4/27/2023 0 Comments Blue shift![]() Later on, you can overhear some marines complaining about having to do the crap work because Shephard's team hasn't arrived yet. In Blue Shift, the first door you come to malfunctions, and if you look around while waiting for the guard on the other side to open it, you'll see Freeman passing you by. Continuity Nod: On the initial train journey in Half-Life, you pass by a security guard banging on a door.Cavalry Betrayal: Calhoun finds out early on that the military unit sent to Black Mesa to contain the Alien Invasion, the HECU, is not on their side, when he witnesses a couple of Marines disposing of the bodies of scientists and security guards into a drainage pipe.When the incident starts, the panel explodes, killing said scientist. Black Dude Dies First: The first onscreen casualty is a grouchy black scientist who asks Barney to fix up the elevator by using an electric panel.However, several other surviving security personnel and scientists helping them to escape are killed in the process. Bittersweet Ending: Calhoun, Rosenberg, Simmons, and Walter make it out of the facility alive and well, and escape in a Black Mesa SUV.He goes from a random security guard banging on a door in Half-Life to a fully playable character with his own story. Ascended Extra: Barney Calhoun himself.Armies Are Evil: The HECU are once again shown in a negative light when they imprison and mercilessly execute scientists and security personnel as part of their Fiery Cover-Up mission.Just before succumbing to his wounds, he tells Calhoun to find Rosenberg if he wants a chance at getting out of Black Mesa. Almost Dead Guy: Harold, the injured scientist found cornered by a pair of soldiers.His weaponry is limited, too, with his best weapons being the SPAS-12 Shotgun and the MP5/M4 with M203 Grenade Launcher. In addition, he doesn't get an HEV suit or HECU equivalent instead, he has a run-of-the-mill vest. Calhoun also ultimately faces significantly less opposition than Freeman or Shephard, mostly only facing Xen wildlife, Vortigaunts, and Marines, with only about 4 Alien Grunts and 6 Controllers ever crossing his path. Both men spend a lot of their time trying not to get killed by the aliens and the HECU forces but where as Gordon becomes an Action Hero, Barney's story is all about getting out of Black Mesa alive and not having to risk his life for extra reasons outside of his control. Action Survivor: Barney Calhoun, especially when compared to Gordon. ![]() Half-Life: Blue Shift contains examples of: As of December 2022, four playable chapters have been published. In March 2021, Black Mesa: Blue Shift, a comprehensive Fan Remake that aims to recreate the entire expansion pack as a mod for Black Mesa, had its first chapter released. Barney would later go on to become a major supporting character in Half-Life 2. ![]() Blue Shift was the first game in the franchise to have a significant NPC helping the player during the game, and the game came with a free High Definition pack that upgraded the models to the source game. Blue Shift was retooled into an expansion for the PC version. This is due to the fact that Blue Shift was intended to be a bonus campaign for the cancelled Sega Dreamcast port of Half-Life. Rosenberg, who has a plan to transport the trapped scientists safely out of Black Mesa.Ĭompared with its predecessor Half-Life: Opposing Force, Blue Shift is considerably stripped back in terms of content, lacking many of the weapons and enemies from the original game and unlike Opposing Force featuring no new enemies or weapons of its own. Using what little equipment he has available, Barney travels through the facility and recruits the help of Dr. ![]() While making his usual rounds at Black Mesa, the Resonance Cascade teleports an influx of alien creatures into the facility. The player takes control of Barney Calhoun, a security officer briefly seen during the opening of the first game. Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second Expansion Pack to Valve's Half-Life developed by Gearbox Software.
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4/27/2023 0 Comments Girl uses exclamation mark textEffective content marketing requires making adjustments to keep your target audience engaged, so go ahead and use the exclamation point – but use it wisely! Contact Us! When used too often or incorrectly, the exclamation point can turn off your target audience and scare away new business. Yes, exclamation points can both help and hurt your content marketing strategy. Using an exclamation point results in 26 percent more clicks for B2B channels and 27 percent more clicks for B2C. The results are also positive on LinkedIn. For example, we found that using exclamation points in a post correlates with more engagement.”