Paramount Plus is one of the best streaming services on offer and for the festive season, the platform introduces animated Christmas specials, documentaries, and the much-anticipated arrival of Dexter prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin. As the last schedule of the year for the streamer, there's a lot on offer. With just under 100 movies on December 1 alone, there's dates throughout the month to mark on your calendar.

While everything new on Paramount Plus in November was seemingly the platform's Christmas offering, there are still a few holiday movies such as Arthur Christmas and A Christmas Caroi to be enjoyed. That's not all, though, as there's cult classics and A-list movies that we'll certainly consider adding to our best Paramount Plus movies list. Here's everything on offer in December.

Everything new on Paramount Plus in December 2024

Arriving on December 1

Hell on Wheels season 1-5 (TV show)
Longmire seasons 1-6 (TV show)
45 Years (movie)
A Christmas Carol (movie)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (movie)
Annie (movie)
Arthur Christmas (movie)
Bad Moms (movie)
Baywatch (movie)
Bebe’s Kids (movie)
Blade Runner 2049 (movie)
Boogie Nights (movie)
Born on the Fourth of July (movie)
Burn After Reading (movie)
Charlotte’s Web (movie)
Chicago (movie)
Chocolate City (movie)
Christmas Cupid (movie)
Cliffhanger (movie)
Cocktail (movie)
Coneheads (movie)
Contagion (movie)
Critical Condition (movie)
Crocodile Dundee (movie)
Crocodile Dundee II (movie)
Cujo (movie)
Deck The Halls (movie)
Detained (movie)
Disturbia (movie)
Down to Earth (movie)
Edward Scissorhands (movie)
Fear (movie)
Fist Fight (movie)
Free Willy (movie)
Full Metal Jacket (movie)
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (movie)
Heaven Can Wait (movie)
Hell or High Water (movie)
Her (movie)
Hustle & Flow (movie)
John Grisham’s The Rainmaker (movie)
Judas and the Black Messiah (movie)
Julie & Julia (movie)
King Richard (movie)
L.A. Confidential (movie)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (movie)
Love, Rosie (movie)
Major League (movie)
Malcolm X (movie)
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To All! (TV show)
Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
Mirror Mirror (movie)
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (movie)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (movie)
Nancy Drew (movie)
No Country for Old Men (movie)
Point Break (movie)
Primal Fear (movie)
Rings (movie)
Risky Business (movie)
Rosemary’s Baby (movie)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)
The Back-up Plan (movie)
The Cider House Rules (movie)
The Exorcist (movie)
The Good Liar (movie)
The Iron Giant (movie)
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain (movie)
The Lovely Bones (movie)
The Matrix (movie)
The Monster Squad (movie)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (movie)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (movie)
The Outsiders (movie)
The Perfect Holiday (movie)
The Queen (movie)
The Secret Garden (movie)
The Uninvited (movie)
Think Like a Man (movie)
Think Like a Man Too (movie)
This Is Where I Leave You (movie)
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (movie)
Tom and Jerry: Santa’s Little Helpers (movie)
Trading Places (movie)
Unaccompanied Minors (movie)
Wayne’s World 2 (movie)
What Men Want (movie)
What Remains (movie)
Wild Things (movie)
Winter’s Bone (movie)
World Trade Center (movie)
Zodiac (movie)

Arriving on December 2

SpongeBob SquarePants, “SpongeBob & Sandy’s Country Christmas” special (TV show)

Arriving on December 3

as1one: The Israeli-Palestinian Pop Music Journey (documentary)

Arriving on December 4

Peppa Pig: Winter Wonderland (TV show)
Teen Mom Family Reunion season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on December 6

Extreme Movie (movie)
The Honey Trap: A True Story of Love, Lies, and the FBI (documentary)

Arriving on December 8

Joe Bell (movie)
The Score (movie)

Arriving on December 9

The Fabulous Four (movie)

