Archives for March 2023

Happy Thursday & Happy National Chip & Dip Day! Today celebrates the perfect combination loved by many across the country. It’s a quick and easy party dish or just a good snack to enjoy on a warm day. What’s your favorite chip and dip combo?

In This Issue: Strength Through Tough Times | HPE Aruba 2930F Series Switch | Wired vs Wireless Networking in Manufacturing | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Strength Through Tough Times

Good Morning, Happy Thursday! Yesterday, I got some discouraging news. It seems like sometimes when everything seems to finally start going right in life, something comes along and just knocks everything over. Life can be a real rollercoaster ride, right? It makes it tough to stay positive when you’re faced with such disappointments, but if you have or are experiencing this, trust me, we’ve got this.

Lately, the good has been sandwiched in with the bad. It’s been hard to determine what type of day it will be or what new news I will receive. But, I try to keep the faith. I’ve found that there’s always a glimmer of hope somewhere in the midst of the storm. For me, that hope comes from my faith in God. I believe that He’s got a plan for me, and even when things don’t go the way I want them to, I trust that everything will work out in the end.

But sometimes faith alone isn’t enough. You’ve also got to have some determination. When things get tough, you’ve got to keep going. You have to realize that you are stronger than you think, and that you have what it takes to overcome any hurdle that comes your way.

When I feel all alone, I try to remember the people in my life who love and believe in me, know that they’re here to support me, to cheer me on, and to help me get back up when I fall down.

So I am here to encourage you (if you are experiencing the same thing) and myself, to keep your head up, keep pushing forward, and trust in yourself and in your God to get you through the tough times. We have this and whatever is going on we will come out even stronger on the other side with the knowledge and strength from running through this obstacle course we call life.

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Aruba 2930F Series of Switches were designed for customers creating smart digital workplaces that are optimized for mobile users with an integrated wired and wireless approach. They feature a wide variety of Layer 3 network switches which include built-in uplinks and PoE power. These incredible switches are easy to deploy and manage. They feature advanced security and management tools such as Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, Aruba AirWave, and cloud-based Aruba Central.

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Learning Center Article – Wired vs Wireless Networking in Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing is amazing. With the use of automation tools, big data, and many other facets of the latest in technology, production capacity and efficiency constantly reach new highs.

Of course, using all of those resources requires a significant investment in networking. Manufacturing networks are often mission-critical these days, so it’s important to understand networking options and which ones are the best in manufacturing settings.

In general, you can choose between wired and wireless connectivity, and a direct comparison between the two reveals that one of these choices is better.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Relativity Space, a 3D-printing specialist, launched the inaugural flight of its Terran 1 rocket late on Wednesday night, which successfully met some mission objectives before failing to reach orbit. The rocket reached space, flying for about three minutes before an anomaly caused the engine on its second stage to shut down. 
• The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday announced measures to try to avoid a repeat of disruptions at airports serving New York City and Washington D.C. this summer as it grapples with a shortage of air traffic controllers at a key facility in the area. The agency said it will reduce flight requirements for airlines’ take-off and landing rights to avoid congestion. Airlines have until April 30 to file requests to give up take-off and landing slots.
• Broadcasts of Major League Baseball games on Apple TV+ this season will require a subscription to the service.
• A California assembly member has introduced legislation that would ban processed food items that contain potentially harmful ingredients that are used in several brands of fruit cups, chewy candies and cookies and cakes.

Happy Wednesday! You’ve conquered half of the week, the other half remains and we’re rooting for you. If we can be praying for you this week, please let us know!

In This Issue: The Lunch Dilemma | Rack Mount Punch Down Patch Panel | All About Aruba 2930M Series Switches | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – The Lunch Dilemma

Happy Wednesday, CK Family! I hope you are having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. I’m hoping that the weekend will bring some warmer weather our way, but we will see.

I have a bit of a random topic this morning, but maybe I can share some of the tips I get back from this next week with you all. Today, I want to talk about lunch.