Īn exclamation mark isn’t commonly used on Facebook-71.17 percent of posts studied did not use them, but the posts that do see 2.7 times more engagement on average. However, punctuation can convey the kind of emotional value that helps brands connect at a more human level. According to Buffer, “Punctuation is often times considered an afterthought. Using exclamation points can help your content marketing strategy. The Acme Accounting Firm has more than 30 years of experience helping people with their taxes! Exclamation Points in Content Marketing: The Research The Acme Accounting Firm has more than 30 years of experience helping people with their taxes. Here’s an example that shows how an exclamation point can change the tone: Is your brand more straight-laced and professional or are you trying to convey a friendly, excited tone? For the former, you probably want to steer clear of exclamation points – or use them very sparingly, whereas the punctuation can be useful for the latter business’ voice. Know Your Business Reflect it in Your Content MarketingĪ strong content marketing strategy means knowing your business this means being mindful of voice. The second example gets your point across without being irritating. The third example is desperate and annoying to the eye. One key function of an exclamation point is to get your target audience to look. Here are some examples to illustrate this point. This means one exclamation point is enough any more than that and you risk alienating your customers (think of the boy who cried wolf). ![]() Does your Facebook update or tweet contain something your target audience cares about? If so, throw in an exclamation point, but don’t go wild.Ī successful content marketing strategy is often about finding the balance that’s just right. Content Marketing Tip: Keep It About Your AudienceĪll of your brand’s content should be about your audience, including your punctuation. However, when utilized correctly, an exclamation point makes for a smart addition to your content marketing strategy. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” The point’s bad rap is due to overuse. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Cut out all those exclamation points. The exclamation point is the black sheep of the grammar world. This article was originally posted on October 5th, 2018. 4/27/2023 0 Comments Drawberry growing iwthin itself![]() “Arkema has been really good at going around and doing all these air measurements, and they found none over there,” McDonald said. McDonald said he wasn’t sure the family’s theory was accurate. Local media reported both years that a Dover family had become ill during pre-planting season, and they believed that their exposure to Paladin used in fields near their home had caused the sickness. It also includes requirements for a buffer zone, to protect people who live or work close to the fields where Paladin is applied. However, Arkema includes strict, detailed protocol on Paladin’s label that prevents inhalation exposure if followed correctly. Paladin is a restricted-use pesticide, because the EPA expects inhalation exposure at high levels to cause human health problems. “I wouldn’t put it out here this close to my house, this close to my family, if I had any concerns about it,” he said. He lives within 100 yards of a 70-acre field, where he applied the fumigant this year. McDonald said Paladin was safer and more effective than other replacements for methyl bromide. “(Arkema) has taken great strides to limit the smell.”Īndy McDonald is the farm manager for Sweet Life Farms, a Plant City strawberry growing operation that has used Paladin in its fields last year and this year. “TIF has done a fantastic job of capturing and not releasing any of the odor from the fumigation process,” Parker said. ![]() The new tarp is made of Totally Impermeable Film. “We wanted to make a change to make some differences for people living closer to the fields,” said Rob Welker, a product steward for Arkema.Īrkema dictated the use of an improved tarp, which contains the odor more effectively than last year’s tarps. This year, Arkema, the chemical company that produces Paladin, came up with a solution to the odor. Last year, growers in the area received numerous complaints from neighbors, who said the smell was unpleasant and overwhelming. Many Plant City-area growers began using Paladin in 2013, and they have applied it again this year.īecause of its sulfur content, Paladin has an odor that has been compared to garlic or rotting cabbage. “Sometimes, you have to use common sense, and it was not a good common-sense decision to eliminate the use of methyl bromide,” said Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.īut, he said, Paladin was one of many effective fumigants that had come to the market as a replacement. Methyl bromide was used widely as an effective fumigant, until the EPA banned it in 2005 because it had been depleting the ozone layer and polluting the air. The active ingredient in Paladin is dimethyl disulfide, which is a replacement for methyl bromide. Tarps cover the ground to contain the chemical, and are removed 12 days later. ![]() Before plants are put into the ground, Paladin is injected into the soil. Paladin is used to suppress weeds, soil-borne pathogens and nematodes (parasitic roundworms). In 2013 and this year, a new product has helped growers produce those sweet berries: a soil fumigant called Paladin. Plant City has once again entered strawberry growing season, and families will soon join in the area’s long history of picking berries together and attending the Florida Strawberry Festival. 