Tiger Electronics Ltd. (also known as Tiger and Tiger Toys ) is an American toy manufacturer best known for its handheld electronic games , the Furby , the Talkboy , Giga Pets , the 2-XL robot, and audio games such as Brain Warp and the Brain Shift. When it was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois . It has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1998.
65-458: HitClips is a digital audio player created by Tiger Electronics that plays low-fidelity mono one-minute clips of usually teen pop hits from exchangeable cartridges. It first launched in August 2000 with 60-second microchip songs featuring Britney Spears , NSYNC , and Sugar Ray . The following year songs by Destiny's Child , Backstreet Boys , Dream , and Pink were additionally released. There
130-412: A Trojan Horse program or other similar spyware programs. Cameras such as Apple 's older external iSight cameras include lens covers to thwart this. Some webcams have built-in hardwired LED indicators that light up whenever the camera is active, sometimes only in video mode. However, it is possible, depending on the circuit design of a webcam, for malware to circumvent the indicator and activate
195-547: A serial port , at a cost of $ 100. Jon Garber, the designer of the device, had wanted to call it the "Mac-camera", but was overruled by Connectix's marketing department; a version with a PC-compatible parallel port and software for Microsoft Windows was launched in October 1995. The original Quick Cam provided 320x240-pixel resolution with a grayscale depth of 16 shades at 60 frames per second, or 256 shades at 15 frames per second. These cam were tested on several Delta II launch using
260-535: A "webcam". Aggregator websites have also been created, providing thousands of live video streams or up-to-date still pictures, allowing users to find live video streams based on location or other criteria. In the late 1990s, Microsoft NetMeeting was the only videoconferencing software on PC in widespread use, making use of webcams. In the following years, instant messaging clients started adding webcam support: Yahoo Messenger introduced this with version 5.5 in 2002, allowing video calling in 20 frames per second using
325-418: A Millionaire? ). Webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network . They are primarily used in video telephony , live streaming and social media , and security . Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral devices , and are commonly connected to a device using USB or wireless protocols . Webcams have been used on
390-588: A Raspberry Pi as MotionEyeOs, or afterwards on Raspbian as well. MotionEye can also be set up on Debian, Raspbian is a variant of Debian. MotionEye V4.1.1 ( Aug '21 ) can only run on Debian 10 Buster ( oldstable ) and Python 2.7. Newer versions such as 3.X are not supported at this point of time according to Ccrisan, foundator and author of MotionEye. Various software tools in wide use can be employed to take video and pictures, such as PicMaster and Microsoft's Camera app (for use with Windows operating systems), Photo Booth ( Mac ), or Cheese (with Unix systems). For
455-415: A bad chip in the game which causes the game to mess up the audio on low batteries, and in rare cases, the voice in the game will start counting, going through a list of numbers and skipping a few. The company became one of the most prominent producers of electronic toys based on a wide variety of licenses, including Star Trek , Star Wars , Barney & Friends , Arthur , Teletubbies , Winnie
520-561: A cartridge and played using the corresponding quiz book. The second was the R-Zone . It employed red LCD cartridges, much like Nintendo 's Virtual Boy , which were projected via backlight onto a reflective screen that covered one of the player's eyes. The third was the Game.com handheld system, which was meant to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy and Game Boy Color , as well as Sega 's Game Gear and Genesis Nomad , and boasted such novel features as
585-439: A couple of seconds and then all the frames of the video are "stacked" together to obtain a still image of respectable contrast. A webcam's CCD response is linearly proportional to the incoming light. Therefore, webcams are suitable to record laser beam profiles, after the lens is removed. The resolution of a laser beam profiler depends on the pixel size. Commercial webcams are usually designed to record color images. The size of
650-413: A few specific models of webcams are very popular to photograph the night sky by astronomers and astro photographers. Mostly, these are manual-focus cameras and contain an old CCD array instead of comparatively newer CMOS array. The lenses of the cameras are removed and then these are attached to telescopes to record images, video, still, or both. In newer techniques, videos of very faint objects are taken for