I think lunch is one of the most forgotten meals, especially during the week, at least for myself. Some may say breakfast as well, but for me I find myself getting so caught up in the work day and just working right through lunch, and then when I realize it – it’s so close to dinner time that I don’t want to eat my lunch. Or I head to the fridge to find something for lunch and don’t have something that I feel I can make quickly enough, so end up either snacking or just not enjoying a good lunch.

Do you find yourself doing the same thing? If you’ve mastered the lunch dilemma, how have you done it? When I am making dinners or planning them for the week, I always try and cook more than I normally would just so that we will have leftovers to be able to take with us.

Working through lunch can also be tough, but I’ve been encouraged to actually schedule lunch on my calendar so that I have space to take a break and when I’m booking calls, to try and not schedule over those.

What are your tips and tricks for all things lunch? I’d love to hear them!

Ashley

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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.

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Learning Center Article – All About Aruba 2930M Series Switches

When it comes to data centers and other high-bandwidth networking, finding the perfect Ethernet switches is an endless task. There are many out there that can provide a lot of ports and possibly high speeds, but you need a combination of features and smart design choices to really optimize your network.

There are a few switch series that really stand out for this kind of work, and one of them is the Aruba 2930M. The 2930M series has a handful of different switch options, all providing multi-gigabit speeds with stackable switches.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Google began rolling out its chatbot, Bard, to select US and UK users and plans to open it up to more people moving forward. 
• Panera Bread is piloting Amazon’s palm-scanning technology in St. Louis to offer customers a faster way to connect to their loyalty program and pay. The bakery-cafe chain, which has long been considered a leader in restaurant technology, is the latest restaurant to use what the tech giant has dubbed Amazon One.
• Japan won the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night, downing Team USA 3-2 in the championship game at loanDepot Park in Miami. The game ended in dramatic fashion with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani striking out his MLB teammate Mike Trout with a full-count slider to seal Japan’s third title.
• Mortgage demand rose last week, but rising interest rates may stand in the way of stronger volume. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 6.48% from 6.71%.

Happy Tuesday! If you’ve been following along with all things March Madness, you’re likely feeling like everyone else is about your bracket. How do you think things will end? What’s the next upset we will see? Can’t wait to find out!

In This Issue: Car Show Fun & Bits of Wisdom | Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switch | What are SFP’s? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Car Show Fun & Bits of Wisdom

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone’s having a great week so far! I’m so excited that we have officially made it to Spring (even if it doesn’t quite feel like it!)

On Saturday, the town that I live in put on its annual car show which is always our “unofficial kickoff to Spring” and a year full of fun events downtown. One of my best friends from childhood moved to the same town as me so we went to the car show together and had a great time! It was much colder than I would have preferred, but getting to enjoy the sunshine and hang out with a friend is always good for the soul! I heard that they had over 500 cars there!

After the car show, I headed to a church where my best friend’s husband took a role as head pastor back in the Fall. They have an autistic son named Asher (5 years old in a few weeks!) and back in September they asked if I could help watch him on Sunday mornings at the church so that Brian could preach and Jami could be present with the congregation. They had an event at the church Saturday afternoon/evening so I spent a good bit of time hanging out with him and then again on Sunday morning! I don’t think I’ve mentioned this part of life on here before, but I thought it was worth bringing up as I’m learning a lot about autism through spending time with Asher, but also am trying to learn from reading and hearing about the experiences of others! I’m learning tons about sensory toys, nonverbal communication, etc! If your life is touched by autism, I’d love to hear any bits of wisdom or things that have been helpful in your experience!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Transform your network with highly scalable Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series switches. These enterprise-class stackable access switches are built to support a hybrid network, allowing users to work from anywhere. The innovation in these switches reinforces the security and elevates the experience for hybrid workforces.

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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 it’s primary uses.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Chaos has been the theme of March this year, and No. 1 seed Indiana was not immune in the second day of the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers joined Stanford as No. 1 seeds to fall in the second round, losing 70-68 to No. 8 seed Miami on Monday. The last time two No. 1 seeds have gone down in the first week of the tournament was 1998, the year that No. 16 seed Harvard made history by upsetting Stanford in the first round. 
• U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday will create two new national monuments, in Nevada and Texas, and launch an effort to consider expanding protections for all waters around remote Pacific islands southwest of Hawaii. The moves, which will be announced at a White House summit on conservation, are aimed at delivering on Biden’s goal to conserve at least 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030.
• Fanatics will replace Adidas as the official uniform supplier for the National Hockey League starting with the 2024-2025 season.
• Dozens of people were arrested across France after sporadic protests broke out hours after President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Monday over a deeply unpopular pension reform. The failure of the vote will be a relief to Macron. Had it succeeded, it would have sunk his government and killed the legislation, which is set to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. 

