Monthly Archives: March 2022

YouTube TV is testing surround sound on Android TV, Google TV, and Roku – The Verge

Posted: March 29, 2022 at 12:52 pm

YouTube TV is testing support for Dolby 5.1 surround sound on Google TV, Android TV, and Roku devices. In a tweet, the platform said 5.1 audio will launch on those devices next if everything runs smoothly during the test.

If you were hoping to get surround sound while watching YouTube TV on your Apple TV, Fire TV, Xbox, or PlayStation, however, youll have to wait a bit longer. The platform says its still working internally and with partners to get 5.1 support on these platforms.

YouTube TV currently supports 5.1 surround sound on Samsung, LG, and Vizio TVs, as well as on traditional Chromecast streaming devices. For it to work, youll need Cobalt version 20 or later, which you can check by selecting your profile photo in the YouTube TV app, clicking About, and then hitting App Version. It also requires a speaker system that supports 5.1 audio.

Last June, YouTube TV announced that it would bring 5.1 surround sound to select devices. It seems the service is following through on its promise, although its taking quite a bit of time to roll the highly anticipated feature out.

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YouTube TV is testing surround sound on Android TV, Google TV, and Roku - The Verge

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New Google Calendar feature takes the back-and-forth out of scheduling – Ars Technica

Posted: at 12:52 pm

Enlarge / The new "booking page" UI. This is a URL you can create and send to anyone.

Google

Google Calendar's latest update promises to take a lot of the back-and-forth out of booking appointments. Google announced Friday that users will soon be able to create a "booking page" UI they can send to anyone they want. You present the periods you're willing to have a meeting, and the other user will be able to pick a time.

Workspace users will soon be able to pick the"Appointment Schedule" from the "create" appointment button. This will fire up a UI that can be used to create an appointment webpage. Workspace users highlight the times they would be willing to have a meeting, then enter the appointment duration and location (or a Google Meet room) and add a title and description.

Once everything is filled out, Calendar will generate a Google-hosted "booking page" website, and the creator can send the URL to someone else. The other person can then easily pick a time and add the meeting to a calendar. A similartime slot feature was previously available if both users were inside the same Workspace organization, but you can now show this time-slot UI to anyone you want, even users without a Google account.

Google

The creator of the booking page will need to be using at least the "Business Standard" version of Google Workspace. The lower-level "Business Starter" level is still paid, but it doesn't get access to these sorts of fancy new features. The feature should roll out to everyone by April 9. Once you have it, just load up the web version of Google Calendar, click on the "Create" button, and pick"Appointment Schedule."

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New Google Calendar feature takes the back-and-forth out of scheduling - Ars Technica

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Tax advisory company sues Google over suspension of advertising account – The Irish Times

Posted: at 12:52 pm

An Irish company that specialises in tax preparation and advisory services has launched High Court proceedings over the suspension of its advertising account by Google.

The action has been brought by My Tax Back Ltd, which operates the mytaxrefunds.ie website, over Google Ireland Ltds decision to suspend and completely exclude the company from advertising on Google.com by way of the Google Ads service.

The court heard that the company had advertised with Google for some years.

However, at the start of 2022, Google removed some of its adverts on the grounds that they were not eligible and in breach of Googles terms of service.

The company disputes Googles assertions and says it should be allowed to advertise tax preparation services.

The company was suspended from advertising any of it services on the platform on March 11th last.

It now estimates that it is losing 9,500 per day because of the suspension.

In a sworn statement to the court companys managing director and sole shareholder Gary OBrien claims that without access to that platform the company is highly unlikely to survive should the dispute between the parties take more than six months to determine.

The Co Donegal-based Mr OBrien also said that his companys competitors continue to use the defendants advertising platform for the same taxation services provided by his company.

Represented by Arthur Cunningham Bl, instructed by Peter Boyle and Co Solicitors, My Tax Back seeks an injunction directing Google to allow Tax Back to advertise the tax preparation services it provides with Google Ads.

That order, if granted by the court, would remain in place pending the outcome of the full hearing of the dispute.

In its action, the company seeks declarations that its advertising account with the internet firm was unlawfully suspended. It also seeks a declaration from the court that the services it provides are not restricted by Googles prohibition on promotions.

It seeks an order to have the agreement it claims it entered with Google to display its advertising, and damages for alleged breach of contract.

The matter came before Mr Justice Senan Allen on Monday.

The judge, on an ex parte basis, granted the applicant permission to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings on Google.

The matter will return before the court next week.

