Archives for October 2026

Sweet meets savory, everyone! It’s National Chicken and Waffles Day, where crispy chicken and golden waffles team up for the ultimate flavor mashup. Now for the big debate: syrup, hot sauce, or both?

In This Issue: Free Movies, Funny Glitches, Crazy Weather | Deal of the Week | Cisco 2955 Series DIN Rail Rack Mount Kit | Power Injectors Vs Power Supplies | News to Start Your Week

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The CK Weekly – Free Movies, Funny Glitches, Crazy Weather

Good morning, everyone! Happy Tuesday!

How’s your week going so far?

Life update: nothing much! Lately I’ve been watching AI-generated series on different social media apps when I’m not busy. It’s like watching free movies without a subscription. The storylines are interesting and the AI characters are very attractive, but it made me realize how much AI is changing the industry. It just takes someone’s imagination and creativity to write the story, plus AI tools to create a movie-like production, instead of a whole crew of writers, directors, and actors.

Still, the human touch is needed, and we can’t totally replace people with AI. Case in point: an AI series I watched over the weekend. Everything was going smoothly, the story and all, but around the middle of the series, instead of being excited for the climax, I suddenly lost interest because the characters kept changing. The female lead even suddenly had gaps between her front teeth, which made me burst out laughing. I didn’t finish the rest after that.

Anyway, how’s the weather in your area? I hope you’re not affected by the Super El Niño. Here, it’s supposed to be rainy season, but most days are extremely hot, like summer. And when it does rain, especially in the afternoon, it feels like a whole month of rain pouring down at once, with thunderstorms. Crazy weather!

Please stay safe, everyone! Have a great week ahead!

Kat

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Deal of the Week

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco STK-RACKMNT-2955 is a heavy-duty 19-inch rack mount kit with a chrome-finished cold rolled steel DIN rail adapter, built to securely mount Catalyst 2955 Series switches (WS-C2955C-12, WS-C2955S-12, WS-C2955T-12) in industrial control panels and equipment racks.

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Learning Center Article – Power Injectors Vs Power Supplies for IP Phones

When you do deploy IP phones, you might find that you want a phone in a place that isn’t easily powered. In such a case, you could consider using a PoE injector.

That brings us to an important question. How do PoE injectors compare to power supplies? Is one option better than the other? You’ll find the answers below.

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Today’s News to Start Your Week:

• US banning Chinese AI DeepSeek from government agency IT systems.
• Huge internet outage takes down many of the biggest websites.
• Early US flu season, current strain may signal risk for younger people; doctors urge shots.

Wrapping up the week with a little word power! National Dictionary Day celebrates the birthday of Noah Webster, known as the father of the American dictionary. It’s a great reminder that there’s always something new to learn, even from words we use every day. What’s your favorite word in the dictionary?

In This Issue: Out Before the Storm | Deal of the Week | OS2 LC to SC Singlemode Fiber Optic Patch Cable | What is OM5 Fiber? | News of the Week

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The CK Weekly – Out Before the Storm

Happy Friday!

Last week my family loaded up and headed down to Panama City for Fall Break. We’d been looking forward to it for a while, and the first two days were what we needed: a break from the everyday.

Then Hurricane Isaias showed up and changed our plans. As the forecast got more serious, we made the call to cut the trip short. We packed the car and pulled out at 5:00 a.m. Friday, hoping to beat the rush of everyone else heading north. We had open roads while traffic built up behind us, and we made it home without any trouble.

Leaving early turned out to be the right decision. Isaias made landfall Friday night near Destin as a Category 2 storm with winds up to 105 mph, not far west of where we’d been staying. It tore roofs off homes and condos across the Panhandle, and by Saturday night hundreds of thousands of customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia had lost power.

The vacation was a lot shorter than planned, but I’m grateful we got two days away and made it home safely. Our thoughts are with the families and businesses along the coast who are now cleaning up. If you have friends or family down there, I hope they’re safe!

Mandy

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Deal of the Week

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This OS2 LC to SC singlemode fiber patch cable features a 9/125 micron core for reliable long-distance data transmission. Built with precision zirconia duplex connectors, LC/UPC and SC/APC polish, and a flame-retardant OFNR jacket, it delivers low-loss performance for telecom, network, and building installations.

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Learning Center Article – What is OM5 Fiber and How is it Different than OM4 & OM3?

Designing fiber optic networks was never easy, but over time, the challenges have shifted. There are more tools than ever to help you optimize every corner of your network. At the same time, increasing options make it more difficult to find satisfaction with the choices you make. That holds true with selecting your fiber cables. So far, the options between singlemode and multimode networks were self-selecting.

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News of the Week:

• Microsoft plans huge deployment of its own AI chips, with an eye on saving costs.
• IMF cites AI slowdown, spiking yields as looming global market risks.
• Pennsylvania launches map for Americans to track data center plans.

Get your forks ready, everyone! Sound the alarms and break out the big pots, October 6th is National Noodle Day! We’re dedicating the next 24 hours to those glorious, wiggly, slippery, saucy strands of pure joy. So, what’s your noodle of choice?

In This Issue: Inflation is Real | Deal of the Week | Cisco Aironet Mounting Bracket | OSPF | News to Start Your Week

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The CK Weekly – Inflation is Real

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Just sharing with you guys what happened during my weekend break.

We decided to have lunch at a restaurant, expecting good food at a reasonable price. When we ordered, we completely forgot to ask how many people each serving was supposed to be. Well… surprise! It turned out that one serving was only good for one person, but the price was more like it was meant for three people!

And there were five of us in the family! So you can imagine how expensive that lunch turned out to be. 😭 Inflation is really hitting everyone these days!

Luckily, the food was actually delicious, so at least we didn’t feel completely robbed. But with those prices, I think that was definitely our first and last lunch at that restaurant. Lesson learned: always ask how many servings are included before ordering! 🤣

Caressa

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Deal of the Week

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This Cisco Aironet Mounting Bracket securely holds compatible Cisco Aironet access points, making installation and positioning simple in offices, warehouses, and other wireless deployments. It is designed for the Aironet 1040, 1140, 1260, 3500, and 3600 Series, so you get a reliable fit and a clean, stable mount for strong wireless coverage.

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Learning Center Article – What is OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) in Routing?

As networking design grows more complicated and the scale of your network increases, you need better ways to manage traffic. One tool at your disposal is the routing protocol.

There are many routing protocols in the world, but a handful are dramatically more popular than the rest, and for good reason. One of the leading protocols is OSPF.

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Today’s News to Start Your Week:

• Data centre set to replace Microsoft headquarters.
• 90% efficiency, no cables: New wheel-based induction system charges bus through its tire.
• Amazon Prime members can now save 20 cents a gallon amid high gas prices.