New and Emerging Technology News part 213 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Tuesday 18 March 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 213

The prototype Chat Perf that turns an iPhone into a smell-o-phone (Photo: DigInfo)
Despite numerous attempts throughout the years, smell-o-vision has failed to take off on the big or small screens. Japanese company Chaku Perfume Co. Ltd. is hoping to have better luck on the even smaller screen with its Chat Perf attachment for iPhone that allows messages or email notifications to be accompanied by a signature smell.  Read More
The recently released LulzBot TAZ 3D printer has the largest print volume for 3D printers ...
If you're in the market for a 3D printer, there are plenty of qualities to weigh. Price, ease of use, size, and print resolution are all factors that could influence the types of objects you're able to create. If you want a printer that fits on your desk and can print objects the size of a basketball though, you may want to consider the latest model from Aleph Objects, Inc. The LulzBot TAZ 3D printer boasts an open source hardware approach in design and claims to have the largest print volume for desktop printers in its price range.  Read More
Artist's impression of Kepler (Image: NASA) NASA’s Kepler space mission may be coming to an unexpected end. The space agency announced on Wednesday that the spacecraft, designed to seek out possible earth-like extraterrestrial bodies, has suffered a malfunction that may make it impossible to carry on with its search.  Read More
New water-purifying synthetic nanoscavengers can be removed from water magnetically (Photo...
According to a joint World Health Organization/UNICEF report issued this week, an estimated 768 million people relied on unimproved drinking-water sources in 2011, with 185 million of these relying on surface water to meet their daily drinking-water needs. WHO and UNICEF have set a 2030 target for everyone to have access to a safe drinking-water supply and new water-purifying “nanoscavengers” developed by researchers at Stanford University could help achieve this goal.  Read More
 Makr Shakr madeits debut at Google I/O
Robot bartenders aren’t new, but they tend to be more drink vending machine than cool mixologist. To inject a little panache, researchers at the MIT Senseable City Lab in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Bacardi Rum have developed Makr Shakr – a robot drink-mixing system that made its debut at the Google I/O annual developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday as the world’s first crowd-controlled robotic bar.  Read More
Google will soon be rolling out a new feature that lets you attach money to Gmail messages
Gmail lets you send all kinds of files as attachments. And Google Wallet lets you pay for just about anything. Why not combine the two? That could have been the thinking by someone at Google, as the search giant is set to launch a payment system that’s the love child of Gmail and Google Wallet.  Read More
The Solar Chaser is a solar-powered cat toy – hey, why not?  Cats may love batting at tantilizingly-dangled kitty toys, but most of us can’t dangle those toys for our felines all day long – not even by remote control. The Solar Chaser was designed to pick up the slack, using an integrated solar panel to power its toy-bobbing arm.  Read More
Massive galaxy LRG 3-757 forms a gravitational lens for a second galaxy (blue ring) at a d...
Gravitational lenses, which are massive galaxies or galaxy clusters that act as a magnifying glass by bending light passing them, are one of the Universe's golden gifts to astronomers. To help unlock the mysteries that might lie behind these untapped celestial resources, Zooniverse, a program of the Citizens Science Alliance, has begun the Space Warps project. It allows citizen scientists to put their skills at pattern/image recognition to use, toward finding these fugitive gravitational lenses.  Read More
Not content to let Google enjoy the spotlight, Apple today announced its 50-billionth app ... Apple isn’t Google’s biggest fan. Steve Jobs believed that Android was a stolen product, and Apple’s lawsuits against Samsung (and others) are an expression of that feeling of being wronged. So it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise that Apple chose today – the kickoff of Google I/O – to announce a major milestone. We’re talking 50 billion downloads of App Store apps.  Read More
A collagen 'wall' (blue, at left) built up around an implanted material vs. more evenly-di...