Happy Monday & Happy first day of Spring! While it may still feel a bit chilly outside, warmer weather is on the horizon. What do you enjoy most about the spring weather?

In This Issue: Quality Time & a Shoutout to Moms | Kendall Howard Small Form Factor CPU Wall Mount Shelf | What is CAT6A and How Is It Being Used Today? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Quality Time & a Shoutout to Moms

Good morning, it’s Monday!

I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my children as my wife went on a weekend women’s retreat over the weekend. Luckily the girls behaved quite well while their mom was out, so I didn’t have to stress too much.

We had a fairly low-key weekend with our normal trip to piano lessons for my oldest and our tradition of getting a donut at the local bakery. We also went to the library and celebrated my Mom’s birthday at their place, the grandparents were a welcome distraction!

I am very thankful my wife is back and this kind of separation made me appreciate her more. Thank you to all the mom’s out there, you rock! That’s all for today ~ Wishing you a productive and positive Monday!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Kendall Howard’s Small-Form-Factor Wall Mount CPU Brackets are designed to get the computer off the floor and the desktop. The brackets make it easy to secure and mount any small-form-factor PC to the wall or side of the desk. The velcro strap secures the PC to the bracket.

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Learning Center Article – What is CAT6A and How Is It Being Used Today?

What is the most important component of network design? Cost and performance certainly dictate the final result, but such general concepts don’t really pinpoint a place to start. In reality, a network’s capacity and reliability are built upon the cables that connect everything. When cost and performance are used to select a cable, most network engineers try to stuff as much Ethernet into their system as they can.

While Cat6A is neither the newest nor most advanced Ethernet on the market today, it is a staple in the industry and services a wide range of networks.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Microsoft and its Nuance Communications subsidiary announced Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Express, a clinical notes application for healthcare workers that is powered by artificial intelligence. DAX Express aims to help reduce clinicians’ administrative burdens by automatically generating a draft of clinical notes after a patient visit. 
• Virgin Orbit is furloughing nearly all its employees and pausing operations for a week as it looks for a funding lifeline.
• Parkgoers at Disneyland will finally be able to return to Mickey’s Toontown this weekend after a yearlong closure for refurbishment. The reimagined Toontown honors the space that first opened in 1993, keeping existing structures like Mickey and Minnie’s houses in tact, albeit with a paint touch-up. The redesigned land, which opens to the public March 19, is entirely wheelchair accessible and is visually and auditorily approachable for kids who are easily overwhelmed by loud or bright sensory stimuli.
• After 15 years in space, NASA’s AIM mission is ending. The AIM team has announced they are ending operational support for the spacecraft due to a battery power failure. NASA first noticed issues with AIM’s battery in 2019, but the probe was still sending a “significant amount of data” back to Earth. Following another recent decline in battery power, NASA says AIM has become unresponsive. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We hope you remembered to wear green today! 🍀

In This Issue: More than 150,000 IT Pros like You Agree! | Cisco ASA 5512-X Firewall | What is Switch Stacking & Why is it Important? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – More than 150,000 IT pros like you agree!

Happy Friday, folks! It’s rainy here in Georgia, but it’s still Friday!

Let’s face it: completing IT projects is hard, especially when those network infrastructure projects get complicated. We’ve all opened a box only to find that the equipment was DOA out of the box or we’re missing a power cord. It’s incredible how much of an impact a small thing can have on a project.

That’s why you need a vendor you trust. Someone who helps you figure out exactly what you need, ships fast, and handles customer service questions with ease.

It’s one thing to hear it from us; it’s another thing to hear from a few of the 150,000+ customers we’ve served over the years.

