Yes, this is right. Not a lot many people value the worth of the comments published on other blogs and this is because they undermind the vitality associated to it. The comments to an article not only bring you traffic but also improve the search engine ranking of the link. This is because of the fact that if the blog post is indexed by the search engine, then so would be the comment and in this way you get a free link back to your post.
As mentioned before, comments have their importance in two prespectives;
1. They bring you direct traffic
2. They improve the value of the link for the search engines.
As far as direct traffic is concerned, people do tend to read comments and do click the links mentioned if they find it worthwhile. Darren Rowse of Problogger.net had done a quite a comprehesive analysis of the clicking tendency of his readers in his podcast. His video can be viewed below:



Unfortunately, this has also become a regular targetting by the spammers. Spammers use bots and comment posting softwares to post irrelevant and unnecessary comments to promote their site. Such comments usually donot have much value as the readers skip it and search engines might ban the site for spamming. You may read more about Dirty Tricks Used by Spammers.

The value of the link is also quite improved when SE spiders find the backlinks from a relevant post. Like for example you have written something about gardening and you have also commented at different blogs of your niche then the ranking of your post regarding gardening will improve as the search engine will find many topics related to gardening linking back to you.
Being relevant to topic is quite necessary for this particular factor because the advanced algorithm which the search engines use nowadays will not value much a link to gardening in a autosport post than that in gardening itself. You should also not post irrelevant comments as it harms your reputation. This is quite evident at the social networking sites like digg.
Again it is not necessary that your every comment should contain a link. The point is you should write something useful whether it is positive or negative.

So, the jist of the post is that you should comment to the relevant blog post because it not only promotes your website but also brings you free traffic. Also it is a part of blog ethics that you should comment to posts you like or dislike.

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Recently, I came across a very interesting website named CrazyEgg. Although it had been around for quite some time now but the idea is still new. This website basically provides the services of website/blog statistics of the visitors along with a new dimension, i.e. their clicking tendencies. Like other website counters, in order to have the stats, you have to add snippet of code into your page and then it automatically creates a tracking cookie which records the activities.

The thing which inspires me most about this site is its ability to actually visualize the clicking tendencies of the visitors. You can basically see all the places on the page where the visitors clicked. It can display the visitors activity in three formats.

1. Overlay Format:

Diffierent colors represents the origin of the visitors.

2. List Format:

A sorted list with clicking percentage.

3. Heatmap Format: (Hot)

This one is really cool. The more clicked regions have red color while the transition is towards blue for lesser clicks.

They also offer a free account which may only track upto 5000 visitors. Generally its a really amazing way to analyze the tendencies of the visitors and accordingly monetize your site.

PS: This is not a paid review. I have found the website amazingly wonderful to be shared. The opinion expressed is solely mine. You may contradict as per your perception. If you have some other amazing site/blog worth a share then please comment here.

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I have come across some really cool art effects lately. One of which i liked the most, compelled me to write about it in my blog.

Mr Fabio at PSDtuts.com had come up with this really nice and easy to implement tutorial for an effect resembling mind explosion, like the ones that Jean Grey and Magneto of X Men do. I really admire the creativity of the author as he had used two or three raw pictures to model out this awesomely looking effect.



The good thing about the tutorial is the step by step explanation of all the action required and then explaining those actions as well to simplify the readership making it understandable to the layman.

Here is how its done:

Step 1

Open a new document. I used 800x600px. Look for a road photo on the Internet. The one I used can be downloaded here. After downloading, place the photo in your document.

Step 2

Now we need a photo of a person. The one I used can be found here. Once you have your photo, it's time to extract the guy from the background. Using the Pen Tool(P) create a path like in the image below. After that go to the Paths Palette and create a selection from that path. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Lastly, I named this layer "dude."

Step 3

Go to Edit>Transform>Scale and reduce the size of the guy. Then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. We do that to match the light direction.

Step 4

Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves. The idea here is to darken the guy a little bit so he will fit better with the background. Use the image below as a reference.