No matter what sort of wondrous implantable medical devices are created, they’re not going to do anyone much good if the recipient's body simply rejects them. With that in mind, scientists at the University of Washington have developed a synthetic biomaterial that they claim is “exceptional” at keeping implanted materials from being attacked by the immune system.  Read More
The prototype Chat Perf that turns an iPhone into a smell-o-phone (Photo: DigInfo)
Despite numerous attempts throughout the years, smell-o-vision has failed to take off on the big or small screens. Japanese company Chaku Perfume Co. Ltd. is hoping to have better luck on the even smaller screen with its Chat Perf attachment for iPhone that allows messages or email notifications to be accompanied by a signature smell.  Read More
The recently released LulzBot TAZ 3D printer has the largest print volume for 3D printers ...
If you're in the market for a 3D printer, there are plenty of qualities to weigh. Price, ease of use, size, and print resolution are all factors that could influence the types of objects you're able to create. If you want a printer that fits on your desk and can print objects the size of a basketball though, you may want to consider the latest model from Aleph Objects, Inc. The LulzBot TAZ 3D printer boasts an open source hardware approach in design and claims to have the largest print volume for desktop printers in its price range.  Read More
Artist's impression of Kepler (Image: NASA) NASA’s Kepler space mission may be coming to an unexpected end. The space agency announced on Wednesday that the spacecraft, designed to seek out possible earth-like extraterrestrial bodies, has suffered a malfunction that may make it impossible to carry on with its search.  Read More
New water-purifying synthetic nanoscavengers can be removed from water magnetically (Photo...
According to a joint World Health Organization/UNICEF report issued this week, an estimated 768 million people relied on unimproved drinking-water sources in 2011, with 185 million of these relying on surface water to meet their daily drinking-water needs. WHO and UNICEF have set a 2030 target for everyone to have access to a safe drinking-water supply and new water-purifying “nanoscavengers” developed by researchers at Stanford University could help achieve this goal.  Read More
 Makr Shakr madeits debut at Google I/O
Robot bartenders aren’t new, but they tend to be more drink vending machine than cool mixologist. To inject a little panache, researchers at the MIT Senseable City Lab in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Bacardi Rum have developed Makr Shakr – a robot drink-mixing system that made its debut at the Google I/O annual developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday as the world’s first crowd-controlled robotic bar.  Read More
Google will soon be rolling out a new feature that lets you attach money to Gmail messages
Gmail lets you send all kinds of files as attachments. And Google Wallet lets you pay for just about anything. Why not combine the two? That could have been the thinking by someone at Google, as the search giant is set to launch a payment system that’s the love child of Gmail and Google Wallet.  Read More
The Solar Chaser is a solar-powered cat toy – hey, why not?  Cats may love batting at tantilizingly-dangled kitty toys, but most of us can’t dangle those toys for our felines all day long – not even by remote control. The Solar Chaser was designed to pick up the slack, using an integrated solar panel to power its toy-bobbing arm.  Read More
Massive galaxy LRG 3-757 forms a gravitational lens for a second galaxy (blue ring) at a d...
Gravitational lenses, which are massive galaxies or galaxy clusters that act as a magnifying glass by bending light passing them, are one of the Universe's golden gifts to astronomers. To help unlock the mysteries that might lie behind these untapped celestial resources, Zooniverse, a program of the Citizens Science Alliance, has begun the Space Warps project. It allows citizen scientists to put their skills at pattern/image recognition to use, toward finding these fugitive gravitational lenses.  Read More
Not content to let Google enjoy the spotlight, Apple today announced its 50-billionth app ... Apple isn’t Google’s biggest fan. Steve Jobs believed that Android was a stolen product, and Apple’s lawsuits against Samsung (and others) are an expression of that feeling of being wronged. So it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise that Apple chose today – the kickoff of Google I/O – to announce a major milestone. We’re talking 50 billion downloads of App Store apps.  Read More
A collagen 'wall' (blue, at left) built up around an implanted material vs. more evenly-di...
