For my brothers.
'Chasing Bags'
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Musical Spelunking
As I mentioned earlier, the most recent and current segment of my journey into creative technologies has been music. Over the past couple weeks, I began learning the ropes of some very basic audio mixing, sequencing, effects, etc. So, here are the two offerings that I managed in these couple weeks...for all to suffer with me. These songs were created with REAPER and various virtual instrument plugins. I'm not going to attempt to throw them into a genre because...well...I'm not sure where they would fall. It's not even really stuff that I would normally listen to.
'Foray: A Friendly Frog's Tale', the first song, is the first test project that actually made it past the 'just fooling around' stage. It's short, upbeat, and uptempo. Hopefully you'll hear why the title is apt.
'Today Is Not', the second song, is my second attempt. This time, a much darker theme and some vocals. Though, for those wishing to hear my elusive singing voice, I hate to disappoint you, but you're out of luck. There's not much in the way of singing, and the vocals are all electronically distorted (partly for educational reasons and partly for the tone of the song).
Just click on the play button until it...plays.
'Foray: A Friendly Frog's Tale'
'Today Is Not'
'Foray: A Friendly Frog's Tale', the first song, is the first test project that actually made it past the 'just fooling around' stage. It's short, upbeat, and uptempo. Hopefully you'll hear why the title is apt.
'Today Is Not', the second song, is my second attempt. This time, a much darker theme and some vocals. Though, for those wishing to hear my elusive singing voice, I hate to disappoint you, but you're out of luck. There's not much in the way of singing, and the vocals are all electronically distorted (partly for educational reasons and partly for the tone of the song).
Just click on the play button until it...plays.
'Foray: A Friendly Frog's Tale'
'Today Is Not'
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Development of HL2 Mod: 'Discourse' Announced
This is the official announcement of the development of the upcoming Half-Life 2 mod, Discourse.
This blog post will serve as a way to inform my readers what I've been up to, and as a place to link to from external sites (such as ModDB), for those who want more details on the mod. In addition to a few official news updates on ModDB, I will continue posting on here with tidbits on what I'm working on, thoughts on the development process, etc.
So yes, this game will be a mod based on the Half-Life 2 engine...more specifically, the Episode One version, as I wanted it to be accessible to those who don't own Episode Two. For those who aren't familiar with the term 'mod', wikipedia is your friend: Mod.
So what is 'Discourse'? My vision for the project is such: to create a short, intimate story located in the Half-Life 2 universe...a story that is related to, yet not dependent on the HL2 storyline. In 'Discourse', you will play as Sam, a 17 year old boy, who is now the sole survivor of his family. He lives with two other families in their cramped apartment, contained in their resident cage by their oppressors. I don't want to give away too much of the story line, as it will hopefully be adequately expressed in-game. And because it's based on the HL2 universe and most of the players will be familiar with that already, the general story of these 'rebel' families is already known. This game is meant to dive into that aspect, to show just that sliver of the universe in more detail, to bring the feeling of it to life. As such, this is by no means an epic combat mod. You won't be battling Striders with RPGs for 4 hours on top of a mountain. This is a much more down-to-earth, nitty gritty experience. Much of it will be dialogue-driven, though there will be combat.

Development thus far: the development team currently consists of my beloved laptop and myself. I started working on this mod shortly after arriving in Taiwan. My mission was two-fold: A) since arrving in Taiwan, I've been doing a bit of a tour of creative skills, dabbling a bit in several forms, learning and loving each one. This mod gives me a reason to continue to try out and work on these skills and bring it all into something. B) I've always been interested in game development and modding has always seemed like a great way to start getting my hands a bit dirty. So why Half-Life 2? It's based on HL2 for pretty simple reasons: it comes with Hammer, a fairly easy editor, a solid engine (Source) that is accessible by many people, and I love the game and universe of HL2.
But right, back to the mod's progress...so far, I have done maybe 60% of the level designing (see screenshot above, it's a modified version of a pre-existing hl2 map), with a lot more work on lighting, scripting, etc. to come. I've worked on importing a new weapon into the mod which is nearly finished. The plot, characters, and script is finished, save for a much-needed revision...all of which was completed during trips on the MRT (the subway here). Currently, I am trying to round up a few voice actors to fill the remaining roles. Once the dialogue is all recorded, I can begin scripting the characters' animations (lip-synching, postures, etc.) and plugging the choreographed sequences into the game.
