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I Have Seen The Future... And The "Big Guns" Better Pay Attention |
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Sep 03, 2008 - 3:03 PM - by Digital Dave
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I like to keep my technology life as simple as possible and have made a conscious effort over the past month to pare down my cell phones (now I only have my iPhone), condense all my email to one server (forwarding to my Exchange Server at home so I only home one server to look at), heavily use virtualization technology allowing me to condensing three servers to one large server and still use all my favorite applications and backend products, and automating as much of my tech life as possible via scripts, or direct scheduled program calls within the OS (Microsoft Backup, Diskkeeper Defrags, etc…).
After a tremendous amount of work, I was able to actually make my life much easier to manage. Getting that single logon or single server access to get at all my data has made my life so much easier to manage.
Now even after all that work I put in I still have one area I am trying to get a handle on and that’s my laptop and desktop. Sure, we all have them but when I travel I can only do so much from my iPhone. What I can’t do requires me to lumber around a bag that weighs 10 pounds (at least) just so I can get some real work done. I then have to watch it all the time. Lock it up when I leave the hotel room. Hell, it’s like taking one of my kids with me I don't have to lock them up or anything I just have to watch them).
Now the folks working in large Tech Companies are trying their best to make things more “single windowed”, meaning they are trying to put all the things which would normally take two to three windows (at a minimum) to do and make it look like it’s all in one single window. To say no one has really achieved this yet is the truth. Every online company in existence is looking at how to do this and do it successfully. The application needs to be lightweight, accessible from any browser (has to be browser based), fast, responsive, and in all honestly has to make people want to use it. Well, I think I found it and it’s not developed by one of the big guns.
Before I go any further, let's get one thing straight right up front. To impress me you have to have something pretty damn good. I look at everything with a bit of cynicism (who would have thought). I find the flaws or areas which inevitably turn me off to the program or application and truly blow it off and look for the next thing that might be what I'm looking for. Very few web based applications make me take note and even the ones that temporarily catch my attention I normally never re-visit. Not that I don’t appreciate the effort the Developers put into it, it’s more a “seen it, done it” type of issue, or the application is limited to a single application type (email for example).
Now, before I go any further I just want to state for the record that I am a true Microsoft “fan boy/man” and I plan on staying that way. That said, what I am about to point you too is an Open Source, Linux based backend system... [Read More]
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3 Replies | 534 Views
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Digital’s Been Bought, Sold, and Has A New Home Network To Play With. |
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Aug 24, 2008 - 12:18 PM - by Digital Dave
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It’s been a little while since I have shot my mouth off here but the last 90 days have literary been a blur.
Over the last 90 days I have been without a job (for about 12 hours), been re-hired, had the start-up I work for bought, helped negotiate the terms of the employee acceptance of the buyout, been effectively terminated (technically) then re-hired (again) into the company who bought us, been re-assigned within the new company to a new department, and then have spent… oh lord… like 100 hours in meetings within my new department and of course meetings galore with my “new” company ranging from inventory to network re-structuring, lab reconfigurations, etc…
To say I have been busy is an understatement. This has been one of the most trying times I have ever had in my I.T. career. I simply had no clue as to what it took to complete a “buyout” of a start-up… NONE! The Due-Diligence alone would drive good, church going, people to drink. I have never seen so much paperwork in my life. There was one night in June where my boss (the CEO of the company at the time) called me at home at around 11:30 pm and had me come back into the office to sign MORE paperwork which had to be complete by 6:00 am East Coast time. It was insane! I still can’t believe we pulled it off as a company. What a three days that was!
With all that said, I have to say financially I did just fine. I was employee number 11 at the company when it was financed so I just kept thinking about that as I was trudging back into work at 11:30 PM at night. I can’t state (nor would I) what the financial end of the deal ended up being for me but as I said…I did just fine which in this day and age of “Start-Ups” says a lot about the people I worked with. Trust me folks this was a team effort to pull this off. Amazing… I have never been through anything like it but man, did I learn a TON since I was the head of my department I was involved at one of the highest levels during the negotiations (not “super high” but high-enough).
