career purpose. The shift towards cybersecurity fundamentals, we recognize the demand, the urgency. The deep dives into history, not just how drives work, but why drives change the way we save data? The growth of the audience, students reaching out, veterans returning a spectrum of learners, finding value, my own growth, doctorate completed, health journey, the recognition that this podcast was more than content. It was a mission. So what are the themes that carried across all 99 episodes? The ones you hear, the ones you still hear in episode 100 and beyond. Let's highlight. Curiosity over count over compliance. Sure, we teach for certifications, A, Network Plus, Security Plus, but the real drive is curiosity. What if I understand deeply, not just tick the box, right? Check the box. Story behind the system. An SSD doesn't just store data, it represents a leap in expectations. A firewall isn't just a device, it represents trust policies, right? We've told that story. Inclusion and access. Students of all backgrounds, veterans returning to civil civilized careers, women entering cybersecurity. The architecture we build includes everyone. Ethical responsibility. Text without ethics is chaos. We explore zero trust, cloud risk, human identity in digital form. The story always includes what we should do, not just how. Education as an empowerment. Ultimately, this is about you, not just the podcast host, the listener, the student, the technician, the lifelong learner. Take a moment, think of the episode that changed you. Maybe it was a zip versus CD when you remembered an early backup mistake. Maybe it was the one on authentication that made security click. Whatever it was, thank you for being part of that journey. Let's reflect on the archive as a whole. 99 episodes is not just a number, it's nearly 100 hours of stories, nearly 100 chapters in the textbook of technology and education. What do we learn when we view them as one continuous narrative? We set evolution from hardware to software, from site local labs to cloud global systems. We see mindset shift from fix the PC to secure the network, from install the drive to also protect the data. We see mission clarity, help the learner, explain the why, connect the tech to the human. In those episodes, we revisited topics like operating systems, networking, storage, boot processes, security architecture, cloud strategies. Each time we layered in story, context, and meeting. And we did so in the language of an educator because you're not just listening, you're learning. And I believe learning should be story-driven. I learned that teaching isn't about just giving the answers, it's about asking better questions. I learned that the audience often knows more than they admit. I just need to guide the narrative. I learned that health, balance, life outside the classroom mattered. A podcast like a career is sustainable only when the person behind it is grounded. Let's list what the first 99 episodes have given us. A foundation of technical literacy from boot order to BLAN tagging from IP address to zero trust framework. A deeper understanding of history, seeing where we came from, mind frame, mainframes, floppy disk, early network, so we can more clearly see where we're going. A community of learners, those who wrote in, reached out, past exams, changed careers, a pedagogical model, technology education that is accessible, story rich, certificate certification aware, a legacy archive, 100% 100 episodes is a teacher's library, a student's resource, a career toolbox. And for me personally, one more gift clarity of purpose. Because when you recorded 99 episodes, you know what matters, you know what doesn't, and you know your voice. So now we stand at the threshold of episode 100, not just a milestone, but a moment of reflection and projection. Because 100 episodes won't look backwards, it'll look forward. But before we go there, let's pause here. Breathe in the first 99 episodes, the stories, the lessons, the people, the tech, the growth. Let's honor that chapter. Thank you to every listener, to every student, to every educator who played an episode in class, to every person who said, I passed my exam because of you. You made the first 99 episodes meaningful. And now with episode 100, we'll carry that meaning into the next chapter. When you reach 100 episodes, something changes. The microphone feels heavier, not from the weight, but from history. Because behind each episode lies a story, behind each story of reason. So let's go deeper, not just into the timeline, but the soul of Technology Tap. If you listen closely, you can hear how the toll evolved. In the early days, I read from notes. By episode 30, I was telling stories. By episode 60, I was seeking through narratives. By episode 90, I was living them. That evolution mirrors the growth of technology itself. Think of our transition from static websites to interactive cloud platforms, from typing commands to speaking to machines. The same happened