Oh, the release date I'm shooting for is sometime in December, at the end of my trip.
Well, that's all for now. Continue checking in for the occasional new media, status update, rant, etc. Cheers!
This blog post will serve as a way to inform my readers what I've been up to, and as a place to link to from external sites (such as ModDB), for those who want more details on the mod. In addition to a few official news updates on ModDB, I will continue posting on here with tidbits on what I'm working on, thoughts on the development process, etc.
So yes, this game will be a mod based on the Half-Life 2 engine...more specifically, the Episode One version, as I wanted it to be accessible to those who don't own Episode Two. For those who aren't familiar with the term 'mod', wikipedia is your friend: Mod.
So what is 'Discourse'? My vision for the project is such: to create a short, intimate story located in the Half-Life 2 universe...a story that is related to, yet not dependent on the HL2 storyline. In 'Discourse', you will play as Sam, a 17 year old boy, who is now the sole survivor of his family. He lives with two other families in their cramped apartment, contained in their resident cage by their oppressors. I don't want to give away too much of the story line, as it will hopefully be adequately expressed in-game. And because it's based on the HL2 universe and most of the players will be familiar with that already, the general story of these 'rebel' families is already known. This game is meant to dive into that aspect, to show just that sliver of the universe in more detail, to bring the feeling of it to life. As such, this is by no means an epic combat mod. You won't be battling Striders with RPGs for 4 hours on top of a mountain. This is a much more down-to-earth, nitty gritty experience. Much of it will be dialogue-driven, though there will be combat.

Development thus far: the development team currently consists of my beloved laptop and myself. I started working on this mod shortly after arriving in Taiwan. My mission was two-fold: A) since arrving in Taiwan, I've been doing a bit of a tour of creative skills, dabbling a bit in several forms, learning and loving each one. This mod gives me a reason to continue to try out and work on these skills and bring it all into something. B) I've always been interested in game development and modding has always seemed like a great way to start getting my hands a bit dirty. So why Half-Life 2? It's based on HL2 for pretty simple reasons: it comes with Hammer, a fairly easy editor, a solid engine (Source) that is accessible by many people, and I love the game and universe of HL2.
But right, back to the mod's progress...so far, I have done maybe 60% of the level designing (see screenshot above, it's a modified version of a pre-existing hl2 map), with a lot more work on lighting, scripting, etc. to come. I've worked on importing a new weapon into the mod which is nearly finished. The plot, characters, and script is finished, save for a much-needed revision...all of which was completed during trips on the MRT (the subway here). Currently, I am trying to round up a few voice actors to fill the remaining roles. Once the dialogue is all recorded, I can begin scripting the characters' animations (lip-synching, postures, etc.) and plugging the choreographed sequences into the game.
Oh, the release date I'm shooting for is sometime in December, at the end of my trip.
Well, that's all for now. Continue checking in for the occasional new media, status update, rant, etc. Cheers!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Ghosts and Sunsets
To continue the recent flurry of blog posts, I shall recount the tale of last Thursday. After deciding that I had done enough physical activity in the past four days to last me until the weekend, and that it was time to catch up on some Chinese vocabulary, fate decided that it was not the appropriate day for either. Instead, Yaling suggested that we go 'into the woods.' Realizing that studying can wait (let's be honest, always) and intrigued by what 'going into the woods' involved, I readily agreed. A scooter ride away was Tianshang mountain, which was our apparent destination. We didn't really know where the road leading up to this mountain was located, so we spent a good while zooming around some backroads, which was really quite enjoyable...a stone's throw from the city yet a separate universe of its own.
