Archives for May 2022

Happy National Streaming Day! From Roku to Apple TV, the streaming options are endless. Are you streaming any good shows right now?

In This Issue: Senioritis? | Cisco Meraki MX84 Security Appliance | Polarity for MPO Cables | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Senioritis?

Happy Friday, folks! It’s almost vacation time here at our house!

Over the years, I’ve realized that the Friday before vacation in the business world is like having a case of “Senioritis” in our senior year of high school. You’re so focused on the next thing (vacation in my case) that the tasks in front of you seem larger than usual! It only lasts a day or two and is entirely resolved by the end of a restful vacation.

Does anybody else experience “senioritis” before their vacations?

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco Meraki MX family of devices are multifunctional security & SD-WAN enterprise appliances that feature a wide range of capabilities to address a wide variety of use cases – from an all-in-one device. . Organizations of all sizes and across all industries rely on the MX to deliver secure connectivity to hub locations or multi-cloud environments, as well as application quality of experience (QoE), through advanced analytics with machine learning.

The MX is 100% cloud-managed, so installation and remote management is truly zero-touch, making it ideal for distributed branches, campuses, and data center locations. Natively integrated with a comprehensive suite of secure network and assurance capabilities, the MXeliminates the need for multiple appliances.

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Learning Center Article – Polarity for MPO Cables

High-end fiber optics are important to modern networking, but they’re a lot more complicated than some of their older counterparts. If you need the power of fiber, you might be looking into MPO systems. They can hit some of the highest speeds on the market today, but utilizing them requires knowledge. One key piece of knowledge that can help with MPO systems is polarity. Without this knowledge, you won’t get a connection across any of your lines.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on a mission to reaffirm a key alliance at an uncertain moment in East Asia, punctuated by growing warnings from US intelligence that North Korea may conduct a missile test during the President’s visit.
• Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully launched into orbit Thursday evening from Cape Canaveral on its way to the International Space Station, NASA said. The unmanned spacecraft carrying around 800 pounds of cargo is expected to dock at the ISS around 7:10 p.m. ET Friday, NASA explained in a post-launch briefing. The hatch will be opened Saturday morning.
• Grocery start-up Weee!, an Asian and Hispanic grocery store, wants to make online food shopping more fun and immersive by showcasing videos and sharing stories behind the ingredients that it sells.
• Apple’s board of directors previewed its mixed-reality headset last week suggesting that its next major new product category could launch soon.

We’ve kicked off round #2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs this week and things are heating up! Are you a hockey fan? Who are you rooting for?

In This Issue: Hitting Those Goals | AC Power Cord | Choosing the Right Switch for your Crypto Mining Network | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Hitting Those Goals

Happy Thursday!

I really hope your week is going great! My week started off pretty rough with a massive sinus infection. I was due one this year since I hadn’t had one since last year. I think the travel from the dry Chicago weather back to the humid Georgia weather did me in. After the horrible start to the week, I have slowly started feeling like a human being again and getting back into my routine.

Y’all have read about my focus on health stuff, running, and trying to eat better over the past few months. Before the Chicago trip last week, I had been doing so good with my eating, running, and working out. I had gotten right to my weight goal (super close to it), was feeling great about my run times, and was even getting into this new eating routine. The week in Chicago and then coming back sick disrupted everything, but I feel like I am back on track towards reaching all my goals again. I like having “targets on the wall” to strive for and hit. This morning I officially hit one of those targets, and actually passed it. I reached my “ideal” goal weight for the first time in about 25 years. I was super excited about this but the work doesn’t stop. On to the next goal of muscle building, reaching my target BMI, and reaching my running distance goal. It is crazy to think that I am almost 46 and in the best shape I have ever been healthwise, but hard work and determination pay off! Just got to keep pressing on.

What goals are you trying to hit or crush right now?

Have a great rest of the week!

Jason

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Power cords are commonly used to connect a piece of equipment to a power distribution unit and also have many other uses. Whether the cords are used in a basic or dense installation. Our Heavy-duty C14 to C13 power cables are perfect for your network and data center needs and better yet – Come with a Lifetime Warranty!

