Archives for April 2024

Happy Tuesday & National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day! Have you adopted a pet from a shelter? Share your photos, we’d love to see them!

In This Issue: A Weekend in Blue Ridge, GA | Kendall Howard Small Form Factor CPU Wall Mount Shelf | What is Third Party Maintenance? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – A Weekend in Blue Ridge, GA

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is off to a great start to the week!

I got to spend the weekend at a beautiful cabin in Blue Ridge, GA which was a nice little getaway. Normally our mountain weekends are packed with “work” (content to shoot, hikes to do, people to entertain, etc) but this weekend we decided to keep things lowkey. In fact, on Friday we had a conversation in which we decided “We don’t HAVE to hike this weekend”. Kind of shocking words coming from 2 people who absolutely love hiking, but taking the pressure off felt good.

Fast forward to Saturday and we actually DID decide to hike, but it was a last-minute decision and it was a short hike so it felt super easy and relaxing. We honestly spent most of our time over the weekend at the cabin just hanging out, enjoying the views, playing shuffleboard, and having a good time!

This week we’re attending a Toyota “Crown of Hearts” party at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to promote their Crown and Crown Signia SUV vehicles. We’ll get to check out the “Alice’s Wonderland Returns” exhibit which looks beautiful and whimsical from the images of past exhibits I’ve seen online! I’ve never been to the gardens before so I’m very excited to experience it firsthand!

Rebecca

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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 Third Party Maintenance?

When you have a lot of IT equipment, such as owning a data center or a large enterprise system, you need quality support to keep it running at its best.

For that support, you have a few options. You can rely on maintenance from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). You can house your own support staff. Or, you can contract a third party to take care of it all for you.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Walmart said it will close all of its healthcare clinics across the country, a stunning reversal of its plans to bring its low-priced reputation to the dentist and doctor office along with the grocery aisle.
• Burger King will invest another $300 million to remodel about 1,100 of its U.S. restaurants as part of a broader turnaround effort.
• Dave & Buster’s will begin offering loyalty members the ability to bet on its games. Adults age 18 and older will be able to place real money wagers on arcade games with friends.
• Amazon said it’s delivering a greater share of orders the same or next day to Prime members in the top 60 U.S. metro areas.

Happy Monday! We hope you had a great weekend and are well rested and prepared to have a great week ahead. If we can be praying for you in any way this week, please let us know!

In This Issue: The Great Outdoors | DisplayPort Male to DVI Male Cable | Ethernet Vs WiFi – Pros and Cons | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – The Great Outdoors

Happy Monday!

There’s a short Springtime window in GA where it isn’t freezing cold, where the pollen counts have stabilized, the humidity is low, it isn’t raining, and the temperature isn’t unbearably hot. Usually, this lasts about 2 or 3 weeks if we’re lucky, and this weekend just happened to land in that “goldy locks” window.

We definitely capitalized on it by spending a bunch of time outside, working on our herb garden, grilling out on Saturday, and having a nice picnic by the Buford Dam on Sunday. The kids loved being outside and off their tablets and we all enjoyed a relaxing time enjoying the weather and nature. There are only 4 more weeks of school left here, and my kids are ready for Summer. I don’t blame them. When I was their age I looked forward to Summer break every year!

If the weather is great, I encourage you to go outside and enjoy it! I hope you have a great day and a great week!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Achieve seamless connectivity between your DisplayPort enabled and DVI devices. This cable transmits both audio and video with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080, giving you stunning visual clarity for an ehanced viewing experience. This cable is perfect for making connections between computers and laptops with televisions, projectors, or monitors.

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Learning Center Article – Ethernet Vs WiFi – Pros and Cons

When you need to run a network at a location, you have to make a decision. What hardware will you use? There are too many options to summarize them all, and you want to make sure your network will be effective and affordable.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ust in time for hot summer days at the swimming hole, the nation’s oldest major soda brand will be launching a brand-new flavor that hits shelves on May 1: Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut and Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut Zero Sugar.
• American Airlines is reducing service on a host of long-haul routes, citing Boeing’s delivery delays. Boeing Dreamliners and 737 Max aircraft are arriving late to customers due to supply chain issues and the plane-maker’s safety crisis.
• A CVS Omnicare pharmacy in Las Vegas has become the first location to join a new national pharmacy union.
• The Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s treatment for a rare genetic bleeding disorder, making it the company’s first gene therapy to win clearance in the U.S.

Happy Thursday! We hope you’re having a great week. The weekend is just around the corner, do you have plans that you’re looking forward to?

