CK Daily Updates

Happy Monday! We hope you had a wonderful weekend celebrating Father’s Day and Juneteenth. Tell us about your weekend plans!

In This Issue: Remote Camping | Cisco 8851 Five line Color Display Unified IP Phone | Understanding the Differences Between MPO and MTP Fiber | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Remote Camping

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day weekend and Juneteenth! The weekend was quite nice and we got to enjoy some below 90s temperatures on Sunday which was a great reprieve from the heat wave we’ve been experiencing.

Camping went well once again, and although I had my doubts about the heat and bugs, miraculously it never got above 82 degrees and we maybe saw one mosquito (although we did see a large quantity of other flying and non-flying insects and spiders). We definitely recommend our Desoto Falls Recreation Area for primitive camping – sites 15B, 16B, or 18B (sorry no electricity or cell signal at the site). The kids enjoyed hiking to the nearby waterfall and playing in the creek that ran through the campsite. The creek was freezing though which was a good and bad thing. We had to run into town to buy a few extra blankets because the temps seemed to dip near 60 and we weren’t prepared or used to that kind of cold at night. Other than that, it looks like our camping adventures will continue. We’ll continue to camp as long as the kids enjoy it.

Camping in a remote area without cell signal reminded me of how technology-dependent I’ve become. It was a bit jarring to not be able to check my email or chat or anything for that matter after the first day. But as time went on I just left my phone alone (or rather it left me alone) and I learned to live without it. In a strange way, it reminded me of my childhood when cell phones were super expensive and the size of a shoebox. I didn’t even have a watch back then and the rule was to return before dark. I miss those days and I do wonder if our kids will ever get to be that privileged.

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco 8851 offers a high-resolution VGA backlit color display. The 8851 is a business-calls collaboration endpoint that delivers high-fidelity, reliable and secure communications fro small to large businesses. Supports a built-in Gigabit Ethernet switch for your PC connections. The 8851 series also deliver advanced IP features and crystal clear wideband audio performance.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding the Differences Between MPO and MTP Fiber

When designing high-bandwidth fiber communication systems, you have to pick from a wide range of tools and resources. Optimizing the system is the key to providing the needed performance within budget constraints.

This optimization requires considerable study and comparison, and there are countless opportunities to make small but meaningful upgrades throughout the design. A great example of this is fiber connectors. For any given fiber-optic network, you have plenty of termination options. Among those are MPO and MTP fiber. What makes these connections special? What distinguishes them from each other? This article will tell you what you need to know.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• An episode of “Sesame Street,” allegedly removed from syndication for being too frightening for children, has been posted to social media sites like YouTube and Reddit. The episode stars Margaret Hamilton, who revives her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.”
• Pixar’s “Lightyear” rocketed to a $51 million domestic opening, the best performance of an animated feature since the pandemic began. Box office analysts had foreseen “Lightyear” bringing in between $70 million and $85 million domestically.
• A massive unfinished cruise ship is likely to be sold for scrap after its maker declared bankruptcy because no one wants to buy it. Attempts are now being made to sell some of the fixtures and engines from Global Dream II, which was half-built by insolvent German shipbuilder MV Werften.
• As of 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, airlines had canceled 2,237 flights and delayed over 10,000 flights, according to tracking service FlightAware. Nearly 800 of Sunday’s cancellations and 2,000 of the delays involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities.

Happy National “Eat Your Vegetables” Day! Some love this day and some hate every thought of having to eat any kind of vegetable. Which side do you fall on? What’s your favorite veggie to add to your plate?

In This Issue: Uncertain Times | Kendall Howard 1U Vented 4-Point Adjustable Shelf | PVC vs LSZH vs OFNP vs OFNR Cable Jackets | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Uncertain Times

Happy Friday, folks! We appear to be entering a time of uncertainty. If you watch the news, you know that the central bank hiked interest rates this week! Moves like this have a purpose, and we don’t know exactly how everything will play out. It’s times like these that can increase the uncertainty in our lives! But it doesn’t have to.

During these turbulent times, I’m reminded that God is not a God of confusion (1 Cor 14:33). As Christians, we are called “not to be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6-7). I know that not being anxious is far easier said than done, but that’s where peace comes from.

Just a small encouragement for today! Have a great weekend.