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Learning Center Article – Choosing the Right Switch for your Crypto Mining Network

Crypto mining is a popular way to try to make money. In its simplest form, miners use simple setups that make a few extra bucks here and there. In extreme cases, miners dedicate entire warehouses of hardware to mining, and when they are efficient enough, they can make big money.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• SpaceX launched its 47th Starlink mission with the latest Starlink mission. Starlink Group 4-18 set sail on a flight-proven Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 6:59 am EDT during a single-second instantaneous launch window. Starlink Group 4-18 is the 21st SpaceX launch and 14th Starlink mission of 2022. 4-18 is also the last of three missions to launch within five days.
• Spain and Portugal have detected over 40 suspected cases of monkeypox, a viral infection rarely seen in Europe, with both outbreaks concentrated in the Madrid and Lisbon areas.
• Uber prices are set to rise as the company seeks to meet its new urgent request for profits.
• Microsoft is adding an optional web search to the Windows 11 desktop in the operating system’s latest Insider Preview Build. The company describes the feature as “lightweight interactive content.”

Happy Wednesday! We’ve made it to the middle of the week – talk about the time flying. Can you believe it’s already May 18th? We’re going to be saying “Merry Christmas” before we know it!

In This Issue: Gardening Season! | Kendall Howard 1U Snap-In Flat Spacer Blank | What is the difference between Cat6 and Cat6A? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Gardening Season!

It’s gardening season and I am loving every second of it! Every year my family plants a pretty large garden and for the past few years I haven’t been home to see it. I’ve planted my own smaller raised bed gardens, but nothing as big as what we do at home.

This year, we went all out! We spent a full day with the family preparing the space – plowing, removing weeds, fertilizing, etc. It was so fun! Now that it’s been a few weeks, we are starting to see the fruits of our labor as the plants are growing by the day!

I think I’m most excited about the corn this year. This is something that my grandparents always had in the garden growing up. My grandfather was a pro at making the best roasted corn I have ever had. This year, we’ll be roasting corn in his memory and hoping that we can master the same skill and taste as him!

Do you plant a garden every year? What do you look forward to harvesting at the end of the season?

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Covering all open slots on your equipment rack makes it more attractive and also improves airflow in racks that utilize fans to circulate air, making your networking equipment run cooler and last longer. Our spacer blanks are brand new and are even backed by our lifetime warranty!

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Learning Center Article – What is the difference between Cat6 and Cat6A?

Designing a network from scratch is a major undertaking. Even for small networks, there’s a lot to consider. Once you have your layout and basic design, you still have to make a plethora of decisions. Many of those decisions will be tied to specific hardware choices, and they will be heavily dictated by which cabling you prefer for your applications.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money.
• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the military alliance stands ready to seize a historic moment and move quickly on allowing Finland and Sweden to join its ranks after the two countries submitted their membership requests.
• When Disney Plus’ ad-supported plan goes live later this year, it will reportedly run ads for four minutes on movies or shows that last an hour or less.
• Dusty solar panels and darker skies are expected to bring the Mars lander mission to a close around the end of this year. NASA’s InSight Mars lander is progressively losing power and will likely end science operations later this summer.

Happy National NASCAR Day! Ladies and Gents – let’s go racing! We are in the thick of race season. Which driver are you rooting for?

In This Issue: A Time of Celebration | 24 Port Cat6 110 1RU Rack Mount Punch Down Patch Panel | What are SFP’s? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – A Time of Celebration

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a great start to the week!

We had a very exciting weekend as my 5-year-old niece, Charlotte, had her first ballet recital on Saturday. I took ballet as a child and absolutely loved it, so when Charlotte signed up to take classes I was thrilled. The recital was themed after the movie “Frozen” and it was every bit as cute as you might think! Charlotte was nervous in the weeks leading up to the show, but she pushed past her fear and performed beautifully! We were all so proud of her!

We also celebrated my other nieces’ 2nd birthday on Sunday. She’s at the age where she’s starting to understand birthdays and presents so it was a lot of fun to watch her open her gifts! It was a great weekend of celebrating!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Patch panels are a great way to organize and terminate cable runs in the wiring closet. Adding these panels to racks allows for easy identification and faster adds/changes and modifications to cabling. Simply punch down the twisted pair of cabling in the back of the device and you are ready to plug in RJ45 patch cables in the front. These universal CAT6 patch panels support both T568A and 568B wiring and 22-26AWG cables. Gold plated terminals and UL rating assure you that these panels will be reliable for years to come.

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Learning Center Article – What are SFP’s?