Step 5

Holding Cmd/Ctrl click on the mask thumb of the "dude" layer. That will create a marquee selection of the guy. After that create a new layer. Rename it to "shadow" and fill it with black. Then go to Edit>Transform>Distort and move the vertices to make the shadow in perspective. The last thing here is go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

Step 6

Grab the Ellipse Tool(U). Select Paths instead of Shape Layer. Create a Circle, like the image below. After that grab the Direct Selection Tool(A) and adjust the bottom of the circle.

Step 7

Create a new layer. Rename it to "clouds." Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds. While holding Alt, click on Clouds. After that go to the Path's Palette and create a selection from the path and mask the layer.

Tip: As you will be using the Render>Clouds, you will probably need to apply the filter several times until you got the clouds just right. Keep working with it until the light and dark areas are in a good position.

Step 8

Go to Filter>Liquefy. In the Liquefy Dialog Box select the Bloat Tool (B). Then for the settings use: Brush Size 550, Brush Density 100, Brush Pressure 100, Brush Rate 60, and Turbulent Jitter 75.

Then select the Show Backdrop Option. That will allow you to see the clouds and the background. It will be necessary to use the Bloat Tool in the right place. Click a few times and deselect the Show Backdrop. Then you will see the effect and will be able to repeat it more times in the correct place.

Step 9

Change the Blend Mode of the cloud layer to Soft Light. Then create another layer and rename it to "Clouds 2" and repeat Steps 7 and 8. We will need another cloud to make it more turbulent. This time, however, use Multiply for the Blend Mode.

After that, create yet another layer. Rename it to "Clouds 3" and repeat Steps 7 and 8. For this layer use Color Dodge for the Blend Mode. The last thing here is with the Eraser Tool (E) delete some parts. This layer is used to give highlights to the clouds.

Step 10

Group the "Clouds 3" layer and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. After that, select the Brush Tool (B), give it a black color, and mask some parts of the clouds that are close to the ground.

Step 11

Select the "Clouds" layer and go to Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen More. Then repeat this Sharpen filter on Clouds 2 and 3 layers.

Step 12

Create a new layer. Rename it to "Glow." Fill it with white and go to the Path Palette. Create a selection from the clouds path as we did in Step 9. Then mask the layer.

After that go to Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow. Use the default settings. Then go to Layer>Layer Style>Create Layer. This command will create another layer from the Outer Glow. You can delete the white layer and leave just the Outer Glow layer.

Step 13

Create a folder called "Lights." Move the "Glow" layer to this folder. Next select the "Glow" layer. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Then select the Brush Tool, black for the color, and start masking the glow. We need just the outline; however, some bright spots in the middle will give a nice result.

Step 14

Create a new layer beneath the clouds group. Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool create a selection like the image below. Fill the layer with black and use 40% Opacity.

Step 15

Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. After that select the Gradient Tool(G) and use a black and white gradient. Then mask the layer, like in the image below.

Step 16

Duplicate the layer and go to Layer>Layer Mask>Apply. Then go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Repeat the same thing we did for the shadow of the guy on this layer. Group these two layers and rename the group to "Shadows."

Step 17

Create a new layer right above the road photo. Go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Then go to Filter>Distort>ZigZag. Use 100 for the Amount and 5 for the Ridges. For the Style use Pond Ripples.

Step 18

Now go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Distort the layer until you get the right perspective. After that, change the Blend Mode to Overlay. Again, as we are using Render Clouds, the results may vary so you might need to erase some parts to make it more realistic.

Step 19

Create an Elliptical Selection like the image below. Then fill it with black. After that, create another Elliptical Selection, but smaller. Then delete that part of the layer. With the Magic Wand Tool(W) select the black part of the layer.

Step 20

Duplicate the road's layer and select it. Make sure that you still have the Marquee Selection from the Step 19. Then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. You can delete the black ellipse layer from the Step 19 or just hide it.

