Introduction
Summary of the Book Thinking in New Boxes by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny Before we proceed, let’s look into a brief overview of the book. Imagine a world where your mind isn’t trapped by old assumptions. What if every time you faced a challenge, you could calmly set aside outdated beliefs and construct new, more fitting viewpoints? This is the promise of learning to think in new boxes. It’s about recognizing that the categories, rules, and mental shortcuts guiding your decisions can be reshaped at will. Instead of feeling stuck, you learn to shift perspectives, embrace fresh data, challenge your worldview, and adapt to multiple futures. Picture yourself rising above tunnel vision, discovering overlooked markets, or foreseeing changes your competitors ignore. Each step toward creating and refining new boxes makes you more resourceful. As you read these chapters, you’ll find the keys to unlocking a flexible, inventive, and forward-looking mind.
Chapter 1: Discovering the Hidden Thought-Boxes That Quietly and Persistently Shape Your Everyday Decisions.
Think for a moment about how you go through your day. Every choice, from what breakfast cereal you pick to which route you take to school or work, is shaped by something deep inside your mind. These hidden guides, known as boxes, are mental models you rely on without even realizing it. They’re not physical boxes, of course, but categories, rules, and patterns your brain creates so you can process information quickly. Without them, the world would seem chaotic and overwhelming. Imagine if you had to puzzle over every single decision—like whether that round object in the sky is really the sun—every time you looked up. Boxes save you mental energy, and they make life feel simpler. Yet they can also limit you by narrowing what you consider possible.
These boxes don’t come labeled, but they form naturally over time as you grow, learn language, adopt cultural norms, and absorb beliefs. Each identity you hold—maybe you’re a student, a gamer, a teenager—is a box that gives you a certain viewpoint. When you think about cars, sports, or music, there are also boxes that shape your understanding of these topics. You constantly compare the present with past knowledge to decide what fits and what doesn’t. In this way, boxes are like invisible filters through which new ideas must pass. They help you by guiding your interpretation, but they also create boundaries that may trap you. Recognizing that you are always thinking inside boxes is the first step to understanding them more deeply.
Consider how these mental boxes vary from place to place. If you live in a city where taxis are painted yellow, you learn to identify a taxi as a yellow car. But if you visit another country where taxis are beige or green, your old taxi box no longer applies. Almost immediately, you update your box with new information. This constant adaptation shows how flexible our mental models can be. Yet the real challenge arises when the boxes are more entrenched, such as long-held beliefs about how society works or which career paths are correct. Changing those boxes requires recognizing they exist in the first place. Once you know you’re working within a box, you can start to question whether it still serves you.
Boxes are not inherently good or bad; they simply are. They are mental tools that can help organize complexity, but sometimes they become barriers to new thoughts. Many people struggle to break free from outdated boxes because they’ve never stopped to notice these invisible frameworks. If you keep using the same mental boxes for too long, you may become stuck, believing certain possibilities don’t exist. Understanding that boxes are everywhere is liberating. It shows you that thinking outside the box is less about living without boxes—impossible, since we always have some form of mental framework—and more about learning to form new boxes that better match changing realities. Recognizing this can open your mind to fresh possibilities you never knew existed.
Chapter 2: Unraveling Why Truly Fresh Ideas Come From Boldly Shaping Brand-New Boxes.
If every thought you have relies on certain mental structures, how can you spark genuine innovation? The secret lies not in a perfect escape from all boxes—an impossible feat—but rather in creating entirely new ones. Inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs don’t simply leap out of old patterns into nothingness; they carefully craft alternative mental frameworks. Picture yourself designing a new lens through which to view the world—this lens isn’t just random freedom. It’s a new, thoughtfully assembled box that helps you see beyond old restrictions. Innovative thinkers understand that any out-of-the-box idea first requires the creation of a different box altogether. By challenging what you thought you knew, you make space for groundbreaking concepts. Replacing an old box with a new one can ignite a whole world of opportunities.
Sometimes, sticking stubbornly to your current boxes leads to tunnel vision. This is when you can’t see beyond your familiar assumptions. You become convinced that your interpretation is the only correct version of reality. History is full of such examples. People once believed the Earth was flat, then they updated their box to understand it as round. Later science found that even the notion of a perfect sphere was too simplistic, leading to an even more nuanced understanding. The lesson: what we consider correct now may look laughably limited later. When companies cling too tightly to their defining boxes, they risk missing out on new markets and fresh ideas. By forming new boxes, you free yourself from the blinders of tunnel vision.
Consider a famous example in business: for decades, the company BIC defined itself narrowly as a maker of plastic ballpoint pens. This box limited them to changing ink colors or tweaking pen designs. But when BIC realized they could adopt a bigger box, seeing themselves as producers of all kinds of disposable plastic products, suddenly they could make razors, lighters, and other handy items. By embracing a bigger box, they unlocked a treasure chest of new markets and solutions. Similarly, replacing old worldviews—like going from flat Earth to spherical Earth—gave explorers the confidence to sail across oceans. The very nature of innovation involves regularly questioning and replacing boxes, even the ones you currently love. Only then can you see a horizon of endless possibilities.