We eventually found the elusive road, which granted us a nice parking spot. From there, it was a short walk to a rather large temple in the mountains. At the entrance, due to Yaling's apparently too-short-for-temple shorts, we were sprayed down with uh...holy water, or something, and Yaling had to wear a makeshift skirt. Entering the temple area, I marveled at how many people had journeyed here on this day. Then, I remembered that it was during the Ghost Festival, which explained all the fires in Banqiao I had seen. We were just passing through this temple on the way up the mountain, but I stopped to take a picture of the valley from the balcony. Upon turning around, I realized that Yaling had not seen me stop and was nowhere to be seen. Simultaneously, the gong sounded and everyone moved to the benches for the next 'service' (period of group worship...I won't guess at the proper term). As I began searching for the Yaling, a monk, misunderstanding my confusion and despair, guided to me a spot in the middle of one of the benches. Long story short, I found myself in the middle of a Buddhist worship session, 'participating' to some extent. This involved a lot of chanting (reading from the book in front of us...I just flipped the pages at the appropriate times and hummed along) followed by a bout of repetitions of more melodic singing and prostrations. We repeated this cycle about 3 or 4 times. I can't say how long the whole thing was. However, it was quite an experience.

view from the temple
Upon being released, Yaling snatched me back up (having easily spotted the white guy with an indigo shirt), confused as to why I had jumped into the fray. We passed through the temple (walking out the back gate of this temple seriously felt like I was in some asian RPG or something) and started our way up the rest of the mountain. This walk can be best described (well, not sufficiently described at all) by its sounds. I heard so many odd sounds (animals, I assume) during the climb that I can't begin to describe...purely because they were things I had never heard before. After some more beautiful scenery and walking uphill for a moderate length of time (so much for no physical activity), we reached our destination: 承天寺 (Chengtiansi), which was another temple. This one was much higher up, smaller in size, and of lower key. In contrast to the last one, there was absolutely no one around...even the owner, who we assume was the guy clearing the hillside for some tea planting, had left a note saying, "Gone for a while, help yourself." The 'help yourself' bit referred to the small shop that was located in the temple, which had some drinks, snacks, etc. We gladly helped ourselves (which we, of course, left payment for), especially to the drinks. After finding a chair, a fan, and boiling some water, I basked in one of those perfect moments. A subtle orgy of the senses, if you will. The fan was blowing on my back, the warm glow of the setting sun on my front, the aroma of incense burning in the temple, the taste of noodles sliding down my throat, the image of looking out from the temple at the sun sinking past the treeline into the valley, the utter quietness. Just one of those moments when you feel your very being is slowly melting away into the Ether. I know I will have that mental image for a long time to come.

Inside of 承天寺

Looking out...
overexposed
Alas, we eventually departed, a lazy race to get down the mountain before the sun disappeared. We won that race in the nick of time, arriving at the lower temple right before it closed. We had to sneak Yaling through, as she had no makeshift skirt on this time. After playing the dodge-the-monks for 5 minutes, we safely made it back to the now-deserted winding streets and lonely dogs.
We eventually found the elusive road, which granted us a nice parking spot. From there, it was a short walk to a rather large temple in the mountains. At the entrance, due to Yaling's apparently too-short-for-temple shorts, we were sprayed down with uh...holy water, or something, and Yaling had to wear a makeshift skirt. Entering the temple area, I marveled at how many people had journeyed here on this day. Then, I remembered that it was during the Ghost Festival, which explained all the fires in Banqiao I had seen. We were just passing through this temple on the way up the mountain, but I stopped to take a picture of the valley from the balcony. Upon turning around, I realized that Yaling had not seen me stop and was nowhere to be seen. Simultaneously, the gong sounded and everyone moved to the benches for the next 'service' (period of group worship...I won't guess at the proper term). As I began searching for the Yaling, a monk, misunderstanding my confusion and despair, guided to me a spot in the middle of one of the benches. Long story short, I found myself in the middle of a Buddhist worship session, 'participating' to some extent. This involved a lot of chanting (reading from the book in front of us...I just flipped the pages at the appropriate times and hummed along) followed by a bout of repetitions of more melodic singing and prostrations. We repeated this cycle about 3 or 4 times. I can't say how long the whole thing was. However, it was quite an experience.
