CablesAndKits Blog

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Pancake Day! Whip yourself up a tall stack of syrupy goodness and enjoy! 🥞

In This Issue: Birthday Fun & Inspiring Progress | CK 3 in 1 Charging Cable | OEM vs Third Party Maintenance | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Birthday Fun & Inspiring Progress

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

We got to celebrate my mom’s birthday over the weekend which was a lot of fun! We went out to a steakhouse in Athens which was a nice treat for everyone and we had a great time!

My mom actually shares a birthday with my cousin, David, who was in a horrible car accident back in April. I’ve written about him before, but figured I’d give a quick update. He got to leave the Shepherd Center a couple of weeks ago and is now living with his parents. They purchased a wheelchair van for transportation and he goes back to Shepherd every weekday for the day program. It’s a lot of driving and he’s putting in a lot of work in the program which is pretty exhausting! He’s made some great progress over the past few months and has regained some function in his arms and fingers. Every small win feels so encouraging… we are praying for continued healing for him!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Tired of looking for the right charging cable for your devices or tired of packing 3 different types of cables when traveling? Well, look no further! This 3 in 1 charging cable eliminates the need to carry separate USB-C, Micro-USB, and Lightning cables.

This convenient and compact charging cable is a lifesaver for all your devices. Use it in your car, use it while you’re on your couch, connect it to your laptop, and charge your phone, there are so many different possibilities!

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Learning Center Article – OEM vs Third Party Maintenance

When you have a lot of technology assets, they need regular care. You rely on the devices for many functions, and in many cases, they are critical to the operations of your business.

How do you take care of them?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• NASA is involved in sustainable aviation research, and may have cracked the code to creating a lighter, safer battery back with multiple times more discharge power than lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, the current industry standard for electric vehicles, contain liquids that make them vulnerable to overheating, fire, and loss of charge over time. By contrast, NASA’s SABERS project is developing experimental solid-state battery packs that do not suffer from these drawbacks
• America’s fastest-growing sport is looking to be … quieter? The governing body of the sport, USA Pickleball, announced on Monday a new initiative to get pickleball to pipe down by investing in changes to the acoustics of the sport. The organization will work with manufacturers and facilities to come up with solutions that will allow the sport to continue its rapid growth.
• Nissan has announced that all new models it launches in Europe will be fully electric.
• AMC, Cinemark and IMAX shares were up Monday following news of a tentative deal between Hollywood writers and studios.

Happy Monday & Happy National Comic Book Day! Today honors the art, artists, and stories of all the comic books we enjoy reading. What’s your favorite comic book to kick back and enjoy?

In This Issue: Fall Festivals and Tacos | Cisco Stackwise-480 Stacking Cable | Understanding Server CPU Specs | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Fall Festivals and Tacos

Happy Monday!

On Friday, Chris mentioned it’s the season for fall festivals. It just happened that Flowery Branch had its fall festival on Saturday and though the temperatures still were a little high, it felt like we were kicking off the PSL season (Pumpkin Spice Latte for those unfamiliar). The kids had a great time running around playing games and jumping in bounce houses, while I went around sampling food from the food trucks. There was a lemonade stand that made the freshest lemonade, that was the real winner on this hot day.

One thing I noticed was some of the product marketing on the food trucks, and while I try to disconnect from work, it’s like something that I can’t really fully turn off. There was one example that was pretty extreme, there were two taco trucks that were relatively close together, and one had a long line, and one didn’t, but there was a major difference between the two. The one that was doing quite well had their food truck branding with bright red colors set up and had pictures and details of each food items (and I think this was the key here), while the other was serving food out of a plain box truck (with no branding), no pictures of food, just an a-frame sign out in front that literally said “tacos $3” and “quesadillas $12” and no other details. I’m sure their tacos may have been delicious, but I think myself and others avoided that plain truck, because there weren’t any easily accessible details or any type of branding on the truck. What’s your restaurant’s name? What type of tacos? What kind of quesadillas? Is that all you serve?

