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Darkwood, a full sim outside the stunning Calas Galadhon Park opened Oct 3 for residents to venture through. Designers, Ty Tenk and Truck Merideth have announced the sim will remain open until Nov 1. Pictured on the cover is another shot of the amazing Darkwood build. BREAKFREE/250/243/22
Table of Contents 12 THE INCREDIBLE ZOOBY'S 22 Spot On - Right On! 30 Getting in Stride 36 Meet Roman Godde 47 Skill Gaming Changes 78 Halloween in Second Life 89 Spiritual Celebration in SL 106 iDONTdoSILENT 9
the Incredible Zooby's w ri t t e n a n d p h o t o s b y J i l l M a c Ke n z i e
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Zooby pets are something a lot of people have enjoyed for a long time now. The Name Zooby and Second Life have gone together like tea and coffee since 2008. The animals are well made and back then, were more realistic looking than anything else around at the time. We asked Carrie Tatsu about how Zooby's first started, she said, “I joined SL in 2006, when my son was about 3 months old. I quit a job in advertising to stay home with my new baby. I read about SL and how people were making money selling virtual products online. I thought the idea was fascinating, joined SL and learned while the baby slept. At some point early on I bought a pet and it became part of my virtual identity. I carried it with me everywhere and people often commented on it. I realized that I could make a better, more realistic pet. Within the first year I opened a pet store and was
able to eventually replace my advertising salary selling pets. By the second year my husband (who had also been in advertising) quit his job to help me. The following year we made babies, hired developers and built a business.� As most know the Zooby pets evolved and began to obey menu commands such as allowing you to pet them. I own a Black Spider Monkey and take her out with me a lot. When she is not on my shoulder she wanders her home. For quite some time I had her eating the special food and advancing in levels so she would learn more tricks. Many of my friends got the Monkey pets also and its fun to have then interact with each other and share clothing we have made for them. Needless to say we all enjoy the Monkeys and are very grateful to Zooby for making them. Zooby has breedable Lemurs among may other pets. Browse their sims
(http://maps.secondlife.com/ secondlife/Zoobyville/79/16 2/22) or their website to get a look at all the many items offered by Zooby. http://www.zoobys.com/bre edable/ A part of the Zooby empire that was completely unknown to me was the Zooby Babies. http://www.zoobys.com/bab ies/ I decided to check out the store and was really taken aback by everything available there. Such a huge selection and good quality work there. I have visited the store a few times now while researching for this article and there were always several customers in the store, and most were very happy to answer my inquiries about the babies and about the role they play in their virtual families. I discovered that some people took the family aspect of SL very seriously. The wanted to have a family with the person they loved but real life was not an option so this was something they could share 13
together. Some people told me they were unable to have children in real life so this was a way for them to fulfil a dream. Another couple told me that this was a second marriage for them both and because they both already had children this was something intimate they only shared with each other. We wanted to know what’s next for Zooby's and we got the SCOOP straight from
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the amazing Carrie Tatzu, “Right now we are developing our first game outside of SL called Weirdables. It will be available on iOS or Android (phone and tablet). This is the next logical step for our company. The cool thing is that the years in SL have given me the opportunity to learn how to develop and market online products. I’ve learned how to manage a team of developers and content creators. It’s an extensive project that we
have been working on since last February. We hope to have it available by spring/summer of 2015. We are excited about it because it is our first game to exist outside of SL. It is a 2d life simulation game created with 3d assets. Imagine if Farmville and Pokemon had a baby.” Great things are on the horizon for Carrie and her family and we wish them much success.
