Archives for January 2024

Happy Friday! The weekend is here – do you have any plans? We hope you have a wonderful weekend relaxing, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying doing the things you love most.

In This Issue: Leaving it to the Pros | LC-LC OM3 Multimode Duplex Fiber Patch Cable | Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber Cables | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Leaving it to the Pros

Happy Friday, folks! Have you ever tried to fix something yourself and realized midway through that you should have called in a professional? 🙋‍♂️

I’m willing to try to fix most things once to see if I can figure it out. This week was no exception. I had a water leak that I thought I could tackle. Water leaked through our laundry room ceiling around a light fixture. So, being the “willing to try it once” type, I thought I could fix this!

I turned the power off to that room and cut the ceiling drywall to expose the pipes. Then, cut the pipes and head to the home improvement store to buy way too many parts, a new tool, primer, and glue.

I finished putting it all back together and stepped back in awe of my work. I was both proud and relieved for a few moments! As with all things plumbing, the true test is turning the water on. This test quickly exposed that I got all my connections perfect, except for one! I had a new leak. I’m sitting here chuckling at the entire thing.

So now a plumber is coming later today to fix it for me! I’ll leave the plumbing to the professionals from now on. 😀

What new project will you be tackling this weekend?

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Our OM3 Multimode Duplex 50/125 fiber cables are perfect for high-speed data transmission up to 10G. With LC duplex connectors, durable zirconia ferrule, flame-retardant jacket, and UPC polish, they ensure seamless, reliable connections. They are also TIA-604 (FOCIS) and RoHS compliant for top-notch performance.

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Learning Center Article – Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber Cables

Fiber optics are essential for building the most capable networks, but when making design choices, there are plenty of options that serve fiber optics in general. One of the primary choices available to any network engineer exists between single-mode fiber and multimode fiber.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• This month, Doritos is adding new Dinamita flavors—and a new shape—to its lineup. Doritos is introducing Flamin’ Hot Queso, Smoky Chile Queso, Tangy Fiery Lime, and Hot Honey Mustard flavors alongside Chile Limón.
• Walmart is set to close two more stores due to a major change in shopper behavior, with more and more customers looking to do their shopping online.
• CVS Health plans to close select pharmacies inside Target stores early this year, as retail pharmacy chains in the U.S. struggle to boost profits.
• JPMorgan Chase reported that their fourth-quarter profits declined after paying a $2.9 billion fee tied to the government seizures of failed regional banks last year.

Happy Thursday! We hope you’re having a great week. The weekend is right around the corner – do you have any plans?

In This Issue: Living on Land (pt. 3 from Craig!) | Active Optical Cable (AOC) HDMI Cable | What Are Copper Transceivers? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Living on Land (pt. 3 from Craig!)

Hello!

Previously, I wrote about the origins of the CK Daily, our work during Covid, and my need to take a sabbatical. Then, I discussed taking a five-month sabbatical, which led to me to exiting the day-to-day of CK. Now, on to Part 3.

While away from the daily operations of CK, I found success in land development. It began when my family and I moved into a house on nearly 10 acres in 2019, leading to the sale of the 82-acre property we moved from.

Initially attempting to sell it as one piece, I couldn’t find an interested and capable buyer. I realized that to sell it, I needed to divide it into 8 to 10 acre parcels. Ironically, the whole reason I had bought the property was my frustration with my HOA and my quest for “10 acres to live in the middle of.” Instead, I ended up with 82 acres—a very Craig-like thing to do—and we lived there for five years without ever building our dream home on it. But, the contentment that comes with living privately on land was mostly what we were originally seeking, it turned out.

As I split the property and met with buyers, I discovered there were many people seeking the same thing I had wanted: FREEDOM. I catered to the buyers’ needs and sold all of my property, but the inquiries didn’t stop. Friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues of my buyers were all looking for the same thing. So, the only logical step was to acquire more property!

Today, after seven projects, Millwood Land Company (AKA EscapeTheHOA) is now a four-person team. We have sold dream properties to dozens of families and have helped them find builders, bankers, and everything else they need to turn their dreams into reality. It has been an incredible journey these past few years. (Check us out on FB—we are rebranding to Millwood Land Company but can currently be found at @EscapeTheHOA.)

Everything was great! CK was having its best years, led by amazing people and Millwood was going really well. Everyone was happy as a clam. And then it went sideways overnight …

More to come in Part 4!

Craig

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Take your A/V experience to the next level with our Ultra High Definition AOC HDMI cables. Unlike standard HDMI cables, these AOC cables transmit high-quality audio and video signal over fiber optic strands at speeds of up to 48 Gbps. The fiber strands are less susceptible to interference and signal loss, resulting in unparalleled clarity.

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Learning Center Article – What Are Copper Transceivers?

