Curriculum Vitae - Vincent Dirks: Difference between revisions

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{{ContactDetails}}
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== Intro Vincent Dirks - Software Quality Engineer ==
[[#BackToTop|Back to the Top]]
As a versatile Software Quality Engineer, I aim to understand the nuances of the product, team dynamics, technological landscapes, and organizational structures so that I can adapt and contribute effectively. My approach extends beyond traditional testing methodologies; I consider the design of the whole ecosystem that facilitates excellence and efficiency in software development.
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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
! Name
| Vincent Dirks
|-
! e-mail
| [mailto:vincent@dirksonline.net?Subject=Enquiry%20from%20CV%20Wiki vincent@dirksonline.net]
|-
! Mob
| 021-0269-6216
|-
! LinkedIn
| [https://nz.linkedin.com/in/vincent-dirks-937aa557 nz.linkedin.com]
|-
! Location
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parau Parau], West Auckland
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! Download
| [https://dirksonline.net/CV/2024%20Curriculum%20Vitae%20-%20Vincent%20Dirks%20-%202%20Page%20-%2028-Aug-2024.pdf Curriculum Vitae (2 pages)]<br/>[https://dirksonline.net/CV/2024%20Curriculum%20Vitae%20-%20Vincent%20Dirks%20-%20Long%20Form%20-%2028-Aug-2024.pdf Curriculum Vitae (Long Form)]
|}


I specialize in adapting to diverse contexts to deliver high-quality software solutions efficiently, and I'm passionate about testing and tool development, they are both critical to driving software excellence and maintaining delivery speed.
== Vincent Dirks - [[What's in a title?|Software Quality Engineer]] ==
As a versatile Software Quality Engineer, I aim to understand the nuances of the product, team dynamics, technological landscapes, and organisational structures so that I can adapt and contribute effectively. I specialise in adapting to diverse contexts, and look beyond traditional testing methodologies to consider the design of the whole quality ecosystem necessary for delivering quality software solutions efficiently.


== Skills Summary ==
== [[Skills]] ==
=== Testing Skills ===
=== [[Skills#Testing|Testing Skills]] ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
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* Testing Web Apps  
* Testing Web Apps  
* Testing Firmware/Embedded systems
* Testing Firmware/Embedded systems
* Testability Concepts
* Data Privacy
|  
|  
* Observability Concepts
* Testability & Observability Concepts
* Exploratory Testing (Session & Thread Based)
* Exploratory Testing (Session & Thread Based)
* Visual Modelling
* Visual Modelling
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|}
|}


=== Programming and Automation Skills ===
=== [[Skills#Automation & Programming|Programming and Automation Skills]] ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left"| Javascript
! style="text-align:left"| [[Skills#JavaScript|JavaScript]]
! style="text-align:left"| Java
! style="text-align:left"| [[Skills#Java|Java]]
! style="text-align:left"| Other
! style="text-align:left"| [[Skills#Other Automation & Programming|Other]]
|-
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
 
|
|
* Node.js
* Node.js, npm
* Express.js
* Express.js
* React.js
* React
* Jest
* Jest
* Cypress.io
* Cypress.io
* Webdriver.io
* Webdriver.io
|
|
* Cucumber (BDD)
* [https://maven.apache.org/ Maven], [https://junit.org/ JUnit], [https://testng.org/ TestNG]
* Tidal Wave UI automation library
* [https://cucumber.io/ Cucumber] ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-driven_development BDD])
* Selenium
* [https://rest-assured.io/ REST-assured]
* REST Assured
* [https://www.selenium.dev/ Selenium]
* JUnit, TestNG
* [https://www.selenium.dev/documentation/test_practices/encouraged/page_object_models/ Page Object Models] (POMs)
* LeJOS (Lego mindstorm) Robotics
* [https://wave.tidalcode.dev/ Tidal. Wave]
|
|
* C#, Specflow (BDD)
* SQL & [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL_Server_Management_Studio SSMS]
* Appium
* Appium
* XCUITest
* XCUITest
* C#: Specflow (BDD)
* SQL
* GraphQL
* GraphQL
* C++: Arduino, ESP32
* C++: Arduino, ESP32
|-
|}
!colspan="3" style="text-align:left"| Tools
 
|-
=== Tools & Technologies Experience ===
|colspan="3"|
{| class="wikitable"
* Splunk (log aggregation & analysis)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
* [https://www.splunk.com/ Splunk]
* Postman, Newman
* Postman, Newman
* Jenkins, Azure Devops, TFS, Google Cloud Platform
* VS Code, IntelliJ, Visual Studio
* Bash & Powershell scripting
* Github, Bitbucket
* SoapUI & ReadyAPI
* Docker, Linux
|
* [https://www.telerik.com/fiddler Fiddler], [https://www.charlesproxy.com/ Charles Proxy], [https://www.wireshark.org/ Wireshark]
* Jenkins, Azure DevOps (TFS), Google Cloud Platform
* Bash & [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/ PowerShell] scripting
* [https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira Jira], [https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence Confluence], [https://smartbear.com/test-management/zephyr-scale/ Zephyr Scale], [https://xmind.app/ XMind]
* [https://www.soapui.org/ SoapUI], [https://smartbear.com/product/ready-api/ ReadyAPI]
|}
|}


