# Se?



## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

I was chatting to my sister and we got talking about this. 
I was saying how I'd like to do a bike ride around Europe because it seemed like it would be fun, but that I'd probably never do it. After a bit of discussion I worked out I have a huge attraction to exciting things, but am far too careful/overthinking of everything to actually go through with it. 
I tend to want everything to be useful or meaningful to myself, love seeing people happy if I care about them, have an affinity for animals (I find I get on really well with most of them and can interpret what they want/feel quite well so know not to do certain things etc), enjoy being absorbed in games/books (I used to game/read a lot before university took hold and I got too tired to do them as much thanks to working a lot), and so on.

My motivations aren't really clear, as they seem different with everything I do/think about. Sometimes I'll do something to see someone happy, sometimes because I think I have a responsibility to do it, sometimes because I feel good doing it, sometimes because it seems sensible/meaningful etc.

I seem to have a bad habit of, when people annoy me, I go against them with everything and play devils advocate. I also hold back my harsher opinions unless someone goes really into how theyre right and I want to say that theyre not 'right' as its subjective and then explain my views.

I had a class with discussions in and really enjoyed it when we talked freely, with the discussion being fairly unsupervised and we were able to explore all sorts of ideas, but had some vague structure so we all got a say. I hated the discussions in which the lecturer's opinions overruled the class opinions and he chose to always let one group speak because he agreed with them most.

With physicality, I enjoy walking a lot and lifting weights and when I've been working I always need to go and walk before I can relax again. I really like being outside, but away from other people (they make too much noise and dont suit the environment, I prefer to listen to birds and see trees/insects etc). I find I enjoy solitary sports like swimming, but will sometimes be quite happy playing ball games so long as theyre calm and not competitive.

I was wondering if there's a way to tell if I'm using Se, as my sister suggested I might, or something else?


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## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

tine said:


> I was chatting to my sister and we got talking about this.
> I was saying how I'd like to do a bike ride around Europe because it seemed like it would be fun, but that I'd probably never do it. After a bit of discussion I worked out I have a huge attraction to exciting things, but am far too careful/overthinking of everything to actually go through with it.


No, this is much more Ne. While you're pondering doing something, Se is out there actually doing it.



> I tend to want everything to be useful or meaningful to myself, love seeing people happy if I care about them, have an affinity for animals (I find I get on really well with most of them and can interpret what they want/feel quite well so know not to do certain things etc), enjoy being absorbed in games/books (I used to game/read a lot before university took hold and I got too tired to do them as much thanks to working a lot), and so on.


You're already making me think ENFP or similar.



> I seem to have a bad habit of, when people annoy me, I go against them with everything and play devils advocate. I also hold back my harsher opinions unless someone goes really into how theyre right and I want to say that theyre not 'right' as its subjective and then explain my views.


Oh actually I wonder if you could be like Te inferior. Like an INFP?



> I had a class with discussions in and really enjoyed it when we talked freely, with the discussion being fairly unsupervised and we were able to explore all sorts of ideas, but had some vague structure so we all got a say. I hated the discussions in which the lecturer's opinions overruled the class opinions and he chose to always let one group speak because he agreed with them most.


I wonder if this could be Fi caring about the underdog or Fe caring about everyone being treated equally ?



> I was wondering if there's a way to tell if I'm using Se, as my sister suggested I might, or something else?


I would say you're using Ne.


As much as I hate the term "dreamer," I think it actually does a good job of explaining Ne in a lot of ways :/

Much more emphasis on thinking up fun things to do. Much less emphasis on actually doing them.

Se is the reverse. Less thinking, more doing. Being in the present moment. Not pondering the "oh that could be fun" but actually doing it instead.


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## owlet (May 7, 2010)

This makes me think ENFP. Does that sound right to you?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

emberfly said:


> No, this is much more Ne. While you're pondering doing something, Se is out there actually doing it.
> 
> 
> You're already making me think ENFP or similar.
> ...


Thanks for the reply. Could I ask why you think Te inferior and not Si?



laurie17 said:


> This makes me think ENFP. Does that sound right to you?


Thanks for the reply. I don't think I use Ne dominantly, but don't know too much about it, could you give some examples?


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## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

tine said:


> Thanks for the reply. Could I ask why you think Te inferior and not Si?


I was simply going off what you said previously:



> I seem to have a bad habit of, when people annoy me, I go against them with everything and play devils advocate. I also hold back my harsher opinions unless someone goes really into how theyre right and I want to say that theyre not 'right' as its subjective and then explain my views.


It looked to me like something a Te inferior might say.

