CablesAndKits Blog

Happy Thursday & Happy National Do a Grouch a Favor Day! We all have bad days every now and again, so today do what you can to turn someone’s frown upside down! 🙃 –> 🙂

In This Issue: CK Giving, Path United | Dell PowerEdge T710 Gold Series Tower Server | Understanding Wavelengths | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – CK Giving, Path United

Happy Thursday!

In 2021, we were introduced to Path United by through a non-profit wish book for charities in our area. We were interested in getting involved with them because their work is relatable to Craig’s experience growing up. They ” work with community leaders, churches, and local schools to transform mobile home communities through showing children God’s love while building positive relationships and empowering them socially and emotionally.” Craig was raised by a single mom, lived most of his childhood in a mobile home park, and quit school at age 15 to work full time. Now he’s our CEO! He’s lived similar experiences to many of the kids in the Path United program, so he can connect with them in ways other adults may not be able. His outlook on life, stories of adventures, and tales from his many entrepreneurial experiences have been inspiring to the kids in the program.

The Path United staff is wonderful; they care deeply for the children and run great programs. Craig and I have had the opportunity to visit a few of their sites, and Craig has been able to share his story in one mobile home park so far. The kids really connected with his experiences, and they loved seeing the flashy red car that he brought along for show and tell. We have plans in January and February to share with two more sites.

I would encourage you to find a way to use your life experiences to positively impact the lives of those around you!

Thank you for letting me share these organizations with you this week! We hope to have lots more to share throughout this year. I hope your 2023 is off to a great start and look forward to writing to you all again soon!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Dell PowerEdge T710 servers were developed with purposeful design, energy-optimized technology, advanced virtualization capabilities, and simplified systems management. These servers provide awesome performance and are a perfect fit for enterprises, remote workgroups, and expanding businesses.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding Wavelengths

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.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Marvel Studio’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania” currently holds a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is only the second Marvel Cinematic Universe film to earn a Rotten rating.
• A Hebrew Bible that’s more than 1,000 years old could sell for up to $50 million at auction this spring. That price would make the Codex Sassoon the most valuable historical document ever auctioned.
• McDonald’s customers in Germany will be able to order plant-based McPlant nuggets starting Feb. 22.
  The nuggets are made from peas, corn, wheat and tempura breading.
• A new James Webb Space Telescope image reveals never-before-seen details of Pandora’s Cluster, a megacluster where three galaxy clusters are merging. Read more here. 

Happy Wednesday! We hope you are having a successful week. If we can be praying for you in any way this week, please reach out!

In This Issue: CK Giving, Lightway Recovery | Cisco 1921 Series Integrated Services Router | Understanding Ethernet Cable Gauge (AWG) | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – CK Giving, Lightway Recovery

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week.

Today’s highlighted organization is Lightway Recovery from our 2022 CK Giving efforts. Lightway was founded by our former HR Manager, Susan, and her husband, Farley. We knew from the time we met Susan that starting a live-in addiction recovery program for women was her dream. We were able to have her with us for seven years before that dream became her full-time gig.

In October of 2022, we had the privilege of attending Lightway’s first annual charity gala. We had so much fun! Susan, Farley, and some of their daughters were in attendance. It was great to catch up with all of them, and we were able to hear Susan and her daughter, Carson, share their story on stage for the first time. Hearing the entirety of Susan and Carson’s story was special because we lived much of the story right alongside them. Carson was a young teenager struggling with addiction when Susan joined the CK team, and now she’s sober with a beautiful family and thriving business of her own. Her story of HOPE is inspiring!

We’ve supported Lightway Recovery in several ways over the years; this year may be my favorite. We were able to sponsor their gala and also donate a scholarship for a young woman struggling with addiction to live at the Lightway home for 6 months while taking steps toward healing.

We love the work that Lightway does in our community and are blessed to be able to come alongside them and help positively impact the lives of women and their families.