=== General Skills ===
=== Domain Experience ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
|
* Banking and Finance Sector
* AML/CFT Sector
* Online Auction Platforms
* Vehicle Leasing systems
* Platform Engineering
* Platform Engineering
* Staff Mentoring & Induction
* Staff Mentoring & Induction
* Agile Squad Master
|
* Agile (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, Squad Master)
* Microservices Architecture
* Manufacturing Resource Planning - Logistics Manager
* Manufacturing Resource Planning - Logistics Manager
* Physics - Weather Radar Systems, Lasers, Fibre-optics
* Physics - Weather Radar Systems, Lasers, Fibre-optics
Line 77: Line 112:


== Work Experience ==  
== Work Experience ==  
I am currently on a [[Mental Health and Wellbeing Break]] (Jan-2024 - Present) to give myself time for self-care and recovery following significant life events in recent years.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -40px"
| [[Skills|skills]]
|}
=== [[Upskilling & Community Roles 2024]] (May-2024 - Current) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Playwright|Playwright]], Splunk, Docker, Node.js, Cloudlets, Wikimedia, <br/>Meetup Organising, IoT & ESP32 embedded programing
|}
: Whilst looking for work and updating my online CV Wiki, I’m also leading the efforts to bring back a regular schedule of events for the [https://www.meetup.com/Ministry-of-Testing-Auckland Ministry of Testing in Auckland]. I’m pursuing personal projects with Playwright, Splunk, Docker, Node.js to setup an online publicly accessible testing hub, initially for testing my CV Wiki through [https://cloudlets.com.au Cloudlets]. I’m also dabbling in some IoT with some embedded programming of an ESP32 to send data to Splunk, such as measuring temperature and humidity around my home.


=== [[TTC - Dept. of Internal Affairs - Senior Test Automation Engineer]] (Nov-2023 - Jan-2023 contracting) ===
=== [[Water Services Reform, DIA - Senior Test Automation Engineer]] (Nov-2023 - Jan-2024) ===
Part of the Test Automation team for the Three Waters Project, developing a UI Automation suite in Java using the [https://wave.tidalcode.dev/ Tidal. wave] Selenium automation library
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Java|Java]], [[Skills#Maven|Maven]], [[Skills#Selenium|Selenium]], [[Skills#Page Object Models|POM's]], [[Skills#Tidal. Wave|Tidal. Wave]], [[Skills#IntelliJ|IntelliJ]], <br/>[[Skills#Web App Testing|Web App Testing]], [[Skills#Azure DevOps (TFS)|Azure DevOps]]
|}
: Contracting through [https://ttcglobal.com TTC Global]. Test Automation team, Three Waters Project, developing a UI Automation suite in Java using the [https://wave.tidalcode.dev/ Tidal. wave] Selenium automation library


=== [[Westpac NZ - Senior Automation Quality Engineer]] (Apr-2021 - Nov-2023) ===
=== [[Westpac NZ - Senior Automation Quality Engineer]] (Apr-2021 - Nov-2023) ===
Served as a Roving Automation Quality Engineer, bridging testing and automation gaps across multiple teams. Tested and automated mobile apps (Appium & XCUITest), a D365 web UI (Java, Selenium, POM's), and various APIs (Java, REST Assured). Also undertook a secondment as a platform engineer supporting Splunk, and later developed a ReactJS web app for viewing the test environment landscape.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Banking and Finance Sector|Banking]], [[Skills#API Testing|API's]], [[Skills#Native Mobile App Testing|Mobile]], [[Skills#Web App Testing|Web]], [[Skills#Observability Concepts|Observability]], [[Skills#Accessibility Testing|Accessibility]], [[Skills#Microservices Architecture|Microservices]], [[Skills#Java|Java]], <br />[[Skills#Cucumber (BDD)|Cucumber]], [[Skills#TestNG|TestNG]], [[Skills#REST-assured|REST-assured]], [[Skills#Selenium|Selenium]], [[Skills#Page Object Models|POM's]], [[Skills#JavaScript|JavaScript]], [[Skills#React|React]], <br />[[Skills#Jest|Jest]], [[Skills#Linux|Linux]], [[Skills#Docker|Docker]], [[Skills#Kafka & Azure Event Queues|Event Queues]], [[Skills#Appium & XCUITest|Appium, XCUITest]], [[Skills#Fiddler, Charles Proxy, Wireshark|Charles Proxy]], <br />[[Skills#Jira, Confluence|Jira, Confluence, Zephyr]], [[Skills#Splunk|Splunk]], [[Skills#Platform Engineering|Platform Engineering]], [[Skills#Jenkins, Azure Devops (TFS), Google Cloud Platform|Jenkins, Azure Devops]]
|}
 