You can read about Te inferior in IxFPs by just googling "Te inferior." I think you will find that the results are similar to what you said above ^


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## Telepathis Goosus (Mar 28, 2015)

@tine

This is all strong Ne, not Se at all. You're speculating doing all of these things, but never actually go through with it. 

Also, you strike me as an NFP. I'm not quite sure, however.


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## Lord Fudgingsley (Mar 3, 2013)

Se-Ni operates with a laser focus. Ni accepts only one possibility at a time; if Se is higher up in the stack the focus is likely to change more frequently, though the intensity will still be apparent.

I see none of that in you. And I agree with any notions that Ne, even lower down the stack has a very wandery, meanderthal mindset. I experience it myself. I've realized how Ne dreams and dreams; it can imagine thousands of things come to life - so why bother letting your dreams come true in the real world?

Note that I've partially learned to channel such a mindset; and have ended up presenting a somewhat Se-exterior on the forum - but it's very much a facade. To be a doer - it is brutal on everything inside my mind; I resort to excessive perfectionism and self-criticism, and crave a return to the comforts of dreaming.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

Thank you for the replies.

I also did this thread a while back (http://personalitycafe.com/whats-my-personality-type/522402-infp-isfj-something-else.html) and was told it seemed like I used Se a lot. This seems to be a problem, as I'm not consistent in things when describing myself, but my motives I think stay the same.


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## Pyroscope (Apr 8, 2010)

tine said:


> I was chatting to my sister and we got talking about this.
> I was saying how I'd like to do a bike ride around Europe because it seemed like it would be fun, but that I'd probably never do it. After a bit of discussion I worked out I have a huge attraction to exciting things, but am far too careful/overthinking of everything to actually go through with it.
> I tend to want everything to be useful or meaningful to myself, love seeing people happy if I care about them, have an affinity for animals (I find I get on really well with most of them and can interpret what they want/feel quite well so know not to do certain things etc), enjoy being absorbed in games/books (I used to game/read a lot before university took hold and I got too tired to do them as much thanks to working a lot), and so on.
> 
> ...


A lot of what you say is stuff I can relate to (and I think I'm most likely on the Ne-Si axis. I especially understand the "I want to do this fun stuff" but then thinking of reasons to do it later. I'd like to go travelling sometime and broaden my knowledge of the world through it, but I'm wary of leaping into it without knowing how to do it in a "safe" fashion.

Also, supposedly dominant Fi types have a tend to only get blunt and harsh with truths when someone steps on what they believe in or tries to invalidate their views. Since the Te is inferior they tend not to care that much about logical consistency normally, but they laser in on inconsistencies with people when they insist on 'objective' truths. I'm not _totally_ sure I'm an Fi-Te person, but in my past I've had a tendency, when people piss me off (often when I feel they're being self-righteous), to look for all the reasons they're objectively wrong in all their assessments. It mostly comes out in the form of searching for hypocrisy in their actions/beliefs. It sounds like you might be able to relate to this a bit?

INFP seems pretty likely for you. In your questionnaire I can see a fair amount of Te and your cautiousness and tendency to wonder what things will be like rather than jumping into them doesn't suggest as much Se.


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## owlet (May 7, 2010)

Pyroscope said:


> INFP seems pretty likely for you. In your questionnaire* I can see a fair amount of Te* and your cautiousness and tendency to wonder what things will be like rather than jumping into them doesn't suggest as much Se.


This was exactly what made me think ENFP as Te is tertiary, not inferior for them, therefore will have a generally stronger presence.


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## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

tine said:


> Thank you for the replies.
> 
> I also did this thread a while back (http://personalitycafe.com/whats-my-personality-type/522402-infp-isfj-something-else.html) and was told it seemed like I used Se a lot. This seems to be a problem, as I'm not consistent in things when describing myself, but my motives I think stay the same.


This questionnaire was mostly useless, as you described mostly behaviors and not motives.

#20, I see why @laurie17 pegged this as Se. It would make me think Sx, too. 



> *20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?*
> I'd like to sleep in, lift weights, have a shower, go for a long walk in a natural area, come home and stroke my pet cat, play some video games, read for a while, make some cake or a dessert, cook dinner for my family, watch a nature documentary, play on the internet, read in bed for a while and then sleep.


It's temping to want to call this a sensor preference. You didn't list a single activity that was particularly intuitive in nature. But lots that a sensor would love doing.

But I think perhaps that could be reading too much into it. It would be trying to infer cognition from behavior. Which is something I often try to do  But I think it often is error-prone. . .

Have you given thought to ESTJ?

