iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 15h

I'm thrilled to host another coaching + yoga workshop with Jane Macdonald of Solas Yoga Flow. Join us next month for 2 hours of reflective exercises and restorative yoga to nourish you this busy season. Early-bird tickets until 31 Oct www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gather-gro.... #yoga #selfcare

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 05/10/2026

Want a supportive space to help encourage you, cheer you on, and get some focused co-working time? Join us in @corvidaeumcreative.bsky.social's Discord every Tuesday morning for our Accountabilibuddies sessions! corvidaeumcreative.co.uk . Photo by Sreenivas on Unsplash: unsplash.com/photos/blue-...

Two gray-necked crows perched on a branch, one leaning toward the other's head as if nuzzling or preening, set against a soft green blurred background

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 04/10/2026

It's #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, and I have to say, I'm probably more *aware* of breast cancer than most people. At @workingwithcancer.bsky.social , I help people return to work after a cancer diagnosis - many of them breast cancer patients, given the high prevalence of this form of cancer.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 03/10/2026

It's been a busy autumn so far and it's not letting up now...so it's time for me to take my own advice and consider how I'm going to avoid drifting into the burnout spiral! In a well-balanced life we make time for work, chores, rest, and play. When we start spiralling into burnout...

Workbook cover titled "Unwinding the Burnout Spiral" featuring a close-up green tendril curling into a spiral with dew drops, a blue band labeled "CURIOUS Catalysts," and the author name Catlin McDonald.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 02/10/2026

Zooming in a little on my vision for this year: I created a digital vision board back in January as part of Mel Larsen's Future Seed programme. When I printed it out to put on my bulletin board, part of the image didn't render properly - little snippets of text came out as plain yellow boxes.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 01/10/2026

New initiative, new bulletin board! I'm joining a year-long programme for entrepreneurs, so I decided I needed a visual reminder of my business goals. Of course I could track my progress on the computer but there's something about having these physically in front of you that makes it more real.

Teal felt bulletin board showing vision-board collages, handwritten notes and a printed checklist, framed by a multicolored felt-flower garland with a couple of dried roses hanging above.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 30/09/2026

Today I'm gathering with my Working with Cancer colleagues in London to compare notes, cheer each other on, and prepare for the rest of the year. I'm in charge of the icebreaker activity this time!

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 29/09/2026

Once upon a time I had a bad experience with an uncredentialled 'coach'. It was so bad I had to seek repair for the damage from a therapist I had already worked with and trusted.

Caitlin in an orange jacket sits at a table scattered with word cards and holds a small card labeled "POWER" toward the viewer, emphasizing selection or focus on personal power.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 26/09/2026

One of the things I love best about Edinburgh is the little acts of public art everywhere: I live in Leith, whose motto 'Persevere' goes back to the 12th century. You can see it on buildings, lampposts, etched into sidewalks - and even in graffiti around the neighbourhood.

Handwritten TAKE A SMILE note taped to a Lothian bus stop, flanked by two red hearts and a torn tear-off tab hanging below with a simple hand-drawn smiley face.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 25/09/2026

I always get nervous when a client doesn't show up for a session - particularly my clients with stage 4 cancer.

Caitlin in an orange jacket concentrates while arranging small word magnets on a table in a collaborative brainstorming or therapy session with another person across from her.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 24/09/2026

Throwback Thursday: me looking as excited as I feel, & a much more professional image, taken while preparing for the dinner I hosted about digital ethics at the House of Lords in 2018 for our Leading Edge Forum clients. I still use the backpack slumped in the corner of the first photo, btw!

Caitlin taking a close selfie with a playful surprised expression, standing in a formal dining room with tables set for a meal and a staff member arranging drinks at a wooden counter in the background.

Caitlin taking a selfie in front of a long, formally set dining table with white tablecloth, folded napkins, crystal glasses and candlesticks in an elegant wood-paneled dining room.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 23/09/2026

Preview featuring a snippet of my very own collage about future visions of digital commons for the creative industries - an exercise we ran in a series of co-creative workshops with people directly impacted by AI scraping. encatc.org/en/events/en...

Presentation slide titled "Digital Commons in Cultural and Creative Industries: Governance, Sustainability and Democratic Access," featuring a central collage of a colorful brain and illustrations, presenter Caitlin McDonald with contact lines, and ENCATC and European Union co-funding logos.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 23/09/2026

Today at ENCATC! My presentation "Digital Commons in Cultural and Creative Industries: Governance, Sustainability and Democratic Access" based on research we've been conducting at the University of Edinburgh...