Arriving on December 11

First Wives Club seasons 1-3 (TV show)

Arriving on December 13

Dexter: Original Sin (TV show)

Arriving on December 15

An Evening with Dua Lipa (special)

Arriving on December 19

Nate Bargatze Nashville Christmas (comedy special)

Arriving on December 20

National Christmas Tree Lighting (special)
Josh Groban & Friends Go Home For The Holidays (Christmas special)

Arriving on December 22

The 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors (TV special)

Arriving on December 27

The Greatest @Home Videos: Holiday Edition (TV show)
Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs (TV show)

Arriving on December 29

Grammy Greats: The Most Memorable Moments (TV show)

Arriving on December 31

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash (live event)
5 to 7 (movie)
Aurora: A Love Story (movie)
Backcountry (movie)
Match (movie)
The Riot Club (movie)
The Salvation (movie)
Welcome to New York (movie)

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• Microsoft made some unwise claims about Snapdragon-toting Copilot+ PCs
• X fact-checkers made short work of the assertion that they’re the ‘fastest’ PCs
• They also disagreed with the ‘intelligent’ claim, though that’s not as clear-cut

'Be careful what you post on social media' might be a lesson Microsoft is just now learning: a swift nugget of PR that was published on X (formerly Twitter) may, in hindsight, be viewed with some regret.

Windows Latest noticed the post, which was posted by the official Windows account on X, claiming simply that Snapdragon-powered (Arm) Copilot+ laptops are the “fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs” out there.

As you can see, X readers have ‘added context’ – essentially a community-based sort of loose fact-check that pops up here and there, pointing out alternative views, or information that a post has missed out – and did so in a rather withering fashion.

The X community asserts that: “These are not the fastest Windows PCs. They run on Snapdragon processors which have significantly less computing power than top-of-the-line Intel or AMD chipsets."

“[They] lack functionality for gamers, the major aspects of the AI are not implemented.”

So, should we fact-check the fact-checkers in this instance? Why not…

Analysis: We can’t argue for the most part

There are two main claims here from Microsoft, so let’s deal with them in turn, with the first being that Snapdragon-packing Copilot+ PCs are the “fastest” computers. This one is easy – no, they are not, as the X community rightly observes. This is a rather absurd claim, given that there are mighty desktop PCs out there running Windows that are massively more powerful than a svelte Arm-based laptop.

Even if we assume Microsoft really meant laptops – so not including desktop PCs, and the company should have specified that, we might add – they are still not the most performant devices out there.

How does the Snapdragon X Elite stack up to, say, the Core i9-14900HX for gaming laptops, performance-wise? Not very well, and that’s before we even consider overheads for emulating x86 apps on Arm. (Most software is coded for the x86 platform, and so needs to run via Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer on Windows on Arm, dropping back performance a bit).

The X context-check also notes that Arm-based CPUs “lack functionality for gamers” and this is also true – games can be rather troublesome in the compatibility stakes compared to a traditional x86 AMD or Intel-powered laptop. We’ve seen reports about how this is a particularly shaky area for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips.

On to Microsoft’s second claim that these Copilot+ PCs are the “most intelligent” Windows machines ever seen: it’s here that we’ll concede Microsoft might have a point.

By "most intelligent", Microsoft is clearly referring to the extra AI functionality that comes with Copilot+ PCs, such as exclusive powers to enhance video chats, provide system-wide live captions, and AI-driven photo editing extras. The big halo feature is Recall, the supercharged AI search that’s been mired in controversy, and was sent back to the drawing board earlier this year – but is finally out (in testing) now.

However, while technically these extra features do make Copilot+ PCs more intelligent – we’ll give Microsoft that – they aren’t just for Arm devices, as x86-powered Copilot+ laptops get them too. Although granted, Recall will be exclusive to Snapdragon notebooks to begin with – but it’ll come to AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs eventually.