I agree that you are exhibiting a lot more Te than I would expect from an INFP. Possibly even more than I would expect from an ENFP.

My impression from you, based on how you have described yourself so far, is of someone who uses Te and Si a fairly good amount. And who doesn't prefer Se. Or Ni.

Ne
Fi
Te
Si

or 

Te
Si
Ne
Fi


After reading that questionnaire that you just posted, I'm not even sure which I'm leaning more toward.

#4 may even lean me toward the ESTJ side:


> *4) What makes you feel inferior?*
> When I can't understand why people are acting a certain way. I feel scared, confused and irritated that they can't just tell me and wish I was better at figuring them out. I also feel bad when I'm told something I've done is terrible.


But *shrugs*

There's so little I know about you.

I believe your functions to be:
Fi, Ne, Te, Si

I don't know what order they go in.

You should watch these videos and find out.


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## robert666 (Mar 18, 2015)

I would say that you are an ISFP.

Here are some questions that might help. Try to elaborate in your answers.

Is it important to seek out experiences?

What is it like when you are engaged in an activity?

If you were to fantasize about your ideal life, how would other people see you in this fantasy?

What is it like to not be doing anything?

You say that you like talking to other people about what they enjoy doing, things that you both like. Please tell us more.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

emberfly said:


> This questionnaire was mostly useless, as you described mostly behaviors and not motives.
> 
> #20, I see why @_laurie17_ pegged this as Se. It would make me think Sx, too.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much for you help. I considered a Te dominant at some point, but I dont feel I'm confident/self assured/decisive enough?



robert666 said:


> I would say that you are an ISFP.
> 
> Here are some questions that might help. Try to elaborate in your answers.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the questions, I replied in the quote in bold! Hopefully that helps?


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## owlet (May 7, 2010)

tine said:


> Thanks very much for you help. I considered a Te dominant at some point, but I dont feel I'm confident/self assured/decisive enough?
> 
> 
> Thanks for the questions, I replied in the quote in bold! Hopefully that helps?


Te dominants aren't necessarily confident or decisive. That's a stereotype. The focus with Te dominants a lot of the time is trying to be productive i.e. as opposed to Ti, which is more focused on the fiddling with something (physical or conceptual), Te is more about producing a result (not necessarily physical, which is where the decisiveness stereotype probably comes from).

I feel like I'm not giving a very good explanation, so I'll leave it up to someone else.

As for your answers, they came across as mostly Te in that there was a focus on productivity - time is always being used, even for sleeping. Also, it seemed very linear, so probably more on the introverted perception side than Ne, which appeared as a more wistful part of you, but not massively dominant.

So, maybe ESTJ after all? Unless Se could still be present, in which case ENTJ could make sense.


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## robert666 (Mar 18, 2015)

@tine I'm quite confident that you are an FP type. I was trying to confirm an SP temperament for you with the questions in my previous post, but that didn't turn out so good.
So here are some more questions. Some of the quotes are from your other typing thread.



> After a bit of discussion I worked out *I have a huge attraction to exciting things*, but am far too careful/overthinking of everything to actually go through with it.


What exactly is this attraction to exciting things?



> *I think it's good to try new things, as you can learn a lot*. I'd like to travel more, see more of the world, work in different countries etc


Why is it important to learn a lot from trying out new things?



> The first side would like to travel, see the world, live with nature and away from society. It would like to do something which was useful and meaningful to it, such as going to work with Buffalo in the USA. *This is because of feeling restricted and like Im stagnating if kept in one place*. I have gotten better with this and found I notice the small differences which make me enjoy everyday aspects of life.


Tell us more about how you feel restricted and stagnating.



> I'm very uncertain of the future and it makes me anxious but also excited


Tell us more about being anxious and excited about the uncertain future.



> I had years of being preoccupied with finding my passion in life, eventually gave up thinking it would never happen and then realised I'd had it the whole time in science (specifically molecular biology and ecology)


What is it that you like about molecular biology and ecology?



> *It's to do with me being able to do the same thing with a good system so it doesn't take nearly as long and the people seem unable to see this system which is very obvious to me*. The second point is because I appreciate knowledge being passed on and so pass it on myself (I like to help people realise things without them having to read through inaccessible journals etc).


Could you give us some examples of having a system that is only obvious to you?