So I am with a new company now and have been moved, full time, into Engineering. I am still the site “I.T.” guy but that’s only for about 6 more months then I will officially hand that off to the company’s internal I.T. department and they will take over the main network and I will handle the “old companies” what they call “contaminated” network (basically our old machines which we need to support our existing clients).
So, after all that was wrapped up earlier this month (yea, it took that long to get everything sorted out) I decided I wanted to bring up a home system/network with everything I needed to maintain my mail, files, and remote access to those files (via VPN of course) but I wanted to do it on one machine utilizing my FAVORITE OS, Windows 2008... [Read More]
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3 Replies | 760 Views
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Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1 |
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Sep 06, 2008 - 9:17 AM - by Digital Dave
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If you do these types of deployments, you might want to check out the latest from MS.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1 unifies the tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment into a common deployment console and collection of guidance. The fourth generation deployment accelerator adds integration with recently released Microsoft deployment technologies to create a single path for image creation and automated installation. MDT’s tools and end-to-end guidance reduce deployment time, standardize desktop and server images, limit service disruptions, reduce post-deployment help desk costs, and improve security and ongoing configuration management.
Download from Microsoft.com
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0 Replies | 39 Views
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So Much Hate For Microsoft's Seinfeld/Gates Buddy Ad |
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Sep 06, 2008 - 8:38 AM - by Digital Dave
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I don't hate the ad, I just don't understand it. Oh, and again... no more Bill G. shaking his ass. Seriously... knock that off the next script.
I wasn't going to comment on Microsoft's new ad campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates buddying around, but the response among the press and bloggers is almost universally negative -- often in extreme ways, and I don't get why there's such a virulent negative reaction. Just a few examples:
More over on techdirt.com
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0 Replies | 41 Views
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Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 11:08 PM - by Digital Dave
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Personally I had the same problem for a couple of years.
This is the unauthorized tale of how Microsoft lost its chance to become the leader in the biggest market it has attacked beyond its twin monopolies in Office and Windows software. Rival game console maker Nintendo out-thought the larger players Microsoft and Sony by designing the Wii game console with a clever, intuitive game controller. Even so, Microsoft could have captured more gamers during this product generation, yet the RROD problem held it back. The Xbox 360’s defect problem will go down as one of the worst snafus in consumer electronics history.
Full article over on venturebeat.com
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0 Replies | 54 Views
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Microsoft Will Copy Apple - Will Have Helpers In The Store |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 5:07 PM - by Digital Dave
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Hmmmm... might be an interesting side job for me.
Microsoft on Friday said that its $300 million marketing campaign will now involve in-store representatives to promote the brand, the company's general manager of corporate communications, Tom Pilla, says. Effectively mimicking Apple's Geniuses as well as their floor specialists, Microsoft will run a trial later this year that sees 155 trained experts in Windows, nicknamed Microsoft Gurus, answering questions at larger retail chains such as Best Buy and Circuit City.
The rest of the story over on electronista.com
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0 Replies | 47 Views
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12 unnecessary Vista features you can disable right now |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 3:13 PM - by Digital Dave
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Well okay then... lets start disabling!
Vista, thy name is bloat!
The latest Windows packs a lot of code -- more than any version of Windows ever -- and some of it is just plain unnecessary. All of that excess code has a way of slowing down an operating system. You can regain some PC performance by removing unneeded features.
I've identified a dozen Vista features that you can turn off right now. Some are shiny baubles that slow down graphics performance, while others are optional utilities that hog memory when they shouldn't. A few can actually be quite useful, though they play a major role in bogging down your PC.
Full article over on computerworld.com
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0 Replies | 93 Views
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Office 2000/XP/2003/2007 Slipstreamer 1.7 |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 3:02 PM - by Digital Dave
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Now this will make adding service packs and updates to Office install disks MUCH easier.
Office 2000/XP/2003/2007 Slipstreamer can slipstream latest service pack and hotfixes into your Microsoft Office. Also, this tool can unblock Microsoft Outlook attachments which are blocked by default, and can unblock some formats that Microsoft blocked with SP3 for Office 2003.
betanews.com
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0 Replies | 87 Views
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Wine 1.1.4 |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 3:00 PM - by Digital Dave
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For those who need it.
