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Topic: $400 WiFi-enabled 4-ton-force juicer's $120 million fail (Read 126343 times)
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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I will gleefully cheer when they have to become just another taxi service.
Frankly, if they'd just been a normal taxi service with automated intelligent dispatching, that by itself would have given them a huge competitive advantage over traditional cabs, which generally still do dispatch via phone (and with no tracking/accountability for cabs that change their mind and pick up a different fare on the way). One of the taxi companies in SF (DeSoto) finally got on that ball recently and rebranded themselves as "Flywheel". I'm hoping it works out well for them; it's a very long overdue move and IMO all the old cab companies are leaving a lot of money on the table by refusing to modernize their infrastructure.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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IainC
Developers
Posts: 6538
Wargaming.net
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I will gleefully cheer when they have to become just another taxi service.
Frankly, if they'd just been a normal taxi service with automated intelligent dispatching, that by itself would have given them a huge competitive advantage over traditional cabs, which generally still do dispatch via phone (and with no tracking/accountability for cabs that change their mind and pick up a different fare on the way). One of the taxi companies in SF (DeSoto) finally got on that ball recently and rebranded themselves as "Flywheel". I'm hoping it works out well for them; it's a very long overdue move and IMO all the old cab companies are leaving a lot of money on the table by refusing to modernize their infrastructure. in most European cities I've lived, there have been app-enabled taxi services. Hailo operate across a bunch of countries, UKLON was in Kyiv and there are a few others too. Uklon worked as a kind of reverse auction for taxis. You'd put in the start and end points, it would give you a suggested fare and you could accept that or add a bit to increase the chance that someone would come and pick you up faster. Hailo just worked on the standard fares. Both let you track your taxi as soon as your ride was accepted.
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Strazos
Greetings from the Slave Coast
Posts: 15542
The World's Worst Game: Curry or Covid
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I'd say Uber's on-demand system and automated payments are big advantages, and often the prices are comparable with normal taxis anyway (a bit less perhaps, but not a dramatic difference I think).
Though earlier this week I was in a rush to work and requested an Uber. I changed the pickup point to make it easier for the guy to pick me up, when I notice him take a crazy detour. He then calls me to ask if I can wait another 10 minutes, so he can put air in his tire, which of course I decline during rush hour. He then wanted me to cancel the ride, and take the monetary hit for it.
So Uber, for sure, isn't all rainbows and butterflies.
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Fear the Backstab! "Plato said the virtuous man is at all times ready for a grammar snake attack." - we are lesion "Hell is other people." -Sartre
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Goumindong
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4297
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Uber is just another livery service. However their high overhead and ludicrous business model (no standardized fleet as an example) means that their subsidy is around 50%. They're burning billions of dolllars of capital in order to keep going on the hope that they will eventually have a monopoly. They lose massive amounts of money even in areas where they successfully skirt local regulations.
They will not achieve monopoly and will fail.
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IainC
Developers
Posts: 6538
Wargaming.net
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Look at this shit. JUST FUCKING LOOK AT IT!Silicon valley is now disrupting.... houseplants. naas – nature as a service
Nature as a Service is our solution to help everyone bring nature’s most precious gift, pure air, inside. For a monthly fee, our all-inclusive concept is the most care-free way to improve wellbeing at a workplace. Naava optimizes your workspace continuously.
NaaS Hotspots
Naava units work like wifi hotspots, each one naturalizing 60 sqm of air. They are carefully located in places most in need of fresh air – near working desks, in meeting rooms, in places where decisions are made, and where people go to recharge. Because the audience can conceptualise a wifi hotspot but not a fucking potted plant.
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01101010
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12003
You call it an accident. I call it justice.
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What the shit does 'naturalizing' mean?
These new age pet rocks are really out of control.
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Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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I saw this and Juicero was indeed the first thing I thought of, lol.
Though unlike Juicero the idea isn't inherently dumb. "Houseplants as a service" in office buildings has been a thing for a long time and is a perfectly good business. It's just... not in any way innovative.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42631
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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Where's the app? You can't disrupt a market without an app.
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Merusk
Terracotta Army
Posts: 27449
Badge Whore
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I saw this and Juicero was indeed the first thing I thought of, lol.
Though unlike Juicero the idea isn't inherently dumb. "Houseplants as a service" in office buildings has been a thing for a long time and is a perfectly good business. It's just... not in any way innovative.
Holy shit.. it IS just a plant. I thought it was some new tech-gadget like an oxygen generator. No. It's goddamn plants, packaged as a high-tech service. I bet it also costs $3k a month. More power to them. Even rich idiots need to be fleeced.
