Archives for August 2023

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Eat a Peach Day! Peaches are one of the most enjoyable fruits out there. They are rich, delicious, and their aroma is enough to fill the air with the sweetest smell that makes them irrisitable. All this to say, stop by your local market on the way home, pick up some peaches and enjoy! 🍑

In This Issue: Echoes of the Past: Exploring Sope Creek’s Papermill Ruins | RJ45 Crimp Tool | What Are Console Cables and What Are They Used For? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Echoes of the Past: Exploring Sope Creek’s Papermill Ruins

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Once again, I hope everyone is surviving the unrelenting heatwave! I hope that after this week we start to get a bit of relief!

Fortunately, Saturday morning wasn’t terribly hot and I had a chance to get outside for a short hike with some friends. We went to Sope Creek Trail in Marietta, GA which is part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (say that 5 times fast 😉). The trail itself isn’t my favorite. It’s kind of in the city, easy to get lost, and parts of it run alongside the road which doesn’t exactly give that relaxing sense of being out in nature. That said, the highlight of the trail is some old stone papermill ruins that hold historical value and are really something to see!

The mill was built back in the late 1850’s and housed the Marietta Paper Mills which manufactured news print, wrapping paper, and stationary. It was constructed next to Sope Creek and used the power of the water to run the mill.

Given that the mill was constructed shortly before the civil war, operations were much more difficult than anticipated. It ended up being shorthanded often and unable to produce at capacity due to workers being pulled away to fight in the war.

In July of 1864, the mill was actually burned by the Union army on their march towards Atlanta. After it was destroyed, it was fairly quickly rebuilt in 1865 but burned again in 1870. Incredibly, it was restored again in 1871 and was operational until 1902. Now, over 160 years after its original construction, all that’s left are some stone ruins. It’s both beautiful and a bit eerie to walk around in the ruins and imagine what it used to be like so many years ago. If you’re local and enjoy history and being outside, I absolutely recommend going!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This RJ45 crimp tool was designed with a built-in stripping blade to cut or strip the wire. This product will work with Cat5, Cat6, and Cat6A RJ45 ends.

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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.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• More retail earnings are ahead.
• Mortgage rates soared to the highest level since November 2000, crushing affordability for potential homebuyers.
• The Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine from Pfizer that protects infants from respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of hospitalization among babies in the U.S.
• Arm, which is owned by SoftBank, filed on Monday to list on the Nasdaq.
• A string of decade-long Google executives have changed jobs in the last several months.

Happy Monday! May this week be filled with success, joy, and meaningful connections. If we can be praying for you this week, please let us know! 🙏

In This Issue: Another year around the sun | Cat6 Outdoor Direct Burial Cable | Wired vs Wireless Networking in Manufacturing | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Another year around the sun

Happy Monday!

Over the weekend we celebrated my eldest daughter’s 9th birthday. It’s hard to believe… it seems like yesterday she was taking her first steps; now she’s tapping out tunes on the piano and mastering nunchucks in karate. We’re halfway to 18, and I couldn’t be more excited about the young woman she’s blossoming into. Through every off-key note and wobbly kick, I’ll be right there, her biggest fan. Each year I’m trying to do something memorable with her, this year it was something small, taking her out for some ice cream, just the two of us. What are some of your memorable moments that you’ve had with your child or as a child?

I hope you have a great weekend and wonderful morning!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Make your outdoor installations a breeze with direct burial cables from CablesAndKits. As a network administrator or installer, we get your specific needs. Our 1000′ reel ensures you can create custom lengths and runs on the fly. You never have to plan ahead when you’re working with our bulk direct burial cables. Upgrade your network easily and affordably to CAT6 cables when you shop with us.

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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.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Stocks look to open higher.
• Aldi announced this week it plans to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket.
• While most restaurant companies crushed earnings expectations, a number of them fell short of Wall Street’s estimates for their quarterly revenue.
• The next iPhones, expected to be launched in the coming weeks, could have a feature that no iPhone has ever had — a generic charging port.
• Elon Musk said users of the site formerly known as Twitter will no longer be able to block unwanted followers.

Happy Monday! May this week be filled with success, joy, and meaningful connections. If we can be praying for you this week, please let us know! 🙏

In This Issue: Another year around the sun | Cat6 Outdoor Direct Burial Cable | Wired vs Wireless Networking in Manufacturing | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Another year around the sun

Happy Monday!

Over the weekend we celebrated my eldest daughter’s 9th birthday. It’s hard to believe… it seems like yesterday she was taking her first steps; now she’s tapping out tunes on the piano and mastering nunchucks in karate. We’re halfway to 18, and I couldn’t be more excited about the young woman she’s blossoming into. Through every off-key note and wobbly kick, I’ll be right there, her biggest fan. Each year I’m trying to do something memorable with her, this year it was something small, taking her out for some ice cream, just the two of us. What are some of your memorable moments that you’ve had with your child or as a child?