What do you spend most of the time thinking about? Why do you enjoy thinking about these things?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

laurie17 said:


> Te dominants aren't necessarily confident or decisive. That's a stereotype. The focus with Te dominants a lot of the time is trying to be productive i.e. as opposed to Ti, which is more focused on the fiddling with something (physical or conceptual), Te is more about producing a result (not necessarily physical, which is where the decisiveness stereotype probably comes from).
> 
> I feel like I'm not giving a very good explanation, so I'll leave it up to someone else.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input! I'm not so much focused on the outcome of things though, I think the journey there is more important (although I like a good outcome). I do think the Ne is me being quite wistful, it seems to come out depending on my mood (mostly when I'm tired or dissatisfied).
Are there any good Te descriptions you know of?




robert666 said:


> @_tine_ I'm quite confident that you are an FP type. I was trying to confirm an SP temperament for you with the questions in my previous post, but that didn't turn out so good.
> So here are some more questions. Some of the quotes are from your other typing thread.
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for the questions again, I replied in bold!


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## owlet (May 7, 2010)

tine said:


> Thanks for the input! I'm not so much focused on the outcome of things though, I think the journey there is more important (although I like a good outcome). I do think the Ne is me being quite wistful, it seems to come out depending on my mood (mostly when I'm tired or dissatisfied).
> Are there any good Te descriptions you know of?
> 
> 
> ...


I think this overall description/cognitive function breakdown of an ENTJ is pretty okay.
http://personalitycafe.com/entj-articles/34700-entj-cognition-descriptor.html
Not so much the stuff after the cognitive functions, although there is some good information.

As to your answers, once again I'm seeing a lot of Se and Te, with some Ni and Fi thrown in. I'd say more Te than anything, so probably ENTJ. What do you think?


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## robert666 (Mar 18, 2015)

@tine, those last answers were very useful. Now here are hopefully the last few questions to wrap it up.

Which statement do you identify with? You gain energy by being around other people and lose it when you are alone, or you lose energy when around other people and gain it back when you are alone.

What's it like to learn something new about someone's personal values?

Do you like deciding things early on or do you prefer to put off making decisions for as long as possible?

You are at a social gathering where you notice that one of the people is acting out, and another is looking depressed. What is your impression of the situation? Do you feel the need to do anything? Why or why not?

You have been given the "Most important person on earth" award by the United Nations. What did you do to deserve the honour?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

laurie17 said:


> I think this overall description/cognitive function breakdown of an ENTJ is pretty okay.
> http://personalitycafe.com/entj-articles/34700-entj-cognition-descriptor.html
> Not so much the stuff after the cognitive functions, although there is some good information.
> 
> As to your answers, once again I'm seeing a lot of Se and Te, with some Ni and Fi thrown in. I'd say more Te than anything, so probably ENTJ. What do you think?


Thanks for the link. I'm afraid I dont relate to very much of that description. I sometimes want to check people have everything for a trip if I'm anxious about it and them not having stuff affects me, but usually I dont really mind/ask them. I also tend to go for "why and how" rather than "what".



robert666 said:


> @_tine_, those last answers were very useful. Now here are hopefully the last few questions to wrap it up.
> 
> Which statement do you identify with? You gain energy by being around other people and lose it when you are alone, or you lose energy when around other people and gain it back when you are alone.
> *I gain energy from things like sleeping most of the time. I get tired if I'm with people for too long i.e. over 5 hours, or if I'm surrounded by people for a long time (just their presence makes me tired). I do gain energy from external activities like walking, seeing nature, gaming etc but also from reading a really good book or thinking up ideas for stories.
> ...


Thanks again, I replied in bold!


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## robert666 (Mar 18, 2015)

Here's my assessment of your type. Some of the quotes are from the other typing thread.




> 2) What do you yearn for in life? Why?
> I have two parts of me that seem to disagree with what I want in life and I need to put together to make them both happy.
> The first side would like to travel, see the world, live with nature and away from society. *It would like to do something which was useful and meaningful to it, such as going to work with Buffalo in the USA*. This is because of feeling restricted and like Im stagnating if kept in one place. I have gotten better with this and found I notice the small differences which make me enjoy everyday aspects of life.
> The second side of me would like to keep things very simple, calm and relaxed. It would like to stay with people it cares for and look after them and work to support them and give them everything they want. It doesn't want dependence but would like to see people it loves happy. This is due to the fact that people I care about mean a lot to me and I want them to be happy.


Seems NF.



> 11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?
> I like everything to be going along nicely. *I like everyone to be doing what they want* and everything to feel calm. *I tend to stick with what I believe* but try and put it diplomatically so I dont offend people (I dont care about changing views, *but will correct them in a polite way if they're wrong from my point of view*).


Seems FP.



> 12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?
> *I tend to think and then speak most of the time*, but when I'm anxious I just speak without thinking. I prefer one on one because I can follow what's going on better and *dont like interrupting people to make my point*, but like group discussions because you can hear more points of view on a topic.