here. Technology tap became interactive, alive, human. Listeners began sending stories, their first computers, their exam trumpets, their failures and combats. Those become part of the show's rhythm. Here's an email that I got from a student. Professor J. Rod, I passed my security plus today. Thank you for breaking down subnets like a storyteller. My daughter and I listened to your first episode on Floppy Disc. She couldn't believe we once used these. You made the cloud make sense to me. No buzzwords, just clarity. Each message a bite of gratitude. Each voice proof that education can travel further than any network cable. Access 99 episodes, five pillars have held technology tap upright. Accessibility. Every learner deserves a doorway. Every veteran or first gen student, everyone can learn tech if we speak human first. Context, we never drop acronyms without ancestry. DHCP wasn't just a protocol, it was a product of never evolution. Ray wasn't a number, it was an idea. Curiosity, the best technicians aren't those who know everything. They're the ones who never stop asking why. Community, this podcast became a study group without borders. SUNY, Mercy, WCC, YC's, all connected by curiosities. Reflection. Technology moves fast, but wisdom requires stillness. Each episode offered a moment to pause and ask, what does this mean for us? When I listen back, I hear those five themes woven into every episode, like source code that compiles the entire journey. Behind every episode lies the unseen world of preparation, late nights writing scripts beside a humming desktop. Coffee stained on a notebook labeled network addressing draft. Power outages in the middle of editing, students knocking on the door, just as I say, welcome back to technology tab on my notebook. The Microsoft, the microphone became a confessional booth for tech educators everywhere. Every record button carried intentions to teach, to connect, to remember. And let me tell you, some of these recordings almost didn't make it. There were moments of doubt. Would anyone listen? Would anybody care? But then I get an email from a student saying, Professor, I finally understand a particular topic. And that was enough. Because at that moment, technology tab wasn't just audio, it was impact. Every lab, every exam we discussed, every example we discussed have a bigger message hidden inside. When we configured DHCP scopes, it wasn't just about addresses, it was about allocation. When we analyzed Wireshark captures, it wasn't about packets, it was about perspective. And even when we explore cybersecurity, it wasn't just defense, it was about duty. Episode 68, haunting weak spots, remains one of my favorite because in that one we connect the technical to the ethical. We reminded ourselves that cybersecurity isn't paranoia, it's preparation. From those lives of philosophy emerged. Technology without empathy, it's just engineering. Our responsibilities as educators and practitioners is to build a system that protects, empowered, and includes ethics. By the time episode 80 arrived, I aired, I noticed something beautiful. Listeners wasn't just local, they were global. Downloads from Kenya, Brazil, the Philippines, India, Germany, different accents, same curiosity. It reminded me that learning knows no borders. Technology has always been a universal language, binary translated into billions of dialects of creativity. In those later episodes, we expanded our focus cloud computing, AI, digital ethics. We didn't just ask what's next, we asked who's next. Who will lead, who would teach, who will design the next network of knowledge. And that's when I realized Technology Tap has become more than a podcast. It has created or evolved or taught modern learners. Let's zoom out. If you were to map the first 99 episodes like a network diagram, what patterns would you see? History notes, turning, IBM floppies, IBM floppy disks, punch cards, hardware clusters, CPUs, RAM, motherboards, connectors, network layers, IP, DNS, DCP, security gateways, encryption, authentication, policies, human interface, design, accessibility, education, mentorship. Together they form the technology tab topology, a web of interconnected learning, every topic from branches from one idea. Technology is the language of problem solving. That's the legacy of the first 99 episodes. They form a system, not a sequence. You can start anywhere and you always find your way back to purpose. After 99 episodes, here's what I've learned not about tech, but about people. Learners crave meaning more than metrics. They just don't want to pass, they want to understand. Stories make memory stick, and I've always been a big proponent of that. Every technical principle anchored in story becomes unforgettable, and I've proven this in my classes. Education is emotional. When you believe your students can succeed, they start to believe it too. And I hardly I agree with that wholeheartedly. Technology changes for curiosity doesn't. It's the one constant variable