I was not a good communicator for most of my life. But we need to communicate well to influence and persuade others effectively. People told me I needed to stop mumbling and listen better.

Cisco knows that netadmins are a busy lot ... back in the day had a similar feature that he discovered could cause problems when driving boxes over a wide area network. So when he typed net sh ip xxx ...

If you can't afford a satellite phone, consider a satellite communicator. These smaller devices offer text and/or data services, so you can still check in with loved ones, or get help in an emergency.