Seems I.



> 14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favourite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?
> It depends on whether I've seen the friends recently or not in a long time and what the show it and how tired I am. If I havent seen them in ages I'd go and see them so long as the show was reshown and I wasn't really tired. *Generally I like quiet evenings in playing on the internet, working, reading, gaming etc*.


Seems I.



> 16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?
> *People being ingenuine/liars (I like honesty a lot).
> People who are cruel to others and to animals/plants*.
> When they go against everything that makes sense for no reason.
> People who wont try but complain when they dont do well.


Seems FP.



> 18) What kind of things do pay the least attention to in your life?
> The present. I seem to focus on the past and the future and* surreal ideas*, but never the present. I think about what happened on a day similar to the one currently happening, what I'll do in the future, even what food will taste like when I've cooked it, but never focusing on what happens at that moment.


Seems N.



> I feel very responsible for people around me and it stopped me from doing a lot of things I might have done otherwise (i.e. my mum and sister's concern stopped me joining a cruise ship as an apprentice engineer when I was thinking of dropping out of university and their worry stopped me going skiing in Canada).


Seems F.



> If you were to fantasize about your ideal life, how would other people see you in this fantasy?
> I don't really get how people see me, so I don't really know what I'd like them to see. I guess I'd like them to not jump to conclusions about me and accept what I say without getting angry etc.


Seems FP.



> Why is it important to learn a lot from trying out new things?
> I kind of like the Fight Club quote of "how much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight." - If you don't try lots of things you don't learn anything new or gain new perspectives. This is important for me because *I want to expand my views and perspectives*. I think it's important to know lots so you can have an informed opinion on things, make good decisions and *make a difference to things that are going on*.


Seems N and seems NF.



> What is it that you like about molecular biology and ecology?
> It's soothing to go through a process and come out the other side with some sort of result. I like the fact that it can be used to help the world and that it has a wide range of topics to explore. *There's a lot of unknowns, which is exciting, as it leads to a struggle to understand something and maybe even find the answer. I like exploring ideas a lot (I had a good class which was looking at lots of controversial topics and we got to talk through ideas we had about it)*. Ecology is more personal, because I like nature a lot and want to protect and understand it. I don't like what humans are doing to it and want it to stop.


Definitely N, possibly Ne.



> Which statement do you identify with? You gain energy by being around other people and lose it when you are alone, or you lose energy when around other people and gain it back when you are alone.
> I gain energy from things like sleeping most of the time. I get tired if I'm with people for too long i.e. over 5 hours, or if I'm surrounded by people for a long time (just their presence makes me tired). I do gain energy from external activities like walking, seeing nature, gaming etc but also from reading a really good book or thinking up ideas for stories.


Seems I.



> What's it like to learn something new about someone's personal values?
> It depends what it is. It's likely to change my opinion of them, even slightly, to learn more about them. I generally have people on a 3D scale of what I like and dislike about them and this is then sorted into a sphere of relatedness and how well we get on. So if they tell me a value that changes my view of them then the scale gets tipped and I have to re-sort it. An example of this is when a guy asked me on a date (I actually didn't realise it was a date and thought it was just hanging out so it was a bit awkward) and he told me about how he doesn't like cats. This made me almost get up and leave straight away, because I really like cats and don't get why people hate them (what did cats ever do that was so bad to people? We're the ones who bred them to exist!) I did stay and changed the subject, but my internal sphere of how I felt about him was moving around a lot and it took me two days to get it sorted.


Seems FP.



> Do you like deciding things early on or do you prefer to put off making decisions for as long as possible?
> I tend to put things off because I usually have had a habit of making bad decisions. *I make a decision but dont make it permanent until I've thought about it for a while*. For my degree I put a subject down because I felt I HAD to and this led to me changing it later on until I found the right course for me (I almost dropped out to do something I felt was more important). I tend to not mind making decisions so long as I get time to work out exactly what I want from it. I dont like making decision for people at all because if I make it then people can shove all the responsibility for it onto me, which is unfair as they left me to decide...


Seems P.



> You have been given the "Most important person on earth" award by the United Nations. What did you do to deserve the honour?
> *That's just silly, no one can be THE most important person on earth, unless they were the last one alive*. Maybe I killed off the human race, took over the UN and awarded it to myself?


Seems FP.



I see plenty of examples of Fi in your responses. Initially I had thought you might have an SP temperament but your answer to my first batch of questions didn't indicate that. Your answers to my second batch of questions indicated N to me very clearly.

I am typing you as INFP.


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