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Need a mounting solution for a server, switch, or networking device and don’t have the mounting rails? Well, this is the perfect solution for you. This vented four-point shelf will expand to fit in almost any 19” rack. It is capable of adjusting from 22” all the way to 40” deep and can hold 250 lbs evenly distributed. The vents allow for better airflow and the adjustable two-piece design allows for mounting flexibility.

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Learning Center Article – PVC vs LSZH vs OFNP vs OFNR Cable Jackets

When comparing fiber optics cables, there are a lot of different components and considerations. One important component is the outer jacket of the cable. Outer jackets can be made from a number of materials, and generally speaking, the jacket materials can work with any fiber cable type. That means that choosing the right cable jacket is often independent of choosing the fiber setup.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The Boston Celtics kicked off Game 6 of the NBA Finals with a 14-2 run, it looked like they were the team about to go on a historic run. That’s not what happened. The Warriors slowly but surely cut into the lead, getting it down to six at 22-16 with 2:53 remaining in the first quarter. And then? The Warriors ran the Celtics off of the floor. The Warriors would go on to win 103-90 to claim their fourth title in eight years.
• Chipotle is giving cauliflower rice another try after the item helped bring in new customers when it was offered for a limited time last year.
• A major offshore wind farm being built in waters off the Netherlands is set to use recyclable blades from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy — the latest in a line of companies attempting to tackle an issue that’s proved to be a challenge for the wind energy sector.
• In a tweet from NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover, they shared, “My team has spotted something unexpected: It’s a piece of a thermal blanket that they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that set me down on landing day back in 2021.” See more here.

Happy Thursday! We’re one day closer to the weekend, who’s ready?! 🤩 Do you have any exciting weekend plans?

In This Issue: Living in the Uncomfortable | Cisco Meraki MX64 Security Appliance | How to Choose the Right Transceiver for Your Network | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Living in the Uncomfortable

I am normally a creature of habit. I like having a plan. I like knowing what’s going to happen. I like my comfort zone. Every so often, I will break out and do something out of the norm of that mindset, but generally, I like being comfortable, as most of us probably do. Routine is not a bad thing at all.

Here lately I have come to call life, “living in the uncomfortable.” Lots of changes, lots of new things, lots of things that have gotten me out of my routine and out of being comfortable. One of the biggest things for me has been the opportunity and the pull that I have had to step out and join with many others to “pioneer” a new campus for my church. The church has done this multiple times, but I have never done it…I have been very comfortable attending and serving at my current church campus for almost 10 years. Even before they announced the new campus, I felt like a change was about to happen. I just didn’t know what it was. That Sunday they made the announcement that they were going to be starting the new campus in the county I just moved to, not far from my house. I knew immediately that was the change that was happening. We had the first kick-off for those who are going to the new campus and will be leading and serving there last week. I would say about 98% of the people there were from another current campus. Another uncomfortable moment, not knowing hardly anyone there. I love the people I serve and attend church with, many of them I have known and served with for 10+ years. This whole process has been a stretching moment for me.

That is just one example of the many “uncomfortable” moments and growing opportunities for me lately. While it has been difficult at times, I am learning to embrace it. It has kind of become freeing and exciting for me to let go of the control and my comfort zone and see what’s next.

Have a great Thursday!

Jason

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco Meraki MX family of devices are multifunctional security & SD-WAN etnerprise appliances that feature a wide range of capabilities to address a wide variety of use cases – from an all-in-one device. . Organizations of all sizes and across all industries rely on the MX to deliver secure connectivity to hub locations or multi-cloud environments, as well as application quality of experience (QoE), through advanced analytics with machine learning.

The Meraki MX64-HW security device is an excellent solution for small branch locations with support for up to 50 users, 250 Mbps of stateful firewall throughput, and 200 Mbps of advanced security throughput.

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Learning Center Article – How to Choose the Right Transceiver for Your Network

When you’re designing or expanding a fiber optics network, there are many things to consider. The networks grow in complication very quickly, and any miscalculation can prove expensive, if not disastrous.

