Lightspeed

Latest Episodes:

How Firedancer Will Unlock Solana's Scaling Roadmap | Lucas Bruder, Liam Heeger Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Lucas Bruder and Liam Heeger join us to discuss how Firedancer will transform Solana. Lucas (the co-founder of Jito) and Liam (a core engineer at Jump working on Firedancer) are two of the most talented developers in the Solana ecosystem. In this episode, we cover Solana's scheduler challenge, blockspace market dynamics, how Jito impacts transaction efficiency, Firedancer's goal and impact on client diversity, governance, validator profitability, applications for Jito's Stakenet and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(00:56) Solving Solana’s Core Challenges

(11:11) The Downstream Effect of Solana’s Network Jitter

(14:12) Jito’s Role in Optimizing Solana’s Performance

(17:43) Intro to Firedancer and Validator Clients

(23:24) DAS London Plug

(24:21) Firedancer and Client Diversity

(39:27) Why Optimize the Base Layer?

(43:28) How Multiple Clients Impact Shipping Velocity

(49:56) JitoSOL and Governance Responsibilities

(52:33) Validator Profitability

(55:18) Stakenet and Restaking

(01:02:53) Predictions and Hot Takes

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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED10 to get 10% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there!

Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Lucas: https://twitter.com/buffalu__

Follow Liam: https://twitter.com/CantelopePeel

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Resources

WTF is Stakenet by Lucas

https://buffalu.substack.com/p/wtf-is-stakenet

Umbra Research

https://www.umbraresearch.xyz/

Jito

https://www.jito.network/

Jump Trading

https://www.jumptrading.com/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Anatoly Yakovenko: A Deep Dive Into Solana 2.0 Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Anatoly Yakovenko joins us for the most information-packed episode on Solana we've ever listened to. It's a masterclass exploration of Solana's architecture and roadmap. We discuss the Saga Chapter 2, fee market optimizations, Jito and MEV, validator profitability, Solana's end game, Firedancer and client diversity, token extensions and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:01) Saga Chapter 2

(10:00) Access Protocol Lab

(11:01) DAS London Plug

(11:58) Solana Fee Market Optimizations

(20:41) Jito’s Role

(22:42) Scheduler Upgrades (1.17 and 1.18)

(25:17) Dynamic Write Lock Fees

(29:55) Wen Slashing?

(33:47) Solana Consensus and Formal Verification

(36:41) The Value of Client Diversity: Liveness vs Safety

(41:10) Are Solana Vote Transactions Just for Pumping TPS?

(44:17) Solana’s End Game

(47:59) Is Economic Security a Meme?

(53:10) Validator Profitability and Inflation

(58:32) Commoditized Data Layers and L2s

(01:03:18) Firedancer Update

(01:10:02) Solana’s New Token Extensions

(01:13:46) Squads Protocol Feature Requests + Jacked Toly

(01:18:18) Advice for Solana Founders

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Access Protocol is the best way to discover premium content from crypto's top publishers and independent creators. Access Protocol has reinvented content monetization, meaning you can access this premium content without endless ads or hard-to-cancel subscriptions.

Access Protocol is crypto-native, built on Solana, and already has 225K users reading content, receiving NFTs and interacting with creators! Use this link to check out Access Protocol today:https://bit.ly/AccessProtocol_Lightspeed

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko

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Resources

Anatoly on Lightspeed

https://spoti.fi/4bacqhA

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solana's Flywheel: Why It's Time to Reevaluate Your Solana Thesis | Santiago Santos Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

Santiago Santos joins us to discuss his crypto investment thesis and conviction in Solana's adoption flywheel. Santiago is a prolific investor, co-host of Empire and one of the most respected minds in crypto. In this episode, we discuss Santi's crypto thesis, Solana's incredible flywheel, scarcity vs abundance, if decentralization matters, Santi's favorite investment themes and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(1:19) Why Crypto Matters

(4:42) How to Build and Keep Conviction

(15:36) Santi’s Solana Thesis

(23:30) Scarcity vs Abundance Mindset

(36:57) DAS Promo

(37:54) Solana vs Ethereum DeFi

(42:27) Does Decentralization Actually Matter?