715-490: A glitch: it would become stuck, playing every sound from the game, and pressing the power button would not turn the game off. The loud crackling over the top of the rapidfire used to scare people. The cause for this glitch is unknown but it might be trying to go through an automatic test mode. In 2001, Tiger Electronics released a memory game called the Harry Potter Magic Spell Challenge , simply known as
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#1732876882853780-503: A green LED light through a maze of 30 LED lights and has to either avoid (ditch) the red light or catch (snag) the yellow light. The game was known for its Austin Powers and Melle Mel style voices; the electronic voice would often say "baby". When the game was first turned on, it said "Oh you turned me on baby, let's boogey!" When the player failed, the game said "Oh drat!". This game was also published by Hasbro . The game also suffered from
845-646: A hidden test mode (also known as a demo mode) in all their electronic games. These test modes signal either a sine wave or a square wave tone usually at 1000hz as a way of testing the speaker and then play through all of the sounds that are pre-programmed in the device either manually (by pushing a button), or automatic (playing every sound by itself). Games like Brain Warp , Brain Shift , Boogey Ball , and Brain Bash have these test modes, as do tabletop games (such as Who Wants to Be
910-440: A line of sports-themed handhelds. Each featured the contemporary statistics for players in a specific sport, the ability to record new sports statistics, a built-in electronic game for the sport and typical electronic organizer features such as an address book and calculator. In 1998, Tiger released 99X Games , a series of handhelds fitted with a dot-matrix screen, allowing a wide variety of backgrounds and different gameplay for
975-750: A more complete list see Comparison of webcam software . The most popular use of webcams is the establishment of video links , permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations . For example, Apple 's iSight camera, which is built into Apple laptops, iMacs and a majority of iPhones , can be used for video chat sessions, using the Messages instant messaging program. Other popular uses include security surveillance, computer vision , video broadcasting, and for recording social videos. Webcams can be added to instant messaging , text chat services such as AOL Instant Messenger , and VoIP services such as Skype , one-to-one live video communication over
1040-507: A single silicon chip to save space and manufacturing costs. Most webcams feature built-in microphones to make video calling and videoconferencing more convenient. Typical interfaces used by articles marketed as a "webcam" are USB , Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 (denominated as IP camera ). Further interfaces such as e.g. Composite video , S-Video or FireWire were also available. The USB video device class (UVC) specification allows inter-connectivity of webcams to computers without
1105-533: A single game. Although running a software program stored in ROM, those systems were dedicated consoles , similarly to the plug-and-play TV games of the 2000s decade. Two systems running the same game could be linked with the included cable to allow two players to challenge each other. Tiger made three notable cartridge-based systems. The first was the Quiz Wiz, a highly popular interactive quiz game system. Players inserted
1170-555: A touchscreen and limited Internet connectivity. However, the R-Zone and Game.com were commercial failures and garnered a negative reception. Hasbro, previously shy of high-tech toys, was interested in the development of the Furby . With Hasbro's support, Tiger was able to rush through the development process and get the Furby on the shelves for the 1998 holiday season, during which it was a runaway hit —
1235-435: A variety of communication protocols including CDMA, TDMA, GSM and HF. Videoconferencing via computers already existed, and at the time client-server based videoconferencing software such as CU-SeeMe had started to become popular. The first widely known laptop with integrated webcam option, at a pricepoint starting at US$ 12,000, was an IBM RS/6000 860 laptop and its related ThinkPad 850 , released in 1996. One of
1300-441: A view on a Web page to an unknown public. For less than US$ 100 in 2012, a three-dimensional space webcam became available, producing videos and photos in 3D anaglyph image with a resolution up to 1280 × 480 pixels. Viewers must use 3D glasses to see the effect of three dimensional image. With remote work entering the mainstream, the built-in cameras of average laptops were sometimes considered inadequate. Consequently, during
1365-466: A webcam's color pixel depends on the model and may lie in the range of 5 to 10 μm. However, a color pixel consists of four black and white pixels each equipped with a color filter (for details see Bayer filter ). Although these color filters work well in the visible, they may be rather transparent in the near infrared. By switching a webcam into the Bayer-mode it is possible to access the information of