In This Issue: Let’s Get IT Done. | Cisco USC B200 M5 Server Blade | What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Let’s Get IT Done.

Happy Thursday, CK Family! We hope you’re having a great week. The week is flying by, so we’ll be quick. A few thing we wanted to remind you of.

• Same-Day Shipping – If you forgot, here’s a quick reminder that if you make your order by 6pm EST – we will ship it out the SAME day!
• Lifetime Warranty – And yes, we mean Lifetime! If you experience a malfunction or failure with a product at any point during your ownership we’ll ship a replacement the same day!
• FREE Shipping – Don’t forget that we offer free shipping on eligible orders of $39 or more & $8.99 flat-rate shipping!

If we can be of any assistance to you, please reach out! We’re here and ready to assist you. As we like to say, Let’s Get IT Done.

-The CK Team

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Looking for a blade server that gives you all the traditional benefits such as space efficiency and improved power and cooling efficiency, as well as all the power and performance you need for your network? Take a look at the Cisco B200M5 USC Blade Server! This cutting-edge server will help to revolutionize your network with innovative features that help it to deliver performance that can’t be beat!

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Learning Center Article – What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology?

No matter what kind of network you maintain, you always have the same demands: more speed, less cost, and larger capacity. For any network with heavy demands on data and/or distance, this always results in implementing fiber optics. This is technology that grows and shifts every day, and it can be exhausting to stay on top of the mountains of information out there.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Seafood restaurant Red Lobster is seeking a buyer as it looks to avoid filing for bankruptcy.
• AI startup Synthesia announced the launch of its “Expressive Avatars” — AI-generated digital avatars that can convey human emotions including happiness, sadness, and frustration.
• The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against the use of smartwatches and smart rings that claim to monitor blood glucose levels without the need for skin pricks.
• First they’re sour. Then they’re … Oreos? While chocolate and sour treats typically stay in their separate lanes, the impossible is becoming a reality now that Sour Patch Kids and Oreos are teaming up. The brand-new Oreo Sour Patch Kids cookies debuted on April 24.

Happy Wednesday & Happy National Bucket List Day! What’s on your bucket list that you still hope to check off?

In This Issue: Documenting Milestones & Memories | Cisco 1921 Series Integrated Services Router | How Temperature Affects Ethernet | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Documenting Milestones & Memories

Good morning & Happy Wednesday!

Over the past eight months of our sweet kiddo’s life, we’ve done as much as we can to capture as many moments and memories as possible to share with him as he gets older. We’ve got a baby book that we’ve done our best to make sure we will fill out when he hits a new milestone and of course we have phones and technology that we can capture things on also. I wanted a way that we could put together these things for each month so that he could have them to look back on for years to come. My husband was recommended a company called Chatbooks and we LOVE it!

They have several options to choose from, but we decided to purchase the “Monthbooks.” Each month we get a credit to be able to print a new book. Each book can have up to 60 photos added to it and once complete, prints and ships right to your door. We plan to do this until Carter is 1! This way, he’ll have 12 books full of pictures to look at and hold onto for as long as he wants.

If you’re looking for a gift idea – this is a great one! It’s good for a baby shower, Mother’s Day (to send to a grandparent each month if you live further away or just for mom!), and so much more.

I’m sure so many memories just live in our heads to hold to our hearts closely, and I’m grateful for that! But, How have you documented milestones and memories?

Have a great week!

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco ® 1900 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) build on 25 years of Cisco innovation and product leadership. The new platforms are architected to enable the next phase of branch-office evolution, providing rich-media collaboration to the branch office while maximizing operational cost savings.

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Learning Center Article – How Temperature Affects Ethernet

No one ever said that networking is easy. There’s a lot to learn and consider in order to make a great and robust network.

A lot of times, people stick with Ethernet because it is powerful, simple, and very cost-effective. If you’re using Ethernet, there’s a lot to gain, but there are still some issues you need to know about, and one of them is temperatures. So, let’s take a few minutes to learn exactly how temperature affects Ethernet.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Foot Locker debuted its new “store of the future” concept that will be rolled out in five cities and inspire the revamping of 900 stores the sneaker retailer is planning over the next two years.
• X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is launching a dedicated TV app for videos uploaded to the social network soon.
• The Senate passed a bill, included with the foreign aid package, that will ban TikTok if its owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell it within a year.
• The FTC sued to block the $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings by Coach and Kate Spade’s parent company, Tapestry.