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An entrance into Darkwood, the Halloween experience designed by the same fabulous duo who brings us Calas Galadhon Park, Ty Tenk and Truck Merideth. The full region will remain open until Nov 1. BREAKFREE/250/243/22
The Spot On Choreography System "it really is a collaborative effort between all three ofus, without any one ofus it probably wouldn’t have happened like it has" written by: Jill MacKenzie photos by: Galilla Sinatra, BabyPea Von Phoenix and Jill MacKenzie
When I came to Second Life in 2004, things were simple. The skins and shapes looked like a slab of prim on a stick and the animations were jerky, short and really kind of silly. But, in this new realm we were pioneers. Explorers of something new and innovative. We embraced the advances set before us and set out to create new and better items every day. Over time prim hair appeared. It was quite an exciting time because not only was the hair made of prims but it curled! Everyone wanted some and there was great excitement. Another advancement was the flexi prim. Just imagine the possibilities that had. Animations began to improve, and the sex animations were making huge strides. Beds came out sporting all kinds of pink and blue pose balls.
Mega prims hit the grid, open source, and so many other things, some good, some not so good; but Second life was changing and advancing. Animations took a huge leap forward when Linden Labs finally allowed “LLSetLinkPrimitiveParamsFast”. For those of us who need an English translation, it’s a time when SL allowed creators to remove delay limitations so scripts would read data quickly. This opened a whole new world of possibilities and it was a pivotal point in SL history. Meet Martin Yates, Galilla Sinatra and Rug Halberd; the owners of Spot on Choreography. http://www.spotonslgroup.com/ Some time back, after discovering Second 23
Life, Galilla and Rug met and they soon discovered they shared a love for dance. There was not a venue bar inworld that was safe any longer. They had to dance, and dance they did on top any bar that allowed it. After awhile they dreamed of better dances.
Galilla said, “ it got to be frustrating wanting to do more, like move around without jerky movements, we couldn't always do what we wanted to do.” Rug added, “Gal and I have been friends in SL for years, we both knew Martin was a bit of a wiz with coding and
after some badgering later, Spot On was born. As you've seen from here it's kind of taken SL dance world by the short and curlies.” He continued, “it really is a collaborative effort between all three of us, without any one of us it probably wouldn’t have happened like it has. These three talented friends have done something amazing that has revolutionized dance in Second Life, for starters, but has tremendous potential for many other avenues as well. Television shows come to mind right off the bat, and even modeling. Anything or anyone in SL that wants to move in a predetermined way needs to check this out.
Babypea von Phoenix (BabypeaVonPhoenix Bikergrrl) and Gunner Von Phoenix (masterperry Resident) using the Spot On Choreography tool to slide down the bannister during a performance for the Guerilla Burlesque.
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Please bear in mind I am coming at this from a dancer’s perspective, because I use the system for my dancing, with Guerilla Burlesque, and I think it's important to note this system was developed “for” its creators. They all still use it often. Lets take a look at some of the tools
LtoR: Chillee Hernandoz, NaiLani Resident and Jill MacKenzie at the incredible Cirque de Nuit Guerilla Burleque.
and what they do.
Performance Director.
Spot On Costume Assistant http://www.spotonslgroup.c om/costume-assistant.html This handy tool allows you to change clothes hands free. It uses RLV and is ideal for a single dancer or a large group. You can hold and drop a prop, too. You are only limited by your imagination. It's easy to use and works with the Spot On
Spot On Smooth Dancer http://www.spotonslgroup.c om/smooth-dancer.html This is a dance hud that can hold up to 40 people. Great for clubs and has lifetime upgrades and support, like all Spot On products do. Spot On Performance Director http://www.spotonslgroup.c
om/performancedirector.html This tool is one of my personal favorites. You can pinpoint to the microsecond when you will make a certain move. You can layer animations which is a first in the virtual world. What this means is you can control exactly how your avatar moves by layering, you can use part of one animation and another part 27
of a different one. The possibilities are endless. The web page explains this in detail. Another amazing feature is the ability to run multiple routines all at once. Different groups can all be controlled to move together, while dancing different routines, or the same one. You can walk up steps, fly, move objects.. the list goes on and on.
or use some of the prerecorded routines included. Spot On Choreography System. http://www.spotonsl.com/ab out.html To me, the Choreography System is like the backbone to all of the above. This is where you set up the blocking as its called in the theatre or lay out your route. There are time delay, mirroring options and so much more. Like all Spot On products this is low lag, creator used and tested with free lifetime updates and exceptional customer support.
