# 521: Are You The Tiny Domino?

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2026-02-20
- Length: 1h 03m
- Episode: 521
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino
- Listen: https://embedded.fm/episodes/521

## Summary

Kenneth Finnegan, Senior Solutions Architect at Nvidia and creator of the Fremont Cabal Internet Exchange (FCIX), explains how he accidentally built load-bearing internet infrastructure. He details the history of FCIX, which grew from a joke among five friends into a major peering point, and his Micro Mirror CDN that serves a significant portion of Ubuntu and VLC downloads. Finnegan also discusses the importance of distributed systems knowledge for embedded developers and shares anecdotes about his hobbies, including coin collecting and driving locomotives.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=6) Introduction and Guest Background
- [2:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=165) Lightning Round: Coins, Protocols, and Trains
- [9:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=582) Networking Advice for Embedded Developers
- [16:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=988) How the Internet Works: BGP and Peering
- [34:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=2065) The Accidental History of FCIX
- [45:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=2712) Micro Mirror CDN and Automation
- [53:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino#t=3197) Hobbies: Coins and Locomotives

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Nvidia (company)
- Arista (company)
- Lam Research (company)
- Fremont Cabal Internet Exchange (product)
- Micro Mirror (product)
- Ubuntu (product)
- VLC (product)
- Cisco (company)
- Hurricane Electric (company)
- NetworkChuck (other)
- Western Pacific Railroad Museum (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Data Provenance in the Home, Server, and Fab](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2024-12-23-data-provenance-in-the-home-server-and-fab) (The Amp Hour)
- [More Tales from the Bringup Lab](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-04-19-more-tales-from-the-bringup-lab) (Oxide and Friends)
- [The Network Behind the Network](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-09-the-network-behind-the-network) (Oxide and Friends)
- [An Interview with Ryan Cousins](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins) (The Amp Hour)
- [CES 2019 Special: Antonio Pellegrino and Andrew Skafel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-15-ces-2019-special-antonio-pellegrino-and-andrew-skafel) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-02-20-521-are-you-the-tiny-domino. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.