in this digital equation. The best teachers never stop being students, and I'm still learning from every email, every message, every download. I want to pause to thank you. If you ever plus play, if you ever shared an episode, if you ever learned one new term because of technology tap, you are part of this milestone. And I thank you, you know, deeply, deeply thank you. To my students, you are the reason this exists. To my colleagues, thank you for believing that learning can be fun. To my family, thank you for understanding that just one more edit sometimes means three hours. And to my listeners, thank you for trusting my voice through your speakers, your earbuds, your commutes, and even your nights before the exam. We tapped into something not just technology, but transformation. 99 episodes, each one a pulse of passion, each one a fragment of a greater story. The story of how technology mirrors the human spirit. When we started, we explored the how. Then we discovered the why. Now, as we stand at 100, we prepare for what's next. Because the tap never stops. It keeps flowing. One episode, one lesson, one life at a time. So, with that being said, again, I want to thank anybody who's ever listened to this, you know, sometimes I call it dopey podcast of mine that I do from my home office with ambulances running in the background. I don't know if you ever hear that, or fan buzzing, or my dog barking. You know, I just want to thank you. You know, 100 episodes is a lot, and I and I know I haven't been consistent until lately, the last maybe two months, I've been trying to be very, very consistent, trying to build up this community. Like I had a nice community, you know, from 2020 to 2023 or 2024, but I just, you know, I had to take time off, and you know, the doctorate really took a toll on me health-wise, you know, uh, I gained a lot of weight. I was, you know, my I was not in the best of health. So I took a year and just, you know, dedicated to my my health and you know, physical and mental health, and and and I came up with a plan on how I was gonna continue this. And I was gonna be more, you know, social media available. You know, I'm on TikTok, even though I don't understand it. I'm on Instagram, even though I don't understand that either. LinkedIn, I've always been on, and I'm still there, you know, and I'm on here. So again, 100 episodes, never thought I would do it. Uh, my professor kind of like challenged me to do this, and you know, over a hundred episodes later, here I am, you know, and and it's and it has its down points, right? I check, you know, every day how many people are listening to to this. And you know, and it's disappointing when I when it on some days I only get three listeners. But it's great on some days when I get 200 in one day. So it has its ups and downs, but I'm not I'm not gonna give up. I'm not I'm not giving up. I'm gonna do this, you know, another hundred episodes, another 200 episodes. I'm not here to make money, you know. I'm I'm here to to help people who want to get certified. I got seven. I got seven cop tier certifications, and I wish I had a mentor who could help me. And uh so I decided to be a mentor. Hopefully, I'm uh, you know, you guys who are listening to this kind of see this as a you know, can see me as a mentor. So what's next for technology tab? Well, you tell me. I mean, I've I being episode 100 made me reflect and go over like what's the what's the most popular ones and the it's the questions, it's the question answers ones are very, very popular here. So I don't know. I I want to do more questions and answers. I want to do more, you know, TikTok live, you know, with question and answers. I think we can do that once I figure out how it works. So you tell me guys, what do you want to what do you want me to do with technology tab? Email me please at professor jrodjrod at gmail.com. Tell me what you want to hear. Tell me a topic that you want to learn. Do you want me to do network plus? Do you want me to do tech plus? Like, you know, tell me now, and I'll try to I'll try to fit in. As always, please follow me YouTube. I'm on YouTube, please follow me there. I don't have a face, it's just the the the voice. Follow me on LinkedIn, follow me on TikTok, follow me on Instagram, please, prof at Professor Jrod. Right? That's that's that's both my things. And if you never see my face, you can see you'll see it on uh on uh Instagram and and TikTok. So you can put the the name to the face, and you can see why that teacher thought I had a radio voice, right? So again, once again, thank you so much for listening to it. So here's to the next hundred, everyone. Keep learning, keep questioning, and always keep tapping into technology. Thank you so much. This has been a presentation of Little Cha Cha Productions, art by Savra, music by Joe Kim. We're now part of the Pod Match Network. You can follow me at TikTok at Professor J Rod at J R O D, or you can email me at Professor J Rod J R O D at Gmail dot com.