So, this isn’t really a strong suit of Arm-based Copilot+ PCs specifically, but all of these new AI-focused devices, both Arm and x86 machines included. And, as the X fact-check also points out, those AI powers are pretty limited right now. Remember, Recall is still in limited testing (and some folks may not trust it anyway).

The upshot of this is that Copilot+ PCs are not really that much more ‘intelligent’ than normal Windows 11 computers – not yet, anyway – but still, what Microsoft claims in that second aspect of its post is technically true.

Overall, though, the post feels like an unfortunate piece of PR puffery, though that’s certainly not a crime that only Microsoft is guilty of in the tech world.

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• The official launch trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here
• The trailer provides a fresh look at Indy's next adventure with brand-new gameplay
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches next week on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has received an official launch trailer ahead of its December 9 release.

With only days to go, Bethesda has shared the final trailer for its upcoming first-person narrative game which will find the titular character on a brand new adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.

The three-minute video highlights the many features of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, including its story and characters, along with the various locations Indy will be traveling to on his quest, like Egypt and Vatican City.

Gameplay mechanics we've seen before also got their time to shine, with the trailer showcasing new ancient puzzles and environmental obstacles players will need to overcome on their journey.

Mid-way through the trailer, we also got a glimpse at what seems to be a brand new gameplay sequence, never before seen in any former teasers.

It was only a short clip, but we see Indy fighting off some bad guys on a ship during a snowstorm before it cuts away. This sequence could possibly be connected to the Himalayas, a location that was previously confirmed to appear in the game.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC on December 9 as a timed exclusive.

We still don't have an exact release date for the PS5 version, but it's alated to arrive sometime in "Spring 2025".

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• Microsoft is developing a new "File Search" app, possibly to improve Windows Search, aiming for more accurate results and better usability
• The app will support searches across both local files and cloud storage, also allowing more specific queries
• Screenshots reveal that File Search is still in development, with potential concerns over its functionality and Microsoft’s app ecosystem integration

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new app for the rather unpopular Windows Search tool, in the hopes of making it feel more useful to Windows users. Windows Search is currently seen as fairly unreliable and hard to use, causing many users to abandon it altogether.

The new app will apparently allow you to search for files both on your PC as well as stored in a cloud storage service like Microsoft’s own OneDrive. You’ll also be able to carry out more specific searches by using details like file names, keywords, and people, which will show up in the taskbar. This sounds like you might be able to search directly from the taskbar, which I think would be particularly popular with users as you wouldn’t have to open a separate dialog box to search.

Evidence that such an app was in the process of being developed was spotted by user EpicB on X, raising people’s hopes that Windows Search might finally turn out to be a helpful feature.

EpicB doesn’t explain where they caught glimpses of the new companion app in the operating system (OS) or in which version of it, but they do provide some screenshots of a window that appears to introduce the new app to users and shows what it currently looks like. In one screenshot, you can see a query for files to do with ‘Renewable Energy’ and some files listed as results. In other screenshots, there’s an FAQ section and a ‘Preferences’ page with some options regarding notifications, which are greyed out.

The app itself is named ‘File Search’ in these screenshots, but as this is still in development, the name could change. XDA writes that File Search won’t just be able to search using things like file names, but also by keywords in the document itself or by the names of people who work on a certain file.

Maybe one of many Companion apps in the pipeline

File Search looks set to be another ‘Companion’ app that Microsoft has been introducing to Windows 11, which are designed to be small, helpful additions. XDA also reports that a Microsoft 365 taskbar Companion was announced at Ignite 2024, which it thinks indicates that we’re probably going to see more of these apps be added to Windows 11.

From the screenshots provided, it doesn’t look like EpicB was able to try the app for themselves, and Microsoft is still in the process of testing and refining it, so we’ll have to wait and see the finalized version. It’s also unclear if (and how) the Companion app is related to Windows Search itself.