Spot On Group Formation System http://www.spotonslgroup.c om/group-formationsystem.html This is a useful tool for large groups. Its low lag like all Spot On Systems and There are even free classes you can record a sequence to teach you how to operate
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These three talented friends have done something amazing that has revolutionized dance in Second Life the systems. If you check out the web page you will see many examples of the systems in use and you can find lots of testimonials also. From a personal point of view I was very excited to write about Spot On because I believe in their product. Martin Yates, Galilla Sinatra and Rug Halberd are active users and know the system very, very well. They give excellent support and are always willing to help you. I don’t think dance would be where it is today if it were not for the innovation of these three people. So, to Spot On I say Right On and thank you!!
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society invests
more in breast cancer research than other cancer type to find, prevent, treat, and cure the disease. Instead of relaying to beat breast cancer, volunteers make strides.
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Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC is the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the nation, uniting more than 300 communities to finish the fight. Every breast cancer walk and event is an incredible and inspiring opportunity to honor those who have battled breast cancer, raise awareness about what we can do to reduce our breast cancer risk, and race money to help the American Cancer Society fight the
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disease with research, information, services, and access to mammograms for women who need them. Making Strides was created by cancer survivor Margery Gould Rath, who wanted a way to celebrate fellow cancer survivors by raising funds for the American Cancer Society. The very first event, which was held in Boston, drew over 200 participants. Since 1993, Making Strides has had over 8 million walkers participate in events and over $460 million dollars has been raised to fight breast cancer. In SL, Making Strides is entering its third year of existence and is part of the
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RFL of Second Life off season events .The theme for the 2014 season in Second Life is “Seasons of Pink” and is chaired by Jessii2009 Warrhol. Making Strides in real life has many interesting events and partnerships with many popular real life brands. For example, the real life Making Strides campaign has partnered up with Chevrolet for a very interesting fundraiser. This October Chevrolet dealers across America are joining the American Cancer Society’s fight against Breast Cancer by donating $10 for every test drive. Stop by your local dealership, take a test drive and take a
#IDriveFor_________ photo and help support Making Strides Against Breast Cancer For more information visit: https://www.chevrolet.com/cult ure/article/making-stridesagainst-breast-cancer.html Of course in Second Life, there are many events for Making Strides! One very special week long event is Think Pink Week. Think Pink Week is a special week to celebrate the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. During this special week we will have fun themes, events, and contests to make you think pink! Below is a list of events for this fun event:
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Pink Ribbon Day – Wednesday, October 1, 2014 October 1 is the start of breast cancer awareness month. Show your support for breast cancer awareness by wearing a pink ribbon throughout the day in Second Life. Stomp Out Breast Cancer – Pink Shoe Day – Thursday, October 2, 2014 Help us stomp out cancer by wearing pink shoes, boots, flip flops, or pink feet! Pink Denim Day – Friday, October 3, 2014 In real life the American Cancer Society and Lee Jeans have National Denim Day, where Lee Jeans donations 5 dollars of every sale to the American Cancer Society. You can visit Denim Day here: http://www.denimday.com/. In Second Life we ask you to wear denim attire and/or buy the special par of mesh jeans for only 5 lindens at the Strides Booth at ACS: http://maps.secondlife.com/sec ondlife/American%20Cancer% 20Society/122/47/22 Pink Your Parcel Day – Saturday, October 4, 2014 Still want more pink?? If so pink your parcel today, turn your house, grass, and trees
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pink! Send us a photo and enter our special Pink Your Parcel photo contest. (see the notecard in world to submit your photos for this contest) Pink Spirit Day – Sunday, October 5, 2014 Join us at the American Cancer Society Island for a day long party. With live djs and music, this pink rally will be pinkreffic! Mission Pink – Monday, October 6, 2014 Learn about the mission of Making Strides and help us spread the word of Strides throughout Second Life, by placing your mission posters at your home or business. Pink Swag Day – Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Put on your best pink attire and show off your pink swag throughout the day. Go entirely pink and enter our Pink Swag Day photo contest! Pink Honor & Remembrance Day – Wednesday, October 8, 2014 As Think Pink Week ends, we honor and remember those we have lost to breast cancer. Honor a loved one by place the special pink ribbon at your Second Life home or business. Enter a special dedication that