Go to Layer>Layer Styles>Bevel and Emboss. This is another way to create the ripple effect. You could use Displace as well.

Step 21

Go to Layer>New Layer Fill>Gradient. Use Radial for the Style. For the colors use #ddc396 and #2f1e00. Change the Blend mode to Color Dodge.

Step 22

Here I used another image from Stock.Xchng, image. Just place it on top of all layers and change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Step 23

Now let's make some adjustments. First, lets darken our Magneto dude a bit more. Select the Burn Tool(S) and burn the back of the guy. After that, change the Blend Mode of the "ripples" layer to Soft Light. You can delete some parts of the clouds as well.

Step 24

Create a new folder, beneath the "dude" layer. Name the group "power" and change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge. After that, create a new layer inside of this group. Then using the Brush Tool with white color, create some lights coming from the hands of the guy. Tip: use a regular brush with 0% for the hardness.

After that you create another layer. Use some brushes to add more effects. I used some abstract brushes from http://brusheezy.com. Then add a Pink Outer Glow Layer Style.

Step 25

Import the truck image, you can download it at image. Then with the Magic Wand Tool(W) select and delete the background of the photo. Leave just the truck. After that go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Move the truck to the side of the road.

Step 26

Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves and make the truck a bit darker. After that, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool(M), create a rectangular selection a bit bigger than the truck. Then go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. For the settings use Amount 2, Method use Spin, and set Best Quality. Next go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Then use -75 degrees for the angle and 3 pixels for the Distance.

Step 27

Now we will create the truck's shadow. To do that select the Truck's layer, click with the right button of the mouse and choose Select Pixels. Then create a new layer and fill it with black. Put this layer beneath the truck layer and go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Distort the shadow to make it look more real. Then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Change the Opacity of this layer to 60%.

Step 28

Group the truck and the shadow layer and rename it to "truck." Then organize your folders in the Layers Palette.

For source, click here.