Branding is super important, but so is easily letting your customers know what you have and what they are going to get. That’s why at CK I strive to give as much information about our products to our customers as possible so that they aren’t stuck in a plain box truck situation. I hope you have a great Monday and a great last week of September!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Stack it up with CablesAndKits. Cisco Stackwise-480 stacking cables can connect a combination of Catalyst 3850 stackable switches to form a single switching unit. Our Cisco data cables are specifically intended to work with Gigabit Ethernet, making it easy to allow switch additions, deletions, and redeployment without interruption.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding Server CPU Specs

Servers are essential for so many business applications these days. If you rely on your servers for anything, then you tend to rely on them for everything.

When you’re shopping for servers (or looking to upgrade your hardware), you’re going to have to compare a lot of different specifications, and one of the most important components to analyze is the central processing unit (CPU).

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Hollywood scribes initiated a work stoppage in early May as negotiations broke down with studios including Disney, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery. Talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resumed last week after months of starts and stops.The WGA and AMPTP are still drafting the final contract language.
• Bird has reported that its stock is being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange because of its inability to lift its market cap to $15 million. The scooter company was once valued at $2.5 billion by private investors.
• Amazon reported it will invest up to $4 billion in artificial intelligence firm Anthropic and take a minority ownership position in the company. The move underscores Amazon’s aggressive AI push as it looks to keep pace with rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google.
• WWE’s “Friday Night SmackDown” will return to NBCUniversal’s USA Network in October 2024. The deal comes out to an average of $287 million per year, a total value of over $1.4 billion.

Happy Thursday! We’re inching closer and closer to the weekend. Do you have any exciting plans? We hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

In This Issue: New Fall Recipes | Cisco B200 M5 Server Blade | What Is Backhaul (FAQ) | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – New Fall Recipes

Happy Thursday!

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of trying out a delightful chili recipe that I found on Instagram. As we gear up for the cozy season of fall, I’ve been on a culinary adventure, experimenting with different recipes to celebrate the change in weather. This chili was a remarkable start, filled with the warm and comforting flavors of fall, and I can’t wait to explore more recipes in the coming weeks.

Speaking of fall recipes, I’d love to hear about some of your favorites! If you have any go-to dishes or seasonal specialties you enjoy making during this time of year, please do share. It would be fantastic to exchange recipe ideas and create a delicious autumn-inspired menu together. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Here is a link to the recipe, if you would like to try it out!

-Joi

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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 deliver performance that can’t be beat!

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Learning Center Article – What Is Backhaul (FAQ)

We all use the internet all the time, but how much do you know about the infrastructure? How does your device actually communicate with other devices around the world?

The full answer to that question is long and complicated, but you can understand a major portion of the internet and networking by learning about backhaul.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Cisco is acquiring cybersecurity firm Splunk for $157 per share in an all-cash deal. Cisco will finance the deal using a combination of cash and debt. The acquisition is one of Cisco’s largest and continues a streak of acquisitions this year.
• The Biden administration said it will resume offering free at-home Covid tests to American households Monday as the virus gains a stronger foothold nationwide. Americans will soon be able to use COVIDtests.gov to request four free tests.
• Anheuser-Busch is ending the controversial practice of cutting off the tails of its Clydesdale horses for cosmetic purposes. Animal rights groups including PETA have decried the practice as “crude mutilation”.
• Walmart is opening its first pet services center, outside Atlanta, with plans to open more locations. The pilot location will offer vet care and grooming services.

Happy Wednesday & Happy Pepperoni Pizza Day! A good slice of pepperoni pizza seems like a great way to end a hard day at work. Stop by and pick up your favorite pizza as you head home & enjoy! 🍕

In This Issue: Celebrating Milestones and Embracing the Journey of Motherhood | Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switch | Zero Trust Explained | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Celebrating Milestones and Embracing the Journey of Motherhood

Good morning & Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone is having a great week. Last week, my husband started a new job. He’s loving the job so far and is learning a ton, which I’m grateful for, but it’s a big change from him being home all the time since having Carter. We truly felt so blessed that the timeline of him leaving his last job and starting his new job allowed him to spend almost six weeks at home with our sweet new baby. It was so helpful to have him around to help out with the day-to-day things that come with caring for a newborn and also myself. But now, it’s me and Carter – which is always an adventure!

This week, we’ve welcomed the newfound ability to smile and boy does it just melt my heart when he does. We’re slowly getting on more of a routine of eating, sleeping, and occasionally playing. I’m looking forward to the days when playtime is a little more interactive than it is now, but certainly don’t want to wish these early days away.

