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August 19, 2004 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Google Shares Spike 17% to $102 in First Day Trading on Nasdaq
o Calif. Senate Passes Bill to Make Video Game Ratings More Accessible
o Patent Office Favors Microsoft in Eolas Browser Patent Dispute
o Microsoft, Electronic Arts to Host "FIFA Interactive World Cup"
o Mobile Entertainment Publisher Mforma Acquires Game Porter FingerTwitch
o Cdigix to Provide Digital Music, Video-on-Demand to Six Universities
o TeliaSonera Sells Zed to Wisdom Entertainment for $37 Million

 > DMW Announcements:
 --Future of Television: Next Generation - November 19, 2004
 --Billboard Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards - Nov. 4-5, 2004

 > Featured Advertisement:
 --Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards
 

o Briefly Noted: XM Satellite Radio - "30 Minute Replay" receiver, eMusic - Michael Azerrad, BSkyB - Disney, SunnComm, Electronic Arts - "Madden" sales, Plantronics - gaming headsets, Nokia - N-Gage titles, World Cyber Games
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> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
--Global Marketing Coordinators
--Senior Budget Analyst
--Sr. Account Manager for Microsoft Account
--Vice President/GM SAVVIS
--Product Manager
--Sales Directors
--Director of CRM
--Media Buyer - Online
--Strategic Planning Associate 
--VPTC Wireless Networking Symposium - Sept. 15
--Affordable Corporate Wireless Email - Register to Win a Free Treo 600
--New Release: PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008
 


o Google Shares Spike 17% to $102 in First Day Trading on Nasdaq

Mountain View, Calif. -- Shares of search engine giant Google rose over 18%, or $17 over the $85 price named for its initial public offering (IPO), which commenced on Thursday. Google sold 19.6 million shares at $85 each, raising a total of $1.67 billion in its IPO. The company lowered the initial share price to $85 from an earlier range of $108 to $135 per share, after it found that interest in the online auction offering of its shares did not produce as much investor interest as anticipated. Options on Google stock are expected to begin trading by the end of next week as well.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?G21951719
http://news.com.com/Google+shares+rise+in+debut/2100-1024_3-5316026.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040819/tech_google_sector_1.html
\http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/19google.html
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o Calif. Senate Passes Bill to Make Video Game Ratings More Accessible

Sacramento, Calif. -- The California state senate has approved a bill that would require that video game ratings be clearly displayed by retailers, and that retailers make information on the ratings system readily available to parents purchasing games for their children. The bill, AB 1793, must now be signed into law by Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. State Sen. Leland Yee (D) encouraged the governor to approve the legislation. "I am hopeful the Governor will keep his promise to protect California's children and sign this legislation warning parents of video game content," Yee said in a statement. "More needs to be done to help parents make good choices about which games are appropriate for children."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=ret&aid=4003      
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o Patent Office Favors Microsoft in Eolas Browser Patent Dispute

Washington -- Microsoft has won another victory in its patent battle with Eolas, a company claiming to hold a patent covering the use of plug-ins with a Web browser, CNET News.com reported. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected all 10 patent of Eolas' patent claims currently under review, in the second part of a three-part patent review process. Eolas, a spin-off from the University of California, previously won a $521 million patent infringement judgment against Microsoft in the matter, which Microsoft is appealing. That ruling could compel Web browser makers like Microsoft to license Eolas' technology, or else create a workaround that would potentially "break" millions of Web pages. Microsoft has appealed that ruling, as well as asked the Patent Office to re-examine the Eolas patent, from which the recent ruling in Microsoft's favor emerged. Both the legal case and the Patent Office re-examination will likely go through several stages of appeal before any outcome is decided.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K33862719 
http://www.eolas.com 
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o Microsoft, Electronic Arts to Host "FIFA Interactive World Cup"

Leipzig, Germany -- Microsoft and game developer Electronic Arts announced on Thursday that they have partnered with international soccer federation FIFA to develop a "World Cup" video game tournament for players of Electronic Arts' "FIFA Football 2005" for the Xbox. The FIFA Interactive World Cup will be comprised of a three-month tournament featuring both offline and online play on six continents, with the finals to be played in Zurich in December. Microsoft also announced that it will serve as the officially licensed video game console of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Germany.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040819/sfth011_1.html
http://www.easports.com/games/fifa2005/home.jsp 
http://www.fifa.com  
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o Mobile Entertainment Publisher Mforma Acquires Game Porter FingerTwitch