High-end networking demands high-end equipment. You have a plethora of options, but eventually, you have to make decisions on which technology covers each of your applications. When considering all of those options, an understanding of SFP transceivers is pivotal. It’s a core technology that serves as a primary workhorse in many networks. This guide is going to explain all about SFP and its primary uses.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The planned auction of a long-lost dress worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is in jeopardy after a federal judge ordered a hearing on a lawsuit over its ownership. That hearing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan was set for May 23, a day before Bonham’s auction house is currently scheduled to auction the dress on behalf of The Catholic University of America.
• Under a consent decree, Abbott, the largest baby formula manufacturer in US, has agreed to address insanitary conditions that led to the contamination of its baby formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan. It has been set that they will restart the plant within two weeks.
• Silicon Valley startup NowRx is teaming up with Hyundai Motor Group for a pilot project testing last-mile medication delivery, with an eye toward testing autonomous vehicles down the road.
• Elon Musk is seeking to renegotiate the Twitter deal.

Today is National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day! You can never fail when following the Golden Rule, love your neighbor as yourself. How can you do something simple, yet meaning full for your neighbor today?

In This Issue: Weekend Weather | Cisco 2948G-GE-TX Rack Mount Kit | The Right Ethernet for the Right Network | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Weekend Weather

Happy Monday!

Over the weekend we spent some time outdoors and enjoyed a picnic at the park. The weather was pretty much perfect as it wasn’t humid, and it wasn’t too hot. We try to take advantage of weekends like this because the weather can be a bit wild from rainstorms to unbearable southern humid heat here in Georgia.

What do you guys like to do when the weather’s perfect outside? Do you like to spend time outdoors or do you like to stay in?

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This rack mount kit is used to mount Cisco Catalyst 2948G-GE-TX switch into either a 19″, 23″, or 24″ equipment rack depending on the way you attach the bracket! This rack kit includes 2 brackets and all screws needed to attach the rack-mount brackets to your switch.

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Learning Center Article – The Right Ethernet for the Right Network

An efficient Ethernet cable management plan, especially in high-density and challenging network environments, increases the versatility of network maintenance and operation. It also contributes to the system’s uptime and lowers operation costs, making your life a lot easier!

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared into clear skies above Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday, completing a coast-to-coast flurry of launches just under 24 hours apart.
• McDonald’s became the symbol of glasnost in action 30 years ago when it opened its first restaurant in Moscow. But after temporarily shutting down more than 800 restaurants following the invasion of Ukraine, McDonald’s has decided to leave Russia altogether.
• An over-the-top modern mansion in Bel Air was listed for $87.8 million for an auction. But the highest bid came in just under $45.8 million.
• Netflix updated its company culture guidelines for the first time since 2017 to include an “artistic expression” section. It says “Netflix may not be the best place” for employees who cannot work on content they disagree with.

Happy Friday! We hope you had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend! Do you have any weekend plans? We’d love to hear about them!

In This Issue: Welcome to CK, Joi! | Cisco Meraki MX84 Security Appliance | Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Welcome to CK, Joi!

Happy Friday! It’s almost the weekend, and I’m looking forward to some R&R this weekend! How about you?

Some of you may recall that we shared that we were hiring for a Customer Service Manager role back in April. After meeting with quite a few candidates, we selected Joi. She will be starting this Monday! She loves serving customers and helping team members grow. We’re excited for her to join us and the impact she’ll have here!

Please join me in welcoming Joi to the team!

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco Meraki MX family of devices are multifunctional security & SD-WAN enterprise appliances that feature a wide range of capabilities to address a wide variety of use cases – from an all-in-one device. . Organizations of all sizes and across all industries rely on the MX to deliver secure connectivity to hub locations or multi-cloud environments, as well as application quality of experience (QoE), through advanced analytics with machine learning.

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Learning Center Article – Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables?

Currently, the use of high bandwidth applications has been on the rise, and network systems have started venturing into factory environments which have called for the use of shielded cables. In this new installation sector, the cable is used in areas with high electromagnetic interference (EMI). Even with improved ability to reject noise and handle gigabit Ethernet, these cables will not function properly in areas where there is high EMI if not properly shielded. A shielded cable will help in these high EMI installations ensuring safe and efficient data transfer.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Grocery delivery platform Instacart has filed a draft registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), paving the way for the firm to list its shares.
• Finland’s leaders said it intended to apply for NATO membership “without delay” — prompting Russia to threaten that it would “be forced to take retaliatory steps” if the Nordic country joins the Western military alliance.
• Uber is the latest company to try delivering food to people’s homes with robots. The company, which has long claimed that automation is key to its future profitability, is launching two test programs to deliver Uber Eats in greater Los Angeles this month, including four-wheeled robots that roll on sidewalks for short trips as well as self-driving cars for longer distances.
• Elon Musk said his deal to buy Twitter Inc. was on hold, raising questions about the takeover and sending shares of the messaging service lower, but he still remains committed to the acquisition.