Digital Commons in Cultural and Creative Industries — Governance, Sustainability and Democratic Access title slide with a central mixed-media collage (colorful brain illustration and vintage drawings), presenter name Caitlin McDonald, and ENCATC and EU co-funded logos in the corners.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 22/09/2026

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 22/09/2026

If you're at ENCATC this week, please do join me tomorrow afternoon for my presentation "Digital Commons in Cultural and Creative Industries: Governance, Sustainability and Democratic Access" based on research we've been conducting at the University of Edinburgh...

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 20/09/2026

Since I can't do it on the day, please enjoy this gif which will, tragically, be missing from my presentation on Wednesday.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 18/09/2026

We had fun last night at @CorvidaeumCreative.bsky.social learing the power of seeking help from the flock! Here's a tip to improve at seeking help: you know that great feeling you get when you help someone else out, like you're really contributing? Well, why should you deprive someone else?

Creative planning workspace with handwritten notes and charts laid out on a table, colorful markers and pencils scattered over a partially colored illustration, and cups holding pens beside a whiteboard in the background.

Workspace whiteboard showing a "I need help with..." brainstorming template with four columns labeled WHO?, WHY?, INVITATION & OFFER, and HOW?, handwritten prompts beneath, an eraser and marker, and a small photo magnet labeled "Pet Jester" at the top right.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 16/09/2026

I'm hosting an event tomorrow night all about accepting helping hands 🤗 We'd love to welcome you at the Corvidaeum if learning to ask for help is something you'd like to work on. CROW Wellbeing Workshop: Accepting Helping Hands Date: 17 sept • 19:30 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crow-wellb...

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 15/09/2026

I had an experience recently where someone used my data (and that of others) without my permission to create AI-generated content. I was shocked that they didn't understand the harms of doing this; they were surprised that I minded.

Caitlin in a bright orange jacket stands confidently with hands on hips by a harbor, looking at the camera with a slight smile against blurred boats and waterfront buildings.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 13/09/2026

My latest Curious Catalyst is this Humming for Inner Harmony exercise, using the resonant power of the breath for calming the nervous system. This has measurable cognitive and cardiovascular benefits even from just a few minutes! caitlinmcdonald.com/coaching/cur...

Workbook cover with a hummingbird hovering to sip nectar from dangling pink berries against a soft green background, overlaid with the title "Humming for Inner Harmony" and a blue band with the series title reading "CURIOUS Catalysts".

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 12/09/2026

A week of my normal job before I head off again for more high-intensity presentation time! So, today is a day of REST. What are you doing to make sure you're fully restored and ready to take on whatever challenges await you?

Floral-framed card reading "Rest is a lifelong practice." leaning against a blue Rest Deck box, surrounded by honeycomb beeswax candles, a pinecone and a small red polka-dot mushroom ornament on a white tabletop.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 11/09/2026

For the past two days, I've been attending a thought-provoking deep dive into the psychological theory of Transactional Analysis. Developed by Eric Berne in the 1950s, TA posits that all problems are interpersonal problems. Photo by Pamela Cook.

Caitlin in an orange jacket leaning on a dock railing by a canal, gazing to the side with modern apartment buildings and their reflections in the water behind them.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 09/09/2026

Earlier today in Linz, Austria, setting up for our event at Ars Electronica! Theme: negotiating humanity - prescient for these times. I like to think of negotiating both in the sense of navigating around and through obstacles, and in the sense of coming to shared agreement about challenges.

Caitlin holding an ARS ELECTRONICA 2026 festival pass, standing in front of tall sunflowers with the sun creating a lens flare and modern buildings in the background.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 05/09/2026

Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace, The soul that knows it not, knows no release From little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings. Amelia Earhart's 1927 poem 'Courage.'

Caitlin leaning against a weathered brick wall, wearing a bright orange jacket over a patterned shirt.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 03/09/2026

What does autumn have in store for you? It's typically the kickoff of my busiest season, so it's important for me to get my vision in order - you need to know what you're aiming for before you can devise your route!

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 01/09/2026

I love my work, but this is A Lot! To keep myself fully present, I'll have to be even more vigilant than usual about making time to rest. I love Tricia Hersey's work from the Nap Ministry and I'll be keeping these Rest Deck cards nearby over the next month.