view from the temple
Upon being released, Yaling snatched me back up (having easily spotted the white guy with an indigo shirt), confused as to why I had jumped into the fray. We passed through the temple (walking out the back gate of this temple seriously felt like I was in some asian RPG or something) and started our way up the rest of the mountain. This walk can be best described (well, not sufficiently described at all) by its sounds. I heard so many odd sounds (animals, I assume) during the climb that I can't begin to describe...purely because they were things I had never heard before. After some more beautiful scenery and walking uphill for a moderate length of time (so much for no physical activity), we reached our destination: 承天寺 (Chengtiansi), which was another temple. This one was much higher up, smaller in size, and of lower key. In contrast to the last one, there was absolutely no one around...even the owner, who we assume was the guy clearing the hillside for some tea planting, had left a note saying, "Gone for a while, help yourself." The 'help yourself' bit referred to the small shop that was located in the temple, which had some drinks, snacks, etc. We gladly helped ourselves (which we, of course, left payment for), especially to the drinks. After finding a chair, a fan, and boiling some water, I basked in one of those perfect moments. A subtle orgy of the senses, if you will. The fan was blowing on my back, the warm glow of the setting sun on my front, the aroma of incense burning in the temple, the taste of noodles sliding down my throat, the image of looking out from the temple at the sun sinking past the treeline into the valley, the utter quietness. Just one of those moments when you feel your very being is slowly melting away into the Ether. I know I will have that mental image for a long time to come.
Inside of 承天寺
Looking out...
overexposed
Alas, we eventually departed, a lazy race to get down the mountain before the sun disappeared. We won that race in the nick of time, arriving at the lower temple right before it closed. We had to sneak Yaling through, as she had no makeshift skirt on this time. After playing the dodge-the-monks for 5 minutes, we safely made it back to the now-deserted winding streets and lonely dogs.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The If-Only Top 10
For those who do not hear have the horrifying experience of knowing me in day-to-day life, it's important to know that I am constantly adding things to an eternally large list of Life Goals, most of which are ridiculous ambitions that will never grace any other list of ordinary successful achievements. Many times, when I add to this list, it is an idea for a band that I dream of participating in (who doesn't). Usually these bands follow some extreme theme or niche. The following list is my Top 10 (oh yes, there are much more than that) of these bands that I would like to see the light of day
In no particular order:
Eggplant Souffle - improv. windmill arms and throat. it is best described in demonstration
Debut Single - well, it's an improv band, so hard to say
Oi Punk - oi-punk with almost completely nonsensical lyrics (but with just enough sense to make you wonder if they're geniuses or just stoned)
Debut Single - "Oi!"
Metal - strictly a cover band, destroying, in metal style, the favorite songs of our pastime. The more deadly serious, the better
Debut Single - "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Ska - unimaginably upbeat and uptempo ska and some swing
Debut Single - "Pick It the Hell Up!"
CornerTwitch - simplistic and minimalistic music, with lyrics taken straight from Corey's spam inbox, done completely straight
Debut Single - "She'll Babel About Your Tower"
Surf - ranging from surf-punk to the relaxing sounds of tiki, rarely with vocals. Shoes optional.
Debut Single - "Infraromp (cover)"
Hardcore - unforgiving straightedge hardcore. hard, fast, and to the point.
Debut Single - "X's On Your O's"
Nerdcore - nerdcore rap, simple beats and dark synths, rapping about nerd culture, done completely straight.
Debut Single - "Can't Touch D's 20s"
Silent - using 4'33" as an inspiration, this band would simply consist of luring audiences into thinking they were going to receive an epic performance, only to experience songs of complete silence (or, rather, the sounds of the environment all around them)
Debut Single - "Symphonic Ambience No. 35"
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Cover - band covering songs all done by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes....which yes, would make this a cover band of a cover band. Songs and spirit would be taken for inspiration.
Debut Single - "Hello"
So........who's game? ;)
In no particular order:
Eggplant Souffle - improv. windmill arms and throat. it is best described in demonstration
Debut Single - well, it's an improv band, so hard to say
Oi Punk - oi-punk with almost completely nonsensical lyrics (but with just enough sense to make you wonder if they're geniuses or just stoned)
Debut Single - "Oi!"
Metal - strictly a cover band, destroying, in metal style, the favorite songs of our pastime. The more deadly serious, the better
Debut Single - "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Ska - unimaginably upbeat and uptempo ska and some swing
Debut Single - "Pick It the Hell Up!"
CornerTwitch - simplistic and minimalistic music, with lyrics taken straight from Corey's spam inbox, done completely straight
Debut Single - "She'll Babel About Your Tower"
Surf - ranging from surf-punk to the relaxing sounds of tiki, rarely with vocals. Shoes optional.