(46:29) Predictions and Investment Themes

(53:59) Crypto Banks and Coinbase’s Opportunity

(58:58) Running and Life Lessons

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Resources

Empire podcast

https://spoti.fi/3vFsYh6

The Summit by Santi

https://medium.com/@santiago.rs/the-summit-an-exploration-of-goals-and-values-17a7f782dccd

Helius' blog post on Firedancer

https://www.helius.dev/blog/what-is-firedancer

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

The Mind Behind Madden NFL's Hit Stick Explains Game Design | Ian Cummings (Photo Finish) Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

Ian Cummings joins us to discuss how to build a sustainable crypto game. Ian has been in gaming for over 23 years, created NFL Madden's hit stick while working at EA Sports, and is now the creator of Solana's race horsing game Photo Finish. In this episode, we discuss the story behind the hit stick, how Ian chose to go after the horse racing market, the secret to customer retention, how to win at Photo Finish, Photo Finish's partnership with the Kentucky Derby and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:19) Starting at EA Sports

(05:51) Creating Madden NFL's Hit Stick

(12:24) Access Protocol Ad

(13:26) DAS London Plug

(14:23) Why A Horse Racing Game?

(24:42) How Crypto Became A Core Component

(30:16) Photo Finish's Key Differentiator

(36:19) Launching the Stylish Studs PFPs and Go-to-Market

(45:35) How to be Good at Photo Finish

(54:47) Customer Retention and Growth

(01:01:19) Partnerships with CNBC and the Kentucky Derby

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Ian: https://twitter.com/iancummingsnft

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

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Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Photo Finish Live

https://twitter.com/photofinishgame

https://photofinish.live/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Why JUP Is Solana's Most Anticipated Airdrop | Mert Mumtaz, Garrett Harper Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Jupiter's upcoming airdrop will be a watershed moment for Solana. Tune in to find out why! In this episode, we cover the JUP airdrop, the Saga 2 announcement, why vertical integration is working on Solana but not Ethereum, if validator set size matters, why more Solana teams haven't released tokens, how to think critically and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:15) The Saga 2 Announcement

(6:34) Jupiter's Token Launch (JUP)

(16:01) Aggregation Theory and Multichain Strategies

(27:25) DAS Promo

(28:22) Appchains and the Validator Set Size Debate

(34:40) The Solana Foundation’s Delegation Program

(38:30) How to Think Critically

(45:28) Why Haven’t More Teams Released Tokens?

(52:35) Garrett’s Announcement

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Helius' blog post on Solana Validator Economics

https://www.helius.dev/blog/solana-validator-economics-a-primer

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solana Thesis: The Fastest Horse Rises From the Ashes | Ryan Watkins, Wilson Withiam Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Ryan Watkins and Wilson Withiam join us to discuss their Solana thesis and how crypto has just entered its next phase of adoption. Ryan is the founder of Syncracy Capital (a crypto hedge fund), and Wilson is their Head of Research. In this episode, we discuss the Bitcoin spot ETF, the Ethereum and LDO thesis, the MakerDAO opportunity, the Solana thesis, investing in SOL vs Solana applications, the DA Layer wars and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:16) The Bitcoin ETF Approval

(05:04) The Ethereum and Liquid Staking (LDO) Thesis

(09:52) Crypto’s Greatest Misconception

(11:27) MakerDAO Investment Thesis

(17:17) ETH’s Role in the Crypto Economy

(20:53) Access Protocol Ad

(21:55) DAS London Plug

(22:52) The Solana Thesis

(38:24) How Crypto Assets Can Achieve a Monetary Premium

(42:09) Investing in SOL vs Solana Applications

(47:50) Aggregation Theory

(53:34) The DA Layer Wars

(01:00:25) From Researchers to Launching a Fund

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Ryan: https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_

Follow Wilson: https://twitter.com/WilsonWithiam

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Syncracy Capital

https://www.syncracy.io/

https://twitter.com/SyncracyCapital

Solana Thesis – The Fastest Horse Rises From the Ashes

https://www.syncracy.io/writing/solana-thesis

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Why Crypto Matters: Generative Tech Meets New Capital Formation | Josh Rosenthal Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Josh Rosenthal joins us to discuss how crypto will unleash new business models, applications and markets! Josh is a historian, investor, founder and one of the most interesting people I know. In this episode, we discuss crypto's key unlock, scarcity vs abundance, history's revolutionary technologies, crypto tribalism, the bidirectional door between the physical and digital world, DePIN, how to embrace change and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(00:54) Setting the Scene: Who Is Josh Rosenthal?