Creating new boxes requires both courage and curiosity. It means acknowledging that your current frameworks might be holding you back. It’s normal to feel uneasy when challenging familiar mental structures, but this sense of discomfort often signals that you’re heading towards something fresh and exciting. Think of these new boxes as tools that help you reorganize your understanding of what’s possible, whether in business, science, or everyday life. You won’t become box-free. Instead, you’ll become box-flexible, able to switch models, test new assumptions, and integrate surprising insights. That’s the secret to innovation: you keep evolving your conceptual foundations. The more you do this, the more prepared you’ll be to face unexpected changes, harness unusual opportunities, and imagine realities that others can’t even comprehend yet.
Chapter 3: Challenging Knee-Jerk Reactions and Unreliable Instincts to Reimagine Possibility.
Our minds often urge us to trust gut feelings, those instant intuitions that bubble up before we think deeply. While instincts can be helpful in simple matters, they aren’t always reliable guides for complex innovation. Our brains are wired to prefer what’s familiar. We embrace evidence that supports our current boxes and reject anything that feels too strange. This comforting pattern makes it hard to spot extraordinary possibilities, because they often live outside the boundaries of old thinking. To break new ground, you need to question those gut instincts. Think about how athletes develop unusual techniques that initially seem odd, like the high jumper Dick Fosbury who jumped backward over the bar. His strange-looking approach, once doubted, became the new standard because it broke old assumptions.
The challenge is that our cognitive wiring pushes us to cling to old boxes. We like consistency and resist change, often ignoring contradictory information. If a new idea feels unnatural, we tend to dismiss it, even if it can lead to a remarkable breakthrough. Recognizing this human tendency is crucial. Instead of letting your subconscious programming steer your creativity, grab the steering wheel yourself. Look closely at that feeling of discomfort you experience when encountering unexpected ideas. Is it simply your mental programming resisting a fresh possibility, or is there a genuine flaw to the concept? By asking such questions, you transform from a passive passenger of your mental train into an active conductor, guiding your thoughts to explore new routes instead of just the old tracks.
Our intuitive minds often misjudge risks, values, and probabilities. We may hold onto a failing investment simply because selling it would confirm a loss, even though holding it only increases the damage. We may refuse to skate on a perfectly stable frozen pond unless we see others doing it first, even though adding more skaters increases the risk. These biases highlight how our instinctive sense of safety can be misguided. Recognizing these mental traps is the first step to moving past them. By acknowledging that instinct isn’t always right, you open yourself to more thoughtful, evidence-based approaches. Instead of instantly trusting your gut, pair it with reasoned analysis and well-chosen data. This careful balance fosters an environment where new boxes can sprout and flourish.
Learning not to trust your gut blindly means you’ll become more flexible and responsive. Instead of forming immediate conclusions, you learn to pause, think, and gather more information. Over time, this practice helps you detect patterns and opportunities others overlook. You begin to see that what feels right might just feel familiar. Real breakthroughs often feel strange at first. Releasing the grip of outdated instincts creates space for deeper questioning, greater openness, and a willingness to embrace unexpected knowledge. Remember: old mental shortcuts evolved to help you survive, not to guide you toward extraordinary innovation. By reshaping your relationship with gut feelings, you establish a mental foundation that is stable yet adaptable, allowing you to carefully and confidently step toward new intellectual frontiers.
Chapter 4: Continually Questioning Your Worldview to Uncover Fresh Pathways of Thought.
Recognizing that your instincts can mislead you is just one piece of the puzzle. You must also continually test and retest your worldview. It’s not enough to doubt yourself once; the world doesn’t stand still, and neither should your mental models. Ideas that served you well last year might be outdated now. Techniques that once guaranteed success may no longer deliver the same results. By actively doubting and probing your worldview, you remain flexible and responsive. Imagine periodically stepping outside yourself to ask: Why do I believe this? What assumptions am I making? Honest reflection like this helps you identify beliefs that were once useful but have turned into blind spots. Doubting your worldview keeps you agile in a shifting, complex environment.
This constant questioning also applies to business. Take the video game industry as an example: for decades, many companies assumed their primary audience was young males. With that assumption locked in, they missed huge potential markets—women, older adults, even preschoolers—who might also enjoy gaming. Their worldview boxed them into a limited customer base. By asking, Are we sure our players must fit this exact profile? companies could open their doors to more diverse groups. These questions reveal which assumptions no longer hold true. They inspire new designs, marketing strategies, and game genres. Instead of defending a static worldview, innovative teams relentlessly challenge their mental frames. This approach can triple their opportunities and spark meaningful growth.