So, if you’re looking for the right transceivers for your network, you have to consider all of the angles. Thankfully, that’s a lot easier if you have a quick checklist that can keep you honest. Really, you can break all of this down into five categories to remember as you browse transceivers.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were recommended for kids as young as 6 months by FDA Advisers. It’s the last major group waiting for the shots.
• Cosmetics giant Revlon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it grappled with a cumbersome debt load and a snarled supply chain. The company said it expects to receive $575 million in debtor-in-possession financing from its existing lender base
• Amazon’s big annual sale, Prime Day, will return on July 12 and 13. Who’s excited?!
• American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that the company will revise its pay proposals for its 14,000 pilots, acknowledging pay standards have increased since the company made its most recent offer before the pandemic.

Happy Nature Photography and Smile Power Day! Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Seems like the perfect day to take a walk outside, mentally or physically take some photos of nature, and smile at everyone you see. Happy Wednesday!

In This Issue: Conquering Your To-Do List | Cisco 1000BASE-T SFP Module | Best Practices for Data Center Security in 2022 | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Conquering Your To-Do List

Good morning all!

Hope you are having a great week. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in “catch-up” mode from doing quite a bit of traveling last week. It’s always so fun and fruitful to travel and further connect with people in person but is hard to put everything else on pause. Do you struggle with doing this?

Overtime, it seems like it’s become more of a struggle to be out and come back and not feel overwhelmed by your incredibly long to-do list. Specifically for me, working from home, I find myself working incredibly late hours trying to catch up and not giving myself a break to fuel up for the next day ahead. Have you found yourself in the same situation? What best practices do you put in place each day to conquer these feelings?

I hope you have a great week!

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Achieve Gigabit Ethernet connectivity over Cat5e copper wire using the Cisco GLC-T transceiver module. These hot-swappable 1000BASE-T SFP gigabit interface converters (GBIC) plug directly into a Gigabit Ethernet port or slot, linking the port with the network and delivering high-performance Ethernet networking.

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Learning Center Article – Best Practices for Data Center Security in 2022

If you looked at data center security best practices only a few years ago, the leading trends and advice would be dramatically different from the leading areas of focus today. Everyone in IT knows that things change fast, but it feels like change has accelerated.

Here are four up-to-date best practices that can help you think about how things have changed and what you can do to keep up.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• So long Internet Explorer. The browser is officially retiring as Microsoft will no longer support it.
• Total mortgage application volume was 52.7% lower last week than the same week one year ago.
• The United Arab Emirates’ Media Regulatory Office announced it would ban Disney Pixar’s “Lightyear” based on what it said was a “violation of the country’s media content standards.” The ban comes despite an announcement last year that the country would no longer censor films.
• The European Space Agency’s Gaia observatory has just unleashed a “treasure trove” of data on nearly 2 billion stars in the Milky Way, revealing how fast they move toward or away from us, as well as unusual ‘starquakes’ that change the shapes of stars. Check it out here!

Today is National “Monkey Around Day”. Its is a day to just goof off and do whatever comes to mind. Maybe you have a wild idea that you’ve always wanted to try but were afraid to. Today’s the perfect opportunity to be brave and safely have some fun.

In This Issue: Productivity | MTP Elite Fiber Cables | The Difference Between Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Productivity

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is staying cool as the temperatures are heating up this week (at least here in Georgia)! Over the weekend I was listening to a podcast and one of the topics they were discussing was productivity. It’s funny to me how this is one topic that has been discussed countless times, yet we never seem to be satisfied so it will continue to be a hot topic forever. With so many of us feeling like we’ve got more things on our to-do list than time to get it all done, we’re always looking for new productivity “hacks” to help us better manage our time and get more done. Admittedly, a lot of the advice can sound like “noise” at this point, but at the risk of contributing to the noise, I wanted to share an interesting idea that was discussed on the podcast. They were making the point that what we can accomplish in a 24 hour day now is drastically different than what we could accomplish in a 24 hour day 20-30 years ago. With technological advances such as e-mail, cell phones, and the internet, we can communicate in a moments notice and conduct business at lightning fast paces. The guest on this particular podcast said “it’s almost like we can accomplish 3 days worth of work in a single 24 hour cycle”. As such, he breaks his 24 hour days up into what he calls “mini days”. It’s simply a mental game, but for example, he will consider 6:00AM – 12:00PM to be a “mini day”. He’ll have goals and things to accomplish that day and he stays laser focused on them. Then he’ll start his next “mini day” with different goals. Essentially, he feels like he is living 3 days in the same time span that the rest of us are living 1 day which, in his words, allows him to “run circles around everyone else”. The reality is that we all have the same 24 hours to work with, but I can see how mentally breaking it up the way he has done and essentially working in sprints could help with productivity. I thought it was an interesting concept so figured I’d share in case anyone was interested in testing it out! Have a great week!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Our MTP Elite® line of fiber cables feature high performance US Conec MTP Elite® connectors for the ultimate in functionality and reliability. This highly versatile line of cables are made with Corning ClearCurve® glass and removable housings which allow users to change the gender of the cable in the field. Additionally, they feature a floating ferrule design which helps to improve mechanical performance by allowing two mated ferrules to maintain physical contact even while under an applied load.