No matter what sort of wondrous implantable medical devices are created, they’re not going to do anyone much good if the recipient's body simply rejects them. With that in mind, scientists at the University of Washington have developed a synthetic biomaterial that they claim is “exceptional” at keeping implanted materials from being attacked by the immune system.  Read More

Design concept sketch of the ADAIA adventure phone being designed by BMW's design arm
In the future, there will be no excuse for becoming the next Aron Ralston. Within the past few months alone, we've seen survival watches, tablet computers and satellite phones built specifically for adventure use. Add to that the latest BMW, which isn't a car but a collaborative mobile phone project with mobile company Adaia. The phone will offer both business and adventure modes and will include advanced emergency communications capabilities.  Read More
The Plume sits coiled up under the seat when the roads are dry Although there are already plenty of good bicycle fenders out there, some people don’t like the way they rattle around, while others think that they detract from the looks of the bike. One option is to use something like the QuickFix, which is a fold-flat rear mudguard that attaches to the frame in seconds. The Plume, however, takes a different approach – it’s a mudguard that recoils like a metal tape measure when not in use.  Read More
From left, students Anshul Mehra, Yejin Kim and Jeffrey Kamei, with their faculty sponsor ...
Whether it’s through parents’ forgetfulness, ignorance or just plain not caring, it does sometimes happen ... small children die from heatstroke after being left unattended in a hot parked car. According to a 2012 study conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of 38 such deaths occur in the United States alone each year. While various systems have been developed to help keep this from happening, three engineering undergrads from Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University have taken a unique approach. They’ve converted a Microsoft Kinect into a child-in-the-hot-car detector.  Read More
UAV helicopter used to hunt oil in Norway
Like an army, science needs the high ground. This is true when it comes to oil exploration and especially so in the rugged landscape of Norway. The Virtual Outcrop Geology (VOG) group at the Norwegian Centre for integrated petroleum research (CIPR) is working to capture this vantage point in a distinctly 21st century way, by using UAVs to seek out oil by helping geologists build 3D models of the terrain.  Read More
The EcoBoomer iGo cruising Beverly Hills
It seems strange to be saying that there’s now another self-balancing electric unicycle on the market, but hey – that’s technology for you. Joining the likes of the eniCycle, Solowheel and SBU, we now have the LED-light-strip-adorned EcoBoomer iGo.  Read More
The Elio 3-wheeler
Scheduled to sell for less than half the price of the current cheapest car in America, the Elio is a 3-wheeled "car" that hopes to shake up the automotive world. It eschews the trendy electric powertrain for a small gas system, but thanks to its small, light, aerodynamic design, it promises to keep drivers away from the gas pumps for as long as possible.  Read More
The Space Monkey cloud storage solution
Most cloud storage solutions like Dropbox and Google Drive give users storage space at a premium, but the actual data is stored in a data center in some remote location. A new product called Space Monkey aims to take the storage out of the data center and put it back in the hands of the user. This allows it to offer more data than traditional cloud storage solutions for a much lower price.  Read More
A flexible polymer circuit, shown here, could someday be replaced by a cheap and flexible ...
Given the low costs and extensive applications that could be possible with flexible paper circuit boards, we've seen many ideas for their production, from printing with silver ink to embedding chips within paper. Now, however, scientists have developed an elegant method for selectively changing the very nature of the paper itself into conductive graphite. Unlike polymer-based flexible circuits, these paper circuits are, ironically, able to withstand the high temperatures generally used in the production of electronics.  Read More
Lamborghini is celebrating 50 years of creating some of the world's most outrageous automo...
Fifty years ago, a young, ambitious Italian farmboy by the name of Ferruccio Lamborghini decided his talent for mechanical enhancement, engineering and marketing would be better served designing high-performance automobiles. Since 1963 Lamborghini has seen its share of bad relationships and financial hardship, but has still managed to create some of the most extreme and immediately recognizable vehicles on the road today. Here's a look back at the Raging Bull's major achievements as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary.  Read More
Lo Monaco House by Tom Wiscombe Design (Image: Tom Wiscombe Design)
The architectural designs of Tom Wiscombe are overtly futuristic, to the point that were you to drop his concepts into the depictions of the London and San Francisco of the year 2259 in Star Trek Into Darkness, they wouldn't look out of place. His Lo Monaco House almost resembles a futuristic shuttle on a launchpad, yet the influences for this design are entirely removed from the realm of space fantasy – according to Wiscombe himself, that is.  Read More
 
 
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at asteroid Bennu (Image: NASA/GSFC/UA)
NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission took a step closer to reality on Wednesday, as the OSIRIS-REx project was cleared for development and testing. Scheduled to launch in 2016, the mission passed a series of detailed project assessments and now goes on to the development phase. The Origins-Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security REgolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is intended to rendezvous with the asteroid Bennu (1999 RQ36) in 2018, carry out an extensive survey, and return a 2-ounce (60 gm) sample of its surface to Earth in 2023.  Read More
Inspired by moths' eyes, scientists have created new technology that may help improve the ...
