Archives for March 2023

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Cereal Day! Who doesn’t love a good bowl of cereal for breakfast or for a satisfying afternoon snack?! We know we do! What’s your favorite type of cereal to enjoy?

In This Issue: Lessons Learned from Family | Cisco Aironet Recessed Ceiling Grid Clip | What Are Console Cables and What Are They Used For? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Lessons Learned from Family

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! As always, I hope everyone’s off to a strong start this week! Over the weekend I attended a baby shower for my cousins’ wife, Diana. She’s due with their first baby (a little girl) next month and we are all so excited to have another baby in the family!

I come from a rather large family as my mom was one of 6 kids and I’m one of 4 kids. Add in the fact that I’ve got 10 cousins on my mom’s side and you can imagine how packed and loud it is when we all get together!

I’ve been thinking about family a lot lately and, the older I get, the more thankful I am to come from such a large family unit. Big or small, family is so critically important and never something we should take for granted.

Being one of so many in a big family taught me a lot about relationships in general – how to get along with others, how to share, how to appreciate the uniqueness of others, how to navigate and resolve conflict, how to have humility, and ultimately how remain loyal and to grow with a group of people. I think these lessons are super important and have been of great benefit throughout my life!

Do you come from a big or small family? What are some of the most important lessons family taught you? I’d love to know!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

You want to make your network work better for you. Well, so do we. Our recessed Ceiling Grid Clip for Aironet 1040, 1140, 1260, 3500i, and 3500e Series Access Points are designed to help you mount your network. What’s the point? You can improve your signal by moving your network to the ceiling. So, make the switch with CablesAndKits.

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Learning Center Article – What Are Console Cables and What Are They Used For?

Console cables — also known as Cisco cables, rollover cables and management cables — are designed for a specific purpose. They connect Cisco networking devices to terminals or PCs for configuration. Typically, the Cisco end will connect via RJ45, and the terminal end will conclude in a serial connection.

What matters most about console cables is the specific nature of the connection.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Packaging of Toblerone chocolate bars will swap Switzerland’s Matterhorn for a generic mountain shape. U.S. owner Mondelez confirmed it was due to Swiss laws on product origins, as it prepares to move some production to Slovakia later this year. The company said the move would allow it to increase production and that some Toblerone bars would still be made in the Swiss capital.
• Nestle, Kellogg, Tyson Foods and Gorton’s Seafood are among the food companies leaning into the air fryer boom to appeal to consumers. Read more about it here. 
• Hello, yellow! Apple introduces new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Check it out here. 
• Best Buy has struck a deal to sell devices and handle installation for a program that allows patients to get hospital care at home.

Happy Monday! This week might be the last week you have to leave the office and drive home in the dark. On Sunday, we’re springing forward and the evening daylight will be back! Who’s excited?!

In This Issue: Weekend Tournaments & Chaos | Meraki Access Point | Benefits of Redundancy & Cold Spares | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Weekend Tournaments & Chaos

Good Monday morning!

This weekend felt like a blur. My daughter competed in the Odyssey of the Mind regional tournament on Saturday and this was our first experience at an OM event and it was definitely memorable. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that has students work in teams to solve open-ended problems in a variety of categories, from building mechanical devices to presenting theatrical performances.

The tournament was held at a high school, and it was packed! So many teams from all around Georgia were gathered and the cafeteria where we all congregated pulsed with a cacophony of conversations. Each school had its own team colors and there was a sea of colors present. Tired parents and eager students all waited for their chance to perform, and I could see the kids were having a blast. I texted a friend who was there and he replied “this is chaos” and he wasn’t joking, but chaos in a good way.

My daughter’s team did well and put on a show about a new dinosaur discovery, she’s in the primary team grouping (where the younger kids compete) and this was a great experience for her to learn. Next year she’ll be able to compete with the older kids, who happened to place first in their division. Even though it was a hurry-up-and-wait type experience, we plan to encourage her to keep competing, if anything this will help her work with others and help with her with problem-solving skills. The memories of the experience are worth it alone. Hope you have a great week and don’t forget to set your clocks forward this weekend!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Meraki MR46-HW raises the bar to new heights when it comes to wireless performance and efficiency. This cloud-managed access point features 4×4:4 MU-MIMO and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 making it perfect for next-generation deployments in everything from offices and schools to shops and hotels. It offers the best of all worlds with high throughput, enterprise-grade security, and simple management through the Meraki dashboard.