(13:33) When Generative Tech Meets New Capital Formation

(44:10) Access Protocol Ad

(45:12) DAS London Plug

(46:09) Crypto Tribalism, Maximalism and Identity

(56:33) The Interplay of the Digital and Physical World

(01:06:17) The Crypto Revolution

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/JoshuaRosenthal

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

6ixth Event

https://www.go6ixthevent.com/

The Crypto Renaissance (Bankless with Josh Rosenthal)

https://spoti.fi/47sxAEo

A Historian's Take on the Bear Market (Empire with Josh Rosenthal)

https://spoti.fi/3tUuGKZ

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Solana's Local Fee Markets Aren't Real | Eugene Chen Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Eugene Chen joins us to discuss why Solana's local fee markets aren't real. Well, they are real, but they don't yet work as advertised. Eugene is the co-founder of Ellipses Labs, Phoenix Protocol, and Umbra Research and he is one of the sharpest builders in Solana! In this episode, we discuss how Solana transactions work, how to improve Solana's fee markets, MEV on Solana, how apps can accrue their own MEV, Solana's DeFi risk, Phoenix's limit order book and more!

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Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:56) How Solana Transactions Work

(05:56) Solana’s Local Fee Markets Aren't Real

(29:53) Access Promo

(30:55) DAS Promo

(31:52) MEV on Solana

(36:59) App-Specific MEV and Value Accrual

(41:46) Solana Bots and Toxic MEV

(45:27) The Latency vs “Fair” Distribution of MEV Tradeoff

(48:41) Solana DeFi Risk and the mSOL depeg

(51:18) Why App Developers Should Understand the Infrastructure

(55:19) Ellipses Labs, Phoenix’s LOB and Points

(01:01:48) Solana’s Identity and Advice for Solana Builders

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Eugen: https://twitter.com/0xShitTrader

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

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Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Ellipsis Labs

https://twitter.com/ellipsis_labs

https://ellipsislabs.xyz/

Phoenix

https://twitter.com/PhoenixTrade

https://www.phoenix.trade/

Umbra Research

https://www.umbraresearch.xyz/writings

https://twitter.com/UmbraResearch

Solana Fees, Part 1 (Solana Local Fee Markets Aren't Real)

https://www.umbraresearch.xyz/writings

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Kamino 2.0: Building Solana's Economic Hub | Marius Ciubotariu, Mark Hull Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

Marius Ciubotariu and Mark Hull join us to discuss how Hubble 2.0 will become the economic hub of Solana DeFi. In this episode, we discuss Kamino's origin story, how Kamino approaches risk management, why Solana will have the next breakout app, multichain vs a single-chain focus, vertical integration and more! Make sure to stay for the whole conversation as it really heats up at the end!

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(00:00 Introduction

(00:57) Kamino's Origin Story

(10:32) Lending, Risk Management and the mSOL Depeg

(32:27) Kamino Finance 2.0: Solana’s DeFi Hub

(36:12) DAS Promo

(37:11) Vertical Integration vs Composability

(41:13) Kamino Points Incoming

(44:46) How to Have Conviction

(49:46) Startup Founder Advice

(53:43) Why Tribalism Matters, Multichain and the SVM

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Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Marius: https://twitter.com/y2kappa

Follow Mark: https://twitter.com/trader_marky

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Kamino Finance

https://linktr.ee/kaminofinance

https://twitter.com/Kamino_Finance

Hubble Protocol

https://hubbleprotocol.io/

https://twitter.com/HubbleProtocol

MarginFi vs Solend episode

https://spoti.fi/48mmhyW

https://youtu.be/KcazozbZHd0?si=D0RjxrWyDWZriOt8

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

2024 Predictions: Two of Crypto's Top Traders | Ansem, Joe McCann Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Ansem and Joe McCann join us to discuss their top crypto market predictions for 2024. Ansem and Joe are prolific crypto investors who nailed this year's Solana trade, and they're here to discuss what's next. In this episode, we cover Solana's price mania and outlook, navigating crypto's volatility, Bonk's rise and meme coin virality, the ETH vs. Alt L1 vs. DA trade, 2024's biggest opportunities, how to think like a trader and more!

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:13) Solana Mania: 2023 and Beyond

(08:46) How to Navigate Crypto’s Volatility

(14:55) Ansem’s Degen Score

(17:54) Bonk’s Rise and Meme Coin Virality

(28:01) Access Protocol Promo

(29:02) DAS London Plug

(30:00) Today's Investment Landscape

(42:04) Integrated L1s vs Appchains

(47:40) The Celestia and Modular DA Narrative

(52:27) Hottest Predictions for 2024

(59:17) What Are You Most Bearish On?

(01:04:13) DogWifHat: Does the Hat Stay on in 2024?

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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use LIGHTSPEED20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there!

Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home

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Follow Ansem: https://twitter.com/blknoiz06

Follow Joe: https://twitter.com/joemccann

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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