will be displayed on our website to a loved one. You can get involved by becoming a member of the Pink Club and being one of our sponsors for the 2014 season. Our sponsorship page details our sponsorship packages. You can also get involved as an individual, business, organization, or group in Second Life. Click here to request fundraising tools for the 2014 MSABC in SL and one of our friendly planning committee members will send you the fundraising tools in Second Life! Lastly we would like to invite all breast cancer survivors and caregivers to register for the 2014 MSABC in SL Season. Please register so that we can keep you up to date with Strides activities and so that you can receive the special 2014 breast cancer survivor and caregiver packet. You can find the registration link here: http://makingstridessl.wordpre ss.com/survivors-caregivers/ For more information: www.makingstridessl.org
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Roman Godde a chat with SL resident Roman Godde by Nikki Mathieson
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Roman Godde, who contacted me for a photo shoot he had arranged to do, to accompany an interview I did for the Home & Garden Expo. This was a first for me, I've done a lot of interviews but never a photo shoot. I had a great time and the photos that Roman provided afterwards, was added bonus. Roman was easy to work with, friendly, a true gentleman and professional. He even provided music video's for me to listen to while I watched my avatar pose like a model. How fun! After chatting with Roman for awhile I learned that he is active in promoting events and contributes his talent to many causes in the Second Life community. I invited him to have his work and an interview presented in this issue ofAvi Choice Magazine for our readers to enjoy.
NM: Hello Roman. Thank you so much for this interview. It is exciting to share you with our readers in this DEBUT issue ofAvi Choice Magazine. Your rez date is in 2010. What brought you to Second Life? 36
RG: In 2008, I was watching
the news about an on-line virtual world. I was working crazy hours as a law enforcement officer so I never looked into it. In 2010, Second life crossed my path but this time it was a little different. A buddy of mine told me about this online virtual game and how he met an amazing girl and they were getting ready to meet each other. I responded with “let me guess, Second life”. That night, I pulled up the site and logged in for the very first time and it took me 45 minutes to figure out how to move forward. NM: Are you still a law enforcement officer? Have you met other officers in SL? RG:
I'm a retired law enforcement officer. I got injured while on duty and I now spend my days knitting cat sweaters. I've met a few guys from the military on SL that are good friends of mine and own stores but no other police officers.
NM: Your Second Life partner is your First Life wife, right?
RG: Yes she is. We met on 38
Second Life in 2011 at a club and I initially blew her off but we remained friends. We always had a love-hate relationship and then she said I smartened up. She told me that she was moving in and that I must marry her, so I obeyed.
NM: I'm a fan of your work.
Tell us about what you do in Second Life? I know you have the blog, the SL Registry. (theslregistry.blogspot.com)
RG: Thank you so much, I’m
glad you enjoy it. In Second Life, my photography is very versatile. Depending on my mood, theme of the shot taken, the items being featured I can take a photograph that captures fantasy and on the other end of the spectrum, I can take a shot that is controversial or dark. I enjoy telling a story with my photos, capturing a feeling or a moment in passing. In the future, I can see myself having my own gallery or broadening my horizons and perhaps creating my own poses. As far as The SL Registry, I can only see positive things for it as there is only one direction in my book and that is up!
I enjoy helping out with different events such as the Relay For Life, Siren Productions, Mens Fashion Week amongst many others, but my passion is photography and The SL Registry. Photography has become an outlet for me, a place where I can capture a beautiful image and interpret it in the way I know how. It was a natural progression to have a blog that enabled me to showcase my art and other creators work as well. I wanted to have a blog that featured products and services, from clothing, boats, avatars, fantasy, new sim openings, the best of SL has to offer and the SL Registry serves to do just that.