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Picnic Day! If you’ve got nice weather in your area, it’s the perfect day to pack up your lunch and take it outdoors. 🍃

In This Issue: Tackling Measurable Goals 💪 | Rack Mount Adjustable Rails | Wired vs Wireless Networking in Manufacturing | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Tackling Measurable Goals 💪

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

I don’t have any exciting adventures to share from the weekend as I stayed in town and didn’t do any hiking! I love adventures, but it can be nice to have some weekends staying local as well! I got to hang out with some friends on Friday night which was fun and we celebrated my youngest brother’s birthday on Saturday.

I also got to pop in and check out a new wellness clinic that one of my friends recently started working at. They offer all kinds of services, but one that was particularly interesting was body composition scans. I had one done and the information it gives is pretty fascinating. It takes all kinds of measurements including your muscle, water, and fat levels, and even breaks down the numbers to specific body parts (right arm, left leg, etc). It takes all the information and will then make recommendations for whether you should try to gain/lose either fat or muscle.

I love seeing numbers and having a “baseline” because I find that mentally it’s much more satisfying to set and go after goals that can be measured! I plan to spend a month or so working on my recommendations and then go back for an updated scan to track progress!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This mount should be in the toolbox of every network admin and installer. No more looking for those hard-to-find rails or rack ears to mount your server, UPS, switch, firewall or other devices. These fully adjustable, universal rails offer the simplicity and versatility to get the devices you need mounted in the rack, quickly and safely. Made from 14 gauge powder-coated steel, this system can be deployed in nearly any four-post environment.

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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:

• Amazon has launched a new grocery delivery subscription for Prime members and customers with an EBT card (Electronic Benefit Transfer) in the U.S. if you’re living in one of the 3,500 eligible cities and towns.
• Walmart’s majority-owned fintech startup One has begun offering buy now, pay later loans for big-ticket items at some of the retailer’s more than 4,600 U.S. stores.
• Express filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as an investor group led by brand management firm WHP Global looks to acquire most of its assets.
• The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission sent letters to Google and Apple requesting the removal of Binance apps from their respective app stores.

Happy Monday! We hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything fun? We’d love to hear about it!

In This Issue: What are your favorite summer activities? | OM3 LC-LC Fiber Patch Cables | OTDR Testing (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – What are your favorite summer activities?

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend.

My daughter reminded me this morning that she only has 3 more weeks of school left and how excited she is for the summer. I think she’s ready to take that long break from school and enjoy a fun summer.

I’ve planned an out-of-town trip so far for the summer, but I’m scrambling for more ideas. She asked me what we would be doing this summer, and in true Dad fashion, I reverse Uno carded her and asked her what she wanted to do this summer. It surprised me with how simple her answers were. She thought about it for a bit, and said, “Well. I want to go the mall a couple of times and have a playdate with my friends”. I think we can meet those expectations.

I foresee lots of trips to the park, trips to the lake, adventures at waterfalls, visits to rinky-dink zoos, and maybe an impromptu camping trip. We still have some time to plan some things, but I’d love to hear your ideas of ideal summertime activities for kids.

What were some memorable summers that you’ve had and what made them so memorable?

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

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

OM3 Multimode Duplex 50/125 fiber cable, designed for lightning-fast data transmission rates of up to 10G. With LC duplex connectors, it seamlessly links with various devices. Crafted with highly durable precision zirconia ferrule connectors, it minimizes insertion loss for optimal performance. Its flame-retardant OFNR jacket makes it ideal for riser, backbone, and vertical installations. Plus, its UPC polish ensures superior connections and reduced signal loss.

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Learning Center Article – OTDR Testing (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer)

Fiber optics provide the most powerful and reliable networking options in the modern world, but they come with certain costs. Aside from the price point of the technology, fiber optic networking is much more complicated than copper-only systems, and installing and maintaining fiber optics requires specialized testing and troubleshooting.

In that pursuit, one powerful testing tool is known as an OTDR. This form of fiber optic testing can save time and improve results

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Autonomous delivery drone startup Zipline has made 1 million deliveries to customers. The company said its zero-emission autonomous drones have now flown more than 70 million commercial autonomous miles across four continents.
• The Federal Aviation Administration will require a minimum of 10 hours of rest between shifts, up from nine hours. The changes come amid concerns about air traffic controller fatigue and air travel safety.
• Cricket World Cup matches will take place in the U.S. for the first time ever in June, marking a push to grow the sport in North America. Cricket is hugely popular in countries such as India and Pakistan. The average value of an Indian Premier League team has exceeded $1 billion.
• Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, has broken the record for Spotify’s most-streamed in a single day.