All this to say – I’m learning quite a bit in this process of being a new mom. It’s certainly not easy and there are days when the tears flow, but there are many more days when the smiles are big and the amazement at the fact that he’s my kid and I get the joy of spending the next several years walking through life with him watching him grow sets in.

To be totally transparent, I didn’t grow up ever really wanting a kid or desiring to have a kid. I know so many gals I grew up with always dreamed of being a mom, which is amazing but I always felt like the oddball since I didn’t feel that way. I grew up around babies and always helped take care of them and I guess I just felt like that was enough for me. Of course after many conversations with my husband, prayer, and preparation of my heart – here we have Carter and I’m so grateful! Nowadays, it’s just shocking to me that I have a kid who will, when he can talk, call me mom. What a sweet day that will be!

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful week and a great weekend ahead. If I can be praying for you in any way this week, let me know!

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Design a network for the future of hybrid work with the Cisco Catalyst 9300 series of switches. This switch comes with a power supply and 9300 Series Accessory kit including a rack mount kit, power cord, and console cable.

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Learning Center Article – Zero Trust Explained

Network and cyber security are concepts that only grow more difficult with time. For every genius security measure, there’s a brilliant attack, and the escalation never ends.

How can you hope to stay ahead of the game?

Your best bet is to adopt security design philosophies that prevent many problems while dramatically mitigating issues even in the event of security failure. One such philosophy is zero trust, and it’s essential for any high-value or large-scale network.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The Food and Drug Administration did not approve an epinephrine nasal spray that would have been the first needle-free alternative to epinephrine autoinjectors, including EpiPens. The agency told drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals that it needed to conduct another study on the drug.
• Amazon announced they are hiring 250,000 employees in the U.S. to help manage the holiday rush. It’s also bumping the average hourly pay for warehouse and delivery workers.
• A real-life bear found itself a few paw steps away from the Country Bear Jamboree at Walt Disney World. Disney World delayed the opening of Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Adventureland. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission safely captured and removed the bear from the park.
• Mark Thompson, a former New York Times CEO, will begin as CNN’s CEO on October 9th. He reports that he will be focusing on turning CNN into a sustainable business.

Happy Ahoy there, me hearties! Let’s hoist the Jolly Roger and navigate through the treacherous waters of curiosity, for today be National Talk Like a Pirate Day! May the winds of knowledge be in our favor, and may yer Tuesday be filled with joy and discovery. 🏴‍☠️

In This Issue: Work & Faith: Reflecting on the Value of Work | Ultra-High-Definition AOC HDMI Cable | The Benefits of Using a Managed Switch | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Work & Faith: Reflecting on the Value of Work

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Over the weekend I was in a conversation with someone and the topic of work came up. I mentioned that work is something very important to me, that I believe there’s dignity in work, and that I would probably lose my mind if I wasn’t working. The person I was speaking with couldn’t have disagreed more. They mentioned that they would be perfectly happy if they never worked another day in their life, they get no satisfaction from work, and I got the impression that they operate daily out of a mentality of trying to skirt work as much as possible (not just vocationally, but around the house, etc).

While it’s pretty normal to not want to work ALL the time, the idea of NEVER wanting to work was so foreign to me that it almost felt shocking. The conversation really stuck with me and caused me to give some deeper thought into the subject of work. What are my beliefs surrounding it? Where those beliefs come from? Am I intentionally living in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs?

As a (very imperfect) Christ follower, the Bible is central in shaping my views and perspectives on pretty much everything and, as it turns out, it has a lot to say about work. There’s way more to discuss than could be fit into this CK daily, but suffice it to say that work was very clearly part of God’s plan from the beginning and it’s clear that our work matters to God.

What really challenged me was reading Colossians 3:23-24 which states:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Although that verse has been drilled into me since childhood, it’s easy to forget sometimes just who we are working for and how much our work does matter to God. It’s a good reminder that we should strive to work with excellence and be the best we can at whatever job we’re doing. While there’s no doubt that I’ll continue to fall short, I’m taping this verse to my monitor as a daily reminder!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Take your A/V experience to the next level with our Ultra High Definition AOC HDMI cables. Unlike standard HDMI cables, these AOC cables transmit high-quality audio and video signals over fiber optic strands at speeds of up to 48 Gbps. These cables are perfect for a wide range of uses from AV installations to home use!