NM: You also assisted with
this year’s Home & Garden Expo, which is in support of Relay For Life, as well. Do you support charities in or outside of Second life, on a regular basis? Why Home Expo…. Relay For Life?
RG: Yes, I do it’s my way of continuing to provide a service. In RL I support the ASPCA, I used to bring my now retired canine to assisted
living and childrens hospitals. His name is Hunter, here’s a picture of him in my wallet. I wanted to be behind the scenes for the Home and Garden Expo and help out in a charity that I feel does amazing things for people.
NM: Can you give our readers a bit more Roman Godde history, in SL or out?
RG: I’m still trying to learn
how to juggle but it’s not easy. I even bought a how to juggle book. I started out just as an observer who enjoyed exploring new sims. I met my RL wife in SL and it became a place for us to connect and explore together. We have 2 beautiful girls named Ella and Luunah and a god-daughter named Pita whom we spend
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our time with. Here’s a fun fact I even participated in Mr. Virtual World once, I didn’t win but there are no hurt feelings LOL. I became fascinated with SL photography when both my parents passed and my pain became the fuel for my art. From there my interest in helping out with different charities and organizations has become something I find very fulfilling.
NM: Besides working, what
else do you like to do in SL? RG: I am very much a family man. You can find myself and my family standing on our porch or driveway laughing, talking or twerking LOL. It’s been years and we will stand on the driveway.. I’m sure my house is nice..
NM: You read it here, folks..
an Avi Choice EXCLUSIVE.. the man TWERKS! Anything else you’d like our readers to know about you, Roman? Do you provide custom services?
RG: All my work is custom,
there is no one else like me. My wife would be happy about that. I specialize in artistic and realistic photos for profiles, models, couples, portraits and more. I am always accepting clients. You should also know that my wife checks my spelling and grammar.
NM: We give her an A+!
Thanks, Roman for sharing you with Avi Choice. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future, across the grid and of course, on the SL Registry Blog.
Gaming is something that lots of people love to do in Second Life. From playing Fireball to being Zyngo holics, gaming is a favorite pastime of many. This summer, Linden Labs announced an update to their gaming policy: “Gambling is strictly prohibited in Second Life and operating, or participating in, a game of chance that provides a Linden Dollar payout is a violation of our Terms of Service. However, games of skill are legally permitted in many jurisdictions, and we’ve seen that many Second Life users are interested in playing such games for Linden Dollars. Therefore we are updating our gaming policy in
Second Life”. The lab referred to such games as “skill games” and further announced that such games would only be allowed in designated sims and operated by approved operators. With the new requirements came new fees. Skill gaming regions would cost a sim owner around $350 and approved skill gaming creators would have to pay application fees and a quarterly license fee. The policy further stated that only avatars who lived in states where gambling was legal and those who were old enough to play the games, 47
would be allowed in skill gaming regions. Avatars who did not follow this rule would be breaking the Second Life Terms of Service. Originally the new rules were to take effect on August 1, 2014, but the Lab decided to give applicants additional time to apply. Enforcement of the new skill gaming policy will occur on November 1, 2014. The Lab issued the following blurb on their blog about the November 1, 2014 enforcement date: “ the enforcement of our Policy will apply to all Residents, including those with pending Skill Gaming applications that await Linden Lab review and approval. As of that date, any objects or regions found in violation of our Policy will be taken down. We strongly encourage all applicants to submit any outstanding materials for our review as soon as possible so that their applications may be processed before the deadline…” As with most new rule changes that occur in Second Life, these new rules were not met with enthusiasm, with most skill gaming creators and