Because moths need to use every little bit of light available in order to see in the dark, their eyes are highly non-reflective. This quality has been copied in a film that can be applied to solar cells, which helps keep sunlight from being reflecting off of them before it can be utilized. Now, a new moth eye-inspired film may further help solar cells become more efficient.  Read More
Paul Components is now making a GoPro HERO camera mount that replaces the handlebar stem c... GoPro HERO actioncams are proving to be pretty popular with mountain bikers, although not everyone wants to wear one of the cameras on their helmet or chest. Riders can always mount it on their handlebars, although now Paul Components is offering an alternative – a GoPro mount that replaces the handlebar stem cap.  Read More
The SKWID system, which harnesses power from both the wind and the tide, is scheduled to b...
There are already a wide variety of renewable energy systems that harness the power of the wind, along with some that generate power via the flow of ocean currents. According to Japanese engineering firm MODEC (Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Co.), however, its soon-to-be-tested SKWID system will be the first one to do both.  Read More
Used on a Nikon 1 camera, the NIKKOR 32mm f/1.2 gives a focal length equivalent of approxi...
Photographers using the Nikon 1 system will soon have another option when it comes to shooting portraits with a shallow depth-of-field, after Nikon announced the release of the 1 NIKKOR 32mm f/1.2 lens. The new lens also boasts a string of enthusiast-friendly firsts for the 1 NIKKOR line-up, including Nano Crystal Coat, Silent Wave Motor and a manual focus ring.  Read More
UK architectural firm Blue Forest has revealed its plans to build a large nest-like treeho...
UK architectural firm Blue Forest, which has a background in the design and construction of luxury treehouses and lodges, has revealed its plans to build a large nest-like treehouse in the Eden Project’s Humid Tropics Biome. Located in Cornwall, UK, the Eden Project is the world’s largest conservatory, and the planned Biodiversity Nest will sit high amidst its treetops as part of a new Rainforest Canopy Walk.  Read More
The Auction of Firsts includes an original Apple 1 computer from 1976, and a reproduction ...
There's nothing quite like an auction room to bring the past into sharp focus. Where collectors and bargain hunters might once have had to trudge wearily from showroom to showroom for a pre-sale peek, the interweb now makes it possible to have a virtual look at items of interest before making a bid. An online auction later this month offers students of technology the opportunity to snag some bleeding edge gadgetry from what old blokes like me might refer to as the good old days, though many of the hundreds of lots up for sale go back much, much further. Gizmag takes a quick look through the antique innovation window and picks out a few favorites.  Read More
A film still of a bouncing bomb trial (Photo: BAE Systems/SSPL)
It's seventy years to the day since No. 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force returned from Operation Chastise, in which specially designed bouncing bombs were dropped in an attack on the Möhne, Sorpe and Eder Dams in Germany during World War II. Though the bouncing bomb is without doubt the invention for which Barnes Wallis is most renowned (thanks in no small part to its depiction in the film Dambusters) Wallis' other work before, during, and after World War II was of great importance, and in some cases, far ahead of its time. Gizmag spoke to Dr. Andrew Nahum, Principal Curator of Technology at the Science Museum where many of Wallis' papers are archived, about swing-wing aircraft, earthquake bombs, improbable mathematics lessons, and the geodetic Wellington Bomber.  Read More
NEC's Medias X N-06E is the world's first smartphone with water cooling
The phrase “the phones are running hot” has the potential for a double meaning in the smartphone age, with increasingly processor-intensive apps being used on mobile devices. Desktop computers make use of water cooling to keep their CPUs from overheating, so why can’t smartphones? Why not, indeed. NEC has done just that with the Medias X N-06E, the world’s first water-cooled smartphone.  Read More
Gizmag delves deeper in comparing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One
When you’re shopping for a new smartphone, sometimes there's one clear choice. Other times, there are so many options you don't know where to start. But then there are those times when it comes down to two. You know, a good old fashioned duel. Many smartphone shoppers are going through that now, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. After spending several weeks with both phones, let’s revisit this comparison – and see if we can help you with the big decision.  Read More

The dashboard of the Ghost prototype
With eight days of his already successful Kickstarter campaign still remaining, John O'Nolan has cited the uncertainty surrounding Yahoo's newly-announced US$1.1 billion purchase of Tumblr as a reason to back his open source, non-profit blogging platform, Ghost.  Read More
The engine on its 4-hour journey Eighty Danish Lego devotees got together on May 10 and 11 to help one Henrik Ludvigsen with his plan to build the world's longest plastic toy train track.  Read More
Amanda Ghassaei recently programmed a laser cutter to carve playable records from wood and...