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco ® 1900 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) build on 25 years of Cisco innovation and product leadership. The new platforms are architected to enable the next phase of branch-office evolution, providing rich-media collaboration to the branch office while maximizing operational cost savings. The Cisco Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 (ISR G2) platforms are future-enabled with multicore CPUs, Gigabit Ethernet switching with enhanced Power over Ethernet (PoE), and new energy monitoring and control capabilities that enhance overall system performance.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding Ethernet Cable Gauge (AWG)

When you have to put a network together, you’re going to compare a lot of different components to try to squeak out better performance without spending obscene amounts of money. Because of that, you’re likely to consider using Ethernet for many (if not all) parts of your network.

Take a couple of minutes to learn about Ethernet cable thickness (often called gauge), then you can leverage these differences for a better network.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Two American F-16 warplanes intercepted four Russian aircraft near Alaska on Tuesday. 
• Total mortgage application volume fell 7.7% last week as mortgage rates jumped higher. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances increased to 6.39% last week from 6.18% the previous week.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening a new brand called Farmesa Fresh Eatery in a Santa Monica ghost kitchen. The brand’s bowls will feature a protein, green or grain, two sides, one of five sauces and a topping option. 
• Ford Motor has paused production and shipments of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup due to a potential battery issue. The EV truck is being closely watched by investors, as it’s the first mainstream electric pickup on the market and a major launch for Ford.

Happy Valentine’s Day CK Family! We hope today is filled with lots of love and joy. ❤️

In This Issue: CK Giving, Freedom Path Counseling | LC to LC Singlemode Duplex Fiber Optic Adapter | How to Choose the Right Transceiver for Your Network | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – CK Giving, Freedom Path Counseling

Happy Tuesday!

Freedom Path Counseling is one organization that CK partnered with in 2022. The organization may seem familiar, as we highlighted it before in our 2021 giving. Freedom Path was founded by Chad, a former CK team member, and his wife, Heidi. They offer a variety of counseling services on a “pay what you can afford” model subsidized through donations. They serve the same area where the CK office and many of our team members are located. They do a great job of keeping their donors informed about what is happening throughout the year, and in one of their newsletters defined their purpose this way:

“Freedom Path Counseling exists to see transformation in the lives of hurting people. We provide critical counseling services for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families in English, Spanish, and Creole. We believe healing opens the door to freedom from destructive behaviors, victory over life’s difficult circumstances, and the restoration of relationships. Through counseling, we join those struggling in the process of moving from frustration, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness to having a clear plan for creating a life characterized by inner joy and true peace.”

As a business, we are resource generation engines, and organizations such as Freedom Path need resources to provide the services that they do. By partnering together, they are able to focus on their mission, and we are able to experience the joy of giving along with being a part of something that is making a difference in our community. We’re looking forward to a continued relationship with Chad, Heidi and the Freedom Path team in 2023!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates

These adapters can be used to provide a connection between two LC duplex fiber cables and are compliant with international standards, making them compatible within a wide range of fiber optic applications.

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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:

• Millennials’ favorite purple dinosaur is returning to TV and toy shelves. Mattel is relaunching its Barney franchise through a series of television, film and YouTube videos alongside a line of toys, books, clothing, and accessories. A new animated series is set for release in 2024, followed by a product line in 2025.
• Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle venture Zoox said that it is now testing its self-driving robotaxis on public roads in California with passengers on board. The vehicles have no steering wheel or pedals, and they have bidirectional driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, enabling them to change directions without the need to reverse.
• Ford is planning to work with its Chinese supplier to build a new $3.5 billion electrical vehicle plant in Michigan. 
• US workplace safety regulators have fined a Pennsylvania factory after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate and had to be rescued. The Mars Wrigley factory in the city of Elizabethtown was fined more than $14,500 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Happy Monday! Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs on their big win last night. Did you stay up to watch the entire game? What commercials were your favorites?