I hope you have a great weekend and wonderful morning!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Make your outdoor installations a breeze with direct burial cables from CablesAndKits. As a network administrator or installer, we get your specific needs. Our 1000′ reel ensures you can create custom lengths and runs on the fly. You never have to plan ahead when you’re working with our bulk direct burial cables. Upgrade your network easily and affordably to CAT6 cables when you shop with us.

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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.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Stocks look to open higher.
  Aldi announced this week it plans to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket.
• While most restaurant companies crushed earnings expectations, a number of them fell short of Wall Street’s estimates for their quarterly revenue.
• The next iPhones, expected to be launched in the coming weeks, could have a feature that no iPhone has ever had — a generic charging port.
• Elon Musk said users of the site formerly known as Twitter will no longer be able to block unwanted followers.

Happy Friday! We kicked off the week with a joke, so it only seems right to end the week with a joke. Here goes nothing: Why was ‘beef stew’ not used as a computer password? Because it was not strong-anoff.

In This Issue: Teen Drivers | Cisco 3560X/3750X Four-Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Module | 8 Steps to Set up a Network Disaster Recovery Plan | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Teen Drivers

Happy Friday, folks! My family has experienced an exciting milestone: my oldest daughter turned 15 last month, which means she can now drive (with an instructional permit)! Watch out if you’re in northeast Georgia. 🤣

It’s been a lot of fun teaching her to drive a car. We go for a drive almost every evening before dark. And I like to take her down roads she hasn’t been on before, causing her to evaluate each intersection for the first time and tell me what she plans to do. I’ve been driving for 25+ years, and driving is second nature to me (as I’m sure it is with most of you). Teaching our road system to a new driver takes much longer than I realized. I’ll share an example by describing just the options for left turns in my area:

• Left turn on a 2-lane road
• Left turn with a dedicated turning lane
• Left turn where there is a shared turning lane
• Left turn at a red light with and without a dedicated left turn lane
• Left turn where there is a short lane to the right for traffic to pass (this type of traffic pattern is absurd to me, but I’m not a traffic engineer either 😀)

It’s a lot of information to learn quickly for a new driver. Repetition is key here!

I’ve been researching teen driving schools. I’m not looking for an online course but a driving class that teaches real-world skills in a controlled environment. I’m looking for a course that teaches skills in less common situations, like the need to abruptly stop (such as a crash or a deer crossing the road) and maneuver through wet weather conditions. Have you or your teen driver taken a course? I’d love to hear some recommendations!

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

When it comes to distributing fast signals across long distances, Cisco has a number of technology options available. One of them is the Cisco 3560x/3750x four-port Gigabit Ethernet module. While it sounds like a mouthful, this module is designed to make networking approachable. It is energy efficient, secure, and scalable. It’s easy to use and reliable. You can easily connect your Ethernet switches to fiber via SFP connectors with this simplified module.

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Learning Center Article – 8 Steps to Set up a Network Disaster Recovery Plan

Surely, your business has IT resources. Whether you run everything internally, hire external firms to manage IT for you, or use some combination of the two, you have access to IT experts when you need them.

That’s good because you do in fact need them. When you have a recovery plan, you can minimize that downtime and any associated fallout.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Investors get a fresh bearish signal.
• Target and Walmart posted sharply divergent fiscal second-quarter results and offered starkly different outlooks for the months ahead.
• Starboard Value now owns 9.9% of Bloomin’ Brands’ shares, according to a regulatory filing.
• Shares of Xpeng were down more than 7% in premarket U.S. trade, as the Chinese electric car maker’s troubles continued with Friday results showing a wider-than-expected loss in the second quarter.
• Sea’s chairman and group CEO Forrest Li told investors on Tuesday that the firm will “reaccelerate investments in growth,” particularly in e-commerce.

Happy Friday! We kicked off the week with a joke, so it only seems right to end the week with a joke. Here goes nothing: Why was ‘beef stew’ not used as a computer password? Because it was not strong-anoff.