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#17328768828531430-419: A webcam. MSN Messenger gained this in version 5.0 in 2003. Around the turn of the 21st century, computer hardware manufacturers began building webcams directly into laptop and desktop screens, thus eliminating the need to use an external USB or FireWire camera. Gradually webcams came to be used more for telecommunications, or videotelephony , between two people, or among several people, than for offering
1495-422: Is a version for young children called KidClips. Tiger Electronics had licensing agreements for HitClips with popular major record labels including Atlantic Records , Jive Records / Zomba Label Group , and Capitol Records . HitClips was first promoted by McDonald's , Radio Disney , and Lunchables . By June 2002, HitClips players and music disks combined had sold more than 20 million units. Hilary Duff became
1560-524: Is known for its distinctive low pitched "Orange!" voice which is heard on the last color of a pattern in Stick Shift and in Memory Shift and Who Shifts It? The player has to use the stick shift to follow the voice commands. There is a memory game, and both Brain Shift and Brain Warp have a code buster game where the player has to find a certain number of colors in sixty seconds. Some Brain Shift game units had
1625-407: Is most well known for their low-end handheld electronic game systems with LCD screens. Each unit contains a fixed image printed onto the handheld that can be seen through the screen. Static images then light up individually in front of the background that represent characters and objects, similar to numbers on a calculator or digital clock . In addition to putting out some of its own games, Tiger
1690-460: Is still operating as of September 2024. It updates every 20 seconds. The SGI Indy , released in 1993, is the first commercial computer to have a standard video camera, and the first SGI computer to have standard video inputs. The maximum supported input resolution is 640×480 for NTSC or 768×576 for PAL . A fast machine is required to capture at either of these resolutions, though; an Indy with slower R4600PC CPU, for example, may require
1755-444: Is very similar to Bop It . A voice that was recorded for the game says a color or a number, or a sequence of colors or numbers, or both depending on the game selected, and the correct knob must be shown facing upwards. In 1997, a Star Wars version called Death Star Escape was released. The game order is different and comes with six Star Wars characters. In 1998, Tiger released Brain Shift . This game has six colored LED lights. It
1820-549: The Brain Bash . It has four inner purple buttons and four yellow buttons outside the unit. It features five game modes. Game One is called Touch Command, where the electronic voice issues a command like "one touch one" and the corresponding player has to press purple one and yellow one. In 1996, Tiger released the Brain Warp . This game is a spherical unit that has six colored knobs sticking out. There were three different revisions of
1885-751: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of webcams due to the increased number of people working from home . First developed in 1991, a webcam was pointed at the Trojan Room coffee pot in the Cambridge University Computer Science Department (initially operating over a local network instead of the web). The camera was finally switched off on August 22, 2001. The final image captured by the camera can still be viewed at its homepage. The oldest continuously operating webcam, San Francisco State University 's FogCam , has run since 1994 and
1950-421: The COVID-19 pandemic , a shortage of external webcams in retail occurred. Most laptops before and during the pandemic were made with cameras capping out at 720p recording quality at best, compared to the industry standard of 1080p or 4K seen in smartphones and televisions from the same period. The backlog on new developments for built-in webcams is the result of a design flaw with laptops being too thin to support
2015-584: The Hasbro toy company since 1998. Hasbro paid approximately $ 335 million for the acquisition. In 2000, Tiger was licensed to provide a variety of electronics with the Yahoo! brand name, including digital cameras , webcams , and a "Hits Downloader" that made music from the Internet ( mp3s , etc.) accessible through Tiger's assorted " HitClips " players. Tiger also produces the long-lasting iDog Interactive Music Companion,
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2080-479: The Internet as early as 1993, and the first widespread commercial one became available in 1994. Early webcam usage on the Internet was primarily limited to stationary shots streamed to web sites. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, instant messaging clients added support for webcams, increasing their popularity in video conferencing. Computer manufacturers later started integrating webcams into laptop hardware. In 2020,