A sunlit scene showing The Nap Ministry’s Rest Deck box and fanned affirmation cards on a wooden floor beside a patterned rug and a blue cushion. The top card reads "Rest is my foundation to build, invent, restore, and imagine the world I want to see."

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 31/08/2026

"I have a tendency to go off on a million different tangents, and I really appreciated how Caitlin was able to gently get me back on track by helping me identify the biggest problems and stressors I'm facing." Recent testimonial from a client!

Caitlin in an orange jacket gestures animatedly while explaining a word-tile activity to a seated man across a table in a pink-walled room.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 30/08/2026

Visiting the Book Festival today for Victoria Bennett's memoir of creating a garden by the sea in Orkney, "The Apothecary by the Sea: A Year in an Orkney Garden." I'm drawn to the power of the sea (as pictured here at the edge of the Cellardyke tidal pool earlier this summer!)

Caitlin in a violently pink and black dry robe taking a seaside selfie on a rocky beach of the Cellardyke tidal pool, swimmers and a low, cloudy sky over the calm sea.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 29/08/2026

I've just released a brand-new Curious Catalyst all about the power of humming to get your nervous system back in tune! Two simple exercises to help you figure out what you're feeling, and move towards a more beneficial state. Check it out here: caitlinmcdonald.com/coaching/cur...

Workbook cover showing a hummingbird hovering in front of pink berries beneath green leaves, titled "Humming for Inner Harmony" with a centred blue band that has the series title "CURIOUS Catalysts" and author name Caitlin McDonald along the right edge.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 27/08/2026

This is mine from our in-person workshop last month. When we're done, AIxDesign will help us create a zine describing the emergent themes from our ongoing research on AI and the digital commons - stay tuned for more!

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 26/08/2026

The problem? How to get to a tidal island without waiting for the tide. The solution? This majestic sea tractor 🌊🚜, designed by Robert Jackson in 1969 and still in use today at Burgh Island in Devon.

Burgh Island's sea tractor, an elevated open-sided passenger platform on oversized tractor wheels used to ferry people across a sandy beach, with passengers seated inside and a wooden boarding ramp, blue sea and sky visible in the background.

Burgh Island's sea tractor, a covered, open-sided platform ferry carrying passengers across coastal water toward a sandy shore with rolling green hills under a partly cloudy sky.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 25/08/2026

Small business owner pro-tip: have the inimitable Bob Ross on in the background when you're powering through your tasks - it's like having a personalised motivational cheerleader on tap. "This is your world, you can do anything you want to do!" "Use what happens naturally, don't fight it."

Bob Ross's beatific face looming forth from pine trees trees and clouds all surrounded by big text reading "No Mistakes, Just Happy Accidents."

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 21/08/2026

Whether engaging in a single session or over a series of sessions, randomized controlled trials show that human coaches are perceived to be more effective than generative AI coaching chatbots. Nevertheless, coaches have fears about replacement by their digital counterparts. Photo by Pamela Cook.

Caitlin orange jacket concentrating as she helps a client select a values-based word card from a table scattered with small word tiles, a vase of pink flowers and a glass of water.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 19/08/2026

"Oh, you've changed out of your charity t-shirt already!" another volunteer said to me when I ran into her at the bus stop after we'd finished a recent event with a charity (not one pictured here.) She was still wearing hers.

Caitlin's hand holding a green MHFA England mental health information card and matching lanyard showing crisis contacts (Dial 999, Samaritans 116 123, text SHOUT to 85258) and brief self-care tips, with a blurred bookshelf and trailing plant in the background.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 18/08/2026

What do we do at Accountabilibuddies co-working on Tuesday mornings @corvidaeumcreative.bsky.social ? Well, today we had... 📜 Hebrew translation 💌 Inbox zero! 📊 Spreadsheet navigation 🔭 Forward planning some future wellbeing workshops (that was me!)

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 17/08/2026

What does coaching mean in an age of generative AI agentic chatbots? Read my article for the Critical AI @ Rutgers blog to find out! criticalai.org/2026/08/03/c... (Photo by Pamela Cook.)

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 14/08/2026

What are some of the ways you try to expand your own creative thinking? (These cards are my own design for a values-discovery excercise I run with clients sometimes!) Photo by Pamela Cook brand photography.