4/27/2023 0 Comments Titanfall 2 multiplayer![]() Titanfall 2 is a state of the art first person shooter with advancement made in every area from it's predecessor. This is one great looking game Conclusion ![]() Each map is varied and detailed, making both single player and online match-ups beautiful to behold. All upgrades are un-lockable by playing the game. When you take to the field of battle, you will look the way you want as well as play the way you want. Now more cosmetic customization options are available as well, nose art and colors for your titans as well as your own personal equipment. The effects and sound track are all spot on giving the player a visceral gaming experience. Stare in wonder as Titan's heavy weapons lay waste to enemies and buildings alike. Multiple maps to play are all gorgeous with destructible environments which will, inevitably, be destroyed. Smooth game play and incredible abilities allow your player to literally go anywhere they can see inside the confines of the map. Titanfall 2 is a AAA title by Electronic Arts and as such has graphics and production value on par with the very best in the industry. Looks and sounds better than everything else play through the battle how you want and help decide the battle for Frontier! Customize your player with new abilities to successfully complete objectives. Level your character up, unlock new equipment and one of nine titans, six of them brand new. In the original, play was limited to online matches, now a single player campaign and story mode have been added to flesh out Frontier and give more options for play. Combat in Titanfall 2 is fast, furious and brutal. Pilot the Titan directly, or give them commands remotely as you follow on foot using your personal skills. Titans are giant robotic war machines featuring devastating weapons and defenses. Fight the fight on foot, or else up your game by calling down a massive Titan from space. Complete objectives and fight in a first person view from a first person perspective with a variety of tools, weapons and abilities. The Titan fall franchise puts the player on Frontier, a newly found and developing planet on the fringes of space. Pick up your weapons, call down your massive Titan war machine and join the battle on the frontier! Better options, improved graphics and more customization makes this Titanfall the best Titanfall yet! Massive feature and customization upgrade from the original Softonic review New first person shooter from Electronic ArtsĮlectronic Art's Titanfall was a monumental success, now experience the follow up sequel that is sure to make the same impact: Titanfall 2. 4/27/2023 0 Comments Vineyard haven park and ride![]() Spectrum is a three-day film festival that presents a world perspective on LGBTQ+ stories, people, and issues through a variety of films and includes guest speakers, discussions, and a special event for LGBTQ+ youth. June 2023 - Spectrum LGBTQ Film Festival, MV Film Center Local artisans from all over the Island showcase their wares: artwork on canvas, pottery, paintings, local food products such as honey and coffee, clothing items, and much more.Ī hike that has taken place since 1993, which the land bank has observed as National Trails Day by conducting a day-long hike across the Island, through conservation lands, public properties, dirt and paved roads, shorelines, steep grades, and stretches through private property that has been graciously permitted to walk through on this day. If you’re looking for handmade and locally made art and items, the Vineyard Artisans’ kick off festival on Memorial Day is the place to be. May 27 & 28, Vineyard Artisans Memorial Day Festival Discover this incredible festival, its mission, and connect with community members working hard towards improving our world. This festival focuses on environmental issues tackling our everyday life. ![]() May 25 - 28 - Environmental Film Festival, MVFS & VCS, MV Film Center The perfect weekend to get those miles in to practice for other marathons as well! There will be a ½ marathon, a Boston qualifier full marathon, and a two-person half marathon relay race. Enjoy a weekend full of activities - from their 5k fun run/walk and horse drawn carriage rides, as well as sipping, shopping & eating your way through town! This is the perfect way to kick off the spring season on the Vineyard.įor the runners in your life, experience a beautiful marathon experience on Martha’s Vineyard. This annual celebration of spring and Mother’s Day in Edgartown is not to be missed. May 12 - 14 Mother’s Day Weekend in Edgartown Discover more of their action week online here. The Island Climate Action Network seeks to coordinate and galvanize the creativity and will of our community to create a resilient Martha’s Vineyard, prepared to manage the local impacts of climate change and eliminate our carbon footprint. Over 35 alpacas get this beauty treatment on this day, and it will be available for public viewing. Feel the extraordinary support and excitement throughout your journey as you come together to reach the goal-a world free of MS.