Wine is a project to allow a PC running a Unix-like operating system and the X Window System to run x86 programs for Microsoft Windows. Alternately, those wishing to port a Windows application to a Unix-like system can compile it against the Wine libraries.
Download from Beta News.com
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0 Replies | 49 Views
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Googlel Picasa 3.0 |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 2:56 PM - by Digital Dave
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I had no idea they had release 3.0.
A little over two years ago, we launched Picasa Web Albums to make publishing photos online easy. Now Picasa Web Albums hosts billions of online photos from around the globe, with users adding millions of new snapshots every day. Each of these photos records a different moment, or a different perspective, but one thing they all have in common is that in each case, the person behind the camera wanted to share their experience with a friend, their extended family, or maybe the world.
Today, we're rolling out major technology upgrades to both Picasa and Picasa Web Albums. As you might have guessed, these are largely focused on how we share and enjoy our photos with others.
googleblog.blogspot.com
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0 Replies | 92 Views
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10 Amazing Google Earth Add-Ons |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 2:53 PM - by Digital Dave
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And I have to say, some of these are pretty cool.
Maps from centuries past, paths of satellites whizzing by, global warming brought to life: User-created Google Earth mashups present a dizzying array of information in a new and imaginative graphical form.
Full article over on pcworld.com
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0 Replies | 54 Views
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Google Chrome Tips and Pointers |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 2:51 PM - by Digital Dave
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Well, this did answer a few questions I had.
Chrome is Google's newly released browser. It's currently available for Windows only. Following are a couple of FAQ's and bits of interest.
blogoscoped.com
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0 Replies | 64 Views
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Buying a new NVIDIA 260 or 280 Video Card? You might need a bigger case! |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 12:38 PM - by Digital Dave
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I’m not sure if I told you all that over my B-Day last weekend I decided it was time to make the jump to a much better setup at home.
The main reason for this was I wanted to put a new video card in my system but (now get this) my full tower case was too small to handle the new card!
So… off I went to good old Newegg.com and I started to look around a bit.
I came across the Lian Li section and I was BLOWN away! Yep, the Lian Li cases are on the expensive side but I wanted a case that would last at least 5 years (my son uses an Antec case that’s 10 years old) so the investment, to me at least was worth it.
I decided on a LIAN LI PC-V2010B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower case and I have to say, I really do like it. I did have one issue with the way the power supply mounted in the case but after playing around with it for about 10 minutes I was able to get it situated and hooked up to the motherboard. I especially like the aftermarket accessory world which seems to be thriving with add on additions to the Lian Li line of cases (I just bought a new fan setup for the front of my new case which fits in the 5in bay supporting a 120mm high speed fan).
Of course, as it always seems to happen, after about a week someone emailed me a link to another “custom” case builder called Mountain Mods and I think if I had seen this mod builder before I had bought my Lian Li case I might have gone with them.
Mountain Mods offers a case titled “U2-UFO” and after taking a look at it, well… it just looks like a killer case. Fans galore which all us custom builders know is crucial in keeping our systems cool.
I just found the site interesting to look around and thought those of you who were in the market for a new case, especially if you are considering getting one of the new video cards (NVIDIA 260 or 280) since they come in at a whopping 10.5in in length!
Later,
//Digital
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0 Replies | 57 Views
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Family Racks Up $19,370 Cell Phone Bill |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 9:12 AM - by Digital Dave
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Yea... I'm almost positive I would not have had to pay this bill. Why? I would have had a stroke as soon as I opened it and saw what I owed.
A Portland family racked up nearly $20,000 on their AT&T bill, local station KPTV reported.
The Terry family said they wished they would have received some kind of warning before receiving their 200-page bill in the mail for $19,370.
Full article over on wsbtv.com
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0 Replies | 69 Views
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Spore - One of the most eagerly awaited games in years |
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Sep 05, 2008 - 8:09 AM - by Digital Dave
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My kids are just drooling waiting for this game.