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Learning Center Article – Benefits of Redundancy & Cold Spares

Downtime is the true enemy of every network. Downtime is frustrating, destructive, and worst of all, costly. Businesses can rapidly lose money with even small amounts of network downtime, so everyone wants ways to avoid it.

There really is one answer: redundancy.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas – representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws. Read more here. 
• Meta announced a dramatic price drop for its higher-end virtual reality headset, the Quest Pro.
  Both the Quest Pro and Quest 2 will see price cuts in the coming days, dropping by $500 for the Quest Pro and $70 for the Quest 2.
• Two U.S. senators plan to introduce legislation this week aimed at letting the government “ban or prohibit” foreign technology products such as Chinese-owned TikTok.
• China has set an official economic growth target of “around 5%” for 2023, as it seeks to revive the world’s second-largest economy after a year of tepid growth because of pandemic measures. It will also expand its defense budget 7.2%, marking a slight increase over growth the previous year.

Happy Friday & Happy National Day of Unplugging! We hope you are able to find some time today to unplug, unwind, relax, and enjoy a moment of unplugging from technology.

In This Issue: Adventures of 2023 | HDMI to DVI-D Cable | Best Practices for Cable Management in Data Centers | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Adventures of 2023

Good morning CK Family!

This week we’ve been sharing lots of recent adventures, travels, or fun things we’ve done since the start of 2023. We want to hear what you’ve been up to! Reply to this email and let us know if you’ve been on any fun adventures this year, have taken any exciting vacations, or just have experienced something that brought a smile to your face – we’d love to hear about it!

We hope you have a great weekend, find time to relax and soak in all that is around you! We look forward to reading your replies!

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Product Spotlights & Updates

HDMI to DVI-D cables provide an interface between any HDMI-enabled audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver, and an audio and/or video monitor or projector.

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Learning Center Article – Best Practices for Cable Management in Data Centers

Every network administrator in the world has a horror story about cable management. In data centers, those horror stories grow into genuine nightmares. If enough people work on a system for a long enough period of time, the cables will eventually turn into some type of Ethernet vine monster. Only strict adherence to cable management practices can prevent this disaster.

The following best practices assume you already know some of the basics. Instead, they’re aimed to help you avoid subtler missteps that occur frequently in modern data centers.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Alex Murdaugh was convicted Thursday of gunning down his wife and son after a panel of 12 jurors returned a guilty verdict after less than three hours of deliberations. Read more here. 
• California is enduring severe winter weather as unusual amounts of snowfall and strong winds across the state have damaged highways and roads and trapped some residents in their homes. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in 13 counties affected by the storms.
• Egyptian officials have confirmed the discovery of a hidden corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest planets, appeared very close together in the night sky on Wednesday in what’s known as a “conjunction,” according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The celestial sighting is also sometimes referred to as a “cosmic kiss” and is visible to the naked eye.

Happy Thursday & Happy Read Across America Day! Today we are encouraged to read and be inspired by all the great books in the world. Have you been enjoying a good book lately?

In This Issue: There’s No Place Like Home | RJ11 Straight Modular Telephone Cable | Understanding OLT, ONU, ONT, and ODN for Fiber | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – There’s No Place Like Home

Good Morning Everyone,

These last few weeks have been full of adventure. I was able to go back to Atlanta for a wonderful company meeting and while I was there, I spent time with family and friends. I am a very social person so being able to see most of the CK family was super refreshing. We all got to catch up and spend some time with each other without the bounds of our screens. It was a blast getting to know the team better and soaking up the knowledge and experiences that everyone has to offer. It makes me truly grateful to be a part of such an amazing company!

I also was able to spend some time with my 3-month-old God son. I missed the last 2 months of his life because of my relocation, so I had to make up for the lost time. We were together almost every day! He was even able to spend some time with my grandparents, which was amusing. It was amazing to watch them together. He was such a joy to be around! I love being around babies and was super excited for my best friend when she told me she was expecting. I was able to plan her baby shower and spend some time with her when he was first born which was a joy! But, nothing compared to seeing him laugh and smile and even cry! He is such an angel; such a pure-hearted gift.

On top of spending time with my precious God son, I was also able to hang out with friends which made my schedule super busy! We went to so many restaurants, forcing me to crank up my gym routine lol! But, I am so glad to finally be back home. I really missed my fiancé and my cat. I think they really missed me too because the fridge was basically empty haha! Now, it’s back to my routine and time to try out some of the wonderful recipes that were shared with me. It feels good to be home!