Bellevue, Wash. -- Mobile entertainment publisher Mforma Group, which earlier this week announced raising $40 million in new financing, said on Thursday that it has acquired San Francisco-based FingerTwitch, a developer of technology used to port mobile games to multiple devices and wireless platforms. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mforma also named FingerTwitch CEO Jimmy Giliberti as head of its porting and QA department, which will be based out of San Francisco. FingerTwitch is "able to scale to accomplish hundreds of ports per month, making them an extremely valuable part of our production cycle as we deliver dozens of applications to more than 100 operators worldwide," said John Brimacombe, president of Bellevue, Wash.-based Mforma.
http://www.mforma.com 
http://www.fingertwitch.com  
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o Cdigix to Provide Digital Music, Video-on-Demand to Six Universities

Denver -- Cdigix (formerly Cflix), a provider of digital entertainment and educational media for colleges, announced on Thursday that it has signed agreements with six schools to provide downloadable music, video-on-demand and educational media services to students. The company will provide its services at Marietta College, Ohio University, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the University of Denver, Wake Forest and Yale University. Digital music downloads will be provided through MusicNet, a service launched by a group of major record labels that offers an 800,000-song catalog. The campus music service will cost $2.99 per month or $0.89 per track, while the video-on-demand service will be available for a monthly $9.99 subscription or else $3.99 per movie. The company's educational course curriculum will be free to enrolled students.
http://www.cdigix.com 
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o TeliaSonera Sells Zed to Wisdom Entertainment for $37 Million

Madrid -- Scandinavian wireless carrier TeliaSonera announced that it has agreed to sell its Sonera Zed unit to Wisdom Entertainment, a Spanish interactive media firm, for $37 million. Zed is a reseller of digital content for mobile phones in Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines and the U.K. through direct relationship with 23 mobile network operators. The firm also has operations in Austria, Ireland and Switzerland through connectivity partners. Wisdom Entertainment is involved in video game development and distribution, computer-animated film production and mobile content development and distribution. The deal has yet to be approved by the German competition watchdog, whose decision is expected by mid September, TeliaSonera said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J25512619 
http://www.teliasonera.com  

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 > DMW Events:

Future of Television Forum: Next Generation
November 19, 2004  |  New York City

www.televisionconference.com
Phone Registration Available Now
323-822-0936

OVERVIEW
Last year 370+ attended Future of Television Forum, which included keynotes from Mark Cuban (Chairman, HDNet / Owner, Dallas Mavericks), Joshua Sapan (President & CEO Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.), and David Zaslav (President, NBC Cable). This year's event is scheduled for November 19, 2004 at NYU's Stern School of Business and will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and cutting-edge topics focused on the "Next Generation" of television.

REGISTRATION
Early Bird: $195 (until August 31)
Pre-Registration: $295
(until November 12)
Registration: $395 (after November 12 & at Door)
Online Registration: http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1074

Phone: 323-822-0936


Entertainment is constantly evolving. It is tied to no particular platform, format or place in time, but shaped by the visionaries, innovators, entrepreneurs and brand developers who embrace technology, look to the future and inspire creativity. As a result, new ideas and art forms are brought to life.

The Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards honor this vision, along with innovation, entrepreneurship and brand development in digital entertainment. With awards in 30 unique categories honoring achievements involving games, music and film, television and video, Billboard recognizes the cutting-edge developments and forward thinkers shaping the future of entertainment.

 

The Conference will feature provocative panel sessions on current digital entertainment issues.  Approximately 70 industry leaders will be speaking at the 2-day conference and awards.

Keynotes include:

Mark Cuban - Chairman, HDNet, Owner, Dallas Mavricks


Confirmed speakers and judges include:
Keith Boesky - Head of New Media & Videogames, ICM
Vince Broady - SVP, Consumer Media, CNET, Co-Founder, GameSpot
Jay Cohen - Vice President of Publishing, Ubisoft
Ted Cohen - SVP, D3 - Digital Development & Distribution, EMI Music
David Del Beccaro - President and CEO, Music Choice

Marc Geiger - SVP & Agent, Contemporary Music Dept, William Morris Agency
Jay Frank - Head of Artist and Label Relations, Music, Yahoo!
Brian Garrity
- Senior Business Writer, Billboard
Mark Ghuneim
- SVP, Online Services, Sony Music
David Goldberg
-
Vice President & General Manager, Music, Yahoo!
Scott Greenstein - President of Programming and Sports, SIRIUS Satellite Radio