"Spore will change the way people look at games forever and change hopefully the perception people have of their own creativity."
The tool set in Spore gives players an unprecedented amount of creative control over the elements of the game - the creatures that populate it, the places they live, the clothes they wear and vehicles they drive.
Full article over on news.bbc.co.uk
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0 Replies | 53 Views
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Anyone See The New MS + Seinfeld Ad? |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 10:44 PM - by Digital Dave
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I was just watching the Giants vs. Redskins game and I happened to catch, what I guess is the first MS + Seinfeld ad and I have a question: What the hell was that!
Seriously, I don't want to eat my computer. I just want the damn thing to work the way I want it to work.
Who wrote that commercial?
Sorry... but I didn't get it.
Oh, and Bill G. shaking his ass... don't do that again. Seriously, the mans a legend not a stripper.
You can check it out for yourself over on Gizmodo.
Wow... that was weird.
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0 Replies | 44 Views
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15 Must-Have Firefox Add-Ons |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 9:26 PM - by Digital Dave
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I always seem to find at least one I can use in these articles.
Firefox 3 was released just this June, and many Firefox fans believe the new version is clearly the best browser you can get. You can make it even better with free add-ons, which integrate directly into the browser and offer loads of useful new features.
Want to increase your security and privacy, synchronize bookmarks among multiple PCs, dress up Firefox tabs, juice up Google, and more? Then I've got the add-ons you need. These 15 great downloads make the world's best browser even better--and, like Firefox itself, they're free.
Full article over on pcworld.com
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0 Replies | 114 Views
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Wireshark for Windows 1.0.3 |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 9:14 PM - by Digital Dave
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I use this on my "toolbox" of sorts when I am trouble shooting a network problem.
Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) is a network protocol analyzer for Unix and Windows. It allows you to examine data from a live network or from a capture file on disk. You can interactively browse the capture data, viewing summary and detail information for each packet. Has several powerful features, including a rich display filter language and the ability to view the reconstructed stream of a TCP session.
Download from betanews.com
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0 Replies | 55 Views
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Process Assassin 1.1 |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 9:09 PM - by Digital Dave
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Oh, I grabbed this one.
The Process Assassin application was designed to be a very basic process viewer with 'kill now' and 'kill later' features that allows you to schedule a Windows process for termination.
Download from Majorgeeks.com
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0 Replies | 44 Views
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ProduKey 1.32 |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 9:07 PM - by Digital Dave
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You have to have this one on your USB Stick (or PC... laptop, etc...)
ProduKey is a small utility that displays the ProductID and the CD-Key of MS-Office, Windows, Exchange Server, and SQL Server installed on your computer. You can view this information for your current running operating system, or for another operating system/computer - by using command-line options.
Download from Major Geeks.com
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0 Replies | 45 Views
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Adjust these performance options to speed up Windows XP |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 1:22 PM - by Digital Dave
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Most of these the advanced users here will already know, however it's an excellent "1 pager" for those who are looking for more performance from their XP systems.
If you have some Microsoft Windows XP clients that run slower than others, it could be due to some of the default settings located in the Performance Options dialog box. You can change the options in this dialog box to boost the performance of a Windows XP client. Let’s examine the settings you can change to tweak Windows XP’s performance.
Read the entire article over on blogs.techrepublic.com
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0 Replies | 125 Views
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Official Microsoft Team Blogs / Microsoft Blogs |
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Sep 04, 2008 - 12:54 PM - by Digital Dave
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A complete list of all the Microsoft Team Blogs which some of you might be interested in checking out.
The directory below contains a listing of the official Microsoft Team Blogs and essential web feeds organised by category. There are currently 183 blogs listed in the directory below - last updated 1st September 2008. You can download OPML files here: Microsoft Team Blogs OPML Files
On BlogMS a summary will be published weekly (each Monday) and monthly providing you a single article with a listing of all the latest announcements. You can then browse through this article saving you valuable time and effort. When you identify articles of interest you will be able to click on the article link, and it will take you directly to the blog.
Read the rest of the article over on blogs.technet.com
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0 Replies | 66 Views
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