Debut Single - "Infraromp (cover)"
Hardcore - unforgiving straightedge hardcore. hard, fast, and to the point.
Debut Single - "X's On Your O's"
Nerdcore - nerdcore rap, simple beats and dark synths, rapping about nerd culture, done completely straight.
Debut Single - "Can't Touch D's 20s"
Silent - using 4'33" as an inspiration, this band would simply consist of luring audiences into thinking they were going to receive an epic performance, only to experience songs of complete silence (or, rather, the sounds of the environment all around them)
Debut Single - "Symphonic Ambience No. 35"
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Cover - band covering songs all done by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes....which yes, would make this a cover band of a cover band. Songs and spirit would be taken for inspiration.
Debut Single - "Hello"
So........who's game? ;)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Updating System...
Yep, I'm still there. For those who were worried, shame on thee. For those who were hopeful for my demise, I blame you none. For those who I have lacked in contact with recently (many), I apologize. You are not forgotten in the least (see previous post). Just been a bit busy lately, and my schedule has not been one appropriate for talking to those in the U.S. I could be here all day, but I much rather actually do something on this glorious stress-free day, so I'll just spew some quick bullets about what I've been up to, in a vain attempt to portray my business (and thus, lack of communication).
-First of all, the 閃靈 concert was amazing. Corey has a more detailed write-up on his blog Here. I'll add some quick notes of my own: I think it was the first time since I've arrived in Taiwan that I didn't feel like a foreigner. Everyone was really cool and were shouting, bumping, laughing right alongside us. I'm sure there was still a bit of a spotlight on us...but then again, part of that might've been due to the fact that we were also going nuts for most of it (we were pretty drenched in sweat by the end). Also, the throwing of Joss paper was an interesting addition to the experience, as it's so symbolic of many things that I'm not entirely familiar or comfortable with....and it makes for an interesting slippery floor to try to stand your ground on during the pits. All in all, I was very impressed with the show, not only with the band, but with the crowd as well. The place was a-buzz with anger, laughter, and love of freedom...all the things that are so relevant for a 閃靈 show.
-People seem to keep coming and going out of my home and life. On the 23rd, Grace and Charlie moved back into their apartment, so Josie came next door to stay in my place until her departure. At this point, Corey left to live in a temporary apartment in Danshui, to be closer to his job (and farther away from us). However, during his second night there, he returned back to the apartment here, due to extreme allergy conditions at the apartment in Danshui. So, for 5 days until Josie left, there were 3 of us here in the apartment. It was a little nuts, but we all survived (and now my apartment looks like an apartment again). So now, Josie is gone, and Corey remains once again.
-Tutoring is going pretty well. I'm finally at the point where I feel I have the right amount of students...enough to support me, but not so many as to become a real job. To be honest, it has many perks that I am enjoying. Yes, if I didn't need money, I wouldn't be doing it....and I knew that because I had to do it, it would bring many great experiences. So far, it has not disappointed. The variety of my students is a big part of it (from age 8 to...30+).
Really, if I didn't have to plan and prepare lessons, I wouldn't mind it at all...but man do I hate that part.
-Training-wise, I couldn't be happier. My bagua lessons with Marcus continue to go well. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity for much practice in that lately, but I am confident that passion will overcome. In addition to Bagua, an incredibly nice chap, Austin, has hooked me up with a Tai chi class as well. Our teacher is only 21 years old, but he is already a master...both in competition and in knowledge. His ability to generate power from seemingly nowhere is absolutely amazing (he is a fraction of my stature). Best yet, the class costs me nothing (save the MRT fare to Jiangzicui, which is close). The only downside is that he does not speak English, so Austin usually translates what I don't understand from watching. Fortunately, our teacher is not teaching us any forms, but focusing on the fundamentals...how to generate power through our legs, proper structure, etc. This will really help me with bagua et al.
On the flight side of the arts, parkour continues to be another highlight of my week. We've been getting a pretty good attendance rate recently. On that note, we have a big meet-up in DaHu park this Sunday, with our group and a few others in the Taipei area whom we normally don't ever see.
Anyway, really happy to have these opportunities, definitely growing from it...especially physically, obviously.