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Tax advisory company sues Google over suspension of advertising account - The Irish Times

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How to use your phone as a two-factor authentication security key – The Verge

Posted: at 12:52 pm

If you want to verify your Google login and make it harder to access by anyone but yourself (always a good idea), one way is to use your iPhone or Android smartphone as a physical security key. While you can set up a third-party 2FA app such as Authy or even use Googles own Authenticator, these require that you enter both your password and a code generated by the app. Googles built-in security allows you to access your account by just hitting Yes or pressing your volume button after a pop-up appears on your phone. You can also use your phone as a secondary security key.

To set this up, your computer should be running a current version of Windows 10, iOS, macOS, or Chrome OS. Before you start, make sure that your phone is running Android 7 or later and that it has Bluetooth turned on.

Youll then be run through a test of the system and invited to turn it on permanently.

You can also use your phone as a secondary security key to ensure that it is indeed you who are signing into your account. In other words, to get into the account, it will be necessary to be carrying the correct phone with a Bluetooth connection.

Thats it! Youve set up your phone as a security key and can now log in to Gmail, Google Cloud, and other Google services and use your phone as the primary or secondary method of verification.

Just make sure your phone is in close proximity to your computer whenever youre trying to log in. Your computer will then tell you that your phone is displaying a prompt. Follow the directions to verify your login, and youre all set!

Update March 29th, 2021, 11:20AM ET: This article was originally published on April 12th, 2019, and has been updated to account for changes in the Google interface.

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How to use your phone as a two-factor authentication security key - The Verge

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Mayor Bowser and Google Announce $1 Million Grant to Train DC Residents for In-Demand Tech Jobs | mayormb – Executive Office of the Mayor

Posted: at 12:52 pm

(Washington, DC)Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development hosted DMPEDs 8th annual March Madness, showcasing the Districts new and upcoming real estate, housing, business, and workforce initiatives. One of these initiatives is a $1 million Google.org grant, where Mayor Bowser and Google partnered to support Community College Prep Academy (CC Prep) to expand their IT Pathways program. The funds will cover scholarships for 250 learners to take a Google Career Certificate training program with wraparound support, such as career coaching. The program equips people with job-ready skills in high-growing fields within 3-6 months with no degree or experience required.

This partnership with Google aligns with our larger goal of ensuring DC residents have access to jobs and careers in high-demand, high-growth, and good-paying industries, said Mayor Bowser. Were proud to work with Google to give more Washingtonians a fair shot.

Googles philanthropic arm, provided a grant to CC Prep to offer the program given the schools commitment to increase access to essential workforce training for non-traditional students who do not have a degree and are often underrepresented in tech fields. Through this program, Google and CC Prep aim to advance the economic potential of local DC workers, regardless of their education level.

The Bowser Administration has always created new ways to support our residents with resources and training to help them thrive, said Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio. DC is the District of comebacks, and this opportunity ignites individual and collective growth. When residents succeed, the District succeeds. We are all coming back up together.

Those interested in learning more about the Google Analytics Program at CC Prep can visit their website http://www.ccprep-academy.org to start the application and screening process, or they can call (202) 770-3252 to speak with a member of the enrollment team.

Google calls Washington, DC home, and were committed to investing in the local community and its residents, said Andrew Dunckelman, Head of Impact and Insights, Google.org. Were proud to work with the Community College Prep Academy to offer the Google Career Certificates. This initiative will help job seekers increase their economic potential and enable them to gain the skills needed for in-demand jobs in the nations Capital.

The Google Career Certificates training program was developed by Google employees to support skilling in high-demand fields. After finishing the program, an employer consortium of over 150 companiesincluding Washington, DC-area employers such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Googleconsider graduates for related roles. The certificates can be completed in three to six months of part-time study. Over 70,000 people have graduated from the program in the U.S., and 75% of graduates report a positive career impact, such as a new job, higher pay, or a promotion, within six months of completion. Fifty-five percent of graduates identify as Asian, Black, or Latino. The Google Career Certificates are a part of Grow with Googlethe companys initiative to create economic opportunity for all Americans through digital tools and training programs.

The partnership between CC Prep and Google is the type of industry relationship that DOES and the DC Infrastructure Academy strive to cultivate in developing career pipelines for District residents, said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. By combining technology and opportunity, 250 Washingtonians will be positioned to meet the demands of the labor market and have access to family sustaining jobs in their community.