Įvery year, the herd of alpacas at Island Alpaca are up for their annual pre-summer grooming, and everyone in the community is invited to watch them being shorn. Join this ride on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard! Enjoy the scenic views and ocean air as you cycle through one of America’s favorite vacation spots along with a community of riders dedicated to changing the world for people with MS. Join the Vineyard Conservation Society for their Annual Earth Day Beach Clean Up - plus they will be holding their first annual Earth Day Festival at the MV Museum. Buy tickets here.Īpril 22 - Annual Earth Day Beach Clean Up and First Ever Earth Day Festival Each film explores the complex relationship between individuals and their communities. ![]() This year’s program reflects their mission to connect the arts with the Island community. This will be the festival’s twenty-third year! Join them at their West Tisbury campus for five days of screening in the Circuit Arts’ home theater on the second floor of the Grange Hall, among other locations. March 22 - 26 Annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival TMVFF / Circus Arts ![]() Remember to book your hotel and check out the Martha’s Vineyard Lodging Association for tons of great information on where to stay while visiting the island and attending events. We hope this list of events gives you a bird's eye view of everything happening, so that you can enjoy and possibly extend your time on Martha’s Vineyard - because if you’re already coming for an event on Friday, might as well stay for the events happening the next week as well! Below you’ll find a list of events that kick off as soon as next week and culminate with holiday traditions at the end of the year.īecause Martha’s Vineyard is a year-round destination, you’ll see that every month of the year is packed with things to do, places to visit, and new experiences to have on the Island. The year 2023 is shaping up to be an event-packed year on Martha’s Vineyard and we wanted to make sure that we were keeping you in the loop of (almost) everything happening on the Vineyard. 4/26/2023 0 Comments Alicia keys new york lyricsWith the 1994 release of Resurrection, Common Sense achieved a much larger degree of critical acclaim which extended beyond the Chicago music scene. After being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine, he debuted as a solo artist in 1992 with the single " Take It EZ", followed by the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?. When C.D.R dissolved by 1991, Lynn began a solo career under the stage name of Common Sense. Lynn began rapping in the late 1980s, while a student at Luther High School South in Chicago, when he, along with two of his friends, formed C.D.R., a rap trio that opened for acts such as N.W.A and Big Daddy Kane. ![]() Music career 1987–1996: Career beginnings ![]() Lynn attended Florida A&M University for two years under a scholarship and majored in business administration. This left Lynn to be raised by his mother however, his father remained active in his life, and was able to get him a job with the Chicago Bulls as a teenager. Lynn's parents divorced when he was six years old, resulting in his father moving to Denver, Colorado. He was raised in the Calumet Heights neighborhood. He is the son of educator and former principal of John Hope College Preparatory High School, Mahalia Ann Hines, and former ABA basketball player turned youth counselor Lonnie Lynn. He starred as Elam Ferguson from 2011 to 2014 on the AMC western TV series Hell on Wheels.Ĭommon was born on March 13, 1972, at the Chicago Osteopathic Hospital in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. Common has also acted in films including Smokin' Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Happy Feet Two, New Year's Eve, Run All Night, John Wick: Chapter 2, Smallfoot and Hunter Killer. In 2011, he launched Think Common Entertainment, his own record label imprint, having previously released music under various other labels including Relativity, Geffen and GOOD Music.Ĭommon won the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for " Glory", which he co-wrote and performed with frequent collaborator John Legend, from the 2014 film Selma where he co-starred as civil rights movement leader James Bevel. His best-of album, Thisisme Then: The Best of Common, was released in late 2007. He received his second Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West), from his 2007 album Finding Forever. His 2005 album Be was also successful and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. ![]() In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for his feature on Erykah Badu's single " Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)". His first major-label album, Like Water for Chocolate (2000), received commercial success. He achieved mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. Lonnie Rashid Lynn (born March 13, 1972), known by his stage name Common (formerly known as Common Sense), is an American rapper and actor. 