Jim Griffin
-
CEO, Cherry Lane Digital
John Hogan - CEO, Clear Channel Radio
John Kilcullen - President, VNU Music and Literary Group, Publisher, Billboard
David Leibowitz - Managing Partner, CH Potomac
Brian Levin - CEO, Mobliss

Don Levy - SVP, Marketing & Communications, Sony Pictures Digital

Al Lieberman - Executive Director, EMT Program, NYU Stern School of Business
Rick Mandler - VP & GM, Walt Disney Internet Group & ABC Enhanced TV

Ben Mendelson - President, Interactive Television Alliance

Julia Miller - Director, Xbox Live, Microsoft
David Nathanson - VP, Advanced Services & Channel Development, Fox

Jeffrey Pollack - Managing Dir. of Broadcasting & New Media, NASCAR
Jonathan Potter - Executive Director, Digital Media Association
John P. Roberts - SVP, Interactive & Online Entertainment, Game Show Network
Ken Rutkowski - Founder & Host, Ken Radio Broadcasting

Mika Salmi - Founder & CEO, AtomShockwave Corp.
Steve Schnur - Worldwide Executive of Music, Electronic Arts
Ned Sherman
-
Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Media Wire, Inc. 
Ralph Simon - Chairman Americas, Mobile Entertainment Forum

Howie Singer - Vice President of Technology, Warner Music Group
Robert Tercek - Executive Vice President / Chief Strategy Officer, (M)FORMA Group

John Welch -
President & CEO, PlayFirst Inc. 
Neil Young - VP and Executive in Charge of Production, Electronic Arts
Marcia Zellers - Director of Enhanced TV, American Film Institute

For more information, please call 323-822-0936 or visit www.digitalentertainmentawards.com

Online Award Submissions: https://secure.etronica.com/billboard/entries.php
Conference Registrations: https://secure.etronica.com/billboard/conference.php
Awards Gala Dinner Tickets: https://secure.etronica.com/billboard/awardshow.php

Early bird registration ends August 31st!
Full conference registration fee includes, at no cost, a non-deductible 6-month subscription to Billboard magazine ($155 U.S. value). New subscribers only.

Deadline for Award Submissions: September 15, 2004

Conference & Awards Show: November 4 and 5, 2004

AWARDS CATEGORIES
(click here for category descriptions)
AWARDS ENTRY FORM
(click here to download entry form)

To submit speakers for or request information about exhibiting or sponsoring at the 2004 conferences, please contact Tinzar Than, VP, Marketing & Events, Digital Media Wire, Inc. at: tinzar@digitalmediawire.com.
 

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients
 

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o Briefly Noted:

(New York) XM Satellite Radio on Thursday introduced manufacturing partner Delphi's new Delphi XM SKYFi2 satellite radio receiver. The $129 receiver, set to go on sale in the fall, will feature a "30 Minute Replay" function, which automatically records the last 30 minutes of programming so that users may "pause" broadcasts and return to the point they left off, or rewind to hear a portion that was missed.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040818/dew007_1.html 
http://www.delphi.com
http://www.xmradio.com

(New York) EMusic, a digital music retailer focused on independent labels, announced on Thursday a new editorial staff in anticipation of the launch of an updated version of the service. New York-based eMusic named former Rolling Stone editor Michael Azerrad as its editor-in-chief, who in turn hired music writers including Pulitzer Prize winner Justin Davidson, Yancey Strickler, Ann Powers, Douglas Wolk, Kevin Whitehead and Peter Blackstock. The new version of eMusic promises over 100 new reviews every month, with each writer in 12 genres also contributing a monthly column.
http://www.emusic.com

(London) U.K. satellite TV operator BSkyB announced that it has signed a deal with Disney to create a Disney-branded interactive TV games service for Sky Gamestar, the satellite service's iTV games portal. Three Disney games will be available at any given time for users to play on a pay-per-play basis, following a free trial.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O27962719 
http://www1.sky.com/skyactive/games