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Use this RJ-11 silver satin cable to connect a computer or phone to a telephone line. Straight-through-pinned modular cables are used for RS232 modular adapters for dumb-terminal hook-ups and other serial/parallel extension applications.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding OLT, ONU, ONT, and ODN for Fiber

As the industry for fiber optical networking continues to grow, one corner of the market is pushing innovation and development, and understanding this could help you with your own network designs.

This area is known as fiber to the home (FTTH), and it’s now a major aspect of broadband internet service. As the name implies, these are unpowered optical networks that provide fast, reliable signals that split from a single source to many destinations. In order to make such designs work, there are a few essential features known as OLT, ONU, ONT, and ODN. You will see each of them explained below.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted to advance legislation that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok, the viral video app owned by China’s ByteDance that’s been swiping market share from social media stalwarts.
• Mortgage rates moved higher again last week, pushing buyers back to the sidelines just as the spring housing market is supposed to be heating up. Mortgage applications to purchase a home dropped 6% last week compared with the previous week. Volume was 44% lower than the same week one year ago, and is now sitting at a 28-year low.
• SpaceX launched four people to the International Space Station from Florida as Elon Musk’s company begins the final of the original six missions awarded by NASA.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday for the first time since the war in Ukraine began more than a year ago. The brief contact on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi marks a significant moment as high-level engagements between the United States and Russia have become exceedingly rare since the start of the war last February. Blinken and Lavrov’s meeting comes amid some of the most heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow in decades.

Happy Wednesday & Happy March 1st! The year is flying by! Did you set any goals at the beginning of the year that you’re hoping to accomplish? We hope they are off to a great start.

In This Issue: Adventures in the Florida Keys | Keystone Surface Mount Box | What are Ferrari-Style Ethernet Cables? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Adventures in the Florida Keys

Good morning and Happy Wednesday!

This week my husband and I have been enjoying time in the Florida Keys and it has been beautiful! The weather is perfect and the water is so refreshing to get in. We’ve been able to go on some grand adventures so far, but I’m convinced that nothing will beat our kayaking adventure yesterday. We set out on one of the normal kayaking strolls that we normally take when we are here and we’re heading back when a group of 4 manatees swam right under my kayak!! It was incredible!

Growing up, my great-grandmother used to write me letters and tell me that she would always see manatee here and that she would feed them fresh water and lettuce. Every time I visited I would pray that I would see one, but never did. It wasn’t until last year when we were down here that we saw the first one, and ever since then we’ve been so lucky that they’ve stuck around and make appearances!

When they passed under our kayaks yesterday, they began circling around us and playing – I’d call this moment a core memory!

It’s such a sweet feeling to be here to remember all of the memories that I have with my family but also to share them with my husband and soon our sweet kiddo! We’re looking forward to being able to bring him down here to fall in love with this place just like we are!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week!

Thanks so much!

Ashley Nance

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Give your network a makeover. These attractive boxes will perfectly blend into your home or office decor and can hold a multitude of jacks. Unloaded 2-Position Keystone Surface Mount Box, the easiest way to install a network outlet, is perfect for office cubicles or installations where the cable is run along a baseboard. Protects and hides your network connections, mounts with 2-sided tape or screws, unloaded 2-position keystone mount box.

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Learning Center Article – What are Ferrari-Style Ethernet Cables?

Managing data centers and comparably powerful networks comes with a slew of daily challenges. The need for redundancy and absolute uptime can force any administrator to expend copious resources on equipment and manpower. As a consequence, you will always be looking for ways to relieve this strain. You’ll find opportunities in every nook and cranny of your operation, but many admins completely miss one of the easiest sources of gain. A simple switch or upgrade in your Ethernet cables can boost your cost-efficiency in several surprising ways.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• NASA astronaut Josh Cassada just snapped a stunning shot of the light display from his perch on the International Space Station (ISS), which flies about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth on average. Check it out here. 
• A new version of the foldable Motorola Razr will be launched this year. The Razr is one of the brand’s most iconic mobile phones and was first launched by Motorola in 2004. It became one of the most popular flip phones of the 2000s.
• Chinese smartphone maker Realme wants stand out in a crowded space of mid-tier devices. So on Tuesday, it launched a smartphone it claims can be fully charged in 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
• Tesla will build a new plant in Monterrey, Mexico, and adhere to a series of commitments to address water scarcity, the nation’s president announced at a press conference Tuesday. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tesla agreed to use recycled water at the plant throughout the entire vehicle manufacturing process.