4/26/2023 0 Comments Idefrag boot disk![]() ![]() The speeds on this SSD are incredible, and the impact they make on my MacBook Pro’s performance are easily observed and measured. ![]() But those were all subjective impressions how did the drive measure up in ojective testing? Applications launched notably quicker, and file copying also seemed to be noticeably faster. Subjective impressions and objective performanceĭuring the software update reboots, I got my first glimpse of the speed of this drive-reboots seemed very fast. Given this laptop isn’t my main computer, this is more than enough storage room for my needs. In addition, my internal drive has over 100GB available, and that’s before I clean out some of the redundant applications. When all was said and done, I had about 25GB left on my 48GB SSD, which is a good amount of free space. This took a couple of reboots, but I eventually had a machine with OS X 10.6.2 installed and ready for use. I also copied over many programs’ preferences and settings, to save myself the trouble of setting them up from scratch again.įinally, I ran Software Update and let it update the OS and installed applications. Once again, I didn’t copy everything, only the files and folders I access regularly. Technically you’ll be giving up a bit of speed, but you’ll keep a lot of read and write operations off of the SSD, which should help its longevity.Īfter installing my apps, I copied over key data files from the internal drive. If you have programs that use scratch disks, such as iMovie, Final Cut Express, and Photoshop, you may want to set them up to use your internal drive for scratch space. I expect it should work, but as of yet, that’s an untested theory. I haven’t tried this, but will probably do so to save myself having to reboot to use these programs. SymbolicLinker)) pointing to the originals on the internal drive. Note that you only need to do this for programs that install additional pieces when you install them programs that can be used via drag-and-drop should run just fine from the internal drive.Īnother possible solution would be to install everything from iLife, but then replace the rarely-used programs and their frameworks with aliases (or symbolic links, via Terminal or For example, I chose to only install iPhoto out of the iLife ’09 application suite-I rarely use GarageBand, iWeb or iDVD on my laptop, so I can just reboot and use them from the internal drive when the need arises. I didn’t worry about trying to make absolutely everything fit only those programs I use regularly are installed on the SSD. I then installed and/or copied my key applications from the internal drive to the external drive. Because the drive is only 48GB in size, it’s important to make the most of the space available. I customized the installation to minimize its size by removing excess printer drivers and the extra languages. Once installed, I inserted my Snow Leopard installation disc and started installing OS X on the drive. System Profiler then reported the drive as a serial ATA device, which is probably why it was usable as a boot disk. After testing the drive in this mode, though, I wouldn’t recommend it for normal use-it’s very slow when used in USB2 mode.Īfter I inserted the drive, it mounted nearly instantly in the Finder. That tiny little USB port is not an inbound USB port, but an outbound port-it’s there in case you want to connect the drive via USB2, for use with machines that lack an ExpressCard slot. And the light isn’t really that bright that’s the result of a long exposure in dim light.) (Click the image at right for a larger view of the inserted drive. When installed, the drive sits completely flush, revealing just an activity light and a miniature USB port. The drive in the ExpressCard slot, seen from the side and directly above. Sure, the performance isn’t what you’ll get from a leading-edge internal SSD, but compared to a hard drive, it’s still very good (as you’ll soon see). This is one of the most appealing factors about an ExpressCard SSD-installation is simple (and you get to keep your hard drive, too). Installing the drive couldn’t be much simpler-just insert it into the ExpressCard slot until it clicks into place, and then wait for it to appear in the Finder. 4/25/2023 0 Comments Make compositor fullscreen 202![]() Handle to a shared texture (HANDLE on Windows obtained using OpenSharedResource). ![]() Void * handle // See ETextureType definition above display native format).ĬolorSpace_Linear = 2, // Same as gamma but has been converted to a linear representation using DXGI's sRGB conversion algorithm. This mirrors the DXGI formats which have _SRGB variants.