“Great experience. Needed lots of CAT6 cables at the last moment. Placed an order for next-day shipping after 4pm (Pacific). Order arrived the next day, and our install was able to stay on schedule.” – Mark R.

“Great service at a great price. Always so easy to do business with CablesAndKits. Fast and smooth process. Quality products at a great price.” – Reginald C.

“Always get what I ordered. 5 stars for CablesandKits staff, you never fail to amaze me, excellent products and services.” – Andrew N.

“I got the right stuff at the right price without having to wait. Who could ask for more?” – Gordon F.

We have a single goal here at CablesAndKits: to help you be successful. Need help finding something? Need it fast (maybe even same day)? Give us a call!

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco ASA5500-X series next-generation firewall is the new enterprise-class standard in security for the current and emerging security pressures that may threaten your network. The new firewall line will give you the added security that your network needs, but at a cost that will keep an IT budget in line.

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Learning Center Article – What is Switch Stacking & Why is it Important?

There are countless ways to design a network and meet the criteria it needs to follow. Not all of these methods will be as efficient or affordable as others. That’s why network administrators are constantly learning new concepts.

Switch stacking is commonly used in high-end networking, but many small and medium businesses are missing out on the technique. Taking a minute to learn more about it could reveal a better way to run your network that saves time and money while improving network functionality.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Slovakia will send its entire fleet of 13 Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine to boost its defense against Russian forces. 
• Amtrak unveiled $5 to $20 late-night train fares for some of its Northeast routes. The cheap prices will be available for select routes between Washington, D.C., and New York running from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• The price of YouTube TV is increasing from $65 per month to $73 per month starting in April.
• Microsoft said the new A.I. features will be available in some of the company’s most popular business apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

Happy Thursday & Happy National Panda Day! Today draws attention to one of the world’s most unique bears. Are you a fan of pandas?

In This Issue: Finding a New Love for Reading | CAT6 Ethernet Patch Cables | What are the advantages of OM5 Fiber? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Finding a New Love for Reading

Happy Thursday Everyone!

The other day, I had the most amazing day at the bookstore! As someone who loves to read, spending hours in the bookstore, browsing through all the different genres, and getting lost in the world of literature was pure bliss. I also enjoy the nostalgia of being in a bookstore it’s amazing.

After walking around the store and asking the associates about some books I saw on BookTok, I finally chose four new books that I am eagerly looking forward to reading. There’s just something special about holding a physical book in your hands, flipping through the pages, and immersing yourself in a good story.

I recently rekindled my love for reading about a year ago, and I have been hooked ever since. Last year, I managed to complete about one book a month, but this year, I have already read between two to five books per month! But, I already have about 5 more books in my Amazon cart lol. I can’t get enough of the escapism that reading offers!

By the way, if you have any book recommendations, please send them my way! I’m into horror, mystery, and romance books for fiction, but I’m also into self-help and personal development reads.

So, if you’re in need of a little break from the fast-paced, technology-driven world we live in, I highly recommend taking some time to visit a bookstore. You never know what kind of adventure awaits you between the pages of a book. Happy reading, everyone!

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Our Cat6 Easyboot Ethernet cables make it simple for you to manage your Ethernet cabling with a tabbed boot which makes it easy to connect or disconnect the cable in hard-to-reach, tight, high-density situations, unlike the older style Half-moon boot cables – UTP, Pure Copper Wire, Lifetime Warranty – Backwards compatible with all Cat5e applications.

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Learning Center Article – What are the advantages of OM5 Fiber?

Information technology has headed in one obvious direction for the past several decades. More people come online every year, and the constant demand is for more speed. As these systems grow, infrastructure will continue to be put under greater strain in order to keep up with the trend.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Kellogg will split into two companies named Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co by the end of the year.
• Virgin Orbit is furloughing nearly all its employees and pausing operations for a week as it looks for a funding lifeline.
• The United States military has released footage it says is of an unsafe interception of a US drone by a Russian jet over the Black Sea. Read more here. 
• Nasa on Wednesday unveiled the first prototype for a newly designed next-generation spacesuit specially tailored and accessorised for the first astronauts expected to venture back to the moon’s surface in the next few years.