I’m rooting for Microsoft in this instance and I hope the File Search Companion app is a success. This would make Windows 11 more efficient and easier to use, and function how you would hope a search app would work. The tech company still has some ways to go when it comes to winning many users’ favor and developments like this would be steps in the right direction.

I do worry that Microsoft could still mess this up, however. Either by rushing it out in an unfinished state, with some features not working as intended, or by using the app to strongarm people into using its other apps and services, such as opening links in its Edge browser, even if you use another web browser as your default, or limiting the cloud search feature to only work with its OneDrive service, and not rivals such as iCloud and Google Drive.

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• AI has developed into a tool that can now handle more complex workloads
• It will undoubtedly shift the labor market, but will lead to a net job creation
• Experts are calling for more detailed policies to protect displaced workers

Although early concerns that AI could replace human workers have largely been squashed, every now and then we hear of another study that says otherwise, and OECD’s Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2024 report certainly gives that impression.

The report explores how cognitive non-routine tasks, such as those performed by highly-skilled professionals, are increasingly within the scope of AI.

Up until now, low-skilled, repetitive and administration tasks have been most affected by the technology, which has the power to process huge amounts of data very quickly to get routine tasks done.

AI is coming after your boss’ job

Unlike earlier automation trends that primarily impacted manufacturing and automotive roles, generative AI is now promising to change roles in education, finance and IT.

The study found that GenAI already affects around a quarter of jobs, but OECD doesn't seem too concerned about AI actually replacing human workers. Instead, the study likens the emerging tech to automation, which actually led to a net creation of jobs despite some being lost for good.

OECD’s report also suggests that AI could be used to tackle the ongoing skills shortage by increasing accessibility to those who might not have previously been able to undertake certain roles.

Looking ahead, OECD says that the "uneven recovery" seen post-pandemic cannot repeat itself as AI progresses. It calls for more effective collaboration between the public and private sectors to create policies that advocate workers’ rights and to invest in upskilling and reskilling initiatives.

The study calls specifically for policies that identify opportunities where AI can drive regional growth, build awareness of AI's benefits for workers and employers, improve the uptake of AI tools across small businesses, establish frameworks to control AI risks and provide tailored support for displaced workers.

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• Leaked pictures show Insta360 Flow 2 Pro packaging
• The Flow Pro was only launched a few months ago
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Our Insta360 Flow Pro review is barely three months old, but Insta360 already looks set to launch a successor, the Flow 2 Pro. Well, that's if leaked pictures shared by @Quadro_News on X (formerly Twitter) are anything to go by.

In the leaked pictures (see below), we see what appears to be the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro packaging, with all four sides of the box showing the key features of the gimbal and action camera specialist's upcoming phone gimbal.

Like the Flow Pro, it looks like the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro is billed as an 'AI Tracking Stabilizer', with AI-powered tracking capabilities. It is also a foldable gimbal with built-in tripod, selfie stick, magnetic clamp and one-step rapid deploy.

It also appears to be armed with three-axis stabilization, infinite 360-degree pan tracking, Apple Dockkit tracking, and 10-hour battery life. Going from the packaging alone, which is all we have to go on, it looks like little has changed, but this is Insta360 we're talking about.

So what exactly is new?

We already rate the Insta Flow Pro as the best phone gimbal for iPhone, thanks to its world's first Apple subject-tracking tech. However, that gimbal was only launched a few months ago, so what could a second iteration bring to the table, coming so soon?

All we have to go by is the Flow 2 Pro packaging pictures which highlights key specs and features, all of which appear to practically be the same as before. So what's new? Seemingly not much. That said, Insta360's gimbal and action camera departments are moving faster than most, and so there could still be exciting developments in its latest gimbal, if these pictures are indeed authentic.

One feature of note is an AI Module Editing Suite, which could offer next-level video editing based on your tracked subjects – but we simply don't know about this yet. If indeed a new Flow 2 Pro is boxed and ready to go, we won't have long to find out.

