In This Issue: 10ft Blue CAT8 Ethernet Cable, S/FTP, 40Gbs, 2GHz, Easyboot | Understanding Wavelengths | News to Start Your Day
Happy Tuesday! Did you know that today is the day that the first waffle iron patent was issued? In 1896 Cornelius Swarthout received his patent. Seems like the perfect day to pull out the waffle maker and celebrate! What toppings are you putting on your waffle?
The CK Daily – Planning Out the Week
Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! I don’t know about you, but it seems to me like life has gotten really busy lately! I think there’s something about this time of year when people are back from Summer vacations, school has started, and it seems like life kind of kicks into overdrive a bit!
When life gets busy and hectic, I find that it can make me feel a bit stressed and overwhelmed! I’m the type of person who can find myself paralyzed when I have too many things that need to be done and when I don’t have a solid plan of attack for getting everything done. That’s why I have recently started utilizing lists to keep myself organized and on track, and it has made such a difference in my productivity!
At the beginning of the week, I try to spend about 20 minutes or so making lists of the things that I know need to get done that week. I create a list for work-related tasks, personal tasks, workouts that need to get done… you name it, if it’s important it gets written down and prioritized! It’s funny how taking just a small amount of intentional time to plan the week out and actually writing things down can have a huge impact on how the week goes. Not to mention, the sense of satisfaction that comes from checking something off your list is awesome! That in and of itself is super motivating! Do you use lists to keep yourself on track? I’d love to hear and tips and tricks if you’re a list-keeping pro!
Rebecca
Hot Topic of the Day
Have you been to a restaurant recently that has replaced its physical menu with QR codes? Chances are this change in the industry will become permanent. QR code downloads have soared over the last year and a half. Using them will allow more flexibility for a restaurant to change their menu from day to day and also allow the opportunity to track trends and various data on consumers. Read more about this here!
Do you like QR codes? Do you enjoy scanning a QR code and looking at the menu on your phone over having a physical copy of the menu? We’d love to know what you think! Let us know your thoughts over on the CK Facebook page!
Product Spotlights & Updates
Happy Tuesday! Today, we’re taking a look at our 10ft Blue CAT8 Ethernet Cable, S/FTP, 40Gbs, 2GHz, Easyboot that is 20% off this week!
Our S/FTP (Each pair Foil shielded / 4 Pair Braid Shield) Booted Category 8 (Cat8) Ethernet Patch Cables are the newest addition to the network cabling family and have hit the ground running! With the ability for 40gb and 2GHz bandwidth transmission over 20 meters, these network data cables are a Data Center Manager’s dream to handle the speeds that their network and users need. These patch cables are backward compatible with both Cat6 and Cat5e, and all previous categories.
Understanding Wavelengths – CK Learning Center
No one ever accused fiber optics of being simple technology. Instead, we tend to acknowledge that this powerful technology is difficult to design and complicated in its application. Mastering those complications is often worth it because it enables us to build better networks and do a better job with those networks. In that endeavor, we can tackle a brief tutorial on wavelengths and how they impact fiber optic designs.
What Is Wavelength?
The second word in “fiber optics” already tells us plenty about the nature of this technology. It deals with light — more specifically electromagnetic radiation — as the signaling medium. Wavelength is very simply a measure of the space between two photons in a solid beam of light. Conversely, we have a frequency which measures the time between two signals. The two terms are opposite sides of the same coin. If you have a shorter wavelength, it takes less time between signals and a higher frequency.
With this in mind, the wavelength (or frequency) of any light source tells us the physical limitation of how we can use that light in signal processing. We can never send signals that are faster than the frequency of the beam, and we cannot use equipment that is smaller than the wavelength. This is a rough summary, but it paints a good enough picture.
Aside from the basics, the wavelength also tells us how light will interact with other objects. When it comes to designing fiber optics, those interactions are the most important pieces of information hiding within a wavelength.
Absorption
When fiber optics are engineered and tested, there are two issues that can impact their effectiveness. Absorption is one of them. Materials have a natural ability to absorb electromagnetic radiation. For any given substance, only radiation of certain wavelengths can actually interact and be absorbed. When we deal with fiber optic cables, the largest source of absorption actually comes from microscopic water droplets. That drives manufacturers to avoid wavelengths where that absorption is at its worst.
Scattering
Like absorption, scattering happens at different wavelengths for any given material. Also like absorption, the culprits of scattering within a fiber optic cable are small and easy to overlook. Particles of dust and even the air itself can cause scattering problems, so again, the design is to use wavelengths where these problems are smallest.
The term for signal loss related to absorption and scattering is attenuation. Engineers try to make attenuation numbers as small as possible, and when you account for both absorption and scattering at the same time, you find that very specific frequencies work best. The most common wavelengths in use today are 850, 1300, 1310, and 1500 nanometers. You’ll notice large gaps between each of those numbers. Those just happen to be the magic wavelengths where the attenuation values hit minima.
This is only the beginning. We can find that different types of fiber optic signals can further impact which wavelength is best for a function. Multimode and singlemode fiber, for instance, have different naturally occurring sources of interference. That’s why they tend to operate with noticeably separate wavelength ranges.
Putting it all together, it isn’t necessary to optimize wavelengths when you choose fiber optic systems. That’s baked into the design. Instead, it helps to understand why wavelength is an important identifier and how emerging, more advanced systems might play with wavelength in order to improve the technology.
You can find this article here on the CK Learning Center.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- Starbucks’ new apple crisp macchiato joins the pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin cream cold brew on the fall menu. The autumn lineup will hit cafes starting today!
- Following a months-long delay, Peloton said a less expensive version, priced at $2,495 is finally set to debut in the United States next week.
- Walmart has launched a delivery service called GoLocal. The white-label service will deliver goods from other local retailers to customers.
- Disney has reached a deal with the Service Trades Council Union to require all of its unionized employees working at Walt Disney World in Florida to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by October 22, 2021.
- Clipart of a rock just sold for 400 ether, which is about $1.3 million. The transaction marks the latest sale of EtherRock, a brand of crypto collectible that’s been around since 2017 – making it one of the oldest non-fungible tokens on the block.
