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Michael Donnay

@mjdonnay.bsky.social
361 followers 710 following 66 posts

Community Manager @softwaresaved.bsky.social‬ MSc Digital Humanities ‘22 @ucldh.bsky.social Recovering stage & production manager He/Him | 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇬🇧 | #DHmakes #Baking

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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We are a drop-in session for people to ask questions about the Hidden REF Competition before submissions close! Join us today (Tuesday 25 August) from 11.00-12.00 to get all your questions answered! The link to join is on our website. hidden-ref.org/resources/co...
hidden-ref.org
Community Calls - The Hidden REF
Community Calls The Hidden REF Community Calls are open, informal spaces for people across the research community to come together and talk about research culture – […]
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"Our trees are experiencing drought conditions and gusty winds which increases the risk of 'tree failure' with branches being lost, even from trees that appear healthy. As a precaution colleagues should avoid sitting directly below trees, despite the shade they offer."
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
How are things going in the UK you ask? Today's message from work: As the UK moves into a fourth heatwave of 2026, with our area not experiencing any measurable rainfall in more than four weeks, colleagues and students should avoid sitting under trees.
static.klipy.com
Viva Piñata: Fergy & Franklin's Tree Branch Fall
ALT: Viva Piñata: Fergy & Franklin's Tree Branch Fall
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
University of London Press @uolpress.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Do we talk about failing enough? Failure is an unavoidable part of any scholarly endeavour. In creating a critical, constructive & compassionate vocabulary for failure, we can ask how to fail ‘better’: uolpress.co.uk/book/reframi... @ukiedh.bsky.social @mjdonnay.bsky.social @amsichani.bsky.social
uolpress.co.uk
Reframing Failure in Digital Scholarship - University of London Press
Failure is ordinary. From technological failures and computational obsolescence to rejected applications and challenging collaborations, failure is an unavoidable part of any scholarly endeavour. This...
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Behind almost every research study is a collections specialist, data manager, technician or bit of code that never makes the paper. The Hidden REF 2026 is open & recognises exactly those outputs & roles, the ones traditional assessment leaves out. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
If we recognise everyone who is vital to research, we advance our ability to conduct research. www.hidden-ref.org
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Lauren Klein @laurenfklein.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
There's probably a German word for writing something prescient but wishing you'd been wrong. From the epilogue to DATA BY DESIGN, written last fall, which I am proof-reading today
When I set out on this project over a decade ago,
I knew that I wanted to model the value of history and
context, of complexity and critique. But I did not antici-
pate just how much, in the end, I would want this project
to stand for the value of the humanities writ large. This
value manifests in the deep thinking born of disciplinary
training and domain expertise; the fresh ideas that are
sparked when disciplines and domains come together;
and the time and labor—so much time and labor—that
are required for the cultivation of any truly transforma-
tive idea. Now, looking back, I can very clearly see how
this project only exists because of my PhD in English—
because of what I would learn about visualization, its
uses, and its possibilities, only after leaving the tech job
that paid me (in part) to design actual charts.
The possibilities that emerge from this type of
humanities research are precisely those that the
current administration has sought to foreclose. One
of the very first acts of Trump 2.0—after freezing over
$400 billion in active research grants and arresting
student activists simply for speaking (or writing) their
mind—was to repurpose the National Endowment
for the Humanities (NEH) as an ideological enterprise
and to dismantle its Office of Digital Humanities (ODH)
altogether. Not coincidentally, the NEH ODH fundedthis project not once but twice. Data by Design may
in fact be one of the last projects—at least for the
moment—to reap the benefits of what ODH grants
enabled: dedicated time for experimentation and
iteration, increased visibility and potential for impact,
and cold hard cash (OK, direct deposit) to provide
students with real research experience. In the case of
my Digital Humanities Lab students, they would take
this experience on to graduate school and professor-
ships, to nonprofit and community work, and to jobs at
Microsoft, Meta, and the NSA, to name just some of the
places where my formerly NEH-funded students are
now employed.