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Max once again lives up to its name this month with a ton of new movies for you to stream. Its huge catalog is one of the reasons why we think Max is among the very best streaming services, but of course the downside of all that choice is that it's easy to miss some really great movies. So we're here to help.

As you can see from our guide to everything new on Max in December 2024, there are dozens of new movies adding to Max's already extensive catalog this month. There's lots of good stuff there, including these three highly rated gems; each one has a very high critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and two are well-loved classics. The third is much more recent but no less deserving of your time.

The Shop Around the Corner

Score: 99%
Rating: not rated
Run time: 1h 37m
Director: Ernst Lubitsch

This is one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made, and the years haven't dulled its considerable charm. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, friends off-screen, star in what the New York Times called "a genial and tender romance" in its 1940 review – it's funny but never sacrifices the story for cheap laughs.

The Shop Around the Corner is a classic odd-couple rom-com, with Stewart as his usual genial everyman and Sullavan as a straight-talking, no-nonsense woman with little time for fools. It set the template followed by later films such as You've Got Mail, but it did it first and did it better with its tale of two colleagues who can't stand each other but who fall for pen pals that turn out to be – you've guessed it – the very people they think they dislike.

The Maltese Falcon

Score: 99%
Rating: not rated
Run time: 1h 40m
Director: John Huston

Often imitated, occasionally parodied but rarely bettered, this glorious noir movie features Humphrey Bogart as hard-bitten private eye Sam Spade in what the London Evening Standard called "the best crook film that's ever been made".

The famously hard to please critic Pauline Kael of The New Yorker loved it too: "It is (and this is rare in American films) a work of entertainment that is yet so skillfully constructed that after many years and many viewings it has the same brittle explosiveness – and even some of the same surprise – that it had in its first run." It's beautifully shot and beautifully acted; most of it hasn't aged, although the occasionally overlong bits of exposition lifted straight from the book wouldn't make it into a modern script. But that's a minor quibble about what's widely recognized as a cinematic masterpiece.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Score: 98%
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Ian Bonhôte , Peter Ettedgui

For people of a certain age, there will only ever be one Superman: Christopher Reeve, who played the titular alien in four 70s and 80s blockbusters. But sadly Reeve's career was cut short in 1995 when he suffered terrible injuries in a horse riding accident – injuries that left him paralyzed. This documentary tells his story.

The consensus is that while structurally this is standard celeb-documentary fayre, Reeves himself makes the film something bigger – especially through his advocacy work on behalf of disabled people. As Empire magazine put it: "the film is a compelling document of a man who had special abilities in his own right, using his influence to change the ways the world views disabled people... its emotional account of Reeve’s life is a fitting tribute to a true superhuman."

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• The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted airs on December 5
• The showcase will feature new trailers and announcements
• This year's event will be hosted by Frankie Ward and narrated by Baldur's Gate 3's Amelia Tyler

The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted is scheduled to air later this week where it will reveal the most anticipated PC games of 2025, as well as showcase new trailers and announcements.

If you're hoping to tune in to the broadcast, here's everything you need to know, including when and where to watch, and watch to expect.

Start Time

The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted is set to air on Thursday, 5 December, at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CEST.

We're unsure how long the showcase will be at this time, but it's expected to at least last longer than one hour.

Where To Watch

You'll be able to watch the PC Gaming Show live on PC Gamer's official Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as on Ginx, Steam and China's Bilibili platform.

A number of Twitch streamers will also be live streaming the showcase, too, including Esfand, MissMikkaa, CohhCarnage, DieHardDiva, Elajjaz, GRONKH, XopO, and SodaPoppin, so fans will be able to watch along.

What To Expect

The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted will be presented by returning regular host Frankie Ward and narrated by Baldur's Gate 3's Amelia Tyler.