Not too long ago, Amanda Ghassaei from Instructables caught our attention when she constructed several playable records with a 3D printer. By sending raw audio data through a custom script, she was able to automatically generate 3D designs for a printer to follow – albeit with crude results. Recently, Ghassaei programmed a new code that let her substitute the 3D printer for a laser cutter to carve functional records from wood and other materials.  Read More
Gordon E. Moore Award winner Ionut Budisteanu (center), with Intel Foundation Young Scient...
While companies like Google, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen pour millions into developing self-driving car technology with expensive components, 19-year-old Romanian high school student Ionut Budisteanu has designed an autonomous vehicle system that would cost just US$4,000. Budisteanu’s design took out the Gordon E. Moore Award in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to pocket him a sweet $75,000.  Read More
CC100 is 4.5 meters long (14.75 ft), 2.0 meters (6.57 ft) wide placing it between a DB9 an...
In the late 1950’s Aston Martin was on top of its game thanks to fantastic machinery in the form of the race bred DBR1. In 1959 the DBR1 won both the 24 Hours of LeMans and the Nürburgring 1000. Fifty years later, as part of its ongoing 100th year Anniversary celebrations, Aston Martin has brought back elements of the legendary DBR1 in its latest concept vehicle – the CC100 Speedster Concept.  Read More
Micrograph of the 240 GHz transceiver chip, which measures only 1.5 x 4 mm (Photo: Sandra ...
If you thought 5G wireless was fast at one Gbit/s, how does 40 Gbit/s sound? That's the new wireless data transmission record set by a team of engineers in Germany using integrated solid state mm-wave transceivers. This data transmission rate was demonstrated over a distance of 1 km (0.6 miles) and it is hoped that such links could be used to close gaps between optical networks in rural areas at a fraction of the cost of installing optical fiber.  Read More
Abell 222/223 galaxies, showing a filament of dark matter stretching between the two galax...
Recently the media has been saturated with overly-hyped reports that NASA's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) may have detected dark matter. These claims may have some justification if the word "may" is shouted, but they rest on a number of really major assumptions and guesses, some of which are on weak and shifting soil. So just what was seen in the experiment, and what are the possible explanations?  Read More
The Fusion Plate is designed for quick and easy switching between a tripod and shoulder st... Combining a quick-release plate made from aerospace grade aluminum and a sturdy flip-up accessory loop, the Fusion Plate is designed to allow photographers to quickly and easily switch between a shoulder strap and tripod.  Read More
Switch Candle is a deceptively clever candle holder which lights and extinguishes tealight... A naked flame may be dangerous in the wrong hands but it can also be beautiful and calming, a giver of heat and light, and the perfect mood setter for a quiet evening in. Candles offer an easy and relatively safe way of experiencing a continuous naked flame, it's just a shame you have to light them and extinguish them, and that they cannot be dimmed as you would an electric light bulb. Or perhaps they can.  Read More
Porsche's latest 918 Spyder
Before there was a Porsche Panamera plug-in, there was the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid. And while the Panamera S E-Hybrid might make it to market first, the 918 is on the way, too. This week, Porsche revealed new details about the race-inspired track rocket, which serves as its most advanced, expensive sports car ever.  Read More

Peavey is now shipping three Vypyr VIP amps featuring variable instrument input
While Peavey regularly releases electric guitars, like the excellent AT-200 for example, it's perhaps best known for its amplifiers. Five years after unleashing its Vypyr line of modeling amps, the company debuted three new additions at NAMM earlier this year. The first to sport a variable instrument input technology that allows them to be used for bass, acoustic or electric guitars, the Vypyr VIP amps are now shipping.  Read More
Leap Motion is building up to its July release with a new video showing its interaction wi...