: Served as a roving Automation Quality Engineer, addressing testing and automation needs across multiple teams. Conducted testing and automation for mobile apps (Appium & XCUITest), a D365 web UI (Java, Selenium, POM's), and various APIs (Java, REST Assured). Also contributed as a platform engineer supporting Splunk, and developed a React web app for visualising test environments (Node.js, React, mermaid.js).


=== [[FirstAML - Test Analyst]] (Oct-2020 - Mar-2021) ===
=== [[FirstAML - Test Analyst]] (Oct-2020 - Mar-2021) ===
Fulltime. Served as a quality coach for a startup company developing a ReactJS Web App for the AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism) industry.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Postman, Newman|Postman]], [[Skills#AML/CFT Sector|AML/CFT]], [[Skills#Accessibility Testing|Accessibility]], [[Skills#Data Privacy|Data Privacy]], [[Skills#GraphQL|GraphQL]], AWS
|}
: Served as a quality coach for a startup company developing a ReactJS Web App for the AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism) sector.


=== [[Weather Radar NZ limited - Weather Radar Systems Engineer]] (Jun-2020 - Oct-2020) ===
=== [[Weather Radar NZ limited - Weather Radar Systems Engineer]] (Jun-2020 - Oct-2020) ===
Contracting 4 days/week. Helping modify legacy weather radars with some embedded Arduino micro controllers. Designing new electronics, PCB's, maintaining power waveguide systems, and performing signal analysis.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Physics - Weather Radar Systems, Lasers, Fibre-optics|Weather Radar Systems]], [[Skills#Electrical & Electronic Engineering|Electronics]], <br />[[Skills#Firmware & Embedded System Testing|Embedded Testing]], [[Skills#C++, Arduino, ESP32|Arduino]]
|}
: Contracting 4 days/week. Retrofitting legacy weather radars with embedded Arduino micro controllers. Designing new electronics, PCB's, maintaining power waveguide systems, and performing signal analysis.


=== [[Grappler- Agile Quality Analyst]] (Jun-2020 - Oct-2020) ===
=== [[Grappler- Agile Quality Analyst]] (Jun-2020 - Oct-2020) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Postman, Newman|Postman, Newman]], [[Skills#Jenkins, Azure Devops (TFS), Google Cloud Platform|Google Cloud Platform]], <br />[[Skills#JavaScript|JavaScript]], [[Skills#Node.js|Node.js]], [[Skills#Express.js|Express.js]]
|}
: Contracting 1 day/week. Developed a small solution to run a Postman collection in Google Cloud Platform and a simple Web UI (Node.js, Express.js) to trigger test runs and display HTML test reports.
=== [[Fiserv Auckland - Intermediate Software Test Engineer]] (Jan-2017 - Apr-2020) ===
=== [[Fiserv Auckland - Intermediate Software Test Engineer]] (Jan-2017 - Apr-2020) ===
=== [[Engel Consulting - Contracting]] (Sep 2016 - Dec 2016) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Banking and Finance Sector|Banking]], [[Skills#Programming & Automation|Automation]], [[Skills#API Testing|API Testing]], [[Skills#Native Mobile App Testing|Mobile Testing]], [[Skills#Accessibility Testing|Accessibility]], [[Skills#Observability Concepts|Observability]], <br />[[Skills#Postman, Newman|Postman]], [[Skills#Splunk|Splunk]], [[Skills#JavaScript|JavaScript]], [[Skills#Node.js|Node.js]], [[Skills#Express.js|Express.js]], [[Skills#C#, Specflow (BDD)|C#, Specflow (BDD)]], <br />[[Skills#SQL & SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)|SQL & SSMS]], [[Skills#Fiddler, Charles Proxy, Wireshark|Fiddler]], [[Skills#Jira, Confluence|Jira, Confluence]], [[Skills#Jenkins, Azure Devops (TFS), Google Cloud Platform|Microsoft Test Manager]], [[Skills#Jenkins, Azure Devops (TFS), Google Cloud Platform|TFS]], [[Skills#Bash & PowerShell scripting|PowerShell]]
|}
 
: Native Mobile App functional and accessibility testing. API testing and automation, using Postman/Newman, Specflow with C#, JavaScript (Postman, Node.js, Express.js), Splunk for dashboards, TFS & Powershell for System deployment automation. Created the Postman Testrunner Framework (PTF) for automated API integration checks and environment health monitoring.
 
