Today’s Topics: Snow Camping | Premium Fiber Cables | Do I Need the Latest Server? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Tuesday!
February 9th is National Pizza Day! Whether it’s thin crust, Chicago-style, deep dish, or anything in between, pizza is an American favorite. Did you know Americans consume on average 23 pounds of pizza per person each year?!
Hey there, friends. I hope you all had a good weekend. Perhaps watched the Super Bowl on Sunday? We ended up going on our camping trip. We had lots of fun, spent time with good friends, and the kids played outside as long as the sun was out and keeping them a little warm. It was mostly cold and rainy, but we didn’t mind. The change in pace and scenery was nice. And, the cherry on top of a good trip was that it snowed! We don’t tend to get snow too often here in Georgia, and the kids are always hoping for just a little before the end of winter. It was a nice little treat for them and definitely made the trip more memorable.
Funny how little things can make your experience memorable. If you’ve ever ordered anything from CK, you should’ve received some M&Ms in your package. A small thing that creates a memorable experience is the idea behind why we include those. We aim to make every experience with us as frictionless and memorable as possible. we can’t conjure up a snowstorm on a whim, but we can throw in extra M&Ms, make sure your package arrives on time, and even pre-configure things like phones for you. If we can ever do anything to make your experience with us better, please be sure to let us know!
Until tomorrow,
Christin
Product Spotlights & Updates:
Today’s product spotlight will be focused on our Premium Fiber Cables made with ultra-pure corning glass. Corning enables all types of communications to meet the demands of numerous network applications. These premium fibers are more durable and transmit light with low attenuation and low signal loss. They also have ultra-physical contact polish which gives users more reliable signals for data, digital, and telephone applications.
The Low Smoke Zero Halogen jacket material around premium fibers also reduce the amount of corrosive and toxic gas when exposed to heat. Another great feature about premium fiber cables is their ability to easily reverse polarity. This allows optimal data transmission with fewer cables and higher speed. The premium fiber cables are available in OS2, OM3, OM4, and OM5 cable type. These premium fiber cables also come with various connector types including standard, Uniboot, and Uniboot Push-Pull Tab.
If you want to learn more about the differences between our Standard and Premium cables, please visit our learning center article!
Do I Need the Latest Server? – CK Learning Center
Data centers aren’t cheap. Just the cost of power requirements for keeping your equipment running can be staggering. Adding the cost of new servers can often feel like too much. If you have high demands and a tight budget, you need a way to get more power and performance for every dollar spent. For most applications, the easiest way to do this is to look at refurbished servers and parts.
The Iterative Cycle of Technology
Computer hardware is an interesting market. Over time, consumers tend to get more value for each dollar spent, but used goods still drop in price like a used car. It all boils down to the iterative process of developing technology. Every year, newer and better parts are released, but they rarely provide dramatic improvements over the previous generation. Here’s an easy example. The first 3.0 GHz processor was the Pentium 4 released in 2003. Today, many servers are running 3.0 GHz processors. Even at the highest end, you’re looking at 5.0 GHz clock speeds. That’s an improvement of 67 percent in 15 years. That means on average, computer components are gaining less than five-percent performance every year.
Now there is more to a processor than just the clock speed, but overall the rate holds true. Last year’s processor can do all of the same work as this year’s. It’s only every several years that a real breakthrough happens.
Server Lifespan
So, buying refurbished lets you save money and have parts that are comparable to something brand new, but performance isn’t the only consideration. Servers work hard, and you need something that will last. Well, there’s good news on that front too. Most high-end servers are built to last 5 to 10 years. Despite that, elite data centers (like Google) like to rotate their equipment on a cycle of two to three years. You can buy a refurbished server with seven or more years left on its shelf life that can still hang with brand new equipment.
Modular Technology
If you were just buying refurbished servers as is, you could save a lot of money without sacrificing performance, but the modular nature of servers gives you a lot more opportunity. Data centers have to adapt and adjust hardware on a daily basis. This has led to a server design that is easily tweaked and customized. This gives you the freedom to upgrade components instead of entire servers. That can extend the life, value, and performance of your refurbished equipment. Best of all, those modular parts can also be refurbished.
This article is from the CK Learning Center.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,711,640 active COVID cases, 17,512,584 have recovered and there have been 476,405 deaths.
- Facebook this week will begin showing its U.S. users information about where and when they can get Covid-19 vaccines. They will direct users to local health agency websites where they can get information about their eligibility to get vaccinated. The company will also provide $120 million in ad credits to health agencies around the world so they can run campaigns about Covid-19 vaccines.
- At 43, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP title after his Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady credits his longevity and success to his strict health and wellness regiment, the TB12 Method. One of the key components in Brady’s plan is his sleep routine. Brady said that he sticks to a 9 p.m. bedtime and wakes up at 6 a.m. (for nine hours of sleep) Here’s what else is in Brady’s sleep routine.
- Liang Wannian, head of the expert Covid-19 panel at China’s National Health Commission, said ongoing research into the origins of the virus must focus on how it circulated in animals before infecting humans. Scientists have been working in the Chinese city of Wuhan for the past four weeks as part of their search for clues to the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The investigators visited hospitals, laboratories, and markets, including the Huanan Seafood Market, the Wuhan Insititute of Virology, and the Wuhan Center for Disease Control laboratory.
- CD Projekt says it’s been hacked by attackers who’ve been able to access its internal network, encrypt some devices, and collect “certain data” from the Polish video game company. The Cyberpunk 2077 developers say it will not give in to the demands or negotiate with the attacker and does not believe any personal data of players or service users has been compromised. The hackers are threatening to release the source code alongside internal legal, HR, and financial documents “if we will not come to an agreement.” In its statement, CD Projekt says that it has secured its IT infrastructure, and has begun restoring its data from intact backups.
- Canadian satellite operator Telesat announced that Thales Alenia Space will build its next-generation broadband satellite network called Lightspeed. Lightspeed will focus on providing high-speed fiber-like internet to Telesat’s customers around the globe. The company largely focuses on business-to-business customers and expects its Lightspeed constellation will cost $5 billion to build.