Social Media:Mayor Bowser Twitter:@MayorBowserMayor Bowser Instagram:@Mayor_BowserMayor Bowser Facebook:facebook.com/MayorMurielBowserMayor Bowser YouTube:https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos

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Mayor Bowser and Google Announce $1 Million Grant to Train DC Residents for In-Demand Tech Jobs | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor

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This Cyberpunk Game’s Simmering Lesbian Romance Has Me Hook, Line, And Sinker – Kotaku

Posted: at 12:50 pm

Can love bloom even on a cyberpunk battlefield? Anno Mutationem says yes.Image: ThinkingStars

I was immediately smitten with Anno: Mutationems sleek, side-scrolling pixel art and bombastic, beat em up-inspired action sequences. However, even these notable highlights pale in comparison to its wonderful portrayal of Ayane, one of the games side characters, who ascends from mere NPC into being the emotional throughline of the entire game.

You play as Ann Flores, a cyber-combat specialist searching for her kidnapped brother. Although shes more than capable of holding her own in a fight, she doesnt work alone. By her side (via digital projection) is the chatty super-genius hacker Ayane Misuno. While Anns relationship with Ayane is hinted at even in the demo, in the full game the hackers adoration for Ann bubbles over in side missions and boss battles alike. To my surprise, Ann and Ayanes bond is an essential part of Mutationems story, and arguably its most captivating facet.

Their story begins when Ayane mails Ann a communication droid to mark their second friendiversary, as you do. While the droids gameplay purpose allows Ann to call up Ayane for her hacker know-how, Ayane drops all pretenses, telling Ann that her fancy mail-order droid serves as her way of being closer. Be still my beating heart. Whether in the heat of combat or in the middle of a shower, Ayane has Anns back! And occasionally boundary issues.

Read More: Friendship Ended With Cyberpunk, Now Anno: Mutationem Is New Best Friend

Because Ann is a kuudere protagonist, meaning shes the strong-and-silent type, it falls on Ayane to not only inject life into the game with off-hand remarks about the bizarre world they inhabit, but to also crack open Anns stoic shell, making her a more appealing protagonist in the process. This is epitomized through the pairs cute animations and the stellar vocal performances from their English voice actors. Whenever Ann and Ayane scenes graced my screen, my eyes sent my brain a piping-hot shot of dopamine. Their funny/cute dynamic, at times reminiscent of classic comedy duos, could generate enough energy to fuel a small town.

I would like to take a moment to pat myself on the back for calling out the ship between these two from the moment I first saw them interact in the demo. While I was only half-kidding when I muttered Oh they gay, I didnt think ThinkingStars would actually hint at them being canon in the actual game. Im gonna have to check my house for hidden microphones

The pairs dialogue lays it on thick. Ayane rarely calls Ann by her name, instead opting for darling, usually accompanied by hearts floating above her head. Ann caves to the pet name when Ayane asks if shed rather be called Baby, Honey, or Lover, proving that she does have a preference.

Ayane, paragon that she is, goes beyond being your woman in the chair. She also doubles as Anns emotional support sidekick. Whenever a quest-giving NPC asks a favor of Ann, Ayane takes on the frustrated voice of the gamer. While Ann begrudgingly accepts missions, Ayane goes to bat for her, calling out NPCs distractingly selfish requests. If Ann didnt want pickles on her burger, you best believe Ayane would raise hell. Whenever the going got tough in Mutationem, Ayane swooped in like a cool summer breeze and provided the game with moments of welcome levity.

Harold, theyre lesbians. Screenshot: ThinkingStars / Kotaku

No matter how many times Mutationem kicked my ass, I kept coming back. This dedication wasnt solely based on my journalistic duty to finish the game, or even on account of my wounded pride. No, I soldiered on just to hear Ayanes celebratory banter. When conquests in Mutationem stopped feeling rewarding, Ayanes words of encouragement jump-started my tired gamer bones and made the pain of replaying exceedingly frustrating boss fights more bearable

Ayane doesnt just shine during Mutationems main story: Her charisma is so powerful that it spilled over into side-quests, prompting me to take interest in characters I wouldnt otherwise care about. Case in point, I pumped the brakes on mainlining Anns quest to save her kidnapped brother the moment we walked by a street concert and Ayane mentioned that shed love to know the secret identity of a virtual singing idol.

I know this makes me sound heartless, but hear me out. All I know of Anns brother comes from a smattering of random, archived codexes and voice recordings. Ayane, on the other hand, has gone to war by my side. Shes made my journey through Anno: Mutationems cyberpunk dystopia a continual delight, simply through force of charisma. No hard feelings to Anns brother, but Ayanes built different, and when Im on the mean streets of Anno: Mutationem, her needs come first. Try the game yourself, and youll understand where Im coming from.

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This Cyberpunk Game's Simmering Lesbian Romance Has Me Hook, Line, And Sinker - Kotaku

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‘Read Only Memories: Neurodiver’ preview: a cyberpunk visual novel bursting with charm – NME

Posted: at 12:50 pm

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to read someones mind? In the world of visual novel Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, its a little more boring than youd think in a good way.