Leap Motion is on its way. With the clock ticking down to the PC gesture controller’s July 22 launch, Leap has a brand new teaser video that showcases the device’s interaction with Windows. If you'd forgotten how exciting Leap was when we first got the chance to play with it, this might be enough to get your blood pumping again.  Read More
Blowing into the large opening of the Windcatcher valve draws in surrounding air to inflat...
If you go camping down in the wild woods, the chances of happening upon a conveniently-placed power outlet for blowing up your mattress with an electric air pump are pretty remote. Unless you have a hand or foot pump in your backpack, you'll have to wrap your lips around a tiny valve that likely has a history of being dragged through all sorts of unmentionable nastiness, and then spend the next long while taking deep breaths and blowing. Ryan Frayne's Windcatcher system inflates in just a few seconds with a valve that never touches your mouth.  Read More
Nokia is set to launch the Asha 501, a budget smartphone for emerging markets.
High-end smartphones sure are fun. But the smartphone market is inching closer to saturation in the countries that care the most about the high-end. That will leave much of the market’s future growth coming from emerging countries where the focus isn't necessarily on the latest announcement from Apple, Samsung, or HTC. Nokia is already a big player in these markets, but it’s hoping to take the next step with its new Asha 501 smartphone.  Read More
X-47B leaving the flight deck after a touch-and-go landing (Image: US Navy by Mass Communi...
On Friday May 17, the US Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator took another historic step as it conducted its first touch-and-go landings on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia. This maneuver is a critical achievement in the Navy’s program to develop an autonomous, unmanned, jet-powered combat aircraft capable for operating from a carrier.  Read More
Just as Microsoft is reportedly phasing out Microsoft Points, Amazon is launching a simila...
If you’ve ever owned an Xbox, you’re probably familiar with one of the most annoying payment systems known to humankind: Microsoft Points. They’re great for Microsoft’s bottom line, and nothing but a hassle for customers. Well, the folks at Redmond may finally be ready for change – as the dreaded points are reportedly on their way out. Yet, not far away – at that other Seattle-area tech company – Amazon just launched a similar payment scheme for its Kindle Fire ecosystem.  Read More
Samsung has announced that 55- and 65-inch UHD TVs are to join its 85-inch 4K LED model (s...
Samsung first unveiled its 4K UHD television line in the form of a massive 85-inch model at CES this year, but the company did promise that it would expand to both larger and smaller models. Now, the company has officially announced that it will be bringing 55- and 65-inch models to market in June.  Read More
By exploiting pressure at the seabed, researchers hope to create stores of energy at the o...
"Imagine opening a hatch in a submarine under water. The water will flow into the submarine with enormous force. It is precisely this energy potential we want to utilize." This is how German engineer Rainer Schramm describes his idea for storing energy under the sea. By using surplus energy to pump water out of a tank at the seabed, the water is simply let back in again when there's an energy shortfall, driving turbines as it rushes in. The deeper the tank, the more power is generated.  Read More
Apple is reportedly set to begin production on the 5th-generation 9.7-inch iPad
Apple usually keeps a pretty steady stream of product announcements coming. But right now we’re in the middle of the longest Apple product drought in recent memory (pushing seven months). So it’s natural that we’ll start hearing rumors about the next wave of products about to enter the pipeline. That’s just what happened today, with news of Apple’s suppliers gearing up for production of a new iPad.  Read More
Ricasol's Bra Dryer is designed to protect delicates while drying them quickly When it comes to drying those delicate and expensive bras, there are generally two options – risking damage in a conventional dryer, or waiting hours while they hang dry. Ricasol aims to create a quick and safe third option with its Bra Dryer 2.0.  Read More
 
 

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