In data centers and other high-speed networks, you often rely on fiber optics to supply enough bandwidth. Despite that, even the most advanced networks still benefit from enabling Ethernet devices. How do you reconcile the two?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• McDonald’s brought a new take on its classic burger to the United States after testing the changes around the world. The changes included using a softer bun, melting the cheese more fully, and adding onions to the patties while they are cooking.
• Tesla rolled out the restyled version of its Model 3 compact sedan in North America at unchanged prices.
• Footwear and apparel company Wolverine World Wide has sold Sperry to brand management firm Authentic Brands Group.
• SpaceX successfully sent text messages via Starlink satellites using T-Mobile’s network.

Happy Wednesday & Happy National Houseplant Appreciation Day! Are you a plant lover? Make sure to give your houseplant a little extra tender, love and care today!

In This Issue: Celebrating Another Year! 🎉 | Cisco 3800 Series Router | Best Way to Connect Multiple Switches | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Celebrating Another Year! 🎉

Good morning CK Family!

I hope everyone is having a great week. Yesterday I celebrated another trip around the sun and it was such a great day! I’m not a big birthday person, but I feel like I use my birthday as a time to reflect on where I am in life, where I’m heading, and what areas I need to work on. A lot has changed for me over the past year. We moved, I became a mom, have had some professional transitions, and so much more. My life has really transformed over the past year, and at times it’s a lot to take in but I’m grateful for all the changes and new adventures.

Late last year, I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to learn to play guitar. I’ve played guitar with my grandmother before, but nothing serious. So – he made it happen. Saturday, he took me to pick out a beautiful guitar and the learning has started! I’ll keep you in the loop on my progress.

All this to say – cheers to this next year of life! The year that I get to continue to be a great mom to my sweet boy, learn to play the guitar, read lots of books, be a wife, daughter, and sister, and glorify God in it all. Do you find yourself reflecting when it’s your birthday?

Have a great rest of the week!

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco builds on its industry-standard line of Integrated Services Routers with the 3800 series. These routers offer superior scalability and investment protection through their built-in modular design. Application Layer functions, intelligent network services, and converged communications all combine to provide a true seamless, robust, intelligent routing solution.

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Learning Center Article – Best Way to Connect Multiple Switches

It’s why many modern switches come pre-designed to work in a stack, cluster, or other configuration. The goal is to connect multiple switches together in order to improve the network.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• NASA officials outlined a new schedule for the Artemis lunar program on Tuesday. The roughly one-year delay for each of the next three missions came as little surprise, given the significant amount of work left to be done before astronauts can return to the Moon later this decade.
• UK and US naval forces have repelled the largest attack yet by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.
• Amazon.com Inc.’s live-streaming site Twitch is poised to cut 35% of its staff.
• YouTube launched a service to provide short videos for people to easily find if they’re witnessing a medical emergency. The videos are made by accredited health organizations and will appear pinned to the top of relevant search results.

Happy Tuesday! We hope you’re having a great week. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle around the New Year so we hope you can take some time to rest. If we can be praying for you as we head into the New Year, let us know!

In This Issue: Setting Healthy Boundaries | Kendall Howard 1U Tool-less 5 D-Ring Cable Manager | Does Wi-Fi 6 Work With Older Devices? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Setting Healthy Boundaries

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is off to a great start this week! I’m finally feeling better after my bout with the flu which is exciting!

While I was sick, I had plenty of time to catch up on some reading which was very timely. I’m particularly interested these days in the topic of “boundaries”. This is a word that I would have probably rolled my eyes at in previous years, but now I am seeing how absolutely essential having healthy boundaries is for living a good life and having healthy relationships.

Two books that I have been finding particularly helpful in learning about boundaries and navigating how to implement them are “Good Boundaries and Goodbyes” by Lysa Terkeurst and “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. Both books approach the topic from a Biblical basis which I very much appreciate as sometimes I think we can be fooled into thinking that setting boundaries is “mean,” “selfish,” or “un-Christian”. I used to think that they were just an excuse to say “no” and be rude to people, but what I’m learning is that they are more like property lines that define where one person’s responsibilities end and another person’s begin. They help to keep in the good, and keep out the bad.

I’m still working my way through these books but am very encouraged by what I’m learning so far and definitely recommend them if you are also in a place where setting some healthy boundaries is necessary!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Kendall Howard’s 1U Tool-less 5 D-Ring Cable Manager makes it easy to manage cables in any type of network rack or enclosure. Get the convenience of a cable routing blank, a 5 D-ring minder, and a tool-less spacer blank all in one! This unique cable manager has snap-in clips that lock in place with any cage-nut-style rail. It can also be screwed in place for racks with tapped rails using the standard mounting holes.

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Learning Center Article – Does Wi-Fi 6 Work With Older Devices?

Wi-Fi 6 is the latest and greatest in Wi-Fi technology. It’s faster, handles more traffic, saves battery life, reduces interference, improves security, and more. With so many benefits, it seems like an obvious choice to upgrade, but what about your existing hardware? Does Wi-Fi 6 work with older devices?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Nearly 70 million people across the Gulf Coast and Southeast are at risk for severe weather, including tornadoes, damaging wind and flooding rain on Monday and Tuesday.
• Astrobotic’s troubled Peregrine moon lander has snapped its first photo in the final frontier, and the image holds clues about what happened to the spacecraft. Check it out here.
• NASA is set to delay its next few missions to the moon under a key program as technical hurdles mount with the various spacecraft it intends to use to get there.
• Nvidia is playing up its strength in consumer GPUs for so-called “local” AI that can run on a PC or laptop from home or an office.