2145-702: The Talkboy (first seen in the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York ), followed by the Brain family of games which include games like Brain Bash , Brain Warp , and Brain Shift . It also licensed the Lazer Tag brand from its inventors, Shoot the Moon Products, which was born from the remnants of the Worlds of Wonder company. The company's cash cow through much of the 1990s
2210-542: The "it" toy of the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The continuing development of Furby-type technology led to the release of the FurReal line of toys in 2003, the more modern iteration of the Furby toyline in 2012, and also the high-tech Furby Connect in 2016. In 2023, a new Furby with voice commands was released. From 1994–1999, Tiger invented the Brain Family, which are a line of electronic handheld audio games . In 1994, Tiger released
2275-478: The 'Challenge Wand', on which the game sees the player up against an Evil Wizard as he casts a spell on the wand unit which the player must memorize in order. The first game in the unit is called 'Compete Against an Evil Wizard'. In this game, the Evil Wizard says "Try and stop this!" (or "me") and starts to cast a spell on the wand. The game has 4 auditory command sounds and 2 vocal commands "Wingardium" which requires
2340-459: The 7mm camera modules to fit inside, instead resorting to ~2.5mm. Also the camera components are more expensive and not a high level of demand for this feature, Smartphones started to be used as a backup option or webcam replacement, with kits including lighting and tripods or downloadable apps. Image sensors can be CMOS or CCD , the former being dominant for low-cost cameras, but CCD cameras do not necessarily outperform CMOS-based cameras in
2405-450: The Internet for video chat has also caused issues. For example, moderation system of various video chat websites such as Omegle has been criticized as being ineffective, with sexual content still rampant. In a 2013 case, the transmission of nude photos and videos via Omegle from a teenage girl to a schoolteacher resulted in a child pornography charge. The popularity of webcams among teenagers with Internet access has raised concern about
2470-405: The Internet has now reached millions of mainstream PC users worldwide. Improved video quality has helped webcams encroach on traditional video conferencing systems. New features such as automatic lighting controls, real-time enhancements (retouching, wrinkle smoothing and vertical stretch), automatic face tracking and autofocus, assist users by providing substantial ease-of-use, further increasing
2535-561: The Internet. In one well-publicised case, a computer e-mailed images of the burglar during the theft of the computer, enabling the owner to give police a clear picture of the burglar's face even after the computer had been stolen. In December 2011, Russia announced that 290,000 Webcams would be installed in 90,000 polling stations to monitor the 2012 Russian presidential election . Webcams may be installed at places such as childcare centres, offices, shops and private areas to monitor security and general activity. With very-low-light capability,
2600-599: The Pooh , Franklin , Neopets , Jeopardy! , Wheel of Fortune , Weakest Link , Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , Batman Returns , The Lost World: Jurassic Park , and Sonic the Hedgehog . In 1996, Tiger produced replicas of the Turbo Man doll, which was featured in the 1996 holiday comedy Jingle All the Way . It retained most of the features of the film version, including
2665-786: The ZoomBox—a portable 3-in-1 home entertainment projector that will play DVDs, CDs and connects to most gaming systems—, the VideoNow personal video player, the VCamNow digital camcorder , the ChatNow line of kid-oriented two-way radios and the TVNow, a personal handheld DVR player. They released an electronic tabletop version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with voice recordings by host Chris Tarrant . Tiger also released an electronic version of The Weakest Link with voice recordings by Anne Robinson . Tiger
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2730-490: The best barcodes to defeat other players. Tiger produced a version of Lights Out around 1995. In 1997 it produced a quaint fishing game called Fishing Championship , in the shape of a reduced fishing rod. Another 1990s creation was Skip-It . In 1995, Tiger acquired the Texas Instruments toy division. Tiger agreed to manufacture and market electronic toys for Hasbro and Sega . Tiger Electronics has been part of
2795-451: The camera surreptitiously, as researchers demonstrated in the case of a MacBook 's built-in camera in 2013. Various companies sell sliding lens covers and stickers that allow users to retrofit a computer or smartphone to close access to the camera lens as needed. One such company reported having sold more than 250,000 such items from 2013 to 2016. However, any opaque material will work just as well. The process of attempting to hack into