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I have put an effort to compile a list of top RSS and Blog submission directories. You may find these sites elsewhere as well but this is supposed to be the biggest collection. If you find this list useful then please digg it and bookmark it at del.icio.us. If i had missed out any site or if you have found any broken link then please comment.
This list is the continuation of my previous Top 100 High PageRank Free Directories.
1.
2Rss
http://www.2rss.com/index.php
2.
5starblogs
http://www.5starblogs.com/
3.
Addyourblog
http://www.addyourblog.com/submit.php
4.
All-Blogs.net paid or reciprocal
http://www.all-blogs.net/submit.php
5.
Answers
http://www.answers.com/main/new_blogger.jsp
6.
Aviva paid
http://www.avivadirectory.com/submit.php
7.
Blawg
http://blawg.org/modules.php?name=Web_Links&l_op=AddLink
8.
Blloggs
http://blloggs.com/submit/
9.
Blogarama
http://www.blogarama.com/add-a-site/
10.
Blogbib paid or reciprocal
http://www.blogbib.com/submit.php
11.
Blogbunch
http://www.blogbunch.com/suggest/
12.
BlogCatalog
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/submit_blog.html
13.
Blogcode
http://www.blogcode.com/signup.php
14.
Blog-collector
http://www.blog-collector.com/
15.
Blogdigger
http://blogdigger.com/add.jsp
16.
Blogdir
http://www.blogdir.co.uk/
17.
Blog-directory
http://www.blog-directory.org/
18.
Bloggernow
http://www.bloggernow.com/
19.
Blogexplosion
http://www.blogexplosion.com/directory/
20.
Blogflux
http://www.blogflux.com/add.php
21.
Bloggapedia
http://www.bloggapedia.com/
22.
Bloggernity
http://www.bloggernity.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
23.
Bloghop
http://www.bloghop.com/account/index.htm
24.
Bloghub
http://www.bloghub.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
25.
Blogintro
http://blogintro.com/submit/
26.
Bloglines
http://www.bloglines.com/
27.
Blogoculars
http://www.blogoculars.com/
28.
BlogPulse
http://www.blogpulse.com/submit.html
29.
Blog-search
http://www.blog-search.com/blog-submission.html
30.
Blogs-collection
http://www.blogs-collection.com/
31.
Blogscholar
http://www.blogscholar.com/
32.
Blogz
http://www.sarthak.net/blogz/add.php
33.
Bloogz
http://www.bloogz.com/man_en/add_your_url.php
34.
BoingBoing
http://boingboing.net/suggest.html
35.
BOTW Blog Directory paid
http://blogs.botw.org/helpcenter/submitblog.aspx
36.
Bulletize paid
http://www.bulletize.com/add.php?sid=0
37.
Chordata
http://chordata.info/suggest.php
38.
ContentsMatter
http://www.contentsmatter.com/add.php
39.
Crayon
http://www.crayon.net/using/suggest.html
40.
DayPop
http://www.daypop.com/info/submit.htm
41.
DayTimeNews
http://www.daytimenews.com/submit-rss-feed.aspx
42.
Diarist
http://www.diarist.net/
43.
EatonWeb
http://portal.eatonweb.com/
44.
Feed24
http://www.feed24.com/?c=add
45.
Feedage
http://www.feedage.com/submit.php
46.
FeedBase
http://www.feedbase.net/Add.php
47.
FeedBomb
http://www.feedbomb.com/
48.
FeedCat
http://www.feedcat.net/
49.
Feedcycle
http://www.feedcycle.com/about/start.php
50.
Feed-Directory
http://www.feed-directory.com/addfeed/
51.
Feedboy
http://www.feedboy.com/
52.
Feedest
http://www.feedest.com/feedAdd.cfm
53.
FeedFury
http://feedfury.com/submit
54.
Feednuts
http://www.feednuts.com/=
55.
Feedooyoo
http://www.feedooyoo.com/ref.htm
56.
FeedPlex
http://www.feedplex.com/add-url.php
57.
Feeds2read
http://feeds2read.net/Suggest-A-Feed
58.
Feeds4all
http://www.feeds4all.com/NewFeed.aspx
59.
FeedsFarm
http://www.feedsfarm.com/a.html
60.
FeedShark
http://feedshark.brainbliss.com/
61.
FindingBlog
http://findingblog.com/add_blog.php?cat=
62.
Findory
http://www.findory.com/submit-blog/
63.
FindRSS
http://www.findrss.net/catalogs/rsscatalog.nsf/submit?openForm
64.
FyberSearch
http://www.fybersearch.com/add-url.php
65.
Globeofblogs
http://www.globeofblogs.com/register.php
66.
Gobignetwork
http://www.gobignetwork.com/entrepreneur-blogs/
67.
GoldenFeed
http://www.goldenfeed.com/AddFeed.aspx
68.
iBlog Business Directory paid
http://www.iblogbusiness.com/add.html
69.
Icerocket
http://www.icerocket.com/c?p=addblog
70.
Jordomedia
http://www.jordomedia.com/RSS/l_op=Addrss.html
71.
LSBlogs
http://www.lsblogs.com/howtosubmit.php
72.
Memigo
http://memigo.com/feed
73.
MillionRSS
http://www.millionrss.com/add-my-feed.php
74.
MoreNews
http://www.morenews.be/voegbrontoe.php
75.
MySpace News
http://news.myspace.com/forms/submitfeed
76.
Newgie
http://www.newgie.com/contact_inquiry.asp?to=2
77.
NewzAlert
http://www.newzalert.com/AuthorCenter/
78.
NewsGator
http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/Folksonomy.aspx
79.
NewsIsFree
http://www.newsisfree.com/
80.
Octora
http://www.octora.com/add_rss.php
81.
Page2go2
http://free-rss.page2go2.com/rss-add.html
82.
Plazoo
http://www.plazoo.com/en/addrss.asp
83.
Portal.eatonweb paid
http://portal.eatonweb.com/add.php
84.
Postami paid
http://www.postami.com/rss.finder/submit_feed.php
85.
Pressradar
http://www.pressradar.com/suggest
86.
Rateitall
http://www.rateitall.com/suggest.aspx?WL=0&TopicID=20004
87.
ReadAblog
http://www.readablog.com/AddFeed.aspx
88.
Redtram
http://www.redtram.com/pages/addsource/
89.
RocketInfo
http://reader.rocketinfo.com/desktop/AddRSSFeed.jsp
90.
RssFeeds
http://www.rssfeeds.com/suggest_wizzard.php
91.
RSSfeedz
http://www.rssfeedz.com/editor/signup_editor.php
92.
Rss-Feeds-Submission
http://rss-feeds-submission.com/RSS/l_op=Addrss.html
93.
RSSmad
http://www.rssmad.com/
94.
RSSmicro
http://www.rssmicro.com/
95.
RSSmotron
http://www.rssmotron.com/feed_submission.php
96.
RSS-Network
http://www.rss-network.com/submitrss.php
97.
Scienceport
http://scienceport.org/index.php%3cbr%20%3e%3c/a%3e%20=
98.
Search4Rss
http://www.search4rss.com/
99.
Small Business Blog Directory paid
http://blogsforsmallbusiness.com/directory/add.html
100.
SmallBusiness.com
http://smallbusiness.com/wiki/Weblog_directory_company_blogs
101.
Strategic Board
http://strategicboard.com/?s=h:addblog
102.
Syndic8
http://www.syndic8.com/suggest_start.php
103.
Tailrank
http://www.tailrank.com/import
104.
Technorati
http://www.technorati.com/ping.html
105.
TheVital
http://www.thevital.net/%3cbr%20%3e%3c/a%3e%20=
106.
Topix
http://www.topix.net/member/register
107.
TruthLaidBear
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/addtoscan.php
108.
WeBlogAlot
http://www.weblogalot.com/Ping/
109.
Wilsdomain reciprocal
http://www.wilsdomain.com/blogs/wilsdomain9b.php?op=newsubmit
110.
Wingee
http://www.wingee.com/
111.
Yahoo.com
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/my/cgi_rss_submission
112.
Yahoo RSS Guide
http://publisher.yahoo.com/rss_guide/submit.php

