Archives for March 2026

Today brings a playful snack celebration. National Cheese Doodle Day honors the cheddar-coated treat that leaves fingers bright orange and smiles just as bold. Are you team puffed or team crunchy?

In This Issue: First Half Done | Deal of the Day | Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cable | The Difference Between Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – First Half Done

Good morning!

This week marked yet another midterm season here at UGA, so I can’t say I had quite as exciting a weekend as everyone else, but it was still a good one. I spent a lot of time on my computer reviewing material, rewriting notes, and getting everything organized for a very busy week ahead.

After today, I’ll officially be done with midterms, and I’m so grateful that spring break begins right away. It will still be a full week because I love to stay busy, but not one spent focusing on classes and exams. Instead, I will get to spend time with all my favorite people, some old and some new, and hopefully cut down my screen time significantly with no classes to go to.

I’m thankful knowing that the hard work I’ve put into the first half of the semester will pay off. However, I can’t lie, I’m excited to see the grades roll in for some extra validation too.

Here’s to finishing this week strong and shifting into a still productive but fun week ahead. I hope you have a wonderful wrap-up to your week as well!

Rachel

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Deal of the Day

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This Cat6 non-booted Ethernet patch cable delivers reliable high-speed performance with up to 10 Gbps speeds at 55 meters and 550 MHz bandwidth. Made with pure copper conductors for superior conductivity, it is fully compatible with PoE applications and backwards compatible with Cat5 and Cat5e networks.

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Learning Center Article – The Difference Between Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a

Cabling and other infrastructure choices are in a precarious position, with many low IT budgets or simply cheap options tempting the cost-conscious planner. At the same time, the newest and faster technology is always a temptation, but can you be sure that your project will use the investment to the highest potential before it fails or becomes obsolete?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Gold rises as Middle East conflict escalates, dollar rally pauses. 
• ​Amazon cuts more jobs; this time in robotics unit.
• ​United Airlines can now ban passengers who don’t wear headphones.

Midweek is here, offering a good moment to pause and check your pace. Whether your week has been productive or pleasantly steady, today is a chance to reset before heading toward the weekend. How is your week going so far?

In This Issue: Cloudy Skies, Clear Blessings | Deal of the Day | Cisco Meraki 1000Base-SX SFP Transceiver | Cisco Catalyst Switches | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Cloudy Skies, Clear Blessings

Happy Wins-day, everyone! We are officially halfway through the week again.

Yesterday, we witnessed a lunar eclipse here in the Philippines. The last time I saw one was when I was in fourth grade, so I was genuinely excited to experience it again. In our area, we were able to see the initial phase, but unfortunately, the full eclipse was covered by clouds. I tried taking a photo of it, but let’s just say it turned into an “expectation versus reality” situation. In person, it looked beautiful and magical. On my phone? Not so much. Thankfully, a family friend from a nearby town was able to capture a clear and majestic view of the eclipse. Lucky him. The image below was taken by him.

Aside from the lunar eclipse, we also celebrated my brother’s birthday. It was a simple celebration since he was not able to come home. We had a video call instead, and he introduced us to his girlfriend. It was nice to finally put a face to the stories he shared when he was here last January.

So many special moments happened, and it is only the first week of March. I am hoping the rest of the month brings even more luck, happiness, and good health for all of us.

Any wins you would like to share?

Kat

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Deal of the Day

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Meraki MA-SFP-1GB-SX is a hot-swappable 1000Base-SX SFP transceiver designed for reliable 1 Gigabit connectivity over multimode fiber. Featuring an LC duplex interface and operating at 850 nm, it supports distances up to 1 km on OM1 fiber.

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Learning Center Article – Your Guide to Cisco Catalyst Switches

A network is only as effective as its weakest link. When you have heavy demands, you need good options to meet and exceed those demands. Cisco has been providing top-quality options for every network design for decades. This overview will introduce you to some of the most common, versatile and widely-used switches Cisco has to offer.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Oil prices rise 1% as Iran crisis disrupts Middle East supply.
• ​Meta starts testing its AI shopping assistant.
• US FDA warns Novo again about misleading drug advertising.