2860-402: The circuit board of Brain Warp resulting in audio changes and pitch differences. Two revisions were made in a blue base. Revision 2.0 has a different hidden sound sampling mode to the first revision. When Hasbro re-released Brain Warp in 2002, they took the programming from Revision 2.0 and placed it on a new circuit board with an enhanced speaker which reduced the loudness of the device. This game
2925-408: The computer's processor capabilities. Video calling support has also been added to several popular instant messaging programs . Webcams allow for inexpensive, real-time video chat and webcasting , in both amateur and professional pursuits. They are frequently used in online dating and for online personal services offered mainly by women when camgirling . However, the ease of webcam use through
2990-420: The disk shooter, boomerang accessory, light and sound jetpack, and a voice box. Despite being advertised as having five phrases in the movie, the actual toy only possessed four. In 1999, Tiger Electronics released an electronic LED light game called Boogey Ball . There were 2 versions of the game released. The first version was buggy and it had issues playing several games (games 2, 3, and 5). In games 2 and 3,
3055-478: The image from the sensor and transmit it to the host computer. Most webcams come with a controller that translates video over USB from Sonix, Suyin, Ricoh , Realtek or others. Typically, each frame is transmitted uncompressed in RGB or YUV or compressed as JPEG . Some cameras, such as mobile-phone cameras , use a CMOS sensor with supporting electronics "on die", i.e. the sensor and the support electronics are built on
3120-526: The input resolution to be reduced before storage or processing. However, the Vino hardware is capable of DMAing video fields directly into the frame buffer with minimal CPU overhead. The first widespread commercial webcam, the black-and-white QuickCam , entered the marketplace in 1994, created by the U.S. computer company Connectix . QuickCam was available in August 1994 for the Apple Macintosh , connecting via
3185-566: The low-price range. Most consumer webcams are capable of providing VGA -resolution video at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. Many newer devices can produce video in multi- megapixel resolutions, and a few can run at high frame rates such as the PlayStation Eye , which can produce 320×240 video at 120 frames per second. Most image sensors are sourced from Omnivision or Sony . As webcams evolved simultaneously with display technologies, USB interface speeds and broadband internet speeds,
3250-420: The most common in consumer-grade webcams being a plastic lens that can be manually moved in and out to focus the camera. Fixed-focus lenses , which have no provision for adjustment, are also available. As a camera system's depth of field is greater for small image formats and is greater for lenses with a large f-number (small aperture), the systems used in webcams have a sufficiently large depth of field that
3315-417: The most widely reported-on webcam sites was JenniCam , created in 1996, which allowed Internet users to observe the life of its namesake constantly, in the same vein as the reality TV series Big Brother , launched four years later. Other cameras are mounted overlooking bridges, public squares, and other public places, their output made available on a public web page in accordance with the original concept of
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#17328768828533380-500: The need for proprietary device drivers. Various proprietary as well as free and open-source software is available to handle the UVC stream. One could use Guvcview or GStreamer and GStreamer-based software to handle the UVC stream. Another could use multiple USB cameras attached to the host computer the software resides on, and broadcast multiple streams at once over (Wireless) Ethernet, such as MotionEye. MotionEye can either be installed onto
3445-413: The player failed automatically sometime after 20 seconds due to the speed of the red light being impossible to stay away from. In game 5, the light patterns went in different directions and it was harder to play. Also, the game had a loud voice but quiet background music. In version 2.0, all the issues were fixed in the audio and game modes. The gameplay is similar to Pac-Man , in that the player maneuvers
3510-429: The player has completed. The game also includes a Simon-style game called "2 Wizards are Better Than One" which involves sticking with one pattern and adding an extra command on it each time. Game 3 has different music to the other 2 games on which requires 2 wands. One player makes a pattern and sends it to the other wand and then the other player has to repeat it back. Tiger Electronics and Hasbro are known to include
3575-495: The player to tilt the wand down 90 degrees, and "Leviosa!" which requires the player to tilt it up 90 degrees. The game has 8 levels; at each level, the patterns get longer and longer. If the player makes a mistake trying to memorize the pattern, the Evil Wizard will say something like "Now the pain begins!" or "No match for me!" If the player makes 3 mistakes in a round, the game is over and the Evil Wizard will say, "Your powers are now mine!". The announcer will announce how many rounds