In This Issue: CK Daily 2022 Impact | Cisco 8821 Unified Color Wireless VOIP Phone | What is a RAID? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – CK Daily 2022 Impact

Hi friends. It’s Christin here. I think the last time you heard from me was in December of 2021. I miss sharing with you and hearing from you! I hope you are continuing to enjoy the CK Daily! The team has done a great job sharing insights into life here at CK and about things that matter to them.

I wanted to write today to share a few notes with you all about the giving efforts we were able to accomplish at the end of 2022.

During December we like to take the time to give you a peek behind the curtain of how we do things with our giving, not to brag at all, but to bring you along on the journey and maybe inspire you to give in your own way. I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of the causes that are important to our team in the CK Giving notes that were here in the CK Daily. Giving to support our community and those with passion towards their causes brings Craig and I great joy. We hope you’ll find some of that joy this year too!

2022 was a wonderful year for us at CK, mostly because of you guys, our customers! We made some strides in goals we have to serve you better, to be a trusted source to help you complete your projects on time. We appreciate you trusting us to provide what you need for your IT projects! Each year we set aside a percentage of our profits to charitable causes, and we like to take you along for the journey as we give away some of those funds in December. Besides the $500 per employee donations you were able to read about, we also partnered with some special organizations that make significant impacts on our community.

Over the next three days, we’ll chat about the work that Freedom Path Counseling, Lightway Recovery, and Path United are doing.

Look forward to sharing!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This Cisco CP-8821-K9 wireless IP phone is ideal for both users in office environments as well as in rigorous workspaces. This phone is rugged and can stand up to shock, dust, and water.

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Learning Center Article – What is a RAID?

When it comes to computer systems and servers, you have a lot of data to manage. It’s normal to want robust backups so that you never lose important information. At the same time, backups are costly, and they can slow down server systems.

In order to find the best options for various goals, you can manage storage disks in a number of different ways, and one of the most trusted and popular options is to implement RAID.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The U.S. military on Sunday shot down another unidentified flying object over Lake Huron in Michigan. The Defense Department (DOD) said President Joe Biden, shortly before 2:42 p.m., directed an F-16 to fire an AIM-9X missile to shoot down an airborne object flying at around 20,000 feet over Lake Huron. The DOD said the path and altitude “raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation.”
• Hogwarts Legacy has got off to a very big start and is comfortably the No.1 game of the week. It is the biggest launch for any Harry Potter game ever, with sales 64% higher than the previous best.
• Did you miss the Superbowl last night? Catch up on everything you may have missed here!
• Rescuers are continuing to dig for survivors a week after the Turkey-Syria earthquake. People buried under rubble in collapsed buildings in southern Turkey continue to defy the odds, surviving freezing temperatures and a week without water. 

Happy Friday! We hope you’ve had a wonderful week and are looking forward to the weekend. Whatever you have planned, we hope that you find some time to relax and reflect. If we can be praying for you in any way, please let us know!

In This Issue: Super Bowl – Game, Food, or Commercials? | MTP® Cable 12-Strand Corning ClearCurve®, OM3 | What is the difference between LSZH and OFNR? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Super Bowl – Game, Food, or Commercials?

Happy Friday, folks! Not only is it Friday, but it’s also the Friday before the Super Bowl! We are hosting a small get-together to watch the Super Bowl at our house. I’m sure it will be a great game. However, I’ll admit that I’m most excited about the tailgating food and the commercials!

I read this morning that a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs as much as $6 million. 👀 Let that sink in….that’s $200,000 for EVERY second of the ad. That’s crazy! I would expect that we’ll get to see some creative and funny commercials!

What do you get most excited about on Super Bowl weekend? The game, the commercials, the food, or something else?

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Our MTP Elite® line of fiber cables features high-performance US Conec MTP Elite® connectors for the ultimate in functionality and reliability. This highly versatile line of cables is 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 – What is the difference between LSZH and OFNR?