In This Issue: Teen Drivers | Cisco 3560X/3750X Four-Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Module | 8 Steps to Set up a Network Disaster Recovery Plan | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Teen Drivers

Happy Friday, folks! My family has experienced an exciting milestone: my oldest daughter turned 15 last month, which means she can now drive (with an instructional permit)! Watch out if you’re in northeast Georgia. 🤣

It’s been a lot of fun teaching her to drive a car. We go for a drive almost every evening before dark. And I like to take her down roads she hasn’t been on before, causing her to evaluate each intersection for the first time and tell me what she plans to do. I’ve been driving for 25+ years, and driving is second nature to me (as I’m sure it is with most of you). Teaching our road system to a new driver takes much longer than I realized. I’ll share an example by describing just the options for left turns in my area:

• Left turn on a 2-lane road
• Left turn with a dedicated turning lane
• Left turn where there is a shared turning lane
• Left turn at a red light with and without a dedicated left turn lane
• Left turn where there is a short lane to the right for traffic to pass (this type of traffic pattern is absurd to me, but I’m not a traffic engineer either 😀)

It’s a lot of information to learn quickly for a new driver. Repetition is key here!

I’ve been researching teen driving schools. I’m not looking for an online course but a driving class that teaches real-world skills in a controlled environment. I’m looking for a course that teaches skills in less common situations, like the need to abruptly stop (such as a crash or a deer crossing the road) and maneuver through wet weather conditions. Have you or your teen driver taken a course? I’d love to hear some recommendations!

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

When it comes to distributing fast signals across long distances, Cisco has a number of technology options available. One of them is the Cisco 3560x/3750x four-port Gigabit Ethernet module. While it sounds like a mouthful, this module is designed to make networking approachable. It is energy efficient, secure, and scalable. It’s easy to use and reliable. You can easily connect your Ethernet switches to fiber via SFP connectors with this simplified module.

---

Learning Center Article – 8 Steps to Set up a Network Disaster Recovery Plan

Surely, your business has IT resources. Whether you run everything internally, hire external firms to manage IT for you, or use some combination of the two, you have access to IT experts when you need them.

That’s good because you do in fact need them. When you have a recovery plan, you can minimize that downtime and any associated fallout.

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Investors get a fresh bearish signal.
  Target and Walmart posted sharply divergent fiscal second-quarter results and offered starkly different outlooks for the months ahead.
• Starboard Value now owns 9.9% of Bloomin’ Brands’ shares, according to a regulatory filing.
• Shares of Xpeng were down more than 7% in premarket U.S. trade, as the Chinese electric car maker’s troubles continued with Friday results showing a wider-than-expected loss in the second quarter.
• Sea’s chairman and group CEO Forrest Li told investors on Tuesday that the firm will “reaccelerate investments in growth,” particularly in e-commerce.

Happy Thursday! Did you hear about the fish that knocked the power out in a town in New Jersey? Fishy, right?! 🐟 We’re not saying this outage had anything to do with our delayed send today…but it seems fishy-er things have happened lately. Have a great afternoon!

In This Issue: Team Building in a Remote Workplace | Modular RJ12 Plugs for Solid Round Cable | Wifi 6 vs WiFi 6E | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Team Building in a Remote Workplace

Hello all!

In a mainly remote workplace, connecting with my team can be a challenge at times. As I shifted from a hybrid schedule into the world of virtual meetings, I wanted to break the ice and build a relationship with my team. I quickly learned the importance of weekly meetings with interactive activities. When starting team meetings with team-building activities, I found that I was able to get a bit more interaction from my remote members. We played different games like virtual jeopardy, pictionary, and two truths and a lie.

Over time, this practice slowly washed away in my weekly meetings. Lately, it’s become clear that the activities we had embraced were more than just a break in our day, it was a vital part of building a resilient team so I will be bringing this practice back.

Reflecting on this experience, I’m reminded of the significance of these interactions before diving into the business side of the meetings. Engaging our remote team allows us to nurture our connections with our teams even though it can be challenging in a remote environment.

In the spirit of shared learning, do any of you have any team-building techniques that helped you engage with your team in spite of the challenges of remote work?

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

These Modular RJ12 Plugs can be used to make custom cords or replace a broken RJ12 cord plug. These plugs are designed for use with solid round cables.

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Learning Center Article – WiFi 6 vs WiFi 6E

Wi-Fi is ever-present in the modern world. You need it, and you can’t get away from it, and since everyone uses it, Wi-Fi networks get very crowded. Wi-Fi 6 was designed to help alleviate this crowding, and it works. Now, Wi-Fi 6E is available, and it offers dramatic improvements in this regard.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The new owners of Buy Buy Baby plan to reopen 11 stores as soon as this fall while Harmon is coming back, too, after Bed Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy.
• Google introduced a series of enhancements to its search engine on Aug. 15, incorporating advanced generative artificial intelligence (AI) features it says will enhance online information discovery and comprehension.
• Rumors have surfaced that Lenovo may enter the handheld gaming market with its portable gaming PC. Who’s excited?
• The death toll from Maui’s wildfires has risen to 111 – with possibly 1,000 still missing.