=== [[Trade Me - Senior Software Test Analyst]] (Dec-2014 - Aug-2016) ===
=== [[Trade Me - Senior Software Test Analyst]] (Dec-2014 - Aug-2016) ===
=== [[LeasePlan NZ - Software Tester]] (Apr 2013 - Dec 2014) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
=== [[Pre-2013 Roles]] ===
| [[Skills#Context Driven Testing|Context Driven Testing]], [[Skills#Exploratory Testing (Session & Thread Based)|Exploratory Testing]], [[Skills#Agile Squad Master|Agile]], [[Skills#Testability Concepts|Testability]], [[Skills#Accessibility Testing|Accessibility]], <br />[[Skills#Observability Concepts|Observability]], [[Skills#Jira, Confluence|Jira, Confluence]], DB, [[Skills#Web App Testing|Web App]], [[Skills#Native Mobile App Testing|Mobile]], [[Skills#API Testing|API Testing]], [[Skills#Bash & PowerShell scripting|PowerShell]], <br />[[Skills#Splunk|Splunk]], [[Skills#SoapUI, ReadyAPI|ReadyAPI]], [[Skills#Metrics Driven Development (A/B Testing)|A/B Testing]], [[Skills#XMind|XMind]], [[Skills#Staff Mentoring & Induction|Onboarding]], [[Skills#SQL & SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)|SQL & SSMS]]
|}
: Context-driven exploratory testing for software changes to the iconic [https://www.trademe.co.nz/ Trade Me] website, focussing on the [https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors Motors] page & features. My responsibilities included testing DBs, UIs, APIs, and mobile apps, leading deployments, conducting test planning and peer reviews, utilising BDD and visual test tools. I gained experience with implementing agile methods, Splunk, ReadyAPI, XMind, Jira, and Confluence. I also enjoyed onboarding new staff and contributing to the test and agile guilds.
 
=== [[Pre-2014 Roles]] ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: -10px"
| [[Skills#Risk Based Testing|Risk Based Testing]], VB, [[Skills#Firmware & Embedded System Testing|Embedded Dev & Test]], [[Skills#Manufacturing Resource Planning|MRP II]], [[Skills#Electrical & Electronic Engineering|Electronics]], Logistics, Networking, [[Skills#Teaching & Tutoring|Training & Tutoring]], <br />[[Skills#C++, Arduino, ESP32|C++]], Customer & Tech Support, Production Planning, Documentation, Specifications, Sales Forecasting
|}
: [[Pre-2014 Roles#LeasePlan NZ - Software Tester (Apr-2013 - Dec-2014)|Software Tester]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#Monitor Business Machines NZ Ltd - Logistics Manager (Aug-2005 - Aug-2009)|Logistics Manager]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#Primary Caregiver (Sep-2003 - Jul-2005)|Caregiver]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#Bioengineering Institute - Software Engineer (Sep 2002 - Aug 2003)|Software Engineer]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#Monitor Business Machines NZ Ltd - Development & Support Engineer (Aug 1997 - Nov 2001)|Development & Support Engineer]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#Carter Holt Harvey(Tissue Group) - Production Scheduler (1994 - 1996)|Production Scheduler]], [[Pre-2014 Roles#University of Auckland - Lab Coordinator & Physics Tutor (Sep-2003 - Jul-2005 part time)|Physics Tutor]]


== Related wiki pages ==
== Related wiki pages ==
=== [[References_-_Full_List|References]] ===
=== [[References_-_Full_List|References]] ===
:[[References_-_Full_List#Dept. of Internal Affairs (TTC)| TTC]], [[References_-_Full_List#Westpac| Westpac ]], [[References_-_Full_List#Fiserv| Fiserv ]], [[References_-_Full_List#| Trade Me Motors]]
=== GitHub Profile ===
: [[My GitHub Projects]]
=== [[Volunteering]] ===
=== [[Volunteering]] ===
: [https://www.neighbourly.co.nz/organisation/laingholm-district-citizens-association Laingholm & Districts Citizens Association], [[Ministry of Testing - Auckland Branch|Ministry of Testing]], Eastern Suburbs AFC, Glendowie Boating Club, MOTAT, Eastern Suburbs Montessori Primary School
=== [[Professional Development]] ===
=== [[Professional Development]] ===
: Conferences, workshops, meetups etc.