ĬolorSpace_Gamma = 1, // Texture data can be displayed directly on the display without any conversion (a.k.a. TextureType_DirectX12 = 4, // Handle is a pointer to a D3D12TextureData_t structureĬolorSpace_Auto = 0, // Assumes 'gamma' for 8-bit per component formats, otherwise 'linear'. TextureType_IOSurface = 3, // Handle is a macOS cross-process-sharable IOSurface TextureType_Vulkan = 2, // Handle is a pointer to a VRVulkanTextureData_t structure TextureType_OpenGL = 1, // Handle is an OpenGL texture name or an OpenGL render buffer name, depending on submit flags ![]() TextureType_DirectX = 0, // Handle is an ID3D11Texture The 0,0 to 1,1 range covers a single eye. * UVs range from 0 to 1 with 0,0 in the upper left corner of the ** Used to return the post-distortion UVs for each color channel. The 64-bit structure packing has to match the 32-bit structure packing for each platform. 8 meaning that unless we use #pragma pack(4) our structures will get bigger. The 64-bit version of gcc has the alignment requirement for these types set to 4 meaning that even with #pragma pack(8) these types will only be four-byte aligned. The 32-bit version of gcc has the alignment requirement for uint64 and double set to Forward declarations to avoid requiring d3d12.h Forward declarations to avoid requiring vulkan.h This mod allows players to customize their gaming experience and take advantage of unique features such as unlimited lives, weapons, costumes and more.
4/25/2023 0 Comments Define freeterKeep specs, style guides, and design assets all in one place, and easily update them whenever needed.Zeplin is designed to fill in the gaps between the two disciplines and help make collaboration seamless and location-independent Projects can be uploaded into Zeplin, where individuals or teams can work together to finalize designs and prepare them for production.ĭesigners and developers often come from different perspectives and sometimes have trouble communicating, which can be magnified without vital face-to-face time. What it is: Zeplin isa platform for coordinating design handoffs, so web and app designers and developers are on the same page. ![]() Paid plans are available for unlimited private boards, Slack integration, and other advanced features, starting at $7 per month.The free version includes unlimited public boards and three private boards for up to five users.Watch ideas take shape in real time and see who’s contributing each person’s cursor is labeled with their name.Create diagrams, mindmaps, or product roadmaps from a library of pre-made shapes sketch freehand add text or comments.Sketchboard is meant to recreate the experience of gathering around a whiteboard and doing some visual brainstorming - except teammates don’t have to be in the same room to collaborate. When working with a remote team, it can be hard to replicate the process of bouncing ideas off each other in person. Why it works for remote devs and designers: This tool was created by a software developer frustrated by the lack of interactivity in collaborating with teammates spread across different locations. What it is: Sketchboard is an endless virtual whiteboard for interactive sketching and brainstorming. Paid plans are also available with advanced options and capabilities, starting at $9.99 per user per month.The free version includes unlimited boards and cards, one power-up per board, unlimited attachments up to 10 MB, and no restriction on the number of users or teams.Available as a web app and for iOS and Android.Add “Power-Up” integrations like Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Github for even more functionality.Create new cards or add comments and attachments via email.Add attachments, checklists, due dates, labels, comments, and more to cards in order to track projects or tasks.Changes sync in real time so everyone’s always on the same page. It’s also easy to invite clients or teammates to join a board, see the progress of a project, and leave their own contributions or comments. Its visual layout makes it easy to see and organize your workflow at a glance. Why it works for remote devs and designers: Trello is accessible on the go, from any browser or device. What it is: Trello is a board and card-based (Kanban-style) app, developed by Fog Creek Software to simplify managing projects and tasks. ![]() You might also like: How to Build Strong Relationships with Clients in Another Time Zone. Or, check out our list of the best prototyping tools. We’ve organized our top free picks by category:īrowse through the list to see if there’s anything you need to add to your digital toolbox. To give you a hand in sorting through the many options out there, we’ve rounded up 12 free tools to help remote developers and designers make their jobs a little easier. ![]() ![]() If you’re among the one in five people worldwide who frequently work remotely, then you know how important it is to have the right online tools and assets for all aspects of your work - from communication and collaboration, to learning and productivity. |
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