In this context, I’ve been thinking back to W. E. B. Du
Bois and the students he taught at Atlanta University,
which is located just a few miles from Emory, where
I teach today. Du Bois also sent his students into an
actively disillusioning world—one in which they never-
theless went on to pursue graduate study, careers
as teachers at all levels, roles in government and as
entrepreneurs, as well as homemakers, members of
the clergy, and more. As our project team learned from
reading these students' words, what they achieved—in
the face of deeply entrenched racism and hostility—
was in large part due to the strength of their kinship
networks, their communities, and their convictions. But
a small part of the reason for their flourishing, or so I like
to think, was that in college, they had been immersed
in a sustained collaborative research project. They had
been guided through difficult questions about data
collection. They had been pushed to consider what the
data could and could not represent. And they had each
personally experienced the enhanced perspective
that always comes with accumulated knowledge
and additional research. To be clear: Du Bois and his
students faced a very different set of conditions thanmy students and I do today. Speaking now just for
myself, as a person with tenure, white skin, and—in the
context of the present moment—a birth certificate from
New York State, I am infinitely more protected. But the
frequencies of Du Bois’s project that resonate with the
one that I have envisioned and sustained over the past
twelve years are real, and they are affirming. They attest
to the value of the work that takes place in universities:
work that is slow, work that students must learn from
their professors how to do, and work thatww we as their
professors hope they will carry with them wherever
they go.
In today’s world, this work matters precisely
because it is not fast or “trending,” because it is not prof-
itable or “scalable,” because it is not attractive to fascist
governments. Why this work matters is because it is so
full of possibility, it is so full of community, and at times
(my personal writing process notwithstanding) so full of
joy. This is the kind of work we need more of right now.
It’s the kind of work we need our institutions to actively
support. Indeed, it’s the kind of work that we need more
people—more students, more tech workers, and more
students who will become tech workers—to learn to
recognize, to value, and perhaps even themselves to
learn how to do.
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The Hidden REF Competition is now live! The competition is your opportunity to highlight your hidden contributions to research. All the information you need to put together your submission can be found at: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... 🗓️ The deadline for submissions is 13 September
hidden-ref.org
Hidden REF Competition 2026 - The Hidden REF
Celebrating all research outputs and everyone involved in their creation The Hidden REF Competition The Hidden REF Competition celebrates all research outputs and everyone involved in […]
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The Digital Humanities Research Hub at the University of London offers unpaid fellowships that come with library credentials: www.sas.ac.uk/about-us/ins...
sas.ac.uk
Digital Humanities Fellowships
The DHRH welcomes visiting research fellows, open to scholars and practitioners in digital humanities and related fields who are based both in the UK and abroad.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
🎉🎉🎉
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Copim @copim.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
What the REF is happening with books?! We joined the @hiddenref.bsky.social team earlier this month to unpack the challenges of 🔓️ defining openness 💰️ funding models beyond BPCs 🪢 the tension between flexibility and REF policy! Listen to Ep 18. now! 🎧️
buff.ly
Ep 18. What the REF is happening with books?!
This week on What the Ref, the team heads to Plymouth for a lively workshop on non-traditional outputs before diving into a fascinating interview with Gareth Cole on the future of open access books.…
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
So excited to see this and especially pleased to see @betterimagesofai.bsky.social being used to illustrate the page!
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 02/04/2026
During WWII, the US couldn't find enough women to fill factory jobs. So, Congress used Lanham Act funds to build childcare centers in key defense production locations, offering full-time, high-quality care (and even summer and afterschool care) for <$10/day in today's dollars. 2/
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
We appreciated the shout out 😀 And the irony of the 'failure' of the failure category!
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Two of our brilliant contributors - @quinnanya.me and @arimare.bsky.social - have been nominated for this year's @dhawards.bsky.social! Please give them a vote! @amsichani.bsky.social @dh-researchhub.bsky.social @kingsdigitallab.bsky.social @stanfordulibraries.bsky.social
dhawards.org
DH Awards 2025 Voting | Digital Humanities Awards
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
DARIAH-IE @dariahie.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
📢 DARIAH - Training & Summer School Small Grants Call Open! Apply for funds to run a summer school, workshop, or hackathon. 🗓️ Events must take place in 2026 💰 Total pool: €10,000 ⏰ Deadline: 16 April 2026 at 17:00 CEST Open to DARIAH-IE Partner Institutions ! www.dariah.eu/2026/03/23/d...
dariah.eu
DARIAH Digital Arts and Humanities Training and Summer School Small Grants Call 2026 | DARIAH
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Lots of university-based printing people are very excited about it!