Indeed, the preview that was shared for Neurodiver follows protagonist ES88 as she heads into her workplace campus for the morning, where her day job using her skills as a Neurodiver awaits. On slow days, ES88 admits to a friend, shes prone to poking around her co-workers collective noggins, sifting through memories of raccoons and forest walks.

On busier days like the one she finds herself in for this preview its a tad more exciting, though perhaps not by much. An important password has gone missing, and Minerva the organisation that employs ES88 cant access any of its top-secret information without it.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver. Credit: MidBoss.

And so, ES88 finds herself working as a life-sized Forgot your password? pop-up, diving into the memories of hapless office worker Harold to see where his passwords gone.

Once youre in, its up to you to poke around Harolds brain and try to work out what the password could be. Visually, youre still at Harolds desk, but there are a few differences a houseplant thats alive in the real-world slumps pitifully bare in its jar. A gloopy, half-formed monster is screaming out of his PC, and is seemingly the culprit to his sudden brain fog.

From there, a point-and-click adventure style sequence has ES88 searching for clues that will help unlock the right memory and retrieve Harolds password. The main objective of the memory is to find the right combination of clues important memories that fuelled Harolds password creation to return his password intact. Its part intuition you have to get a sense of what genuinely matters to Harold with each item you investigate and part puzzle, as certain obstacles in the memory require using other clues to get rid of them. In one entertaining case, ES88 refuses to touch Harolds secret pet a twitchy mechanical spider and uses a skeletal hand from Harolds Halloween decoration to retrieve a vital clue.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver. Credit: MidBoss.

As the preview ends, ES88 is told to prepare for a meeting with Minervas CEO presumably for a mission involving more important uses for telepathy, such as the frantic murder-mystery advertised by one of Neurodivers trailers. Its an exciting moment for the preview to close on, but what makes Neurodiver so incredibly promising is that it makes the mundane workplace chats, password recovery so delightful.

Every brief chat and minute interaction feels distinctly lovely, and developer MidBoss has packed every pixel with charm cutesy portraits and animated facial expressions bring each character to life, and the studios writers have done a fantastic job at making dialogue feel natural, funny, and engaging. If Neurodiver can make ES88 and her world feel so alive in an office, theres no telling how much it can deliver outside of Minervas walls.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver launches later this year for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4. We previewed the game on PC.

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'Read Only Memories: Neurodiver' preview: a cyberpunk visual novel bursting with charm - NME

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Intel Arc A370M GPU Gets Benchmarked in Ashes of the Singularity – Tom’s Hardware

Posted: at 12:50 pm

Yet another A370M benchmark has been released to the public to see. Twitter user @BenchLeaks has shared a new Ashes of the Singularity benchmark featuring a notebook powered by an Alder Lake i7 mobile CPU and the new Arc A370M GPU. Performance appears to be in the ballpark of a GTX 750 Ti or mobile GTX 1060 which means that this card my not make it to our list of best graphics cards.

The Arc A370M GPU will be Intel's first mobile discrete GPU being released to the masses and is built on Intel's brand new Arc Alchemist GPU microarchitecture. Intel has promised a March 30th release date for the new GPU, so expect new notebooks to arrive sometime next week with this new discrete mobile graphics engine.

The Arc A370M managed a 38.3 FPS average in the Ashes of the Singularity run, using the minimum quality preset with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. This is effectively the lowest quality preset the game is capable of running at. As ever with leaks, take the news with a pinch of salt.

The total specs of the system include a Core i7-12700H with 20 cores, packing 32GB of memory, so the GPU shouldn't be starved for resources from the CPU. According to Ashes of the Singularity's benchmark browser, the 38.3 FPS average coincides with other benchmark results from users packing a mobile GTX 1060 with an older hexa-core i7-8750H, and a GTX 750 Ti result paired to an i7-7400 quad-core CPU.

Keep in mind that Ashes of the Singularity is heavily dependent on the CPU more so than other games, so comparing the frame rates against the GPU models alone might not be accurate. Plus, Ashes isn't a great benchmark for perfectly comparing GPUs against each other in the first place, so take these results with a grain of salt.

Still, the A370M's rather weak performance is backed up by previous evidence that it will be an entry-level competitor to the likes of Nvidia's GTX 1650 Super. Rumored specifications for the A370M also back this up with the GPU packing just 128 EUs -- a smidge higher than Intel's own flagship Xe integrated graphics featuring 96 EUs.

We will know more about the A370M once it finally arrives later next week, but for now, all leaked evidence points to this GPU being one of Intel's weakest discrete GPUs in its new line-up.