Happy Monday & Happy National Clean off Your Desk Day! Today is the perfect opportunity to begin your new year with a clean and organized workspace. Whether your desk is in a private or shared office, cubicle, home or a make-shift desk on the counter, having your workspace uncluttered and organized will help you work more efficiently.

In This Issue: How do you set new habits? | Cisco Catalyst 9300 Switch | Reasons to Move Your Business to a Fiber Connection | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – How do you set new habits?

Happy Monday! It’s been a while since I last wrote. I hope you had a great Christmas and New Years!

I took quite a bit of time off to rest and to spend time with family, but now I’m ready to hit the ground running for 2024. This year instead of New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to try and set habits. I always fail at maintaining a resolution or lose motivation around the 2nd or 3rd week of January. I think I read a statistic somewhere saying that most people will fail at their resolutions about mid to late January. I’m definitely one of those statistics, but this year I have a new strategy. I want to set habits, instead of lofty, unattainable goals. So instead of setting a goal like plan on losing 20 lbs by March, I will set the habit of exercising every day. Other habits I want to start and keep up with are journaling every day and reading a chapter of a book (any book!). I want to see what happens after a year and what kind of results that will bring, I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

I’ll be measuring my progress using a simple system with checkboxes, either I executed the habit or I didn’t, and hopefully by the end of the year, I’ll have more checks than empty boxes. What are your goals for this year? Have you tried setting new habits?

I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This Cisco Catalyst 9300 24-port Switch comes with a power supply and 9300 Series Accessory kit including rack mount kit, power cord, and console cable.

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Learning Center Article – Reasons to Move Your Business to a Fiber Connection

Every business needs strong lines of communication, but what setup is best for yours? A lot of small and medium businesses assume that they need simple networking equipment and setups. These assumptions can be gravely mistaken.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered airlines to ground more than 170 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 made an emergency landing after a panel on the side of the plane blew off midflight.
• The Supreme Court decline to take appeal by Elon Musk’s X company challenging a ban on the company disclosing federal surveillance of Americans and foreign nationals using the service.
• Audacy, the radio and podcast giant, it filed plans for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reduce its debt. The restructuring agreement will allow Audacy to slash its total debt load by 80% to about $350 million from around $1.9 billion.
• Apple said the Vision Pro headset would launch on February 2, with pre-orders opening on January 19. The Vision Pro will cost $3500, with prescription lenses costing an additional $149.

Happy Friday! We hope you had a great week and a great start to 2024. Have a wonderful weekend!

In This Issue: What will you accomplish this year? | Yealink SIPT57W IP Desk Phone | OEM vs Third Party Maintenance | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily -What will you accomplish this year?

Happy Friday, folks! And a Happy New Year to you all!

It’s really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of life, so I enjoy taking time at the end of each year to reflect on the year. This reflection time allows us to look out the rear-view mirror and write down our wins/losses and progress on our long-term goals. I’m always amazed at what we were able to accomplish! We accomplished some of our goals, while others needed to adjust.

I recently heard this quote: “Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year.”

I’m very guilty of overestimating what I can do in a day. I can wake up on a Saturday morning with a dozen items I’d like to finish that day and end the day with only 3 or 4 complete. On any given day, I can get frustrated by what seems like a lack of progress toward a goal. But a little effort each day compounds over time, and we’re able to achieve far more than we think we can.

So, as you think about 2024, I encourage you to set goals that take you out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised by what can be accomplished in a year!

What wins do you have from 2023? I’d love to hear about them!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Equipped with an adjustable and flexible 7-inch multi-point touch screen for much comfortable viewing according to the needs, this Yealink SIP-T57W is perfect for all busy business professionals. The Yealink SIP-T57W boasts built-in Bluetooth 4.2 and built-in dual-band 2.4G/5G Wi-Fi, the SIP-T57W IP Phone ensures you to keep up with modern wireless technology.

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Learning Center Article – OEM vs Third Party Maintenance

When you have a lot of technology assets, they need regular care. You rely on the devices for many functions, and in many cases, they are critical to the operations of your business.

How do you take care of them?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• From plain, peanut, and pretzel to caramel cold brew and peanut butter, America loves its M&M’s. Now, a fan-favorite flavor of the popular candy is back, but with a new spin—and you’re going to want to grab a bag while they’re in stores. Easter Sundae M&M’s are back on shelves, and if you call yourself an M&M’s fan, you’ve got to give these unique candies a try.
• Reese’s recently transformed its classic peanut butter cup into the shape of a peanut. Have you gotten your hands on one of these?
• ESPN and the NCAA have signed a new media rights agreement that runs from 2024 to 2032.
• Drugmaker Eli Lilly announced a new website that will allow patients to get a weight loss drug prescription through a telehealth provider