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Society of RSE @society-rse.org · 16/03/2026
⏰ There's still time! The 2026 International RSE Survey will be open until this Friday, 20th March. ⏰
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Better Images of AI @betterimagesofai.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
❓Did you know that you can donate your own better images of AI to our library? If you make your own images and would like to help improve the transparency and inclusivity of AI media, the Better Images of AI Submission Handbook makes this easier 🙌🏽 blog.betterimagesofai.org/submission-h...
blog.betterimagesofai.org
Submission Handbook for Better Images of AI - Better Images of AI Blog
To make the process of submitting images to our library easier for everyone, we've released our Submission Handbook to Better Images of AI.
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Society of RSE @society-rse.org · 06/03/2026
The RSECon26 Call for Submissions is open! Share the tools you build and the RSE practices you are advancing. We welcome talks, workshops, and posters from all domains. Check the guidelines and submit your proposals today! Link: rsecon26.society-rse.org/calls/submis... #RSECon26
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
EPCC @epcc.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The 2026 International Research Software Engineering Survey, run by the Software Sustainability Institute, will produce valuable insight into the RSE community that can be used to advocate for the community with policymakers and funders. Closes 20 March. Have your say! edin.ac/49x1ax7
Montage promoting SSI International RSE Survey
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture & Society @edcdcs.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Looking forward to hearing Dr Suzanne Black speak on the structural issues of preserving digital cultural heritage and platforms like AO3 in March! Join us! edin.ac/3MgQsSA #EdCDCS
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Advice on how to write impact specialists (like community managers) into grants, rather than making a post-doc do it as an add-on role They can also get involved with the Hidden REF, which is building a community to better recognise impact/engagement alongside other hidden research roles
hidden-ref.org
Home - The Hidden REF
Recognising the people who are vital to research If we do not recognise the people who are vital to research, we limit our ability to conduct […]
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Sarah Pyke @sarahpyke.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Thrilled for @senatehouselib.bsky.social, who've secured funding to catalogue Jonathan Cutbill's Haud Nominandum, the largest personal collection of English-language LGBTQ+ materials in the world! We had a handling session at #QueerBibliography 2023 with a tiny selection and it's a riot also jobs!
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
It's almost like running a country based on month-by-month budgeting is not the best way to do it...
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Institute for Research Software @softwaresaved.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
🟥 The deadline for Expressions of Interest for Round 2 of the RSMF is next Wed, 25 Feb, 16:00 GMT. If you missed our live sessions, you can still get all the insights from our webinar recordings: Webinar 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUha... Webinar 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpC0...
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
These are gorgeous! I've held off on developing a full-blown Lego habit so far, but I think this might be the thing that tips me over the edge.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Someone has pitched functional presses to Lego, which they'll produce if they get enough votes. So you could potentially have a full Lego workflow for printing, using flat pieces (www.reddit.com/r/printmakin...) for the type and then the press itself. beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
beta.ideas.lego.com
Two Working LEGO Printing Presses | LEGO® Ideas
The development of mechanical printing changed how ideas move through the world. Once text and images could be printed rather than copied by hand, knowledge was…
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Got to play with some real wood type @edinburghprints.bsky.social tonight and had a blast. I took a crack at the @softwaresaved.bsky.social motto and discussed Lego printing at length, so I think it counts as #DHmakes
Impressions from wood letterpress type reading “Better software Better Research”. The top line is red, the next is black, the third is green and the final one is black. Wooden letterpress type inked in blue, green and red ink.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
@nordic-rse.bsky.social @us-rse.bsky.social @researchsoftware.bsky.social
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The prize is supported by @society-rse.org and includes a chance to talk about your work at #RSECon26 in September.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
We need your help! Over the last decade, the @softwaresaved.bsky.social and partners have collected heaps of data on the research software community. Now we want to know how you’d put that data to use. In fact, we’re so eager to know that we’re offering a prize for the best data analysis.