=== [[Education]] ===
=== [[Education]] ===
: University of Auckland: ME(Elec) 1993
=== [[Presentations, Posts, and blogs]] ===
=== [[Presentations, Posts, and blogs]] ===
----
----


==What I'm reading, watching, listening, learning, and trying out in 2024==
==What I'm reading, watching, listening, learning, and trying out in 2024==
===Interesting Reads===
* '''[https://www.satisfice.com/download/a-context-driven-approach-to-automation-in-testing A Context Driven Approach to Automation in Testing]''' By James Bach and Michael Bolton
:Quote: ''"dynamically evaluating context and selecting, designing, or adjusting our actions to solve the problems that we encounter."''
* '''[https://www.satisfice.com/blog/archives/4947 Round Earth Test Strategy]''' by James Bach
:Interesting alternative to the ''"Test Automation Pyramid"''.
:Quote: ''There are testing problems to consider at every level, "Quality above requires quality below".''


===My '''[[Observability Project]]'''===
===Learning===
* [https://www.udemy.com/course/playwright-from-zero-to-hero Udemy Playwright: Web Automation Testing From Zero to Hero]
: I'm going to try use this to test some of my CV Wiki site.
: See [[Udemy Playwright: Web Automation Testing From Zero to Hero|my notes]] as well as GitHub [https://github.com/VincentDirks/Playwright-Udemy-Course repo #1], and [https://github.com/VincentDirks/Playwright-Udemy-Course-2 repo #2]
 
===My Personal [[Observability Project]]===
* [https://expressjs.com/en/starter/hello-world.html Express.js basic hello world] and my [https://github.com/VincentDirks/node.js-in-the-cloud node.js-in-the-cloud] repo
* [https://expressjs.com/en/starter/hello-world.html Express.js basic hello world] and my [https://github.com/VincentDirks/node.js-in-the-cloud node.js-in-the-cloud] repo
* [https://www.atlassian.com/microservices/microservices-architecture/kubernetes-vs-docker Kubernetes vs. Docker] by Josh Campbell at Atlassian <br>
* [https://www.atlassian.com/microservices/microservices-architecture/kubernetes-vs-docker Kubernetes vs. Docker] by Josh Campbell at Atlassian <br>
Line 121: Line 206:
* Setting up Docker Desktop at home to run the [https://github.com/Splunk/docker-Splunk Docker Splunk Image]
* Setting up Docker Desktop at home to run the [https://github.com/Splunk/docker-Splunk Docker Splunk Image]


<br>
=== Test Community Events ===
'''[[Archive What I'm Reading, Watching, Listing, Learning, and Trying Out|Archive of pre-2024 entries]]'''
* Attended [https://nztestingconf.nz/ NZTestingConf 2024] in Wellington. Presentations:
** Shay Naiki, QA Manager @ Alphero: Creating a collaborative culture in the testing world: lessons from life in a digital agency
** Nevetha Mani, Product Human @ Hectre: Off the beaten path: rethinking quality in the startup world
** Emma Procter & Jonathan Shirley, @ PikPok: Finding the fun: researching and playtesting games at PikPok
** Patricio Miner, Content Creator @ Free Range Testers: ETL: the testing niche you've never thought of
** Toby Martin, QA Practice Lead @ Pushpay: Stop automating, start investigating: a guide to slowing down to speed up
** Ryan Bevens, QA Community Manager @ Potentia: Diary of a reluctant recruiter: your value as a tester
 
===Interesting Reads===
* '''[https://www.satisfice.com/download/a-context-driven-approach-to-automation-in-testing A Context Driven Approach to Automation in Testing]''' By James Bach and Michael Bolton
:Quote: ''"dynamically evaluating context and selecting, designing, or adjusting our actions to solve the problems that we encounter."''
* '''[https://www.satisfice.com/blog/archives/4947 Round Earth Test Strategy]''' by James Bach
:Interesting alternative to the ''"Test Automation Pyramid"''.
:Quote: ''There are testing problems to consider at every level, "Quality above requires quality below".''


== <end> ==
===[[Archive What I'm Reading, Watching, Listing, Learning, and Trying Out|Archive]]===
Send [http://dirksonline.net/cvwiki/index.php?title=Talk:Curriculum_Vitae_-_Vincent_Dirks <u>feedback</u>]
:Old pre-2024 entries

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