The broadcast will count down the 25 most-anticipated games in development for PC, chosen from a shortlist of 100 games, but viewers can also expect deep dives, exclusive trailers, and new game reveals during the live stream.

To name a few highlights, Avowed's game director, Carrie Patel, will answer quick-fire questions on the upcoming first-person role-playing game (RPG). A brand new trailer from The Game Breakers will be shared for its game Cairn, and a new for Killing Floor 3 will also make its debut.

Nightdive Studios will also unveil a new trailer for its restoration of the 2002 third-person survival horror game The Thing: Remastered, and ex-Kindred Aerospace CEO Martin Tweed will share an announcement about Revenge of the Savage Planet.

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• RX 8800 XT is rumored to equal RTX 4080 for non-ray tracing performance
• The RDNA 4 graphics card could match the RTX 4080 Super for ray tracing
• The GPU is about to enter mass production, hinting at an early 2025 launch

AMD’s rumored Radeon RX 8800 XT could pack a real punch – especially for ray tracing – if a fresh leak about the next-gen GPU turns out to be true.

In theory, this will be the top-tier RDNA 4 graphics card – although it’ll be a mid-range GPU, as AMD isn’t doing the high-end this time around, going by the rumor mill – and the new info on performance and a possible release date comes from Zhangzhonghao, a leaker over at the Chiphell forums (in China).

Add plenty of seasoning, but the claim (as highlighted by Wccftech) is that the RX 8800 XT is a huge improvement in ray tracing performance, and a good step up for rasterization performance (no ray tracing) too.

Zhangzhonghao believes that rasterization performance will equal Nvidia’s RTX 4080 GPU, and that the 8800 XT will be more in the ballpark of the RTX 4080 Super when it comes to ray tracing.

The leaker also claims that the RX 8800 XT is 45% faster in ray tracing compared to the current flagship, the RX 7900 XTX, with the Resident Evil 4 Remake. And that in other popular games, the 8800 XT’s generational ray tracing boost is ‘epic’ albeit partly because the performance levels seen with RDNA 3 were pretty shoddy.

Another point to note is that power consumption for the 8800 XT should be 25% less than the 7900 XTX, although we aren’t provided with any specific metric here, just a vague assertion.

Regarding the release date, we’re told that the RX 8800 XT is about to start mass production in the middle of December. In theory, then, it could emerge late in January 2025, or perhaps February, which fits with current rumors of a Q1 launch for RDNA 4 graphics cards.

Analysis: Reasons to be hopeful

Interestingly, most of the recent buzz is about the RX 8800 XT, and we’re not hearing anything much on the 8700 XT which would, in theory, be the likely partner GPU (based on guesswork and past rumors).

Considering that the unveiling of AMD’s RDNA 4 desktop GPUs is apparently planned for CES 2025, in just over a month, we’d expect more spillage about a sibling GPU to come through soon - unless Team Red is kicking off with a solo launch here before other RDNA 4 cards arrive further down the line, but we’d be very surprised if that was the case.

With the performance leaks, previous speculation has suggested that the top RDNA 4 GPU (in theory this 8800 XT) could be a bit faster than the 7900 XT, and equating the 8800 XT with the RTX 4080 here indicates that is indeed the case (though other rumors have suggested it’ll be level with the 7900 XT, so a touch slower than the 4080).

That’s for rasterization, but the leap with ray tracing looks to be a huge one – and that makes sense in terms of AMD wanting to fix that weakness with its next-gen desktop graphics cards. Fingers crossed on that front, as often the arguments in favor of Nvidia being the superior choice revolve around ray tracing (and DLSS too).

On the topic of power usage, with the current 7900 XTX flagship having a TDP of 355W, based on the above info, we could be looking at 265W or so for the 8800 XT, which would put it in much the same bracket as the 7800 XT. That suggests AMD is concentrating on driving performance with RDNA 4, rather than efficiency (but not performance at the cost of efficiency, crucially).

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