-Creative exploration: I've been continuing my er....'tour', for lack of a better word, of my creative interests. A little photoshop, a bit of texturing, some creative writing and scripting, a bit of drawing, some music dabbling, etc. While most of this doesn't get past the dabbling stage, definitely educational and enjoyable. Some of these skills will culminate in the completion of my current big project, a hl2 mod I'm working on (announcement for that will come later). Just all these things that I would love to learn that I wish I had/have more time for.
Anyway, that's for all now. For those on Facebook, an album has posted of some pictures thus far. I'll try to do that every month, since I don't post many pics on here.
Be in touch, and I'll try to do the same.
Peace
-First of all, the 閃靈 concert was amazing. Corey has a more detailed write-up on his blog Here. I'll add some quick notes of my own: I think it was the first time since I've arrived in Taiwan that I didn't feel like a foreigner. Everyone was really cool and were shouting, bumping, laughing right alongside us. I'm sure there was still a bit of a spotlight on us...but then again, part of that might've been due to the fact that we were also going nuts for most of it (we were pretty drenched in sweat by the end). Also, the throwing of Joss paper was an interesting addition to the experience, as it's so symbolic of many things that I'm not entirely familiar or comfortable with....and it makes for an interesting slippery floor to try to stand your ground on during the pits. All in all, I was very impressed with the show, not only with the band, but with the crowd as well. The place was a-buzz with anger, laughter, and love of freedom...all the things that are so relevant for a 閃靈 show.
-People seem to keep coming and going out of my home and life. On the 23rd, Grace and Charlie moved back into their apartment, so Josie came next door to stay in my place until her departure. At this point, Corey left to live in a temporary apartment in Danshui, to be closer to his job (and farther away from us). However, during his second night there, he returned back to the apartment here, due to extreme allergy conditions at the apartment in Danshui. So, for 5 days until Josie left, there were 3 of us here in the apartment. It was a little nuts, but we all survived (and now my apartment looks like an apartment again). So now, Josie is gone, and Corey remains once again.
-Tutoring is going pretty well. I'm finally at the point where I feel I have the right amount of students...enough to support me, but not so many as to become a real job. To be honest, it has many perks that I am enjoying. Yes, if I didn't need money, I wouldn't be doing it....and I knew that because I had to do it, it would bring many great experiences. So far, it has not disappointed. The variety of my students is a big part of it (from age 8 to...30+).
Really, if I didn't have to plan and prepare lessons, I wouldn't mind it at all...but man do I hate that part.
-Training-wise, I couldn't be happier. My bagua lessons with Marcus continue to go well. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity for much practice in that lately, but I am confident that passion will overcome. In addition to Bagua, an incredibly nice chap, Austin, has hooked me up with a Tai chi class as well. Our teacher is only 21 years old, but he is already a master...both in competition and in knowledge. His ability to generate power from seemingly nowhere is absolutely amazing (he is a fraction of my stature). Best yet, the class costs me nothing (save the MRT fare to Jiangzicui, which is close). The only downside is that he does not speak English, so Austin usually translates what I don't understand from watching. Fortunately, our teacher is not teaching us any forms, but focusing on the fundamentals...how to generate power through our legs, proper structure, etc. This will really help me with bagua et al.
On the flight side of the arts, parkour continues to be another highlight of my week. We've been getting a pretty good attendance rate recently. On that note, we have a big meet-up in DaHu park this Sunday, with our group and a few others in the Taipei area whom we normally don't ever see.
Anyway, really happy to have these opportunities, definitely growing from it...especially physically, obviously.
-Creative exploration: I've been continuing my er....'tour', for lack of a better word, of my creative interests. A little photoshop, a bit of texturing, some creative writing and scripting, a bit of drawing, some music dabbling, etc. While most of this doesn't get past the dabbling stage, definitely educational and enjoyable. Some of these skills will culminate in the completion of my current big project, a hl2 mod I'm working on (announcement for that will come later). Just all these things that I would love to learn that I wish I had/have more time for.
Anyway, that's for all now. For those on Facebook, an album has posted of some pictures thus far. I'll try to do that every month, since I don't post many pics on here.
Be in touch, and I'll try to do the same.
Peace
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