It’s Tuesday, and it’s National Cold Cuts Day. Stacked high, layered just right, or served with cheese and crackers, there’s no wrong way to enjoy a good deli favorite. What’s your go-to sandwich combo?

In This Issue: The Easiest Yes of My Life | Deal of the Day | TNC Male to TNC Female | Best Practices for Cable Management in Data Centers | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – The Easiest Yes of My Life

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

I had one of the best weekends of my life this past weekend! On Saturday, I headed up to Highlands, NC with Josh, his son Robert, my nieces and nephew, and my youngest brother and parents. We enjoyed a short hike to Sunset Rock which had some beautiful views and the kids really enjoyed it! Afterwards, we headed back into town for a quick bite of lunch, followed by a visit to Dry Falls. It’s a gorgeous waterfall that is easy to access and you can even walk behind it which the kids thought was the coolest thing ever! We ended our day with a visit to Highlands Outpost which was definitely the highlight of the day! We enjoyed a couple of hours of snow tubing and even rode the mountain coaster which was my favorite part! We were all exhausted by the time we headed back home!

I was thinking the weekend couldn’t get any better, but Josh proved me wrong on Sunday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day (temps in the 70’s!) and we went for a little stroll through downtown Monroe. When we got to the historic courthouse (the place we met up at for our first date over 1 year ago), he got down on one knee and proposed! By far the easiest “YES” of my life! Josh had recruited my best friend, Jami, to be there and film the proposal which I’m super thankful for. I’ve watched it back so many times and will treasure that memory for the rest of my life!

Rebecca

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Deal of the Day

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This high-performance TNC Male to TNC Female Low Loss 400 UltraFlex coaxial cable is designed for Wi-Fi, antenna, ham radio, and wireless applications. It delivers minimal signal loss while maintaining excellent flexibility for indoor or outdoor installations. Built with a stranded copper conductor and durable Polyethylene (PE) jacket, this 50 Ohm coaxial assembly ensures reliable performance and long-term durability.

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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.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Spring is coming in hot as millions across the US face record highs this week. 
• ​SpaceX aims to launch upgraded Starlink satellites in mid-2027.
• ​Xiaomi humanoid robot carries out complex nut assembly task at EV factory.

Starting the week with a fresh perspective. National Old Stuff Day encourages us to break out of old routines and try something new. What is one new thing you would like to try this week?

In This Issue: Catching Wins All Weekend | Deal of the Day | Voice Interface Card | Shielded Industrial Ethernet Cables | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Catching Wins All Weekend

Happy Monday and Happy March!

Friday was Pokémon Day (the 30th anniversary!), and after work I took my oldest daughter to a local tournament to celebrate. She technically won her age bracket… because she was the only kid there haha. A win is a win! I ended up placing 5th overall and had a great time. We walked away with some cool promo cards and packs just for participating, which made the day even better.

On Saturday we kept the celebration going and took the whole family to another card shop that was hosting a raffle. We didn’t hit the jackpot, but we did win a small prize and enjoyed hanging out with friends. It’s always fun seeing the community come together for events like that.

The weather was great all weekend, which made everything even better. After the recent cold snaps, I’m definitely ready for Spring.

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

Cris

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Deal of the Day

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco Foreign Exchange Office (FXO) interface is an RJ-11 connector that allows an analog connection to be directed at the public switched telephone network’s (PSTN’s) central office or to a station interface on a private branch exchange (PBX). The FXO sits on the switch end of the connection. It plugs directly into the line side of the switch so the switch thinks the FXO interface is a telephone.

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Learning Center Article – Shielded Industrial Ethernet Cables That Survive Noise, Heat, and High-Power Loads

Industrial sites now run on Ethernet for automation, safety, and high-power control. One weak cable can take the whole system down. A single missed packet in these zones can stop conveyor belts, disable security systems, or delay production cycles.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Oil prices rise sharply after attacks in Middle East disrupt global energy supply. 
• ​GLP-1s may increase risk of osteoporosis and gout, new research finds.
• ​Above-average warmth across the South breaking records.