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

New technology, advances in automation, and overflowing opportunities are unlocked every day. For businesses, research teams, and tech projects around the world, there is a constant balance between getting the right amount of power versus spending an exact tech budget wisely. 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:

• Travelers and “Scooby Doo” fans eager to relive the magic of the movie adaptation can book a stay in the Mystery Machine thanks to Airbnb, which has turned the iconic mini bus into a mini home. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scooby-Doo: The Movie, Matthew Lillard, who played Shaggy in the movie is now playing Airbnb host of The Mystery Machine, which has never before been available to the public overnight.
• Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, signed a bill into law yesterday making it a whole lot easier for the state’s teachers to carry guns at school. The law cuts the amount of required training from 700 hours to just 24 hours. DeWine said legislators have been working on the bill since last year, but the recent school shooting in Uvalde, TX, “increased the urgency to enact it.”
• Amazon is launching drone delivery…finally. Nine years after Jeff Bezos first floated the concept on 60 Minutes, Amazon announced that its first drone delivery service would go live in the town of Lockeford, CA, later this year. The company’s once-hyped drone program has been agonizingly slow to lift off, beset by safety concerns, technical snags, and high employee turnover within the unit. And it’s not a done deal yet—the FAA still has to approve the service before the flying robots start dropping off packages in backyards.
• Today on #FlagDay we recognize the symbol of freedom, hope, and opportunity that the American flag represents—and honor those who have sacrificed and protected those values for the past 240 years.

Happy Monday! We are in full swing gardening season and today is National Weed Your Garden Day. Not the most fun day, but one that is very necessary!

In This Issue: Unexpected Lessons | Cisco 2960-X | PVC vs. LSZH vs. OFNP vs. ONFR Cable Jackets | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Camping in the forest!

Hello!

I am off in the middle of a national forest camping! So far the lesson has been it’s always going to be colder than you think! We were supposed at how cold it got at night in the north Georgia mountains, but we are thankful that it isn’t deathly hot! The bugs aren’t too bad either. Will post a better update next week when we are back in civilization!

Hope you have a great week!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco has always done a fantastic job catering to small and medium businesses. The Cisco 2960-X series is another generation of the already popular 2960 series that will enable the typical small to medium business to function at an enterprise level without the enterprise budget. The 2960-X series switches offer a fixed configuration of Ethernet switches that are not only Gigabit but also stackable. The 2960-X was specifically designed for easy deployment and operational efficiency. These switches are also energy cautious and have a large range of IOS software features.

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Learning Center Article – PVC vs LSZH vs OFNP vs OFNR Cable Jackets

When comparing fiber optics cables, there are a lot of different components and considerations. One important component is the outer jacket of the cable. Outer jackets can be made from a number of materials, and generally speaking, the jacket materials can work with any fiber cable type. That means that choosing the right cable jacket is often independent of choosing the fiber setup.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• June’s full moon, the strawberry moon, will illuminate the sky this week. The moon will appear full from Sunday moonrise to Wednesday moonset, according to NASA. It will reach its peak at 7:52 a.m. ET Tuesday but will not be fully visible in North America until the moonrise.
• Walmart has launched style-forward brands, added national brands and debuted a new store design to try to sell more discretionary merchandise.
• Bitcoin tumbled below $24,000 on Monday, hitting its lowest level since December 2020.
• Gasoline prices hit a national average of $5 per gallon on Saturday and are set to move higher. The jump in gasoline prices means households are spending about $160 more per month on fuel than they were a year ago.