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regular sim owners who often lease land to gaming centers, being incensed and angry. Many land owners were upset about the increased costs. As one large land owner told me confidentially, “These new skill gaming sims now cost 350 usd a month. It will be hard to justify the increase in cost, as I can only have skill gaming businesses on these type of sims”. Many residents were equally upset. “Sarah” stated, “I usually make about 200 usd a month playing these type of games. My state is one that bans gambling, so there goes my extra source of real life income”. The reaction from creators was equally mixed. Pi Games announced via their group that they would cease operations as they would not have enough time to prepare the legal documents necessary to become a licensed skill game creator. Pi Games has recently updated their games to a “player vs player” format. These new games can be found in the Fish Bowl Sim. Caught up in the middle of the skill gaming ruckus are
business owners who offered affiliate gaming machines in order to offset the costs of their businesses. “Mike” the owner of a very well-known rock club in Second Life that had skill gaming machines was very upset about the changes. “I cannot justify having to spend real life money to get a legal affidavit to operate a gaming machine in my club. While I do make a decent amount to help offset my rock club costs, it is not enough to pay for real life legal advice. I have let my skill games go. I miss the extra money but the club will adapt, we always do when Linden Labs pushes these kinds of changes down the pipeline”. The new skill gaming announcement did have a few positives. As with anything that involves transactions, the chance for fraud exists in Second Life. Most skill gaming machines work in the following manner: where the owner of the machine must have funds on their account, in order for the machine to pay a winner of a particular round. If the owner of a skill gaming machine does not have enough lindens on their account, then
the winner will not get paid. This at times happens. Of course most honest skill gaming operators will normally just pay the person who won, but sometimes the person is not paid. “I once visited a skill gaming sim, where I spent 2,000Ls of my own money to play the games. I ended up winning 5,000Ls, but the money did not pay out to me. I imed the sim owner and was told to contact the person who owned the machine. I imed several times and dropped notecards. I was never paid. Even when I showed the text of where the machine said I won, I was not paid. I did try returning to the parcel, but I was banned. I welcome these new skill gaming rules, because now we know which sims are skill gaming regions and with real life tied to the accounts, maybe people like me will no longer be fooled or scammed out of lindens”, said “Tina” a skill gaming enthusiast.
has banned these machines from the mainland. The mainland should be light usage as there is no covenant and it can often be very laggy living there with gaming machines. I have had no fewer than 3 to 4 gaming places near my own home parcel and it has been laggy throughout the years. Yes I could simply relocate, but I love my land, it’s near the Blake. Thank you Linden Labs for kicking these machines off the mainland”, says “William”. With the enforcement deadline of November 1, 2014 of the new skill gaming policy looming, many residents are asking what’s next? Will popular non approved skill gaming places disappear? Or
will the Lab grant a reprieve? Will this disrupt the Second Life economy as some have predicted? Or will Second Life continue on as normal? Only time will tell. For more information about skill gaming in Second Life, visit the following web pages: https://secondlife.com/destinati ons/games/skillgaming http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki /Linden_Lab_Official:Second_ Life_Skill_Gaming_Policy http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki /Linden_Lab_Official:Second_ Life_Skill_Gaming_FAQ http://community.secondlife.co m/t5/Featured-News/ComingSoon-Skill-Gaming-in-SecondLife/ba-p/2771080
“Skill games would lag the area. I have lived on the mainland for the past 8 years. I am happy that Second Life
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a look at Shiva Jumanya's Native Fusion sim. Dedicated to those who hold in high esteem Native American Indian culture and enjoy it's music and dance. Visit at TenderHeart/36/36/22
"For those who are new to healing work, we don't use our own energy, within us, we reach down, into the earth, drawing nutrition from the Mother, bringing earth energy up. We visualize reaching high into the sky, drawing sky energy down, to mix the two in our solar plexus. We use that energy to send to the people we are focusing positive intent upon."
a Healing Circle is held on Sundays at 1:00PM SLT. If you have a healing request for yourself or someone else, drop a notecard to Shiva Jumanya.
a Clockwork Spiral the 2014 fair to benefit the National Kidney Foundation ~ http://aclockworkspiral.wordpress.com/. photograph by Nikki Mathieson
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