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The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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Pokeplant
Here we go
You start the service and get a special container that measures shit in soil
You get soil and a handful of different seeds
All herbs
You plant them and hook your planter up to WiFi
Some app tells you when to water
Get sun
Whatever
If a plant dies, you're charged money and more seeds and soil are sent to you
You either have fresh herbs or lose money
Enough users and the data is aggregated and we get a large enough sample to determine who is fit to take care of children
Implement breeding licenses
Population problems solved
Gimme money
If anyone does this or even the first part before the breeding bit I'm gonna sue the fuck outta you
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« Last Edit: October 31, 2017, 09:47:36 AM by schild »
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Hmm, maybe I'll bring in a couple herbs to work rather than compost them. Thanks, Internet.
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calapine
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7352
Solely responsible for the thread on "The Condom Wall."
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It's not just a normal plant! It has AI and everything! Look:
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« Last Edit: October 31, 2017, 11:59:26 AM by calapine »
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Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic!
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345
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my idea is way better
i definitely want people to name their plants and have a virtual graveyard for all the plants they kill
because they're heartless
and shouldn't have kids
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pants
Terracotta Army
Posts: 588
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This is the 'Silicon Valley' TV show thread isn't it? Because I'm certain that's where this belongs.
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satael
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2431
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Naava truly is the $400 juicer. It's a good idea but far too costly and complex the way they are implementing it.
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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Honestly a prefab hydroponic green wall is not a bad product idea; I've actually been wanting to do a green wall in the stairwell of my house but don't want to deal with watering, and something like this would be a good solution to that problem. I have no desire whatsoever to pay a monthly subscription service for it, though.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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Mandella
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1236
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Oh my god it is an ivy trellis in a white box. And I bet the "Naava OS" is little more than a timer with maybe a humidity sensor for auto watering. The service you pay for comes by and pulls dead leaves and replaces old plants in the off hours (like every other fucking office plant service), making it look like the freaking box is somehow fully self contained. "Naturalizes Air." "Fatigue is Reduced." "Illness is Reduced." "We roll in your Money."
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Sir T
Terracotta Army
Posts: 14223
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Non relevant question given the general stupidity, but what relevance does information from weather satellites have for the environment inside an office, other than barometric pressure, and maybe humidity? So why would you know that?
And how soon would the accusations of corporate espionage come from the fact that you have a device attacked to the general internet grid stuck beside your high flying traders?
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Hic sunt dracones.
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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Non relevant question given the general stupidity, but what relevance does information from weather satellites have for the environment inside an office, other than barometric pressure, and maybe humidity? So why would you know that?
For outdoor irrigation systems that sort of thing is useful because if it's about to rain you can pause your normal watering schedule and save some water. For an indoor hydroponic system it's completely stupid.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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Honestly a prefab hydroponic green wall is not a bad product idea; I've actually been wanting to do a green wall in the stairwell of my house but don't want to deal with watering, and something like this would be a good solution to that problem. I have no desire whatsoever to pay a monthly subscription service for it, though. Oh hey I found the product I want. It's basically a Naava minus the subscription fee and the cloud bullshit. https://www.florafelt.com/recirc/
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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TheWalrus
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4319
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Hey, that is damn cool. That's already giving me ideas for around my deck. Thanks for the link man.
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vanilla folders - MediumHigh
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calapine
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7352
Solely responsible for the thread on "The Condom Wall."
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This isn't about a product, but about a silcon valley company itself CEO of HQ, the Hottest App Going: If You Run This Profile, We’ll Fire Our HostSome snippets Every day, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world fire up their smartphones and log onto HQ, a live trivia app that has attracted enormous online buzz and been called the “Future of TV” in the past week.
The co-founder and CEO of the app, however, threatened in a tirade to fire its star host simply for speaking to press on Monday.
At the heart of the app is a cult figure named Scott, who hosts the majority of shows. Scott Rogowsky has become the default face of the app, and while other hosts sometimes fill in, Scott is undoubtedly the favorite. It's Scott's face that is plastered all over HQ's press materials, after all. Fans call him "Quiz Daddy" and on the few days when he doesn't host HQ Trivia, people beg for his return.
Because of his status as a rising celeb, The Daily Beast reached out to Rogowsky on Monday to write a lighthearted profile on his career and how his life has changed post-HQ fame.
That's when things went off the rails.
Yusupov, the CEO of HQ, called the reporter's cell phone and immediately raised his voice. He said that we were "completely unauthorized" to write about Scott or HQ without his approval and that if we wrote any type of piece about Scott, he would lose his job.
Yusupov continued to threaten Scott's job, even after The Daily Beast explained that the story was framed around Scott's daily life and that he revealed no corporate information.
"You're putting Scott's job in jeopardy. Is that what you want?" Yusupov said. "Scott could lose his job."
"Please read me your story word for word," Yusupov said. "Or you can email it to me." Although The Daily Beast does not typically share the contents of our pieces, the reporter shared quotes from Rogowsky, which were non-confrontational and shared no company secrets.
Yusupov’s objections began with the line, "Scott said that despite the attention, he's still able to walk down the street and order his favorite salad from Sweetgreen without being accosted."