software.ac.uk
RSE Data Competition | Software Sustainability Institute
We need your help! We’ve got heaps of data on the research software community but want to know how you’d put that data to use.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Your formal job title does not matter - if you write code for research as part of your work, we want to hear from you. @uob-bear.bsky.social @dataculture.bsky.social @researchsoftware.bsky.social @code4thought.bsky.social @arc-durhamuni.bsky.social @theturing.bsky.social
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Society of RSE @society-rse.org · 20/01/2026
The 2026 International RSE Survey is now live! This survey will help us better understand what RSEs need and how we can advocate for the community with policymakers and funders. We'd really appreciate your input. Please share with your networks. #RSEng www.software.ac.uk/news/2026-in...
software.ac.uk
2026 International RSE Survey | Software Sustainability Institute
We have launched the 2026 International RSE Survey.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
👀👀👀👀👀
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This is excellent, especially: No community governance or moderation processes! ( 😬 )
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Today the @softwaresaved.bsky.social alongside our international partners launches the 2026 Research Software Engineering Survey. If you write code for academic research we want to hear from you - even if you have a different job title. @society-rse.org @ukiedh.bsky.social @dariaheu.bsky.social
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Society of RSE @society-rse.org · 19/01/2026
The RSECon26 website is now LIVE. Join us for this special milestone as we celebrate 10 years of the RSE Conference in Sheffield from 9-11 September 2026! Check the site rsecon26.society-rse.org for: 📍 Venue 📅 Important Dates 📡 Call for Satellite Events 🤝 Sponsorship packages (Coming soon!)
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
In my opinion, this is one of the best things @society-rse.org does - if you work in research software engineering and are interested in either developing your own career or helping others develop there's, definitely check it out!
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
I've had the same experience with both. Nothing worse than the solution actually being 'learn the software'
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
That's really good to know! Do you have a preferred editing software for svgs?
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Thanks! I've used Tinkercad for building some basic shapes, but haven't tried the import function yet.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Good to know there is precendent for being let through!
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
I would love to know more about the svg->stl step! That's where I always stumble in this process and haven't figured out a good way to reliably move more complicated designs into a usable STL format.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Duly noted, thanks! After previous experience experience with similar loads of dense books, I'm considering a small rolling bag to save my back.
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Niche question for the American #DHmakes and #letterpress folks: does anyone know if you can take approx. 15lbs of letterpress type through TSA in your carry-on? Asking for a friend who can't afford shipping to the UK at the moment...
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Sebastian Ahnert @sebastianahnert.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
We’re hiring a two-year DH postdoc for our HAVI project, to work on a new type of knowledge graph architecture for the humanities (and beyond). Deadline soon (18 Jan)! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
cam.ac.uk
Research Assistant/Research Associate (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a full time post doctoral researcher to work on an international collaboration to develop AI-based solutions for research on archival materials as part of the Humanities
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DH Awards @dhawards.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Nominations are open for DH Awards 2025. Anyone can nominate things that are #DigitalHumanities, available to voters, and updated in 2025. #DH Nominations close 2026-02-26 and the only way something gets on the ballot. You only need to nominate something once. dhawards.org/dhawards2025...
dhawards.org
DH Awards 2025 – Call For Nominations | Digital Humanities Awards
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Reposted by Michael Donnay
Cassie Ulph @crulph.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Apps are open for a Lead Engineer as part of the Digital Library project at UoL! The appointee will be part of the redevelopment of the library's entire digital offering, and a brilliant cross-service project team. Please share! Details here: jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
jobs.leeds.ac.uk
Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Lead Engineer (Digital Library)
The interviews will be held on the 12 February 2026This role will be based on the university campus with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible worki...
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I'm happy with it as a first draft - I used the model from tetralite, cut it into 3 pieces and then scalled it up to fit my bed size. It's only big enough to fit a single box from Skyline and was a bit fiddly to glue together, so want to play around some more. www.printables.com/model/894286...
printables.com
California Job Case Full & 1/5th Scale by tetralite | Download free STL model | Printables.com
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Michael Donnay @mjdonnay.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
I had a wonderfully #DHmakes Christmas, including this lovely surprise all the way from @skeuomorphpress.org! Recovering from my first day back at work by admiring it and putting some new type from Skyline Type Foundry into my 3D printed California job case.
A cardboard box from Skyline Type Foundry containing Adonis type sits next to a pamphlet titled 'A Rant about Technology'A bright orange, 3D printed California job case holding movable type sits next to an array of hand tools and a pamplet with black text set over cool orange flames.
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