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A trivial thing can become a serious pain in the ass. Things get even worse when you don't get help from anywhere. I had this problem with my instant messenger which made me really pissed off as i had tried everything i knew to rectify it. Then no help from my best buddy Google made me freak out.

I am running Windows XP Service Pack 2 on my box. For safety reasons i had installed my personal favorite Nod32 Antivirus. Then one day when i tried logging in my hotmail account through Windows Live Messenger, i received this error with code: 8100030d





Meanwhile, everything else worked like charm. I had tried reinstalling the Window Live Messenger, changing the proxy settings, playing with the firewall and much more of what i dont remember.

After finding every effort in vain, i contacted my BFF Google.com. I searched for hours and hours and found no topic addressing my problem. Then there was one blog in which the author said that he was facing the same problem and when he uninstalled the AV, things went back to normal (point to be noted is that even if you disable the antivirus, antispam, email protection modules, problem remain). Indeed, he was right but i didn't want to breathe unprotected.

I then tried adjusting the settings for the Anti Virus but even if i add it to exclusion list, the problem pertained. Then finally after few days hit and trials, i was finally able to resolve the issue.

Here is what you need to do if you want to use WLM along with Nod32.

1. Open up Nod32 window.



2. Goto Setup tab



3. Click "Enter Advanced Setup Tree"

4. Goto Web Browsers in HTTP under Web Access Protection and uncheck the msnmsgr.exe



Click Ok and Sign In again.

There are other ways to do this as well but i find this easiest.

Hopefully this will solve the problem.



EDIT: There is one more issue regarding the signing in problem. Please check the system date and correct it otherwise it may not login.