With the many types of fiber cables and then the components that make each of them up, it can be very confusing to know what fiber cable is the best overall for your business. One of the biggest questions we get is what is the difference between OFNR fiber cables and LSZH fiber cables.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• SpaceX test-fired 31 of the 33 engines in the towering rocket booster of its Starship prototype. Called a “static fire,” the milestone test is the final major hurdle before SpaceX tries to launch the nearly 400-foot-tall rocket to space.
• Chick-fil-A will test a cauliflower sandwich in three markets, starting Monday. The new sandwich closely resembles its famous chicken sandwich, but uses breaded and pressure-cooked cauliflower in place of meat. The fast-food chain said it’s been working on a plant-based sandwich for nearly four years.
• Jeep on Thursday revealed its most expensive Wrangler SUV ever, topping more than $115,000. The limited-edition vehicle is the 2023 Wrangler Rubicon 392 20th Anniversary with heavy-duty off-road parts customization from upfitter American Expedition Vehicles. Only 150 of the AEV SUVs will be produced as part of a broader 20th Anniversary collection of Wrangler’s popular Rubicon model.
• JD.com said it will release an “industrial version” of ChatGPT called ChatJD. It will be a chatbot product focused on the fields of retail and finance. The popularity of ChatGPT has prompted tech giants across the world to announce their own rivals in the past few days.

Happy Thursday! We hope you’re having a great week. We’re hiring for two positions at CK. An Ecommerce Manager and a Supply Chain Manager – if you or anyone you know might be interested send this email their way to apply!

In This Issue: Family Recipes | Cisco 3750X Series 48 Port Switch | Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Family Recipes

Happy Thursday!

This year I decided I want to bake more. Growing up I loved watching my grandma bake. She was the best at making cakes. Her specialty was red velvet. Her cakes were always light, fluffy, and not too sweet. They were my own little slice of heaven! I have always admired her baking skills and as I got older and started cooking myself, I decided that I wanted to offer that delectable experience to my kids and eventually their kids whenever those times come. Since my grandmother is no longer around, I have leaned on my mom for her wonderful recipes. I started off with yeast rolls, then brownies, and tried baking a pound cake for the first-time last year (which wasn’t great lol). But now, I have moved back to the basics, cookies!

For the last 4-5 months I have been working on perfecting my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have tried many different recipes and I think this last one will stay in my family for generations to come. I think about how much I enjoy baking now and how it connects me to the ones I love but can no longer be around. I am excited to pass this recipe down so that when I am not here, my family still feels like they have a piece of me to connect with.

Anyways, I am trying to figure out what I should try next. Should I try the pound cake again or should I try another type of cookie? Any suggestions? I would love to hear from you! 🙂

Have a great week!

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

This Cisco Catalyst 3750X series layer 3 switch comes with (48) 10/100/1000 PoE+ ports, a 435 Watt POE Budget, 64 MB of Flash, and 256 MB of RAM. This switch is stackable, has dual redundant fans, 4,000 VLAN ID’s, a network module slot, and a slot for an additional power supply.

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Learning Center Article – Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables?

Currently, the use of high bandwidth applications has been on the rise, and network systems have started venturing into factory environments which have called for the use of shielded cables. In this new installation sector, the cable is used in areas with high electromagnetic interference (EMI). Even with the improved ability to reject noise and handle gigabit Ethernet, these cables will not function properly in areas where there is high EMI if not properly shielded. A shielded cable will help in these high EMI installations ensuring safe and efficient data transfer.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company plans to attempt a major Starship milestone this week: firing all 33 engines at once, a key test before the first orbital launch attempt.
• Disney said it will be reorganizing into three divisions: Entertainment, ESPN and parks and experiences. Disney will slash 7,000 jobs from its workforce and plans to cut $5.5 billion in costs, including $3 billion in content savings.
• Southwest’s COO plans to apologize before the Senate panel and express confidence in technology improvements and its own schedule after the holiday meltdown. The Southwest pilots union’s president will also testify and plans to say the carrier ignored warning signs about its operation.
• Web browser Opera is planning to integrate ChatGPT into its products. The news comes as Microsoft and Google this week announced plans to incorporate artificial intelligence chatbot technology with their own search engines.