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Learning Center Article – The Benefits of Using a Managed Switch

When you’re choosing networking equipment, one concept you will come up against is managed and unmanaged switches.

Which is better?

In most cases, managed switches are the way to go, but to truly understand why, you should take a minute to learn more about what managed switches are, how they work, and how they benefit a network.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The crash site for a Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter jet that went missing during the weekend after its pilot ejected was located Monday in rural South Carolina after the military asked the public for help finding an aircraft built to elude detection.
• Apple released iOS 17 for iPhones, its biggest software update of the year. It’s available to anyone with an iPhone released in 2018 or later. This year’s update has a lot of improvements to some of the most used apps, including the Phone app, Messages and Safari.
• Homebuilder sentiment has gone negative for the first time in 7 months. Builder confidence in the single-family housing market fell 5 points in September to 45. Fifty is the line between positive and negative sentiment.
• Elon Musk reported X is “moving to having a small, monthly payment for use of the X system” and said the social network now has 550 million monthly users.

Happy Monday & Happy Birthday to the United States Air Force! We’re so grateful to all who serve in the military to protect us and our beautiful country. We hope everyone has a great week!

In This Issue: Tech Nostalgia and Sweet Promises | 9U Swing-Out Wall Mount Cabinet | 9 Common Mistakes in Fiber Optic Installation and How to Avoid Them | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Tech Nostalgia and Sweet Promises

Happy Monday!

I had a chat with Chris last week about Dell (“Dude, you’re getting a Dell”) and their branding, and that chat led us somehow to Gateway Computers. Back in the mid-90s, I had a friend that just got a Gateway computer and I think it was the first time I’d seen a fully assembled desktop. I distinctly remembered the dairy cow, black and white, print box; that’s branding I’ll never forget.

I also remember going over to my friend’s house to play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? for hours on end. I think that might have been the first game on a CD-ROM, which was pretty advanced technology for its time. The 3.5” floppy disk was what I was used to before CDs came out, and I remember 5” floppy disks as well. It’s crazy now we pretty much have no disks, everything is solid-state or flash! What’s even more crazy is you can still buy floppy disk drives and floppy disks, I guess some things never die.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me. I hope we do a great job in branding such that you’ll never forget the first pack of M&Ms you received on your first order. And if for some terrible reason, you didn’t get your M&Ms, let me know and we’ll make it right! I hope you have a great day and a great week!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Installation and management of cables is a huge task for technicians managing the networking equipment in an environment where connected wires are just very common. An organized cabling not only looks neat and tidy but is also critical in ensuring the smooth operations of the network. This is where 3131-3-001-09 LINIER Swing-Out Wall Mount Cabinet comes to the rescue. The cabinet has been designed to provide a space- saving solution that keeps your cabling organized and protected, thereby providing easier access for maintenance and upgrades.

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Learning Center Article – 9 Common Mistakes in Fiber Optic Installation and How to Avoid Them

Fiber optics are still the best way to transmit digital information at extremely high speeds and across long distances. If you need to use fiber optics, then you have some work to do.

The networks don’t design themselves, and installing them requires knowledge and experience.

To that end, a few tips can go a long way and help you avoid some of the most common mistakes. So, below, you’ll find 9 of the most common mistakes when installing fiber optics and how you can avoid them.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• U.S. asks for help finding missing F-35 fighter jet after pilot ejects during ‘mishap’. The jet was left in autopilot mode so there’s a possibility it could still be airborne somewhere over South Carolina.
• The 2nd Generation AirPods Pro with USB-C don’t have any radical hardware changes.But a slew of software features launching alongside the new AirPods significantly change how noise-canceling on the wireless buds works in practice, and will make it much easier for AirPods Pro users to leave their earbuds in all day while navigating cities or talking to co-workers.
• Clorox has warned of a material financial hit from ongoing production disruptions caused by a cyberattack last month. They are unsure of when they will be able to resume normal operations.
• The California minimum wage for fast-food workers is on track to rise to $20 an hour next April. The pay hike is part of deal between the restaurant industry and labor groups over controversial legislation in California.