Caitlin's hands sorting and selecting small laminated word cards on a table, picking a card reading "wonder" from a scattered set of values-based words like learning, socializing and religion, suggesting a brainstorming or reflective word-mapping activity.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 13/08/2026

Perceiving a meaningful pattern from unrelated stimuli, like this surprised and anxious recycling bin, is called *pareidolia*: it's the brain's way of keeping you safe. Spotting a tiger gazing thoughtfully at you through leaves would have been pretty important!

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 11/08/2026

Summer reading: Professor Marc Brackett's 'Permission to Feel,' all about emotional literacy. Prof Brackett's core concept is that emotions are information; they aren't just experiences, they tell us important things about our internal state and prepare us for action.

A page from Professor Marc Brackett's book 'Permission to Feel' outlining some of the principles mentioned in the post.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 10/08/2026

Portrait of the artist drawn without looking! It's Fringe season here in Edinburgh and I went to see "The Bob Ross Effect" yesterday, where we were issued with crayons and clipboards and given various drawing exercises throughout the show.

Rough blue crayon sketch of a smiling face—hair, closed eyes, eyebrows, ears, lips and chin—drawn on a sheet clipped to a clipboard under purple lighting.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 07/08/2026

One day I tried potting it in succulent soil instead of normal potting soil - and suddenly it thrived. New shoots emerged, branched, grew, and those two tiny leaves soon grew into this rather tall tree! It almost certainly needs repotting now, but I'm a little afraid of how big it might get...!

Potted jade plant with thick rounded leaves rising from a green nursery pot on a wooden bookshelf, positioned in front of upright books and accompanied by trailing variegated vines and a framed squirrel photo.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 04/08/2026

My favourite networking group is The Outsiders - a merry band of solopreneurs and small business owners who all realised we needed to pry ourselves away from the screen more! Last week the intrepid Cheryl led us for a walk by Queensferry's iconic three bridges, prompting us with the key question:

Caitlin smiling taking a selfie on a rocky shoreline with the red cantilever Forth Bridge crossing the estuary beneath brooding clouds.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 03/08/2026

In a world that's becoming profoundly automated, how often do you get the chance to have somebody really listen to you? This is one of the things I value most highly about coaching sessions: it's a profoundly human-to-human encounter.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 02/08/2026

This is my recent reward fro completing a coaching CPD programme. Excuse the wonky framking but it was a hot day and I didn't want my reward to melt! What have you rewarded yourself for recently? Or what might you deserve a reward for that you haven't yet given yourself?

Hand holding a waffle cone with yellow and chocolate ice cream scoops in front of a sunlit city street and blurred hilltop castle.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 02/08/2026

"And what are you planning to do to celebrate?" This is one of my favourite coaching questions, though my coachees are frequently nonplussed by it! Celebrating is one of the most important ways to reinforce behaviours or beliefs that we want to amplify.

A hand holding a waffle cone with chocolate and lemon-yellow scoops, framed against a sunlit city street and a blurred hilltop castle, conveying enjoying ice cream while sightseeing.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 31/07/2026

I can't wait to read Gwenne's book when she's ready to share it - as she says here, it will bring into the world "Treasures to be told, ready to behold, waiting to unfold!" What a joy to be part of the unfolding process with her.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 31/07/2026

What a joy to host my first vision board session with Gwenne this week! She's graciously given me permission to share the ✨magical✨ ideas we worked on together during her session.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 29/07/2026

Reframing: a simple but powerful cognitive technique! I was overheated, hungry, carrying heavy bags, stressed because my bus was on diversion, a baby was shrieking as I tried to squeeze me and my bags through the station grocery store...

Caitlin smiling slightly in front of a view of a Waverley station platform with a man playing piano in the background while a woman records him on her phone.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 28/07/2026

Here I am with much longer hair on a big stage doing some imagining about the future! This was three years ago at SIBOS Innotribe, the innovation and future of finance provocative thinking arena for financial services.

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Caitlin @cmcd-phd.caitlinmcdonald.com · 26/07/2026

I almost put off going outside. "If I go out now, it'll be late by the time I get back. I'm tired. I have stuff to do. I'll go out tomorrow." But I decided it was the chores that could wait instead: connecting with nature is one of the most important ways to support wellbeing.

Beautiful Edinburgh sunset over the Firth of Forth.

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