3640-594: The popularity of webcams. Webcams can also encourage remote work , enabling people to work remotely via the Internet. This usage was crucial to the survival of many businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic , when in-person office work was discouraged. Businesses, schools, and individuals have relied on video conferencing instead of spending on business travel for meetings. Moreover, the number of video conferencing cameras and software have multiplied since then due to their popularity. Webcam features and performance can vary by program , computer operating system , and also by
3705-419: The resolution went up from gradually from 320×240, to 640×480, and some now even offer 1280×720 (aka 720p ) or 1920×1080 (aka 1080p ) resolution. Despite the low cost, the resolution offered as of 2019 is impressive, with now the low-end webcams offering resolutions of 720p , mid-range webcams offering 1080p resolution, and high-end webcams offering 4K resolution at 60 fps. Various lenses are available,
3770-488: The single pixels and a resolution below 3 μm was possible. Many users do not wish the continuous exposure for which webcams were originally intended, but rather prefer privacy. Such privacy is lost when malware allow malicious hackers to activate the webcam without the user's knowledge, providing the hackers with a live video and audio feed. This is a particular concern on many laptop computers, as such cameras normally cannot be physically disabled if hijacked by such
3835-561: The spokesperson for HitClips in 2003. In 2004, she was succeeded by Raven-Symoné when the format was changed into a 2-minute mini circular cartridge. At that point 30 million units had been sold. In June 2002, 80 singles from 30+ artists were available. Tiger Electronics Gerald Rissman, Randy Rissman and Arnold Rissman founded the company in June 1978. It started with low-tech items like phonographs, then began developing handheld electronic games and educational toys. Prominent among these
3900-539: The use of a fixed-focus lens does not impact image sharpness to a great extent. Most models use simple, focal-free optics (fixed focus, factory-set for the usual distance from the monitor to which it is fastened to the user) or manual focus. Webcams can come with different presets and fields of view . Individual users can make use of less than 90° horizontal FOV for home offices and live streaming. Webcams with as much as 360° horizontal FOV can be used for small- to medium-sized rooms (sometimes even large rooms). Depending on
3965-430: The use of webcams for cyber-bullying . Webcam recordings of teenagers, including underage teenagers, are frequently posted on popular Web forums and imageboards such as 4chan . Webcams can be used as security cameras . Software is available to allow PC-connected cameras to watch for movement and sound, recording both when they are detected. These recordings can then be saved to the computer, e-mailed, or uploaded to
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#17328768828534030-562: The users' purposes, webcams in the market can display the whole room or just the general vicinity. As the bayer filter is proprietary, any webcam contains some built-in image processing , separate from compression. Digital video streams are represented by huge amounts of data, burdening its transmission (from the image sensor, where the data is continuously created) and storage alike. Most if not all cheap webcams come with built-in ASIC to do video compression in real-time. Support electronics read
4095-413: Was able to secure licenses from many of the time's top selling companies to sell their own versions of games such as Capcom's Street Fighter II , Sega's Sonic 3D Blast , and Konami's Castlevania II: Simon's Quest . Later, Tiger introduced what they called "wrist games". These combined a digital watch with a scaled-down version of a Tiger handheld game. In 1995, Tiger introduced Super Data Blasters,
4160-409: Was the 2-XL Robot in 1978, and K28, Tiger's Talking Learning Computer (1984) which was sold worldwide by Kmart and other chain stores. Tiger also achieved success with many simple handheld electronics games like Electronic Bowling and titles based on licenses, such as RoboCop , Terminator , and Spider-Man . An early 1990s hit was the variable-speed portable cassette player and recorder ,
4225-533: Was their line of licensed handheld LCD games. In a 1993 feature on these games, GamePro attributed their success to the following three factors: In the fall of 1994, Tiger introduced a specialized line of their handheld LCD games, called Tiger Barcodzz. These were barcode games which read any barcode and used it to generate stats for the player character. The line was a major success in Japan, where there were even reality shows based around gamers competing to find
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