(Phoenix, Ariz.) SunnComm, a developer of CD copy-protection technology, said on Thursday that its security features have been included on over 5 million commercially released CDs in North America. The company said that its MediaMax technology, which prevents consumers from uploading tracks onto the Internet, has been included on several gold- and platinum-certified records, as well as a No. 1 seller on Billboard's charts (Velvet Revolver).
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040819/195104_2.html 
http://www.sunncomm.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Game developer Electronic Arts said on Thursday that its "Madden NFL 2005" title has sold more than 1.35 million copies during its first week at retail, based on internal company data. The company also noted that within a month of shipping its "NCAA Football 2005" title and including the release of the newest "Madden" game, over 315,000 new user accounts have been created to play its football games online through the PlayStation 2 and Xbox Live.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040819/195121_3.html
http://www.easports.com/games/madden2005/home.jsp

(Santa Cruz, Calif.) Plantronics, a manufacturer of communications headsets, on Thursday released four new headset models -- two designed for use with Microsoft's Xbox and two for PC gamers. Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Plantronics, which designed the original headset used for voice chat on Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service, will sell the new Xbox headset models for $19 and $29, while the PC models will retail for $29 and $79. http://www.plantronics.com (Espoo, Finland) Cell phone maker Nokia on Thursday announced two new titles for its N-Gage hybrid cell phone/mobile game deck. "Catan," developed by Capcom and based on the board game, will be released in early 2005, while "Asphalt: Urban GT," developed by Gameloft, is expected to be available in the fall.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040819/ukth003_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040819/ukth002_1.html 
http://www.n-gage.com

(Los Angeles) The World Cyber Games, a video game competition sponsored by Samsung Electronics, announced on Thursday that it will hold its national tournament finals this year at GameWorks in Long Beach, Calif. from Sept. 17-19. Winners at the national tournament will then compete against 700 participants from 64 countries for $400,000 in prizes at the Grand Final in San Francisco in October.
http://www.worldcybergames.com 

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> Classifieds -- Ad Postings

> Global Marketing Coordinators

Very creative promotional marketing firm that encourages sense of humor, fun, innovation and a "think out of the box" approach seeks marketing coordinators for international markets. Requirements: a four-year college degree and a min. one year experience as a marketing coordinator or similar role, strong administrative assistant skills, experience and detail orientation. Knowledge of print production helpful as well as great writing skills and project mgmt skills and confidence presenting new ideas and approaches. Also required: excellent Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Illustrator and Photoshop a major plus. Fluency in French or German also a major plus. Send resumes to: jobs@rcrecruiting.com
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> Senior Budget Analyst

Seeking a seasoned professional with significant public sector financial experience to serve as a senior member of Loudoun County's budget team. Reports to the Budget Officer plays a key role in the development of the County Administrator's proposed budget and provides analysis to senior staff and elected officials regarding budgetary issues. MA in public Administration /accounting and two years related exp. Ref 05-072. Web site: http://www.loudoun.gov  Voice (703)777-0213 Send resumes to hr@loudoun.gov
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> Sr. Account Manager for Microsoft Account

JAM Communications, a Washington DC based integrated direct marketing agency, is seeking an account manager to help direct the Microsoft relationship. Candidate must have six plus years of account management experience with a strong understanding of direct marketing, business-to-business, and government marketing. College degree required, MBA preferred. More information about JAM Communications can be found at http://www.jamagency.com  Send resume w/cover letter to kyle@jamagency.com 
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> Vice President/GM SAVVIS

Federal Systems The VP/GM will be responsible for managing direct and indirect functional activities within SFS, with a primary focus on the business and sales initiatives. Responsible for developing and implementing strategic business plans for the Gov't Market segment. Responsible for meeting market segment profit, growth, market penetration, and customer satisfaction objectives. Require: 15 plus years exp. selling and supporting high end gov't and commercial business in the networking, hosting and application services space. 5-8 yrs exp. selling directly to Gov't agencies. Strong financial skills in managing a P&L. Full Security clearance. BS or BA Degree in Business Required./M.B.A Preferred. Send resumes to dloehr@savvis.net
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> Product Manager

Leads and executes individual product initiatives within a business unit. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required. Graduate degree in business or engineering preferred. 3-5 years Product Mgmt experience within the service industry, high tech or advanced CRM applications preferred. Experience building and managing teams a plus. Strong project mgmt skills, detail-oriented with solid analytical skill. Ability to develop business relationships and partnerships as needed. Travel up to 20% of total time. Evening or weekend hours may be required. Compensation negotiable up to $95K. Send resumes to denise@iconstaff.com
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> Sales Directors