"He cannot say that!" Yusupov shouted. "We do not have a brand deal with Sweetgreen! Under no circumstances can he say that."
When asked to confirm that Rogowsky can’t say he personally enjoys eating at Sweetgreen, Yusupov said “he cannot say that," inaccurately claiming that Scott had disclosed private company information by revealing his preference for a salad chain.
When The Daily Beast read Yusupov a quote from Rogowsky saying “I can make people happy and give them the trivia they so desperately love and want. It's been so great to build this community," Yusupov implored the reporter to “take that out.”
Asked for clarification, Yusupov replied that Rogowsky was absolutely not allowed to say that he "enjoys making people happy and giving them the trivia they want."
"He cannot say that people want trivia," said Yusupov, the founder of the HQ Trivia app.
"It's highly unprofessional. Highly unprofessional of you to reach out to one of our contract employees without my permission and without going through proper press channels," Yusupov said, revealing previously undisclosed information that Scott himself is not a full-time HQ employee.
Yusupov said that he would approve The Daily Beast to write an article all about Scott's life, but that we were "not allowed" to include any mention of HQ or his role in HQ (which is public), or he could be terminated.
"This is ridiculous," Yusupov said. "If you reached out to an Apple engineer and they gave you information about the new iPhone, would you run it? No, because you'd have to go through proper press channels."
Yusupov was repeatedly reassured that Scott had not revealed a single piece of classified information about HQ.
After a back and forth wherein Yusupov told The Daily Beast its reporter would never be allowed to talk to Rogowsky again, the co-founder nervously stated that the conversation was off the record, something he had not stated before that point and a precondition The Daily Beast had never agreed to. The phone call ended shortly thereafter.
<snip> When The Daily Beast called Yusupov back a day later letting him know that the story was being reframed around his comments, Yusupov brought Rogowsky onto the phone call and falsely claimed that he never threatened to fire him.
"My feeling was that it was unethical and that you were compromising the app," Yusupov said to Rogowsky while on the phone with the Daily Beast. "Now they want to reframe the story as me threatening to fire you. Do you think that’s a good idea?"
Da fuq?
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Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic!
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Sir T
Terracotta Army
Posts: 14223
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This sounds like "Scott" might be found held in chains while broadcasting in some person traffickers slave den if they start digging...
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Hic sunt dracones.
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Shannow
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3703
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hahahahahahahahahahaha what a tool.
He actually sent out a tweet saying he was looking for a good PR rep.
hahahahahahahahahahahaha.
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Someone liked something? Who the fuzzy fuck was this heretic? You don't come to this website and enjoy something. Fuck that. ~ The Walrus
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Khaldun
Terracotta Army
Posts: 15163
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Holy shit, these guys are so bad. They really make the robber barons of the 19th Century look like rather decent chaps.
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NowhereMan
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7353
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Wooooooooooooooow.
How the fuck do you manage to make a puff piece about a minor app celebrity your employ that people like into a PR disaster?
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"Look at my car. Do you think that was bought with the earnest love of geeks?" - HaemishM
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42631
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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I think it probably starts with being an utter insecure douchenozzle, add the validation of a few million dollars in seed money to make you think your shit doesn't stink, and then turn the up the cocaine-induced paranoia to 11.
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slog
Terracotta Army
Posts: 8232
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Please allow me to introduce Picobrew https://www.picobrew.com/While not wifi enabled, it allows you to spend 700 dollars?? on a machine that will brew beer from kit you buy from them. Kits make beer that costs twice as much and tastes half as good as a craft beer you can buy locally.
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Friends don't let Friends vote for Boomers
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42631
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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Isn't the whole point of craft brew making something in your actual bathtub that tastes like it came from your bathtub?
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satael
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2431
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Please allow me to introduce Picobrew https://www.picobrew.com/While not wifi enabled, it allows you to spend 700 dollars?? on a machine that will brew beer from kit you buy from them. Kits make beer that costs twice as much and tastes half as good as a craft beer you can buy locally. Well the $1999 version allows you to use loose ingredients instead of PicoPaks.
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calapine
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7352
Solely responsible for the thread on "The Condom Wall."
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Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic!
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42631
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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I'm fine with that, even before I read that. Fuck Uber.
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Yegolev
Moderator
Posts: 24440
2/10 WOULD NOT INGEST
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Am I supposed to use taxis like someone from Ancient Times?
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Why am I homeless? Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question. They called it The Prayer, its answer was law Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
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Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19227
sentient yeast infection
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I still maintain a flawless record of never having installed the Uber app. I mostly use Lyft and will actually still hail old-fashioned taxis when I'm someplace where they are plentiful, because it's faster and they are always better drivers.
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"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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Khaldun
Terracotta Army
Posts: 15163
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I installed Uber in South Africa in case I needed it. I've never actually taken an Uber or a Lyft.
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