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Firefox is such a powerful and diversified tool whose implementations can be from a simple browser and extends to a powerful web development and troubleshooting platform. Its customized addons enables us to do virtually anything. I have listed below some of the social networking and bookmarking related extensions:

• StumbleUpon - StumbleUpon lets you "channelsurf" the best-reviewed sites on the web. It is a collaborative surfing tool for browsing, reviewing and sharing great sites with like-minded people. This helps you find interesting webpages you wouldn't think to search for.
• Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer - If you use Firefox on more than one computer, you'll want Foxmarks. Install Foxmarks on each computer, and it will work silently in the background to keep your bookmarks synchronized. As a bonus, log in to my.foxmarks.com from any computer anywhere to access your bookmarks.
• del.icio.us Bookmarks - This extension integrates your browser with del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/), the leading social bookmarking service on the Web. It does this by augmenting the bookmarking functionality in Firefox with an enhanced experience.
• Clipmarks - With Clipmarks, you can clip the best parts of web pages. Whether it’s a paragraph, sentence, image or video, you can capture just the pieces you want without having to bookmark the entire page.
• Tab Mix Plus - Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured session manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows.
• Yoono - Yoono instantly suggests similar sites, blog notes and people sharing the same interests while you are surfing, for each page you open. Zero effort required - no more tagging, typing keywords or changing interface. Let Yoono bring you the best that others have discovered.
• BlueOrganizer - The blueorganizer is smart browsing and personalization technology for Firefox. It makes the browser aware of everyday objects like books, movies, wines, restaurants and much more. The blueorganizer helps you automatically collect these object from many popular sites, manage them and instantly find related information.
• Jeteye - Jeteye is a unique Web-based application and service that is designed for the next generation of enterprise and consumer use of the Web. Jeteye changes how we interact with the web, in an era where communication and social computing are more powerful than ever.
• Bookmarks LinkChecker- Updated from v0.6.8, extension 'Bookmark Link Checker' detects updated, redirected, and broken links in your bookmarks list by adding icons within the drop-down bookmarks menu.

If you want to share some good extension with the public then post it in the comments.

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You will find a lot many browsers coming and going off the scene these days. With all the hard work that the coders are putting in, its really hard to tell which is the best. I had recently tested out the latest Windows Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 1 on my Windows Xp box. Although i am a great fan of Mozilla Firefox but i personally consider the Internet Explorer as the next best thing.

Firstly, i would like to talk about the features and then the issues i had dealt with.
Here are a few things which IE8 Beta 1 has to offer:

Favorites Bar:
The previous Links bar is now Favorites Bar with the ability to add RSS, Webslices and local documents links besides your favorite links.

WebSlices

Webslice is graphics enriched version of web browsing experience but only available if the website developer has made the webslice of his site. The webslices are placed in the links bar (now called favorites bar). With webslice you can quickly view the updated part of the site and if you like then jump to it as well. Its more of Enriched RSS.

Improved Right Click Experience:
The right click is now much more improved with new features like blog with Windows live Space, Define with Encarta, Search with Live Search etc.




Crash Recovery:
The Crash Recovery is improved but i personally like the crash recovery of IE7 because of the
flexibility to choose the sites you want to restore.

Domain Recognition:
This is something really nice. With this feature you are able to quickly identify the domain from a huge web address.




Personal Opinion:

I would like to highlight some issues with this release which forced me to switch back to IE7.
First of all its way too much resources hungry.
Whenever i used to open multiple tabs like 9 - 10 simultaneously, then my process explorer used to show 90% of Processor usage only by iexplore.exe and system used to hung up a bit as well.
On the other hand when i use my firefox with about 30 - 35 tabs, system performance is not affected at all. So IE8 not suitable for me in this aspect. IE7 is more stable than this.
Secondly, i really dislike the way it runs the scripts like java. Everything, is scrambled and out of proportions. I was never able to access my hotmail account properly.
These problems would be because it is in its beta phase. Hopefully, the IE8 developers will improve in the final release. Meantime, i prefer using IE7 along with Firefox.

If you find any other feature or problem do comment it here.

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