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Intel Arc A370M GPU Gets Benchmarked in Ashes of the Singularity - Tom's Hardware

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‘It’s Staged’: Some People Believe Will Smith Oscars Slap Isn’t Real – Newsweek

Posted: at 12:50 pm

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscar awards Sunday night sparked debate among some viewers about whether or not the slap was staged.

Smith slapped Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair and went to tell him to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. Videos of the confrontation have been viewed millions of time on Twitter, where conversation about the slap continued to dominate into Monday morning, dividing fans.

Some of the conversation centered on if the slap was authentic, with some claiming the video was "staged"even though there has been no substantial evidence to back up the claim.

One Twitter user, @ProjectMememar, wrote that he believes they saw Rock "grimacing" in the moments leading up to the slap. When asked by other user why the confrontation would be staged, the user said to "boost buzz for an event that has sunk to record lows in ratings."

Adweek editor David Griner wrote: "A slow walk up, an open hand slap, no stagger, slow walk back with no scuffle and no security personnel stepping in? Feels absolutely staged for publicity."

Twitter user Josh Rush wrote: "Everyone falling for the Will Smith/Chris Rock publicity stunt like it wasn't staged because the Oscars ratings have fallen 5 years in a row..."

"Chris Rock lowkey braced himself for impact! I'm 100% on the side of it was staged! Damn fun night on Twitter though," wrote Twitter user Marquis Flowers.

Journalist Seth Abramson, wrote that even if it was not staged, he hoped it would be.

"This feels to me like another sign that the world is off its hinges, so I sure hope we are going to find out thatdespite there being no evidence of itthis was staged," he wrote.

Many other people also pointed out the lack of evidence that the video is staged and put forth other arguments that the slap authentically happened.

Journalist Alexander Panetta dismissed the claims the slap was staged, writing: "My favourite part of the Oscars incident is seeing folks I follow who think COVID was a big conspiracy and who also think support for Ukraine is a big conspiracy now also think the slap was a conspiracy, staged for publicity. Welcome to the kooky singularity."

Another Twitter user, @thatsillyhelen, pointed out that television networks were forced to quickly censor Smith's use of obscenities after the slap.

"Also you think they STAGED chris rock making a joke about JPS's traumatic medical condition so will smith could pretend to be mad and disrupt the oscars????" she added.

The incident quickly became the main focus of the event, dominating headlines and dividing fans. Many quickly condemned Smith for slapping Rock. But some criticized Rock for making a joke about Pinkett Smith's hair, given that she has the condition alopecia.

The slap also drew a strong response from celebrities, many of whom were in attendance of the award show.

Newsweek reached out to the Oscars for comment Monday morning for comment. This story will be updated with any response.

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'It's Staged': Some People Believe Will Smith Oscars Slap Isn't Real - Newsweek

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Song Of The Day: Wo Fat — The Witching Chamber – Central Track

Posted: at 12:50 pm

Welcome toSong of the Day, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By highlighting one new North Texas-sprung tune every week day, our hope is that youll find something new to love about the rich and abundant DFW music scene five days a week.

Wo Fat The Witching ChamberRIYL: Playing Altered Beast on Sega with Jerusalem on the turntableWhat else you should know: If youre in need of some epic (and kick-ass) doom/stoner rock for your Tuesday, look no further than the new tune released by the Dallas-based act, Wo Fat.

The Witching Chamber is over nine minutes in length, but it certainly does not feel that long. It builds up slowly, has a great kick-in jam and theres a bass solo to boot. If youre into Sleep, Black Sabbath, Fu Manchu and Mountain, definitely click on this song from the bands forthcoming The Singularity, which will be out in May.

Wo Fat recorded their new album as a trio with bassist Zack Busby (Descender, Burden Brothers). Busby has since left the band and has been replaced by Patrick Smith. Original second guitarist Matt Watkins has rejoined. Vocalist/guitarist Kent Stump and drummer Michael Walter round out the band.

If youre familiar with doom, you have the appetite for slow burns, and The Witching Chamber is that to a T. The production on this tune is nice and slick, and is mixed and mastered well, giving the heaviness an extra thud when the song really picks up. For a nine-minute song, the riffs build on top of each other, leading into one another without overstaying their welcome.

There is a kind of detuned bliss found in this song. The riffs sing and complement Kent Stumps voice quite well. With all the riffage, it would be a crime to chop this song down to three minutes. These guys sound like they have fun with the fuzz instead of testing the patiences of listeners with how slow they can play.

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Song Of The Day: Wo Fat -- The Witching Chamber - Central Track

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