A high growth IT Systems Integrator with over 6 years of success is seeking senior level sales professionals for commercial and gov't sales. Only candidates who are motivated by prospecting, qualifying, and closing new business should apply. To qualify for an interview, you must have 3 yrs or more successful sales exp. in systems integration and/or professional services. An understanding of business processes and an ability to interact with all levels of sr. mgmt and technical staff is desired. Must possess the ability to objectively analyze a customer's projected needs and provide a solution that customers will buy. College degree or higher. Please send your resume and cover letter to ron@innovativeexecutivesearch.com 
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> Director of CRM

GTSI is a market-leading, $1B, 20+ year successful business. We have an immediate opening for a Director of CRM to develop and build CRM as one of the company's long-term core competencies and key differentiators. The successful candidate will be a strong proven leader with the ability to develop, communicate and drive a CRM vision, as well as effectively manage and be accountable for its implementation. You must have 5 plus yrs CRM mgmt, 10 plus yrs. total marketing exp, and a BS degree in Marketing or Business. Government industry knowledge essential. Please send resume to careers@gtsi.com  and reference CRM in the subject line.
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> Media Buyer - Online

Our client located southwest of Boston looking for a smart and experienced marketing professional to serve as a Media Buyer-Online. The successful candidate will be responsible for hitting monthly and quarterly visitor and subscriber goals, work with designer to develop creative for each campaign/ad unit, set up and administer campaign tracking. Reconcile media invoices and work with sites to rectify any billing issues. Require: 2+ years in online media/marketing, BA/BS degree is reqd. Exp. required with $100,000+ monthly marketing budget. Very strong excel skills. Some HTML skill reqd. Excellent written communication; strong organization and analytic skills. Salary up to $75K. Send resumes to: denise@iconstaff.com
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> Strategic Planning Associate

BuyerZone.com, the leading b2b e-marketplace for business purchasing is seeking a Strategic Planning Associate to join its team and continue its record growth pace. As a Strategic Planning Associate, you will help identify areas for future corporate expansion. This includes identifying potential markets and opportunities for expansion, assessing their feasibility through both qualitative and quantitative analyses, and recommending market entry strategies. Requirements: Recent college graduate with up to 3 years work exp, preferably with a major in the business, economics or marketing. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Send resumes to jobs@buyerzone.com 
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> VPTC Wireless Networking Symposium

The Virginia Piedmont Technology Council (VPTC) is presenting a wireless networking conference on September 15, 2004, at the Doubletree Hotel in Charlottesville, VA. This one-day statewide event offers information, demonstrations, keynotes, and workshops dedicated to wireless networking technology - the benefits, uses, deployment, and the future of the technology. To register or reserve your exhibit space, visit http://www.vptcfallsymposium.com  Send inquiries to events@vptc.org
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> Affordable Corporate Wireless Email - Register to Win a Free Treo 600

Be productive anywhere, anytime; always stay connected to critical info. Email, calendar, contacts pushed from your corporate mail server. Affordable for organizations of all sizes. NO hardware or software to buy. Support for Palm (Treo 600!), Pocket PC and Symbian devices over any carrier. For more info about Aperture's Wireless Email Service or to register to win a Free Treo 600, go to http://www.apertureservices.com  Send inquiries to Info@ApertureServices.com
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> New Release: PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008

PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 is the leading global entertainment and media industry forecast, including in-depth global analyses and five-year growth projections for 14 industry segments covering every major global region. The complete 550-page book, is available in print or electronic format. The 50 page "Global Overview" (available in print or electronic format)or any of the 14 individual industry segment chapters (electronic format only) can be purchased separately for $95. For sample content and to order, click here.
 
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Digital Media Wire, Inc. is a news organization, publisher and events company serving the digital media industry since May 2000. Our daily newsletter delivers original briefings on business, legal and financial developments shaping digital media and read by over 30,000 executives and professionals. To subscribe for free, please click here.

Digital Media Wire, Inc. is part of the Tech Wire Media Group, an international network of publications that includes Digital Media Law Report, Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri-state Tech Wire and European Tech Wire. The network reaches more than 70,000 individuals from over 70 countries each business day.

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Chief Executive Officer: Ned Sherman
VP, Marketing & Events: Tinzar Than
Editor: Mark Hefflinger

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