Even once you’ve successfully updated your boxes to fit new realities, you can’t sit back and relax. The world changes, markets evolve, and audiences grow older. Yesterday’s brilliant innovation can quickly become tomorrow’s old idea. Think of technology companies that rapidly lose relevance if they fail to adapt when their core audience matures. Continual questioning means never settling into a single viewpoint for too long. It’s like staying physically fit: you don’t just exercise once, feel healthy, and stop. You keep working to maintain strength and flexibility over time. Similarly, by regularly examining and challenging your mental frameworks, you ensure they remain sharp tools rather than rusted cages.
Doubting your worldview is not about constant uncertainty or never trusting yourself. Instead, it’s about healthy skepticism that keeps you growing. You learn to spot outdated beliefs like a gardener spots withered leaves. Just as pruning helps a plant thrive, removing old assumptions helps your mind flourish. This mindset trains you to see possibilities that others miss because they’re stuck in obsolete ways of thinking. Over time, questioning your worldview becomes second nature, allowing you to adapt quickly to shifts in culture, technology, or consumer preferences. Rather than feeling anxious about change, you approach it confidently, aware that your mental frameworks are flexible. This continuous renewal of thought is how you stay at the forefront, turning uncertainty into a rich field of opportunity.
Chapter 5: Equipping Yourself With Diverse Knowledge to Spark Brilliant Mental Shifts.
After you learn to doubt your instincts and question your worldview, you’ll need new building materials to form better boxes. This means gathering a wide range of fresh input. If you rely only on what you already know, you’ll keep building the same old structures. Instead, look outward. Study trends in technology, social shifts, cultural changes, scientific discoveries, and global movements. Learn more about your customers’ evolving tastes and pay attention to what your competitors are doing. By doing so, you broaden your perspective and give yourself raw materials to shape new, more flexible boxes. You’re not searching for single correct answers yet—just soaking up data, opinions, and ideas. This step may feel like fishing in a big ocean, casting a wide net for interesting, surprising information.
Imagine a company that makes video games. They once believed all gamers were young men. Then they explore market research and discover that older adults also love gaming, while women form a huge portion of their audience. Perhaps they learn about emerging technologies that allow immersive experiences on mobile devices. They might also notice cultural changes where entertainment blends with education. All this fresh input challenges old assumptions and invites new questions: Can they create games that appeal to entire families? Can they incorporate educational features that make games appealing to parents shopping for their children? Gathering information isn’t just about confirming what you already think. It’s about challenging what you think you know. Each new piece of data can spark ideas that open up new possibilities.
This approach goes beyond business. Even in personal life, fresh input helps you innovate how you see the world. Learning about breakthroughs in medicine might change how you approach health. Understanding other cultures can reshape your views on community and tradition. Observing shifts in social media habits may influence how you communicate with friends. By not confining yourself to one narrow set of data, you prepare your mind to recognize patterns others miss. Fresh input acts like new ingredients in a recipe: the more varied your pantry, the more creative and delicious meals you can cook. Without diverse inputs, you risk cooking the same dish forever, missing out on brilliant new flavors.
As you gather fresh input, stay curious and open-minded. Don’t just skim headlines; try to understand why these trends matter. Ask yourself what could change next. Consider how a piece of information fits with what you already know, and how it might stretch your current boxes. This approach keeps your brain active, imaginative, and ready for action. By actively collecting and sifting through new data, you build a foundation for generating unusual solutions later. The more knowledge you absorb, the more tools you have to assemble new mental models. Soon, you’ll not only see new possibilities, you’ll also feel equipped to seize them. When fresh input flows steadily into your mind, creativity follows, making room for ideas that others might never dare to imagine.
Chapter 6: From Bold Brainstorms to Reality Checks—Creating and Testing New Boxes Thoughtfully.
Once you’ve gathered fresh input, the next step is turning raw insights into inventive hypotheses—potential new boxes. Consider these as sketches or rough blueprints. Don’t worry if some sound strange. In fact, unusual ideas can lead to major breakthroughs. At this stage, you want quantity. Imagine you’re panning for gold, scooping up a lot of sand and stones, knowing that most of it won’t sparkle. Generate wild ideas without instantly judging them. Maybe your video game company wonders: What if we create interactive puzzles for grandparents and grandchildren? or How can we build games that teach math skills while still being fun? Let your mind roam free. The first goal is to stretch your imagination, not prune it. Creativity blossoms when no one is afraid to seem silly.
After brainstorming, you must face reality: not all ideas can work. It’s time to filter and refine them using clear, rational criteria. Does the idea fit your budget? Can you develop it with current technology? Does it align with your brand’s values? By applying these objective measures, you avoid letting personal biases or emotions—like gut feelings—decide. Testing ideas is how you separate the potential gems from mere pebbles. Remember, this process may require multiple rounds. You might test a set of ideas, find none that fully satisfy your criteria, then go back to brainstorming again. This cycle ensures you’re not prematurely settling on a mediocre concept just because it’s familiar or safe.
As you test ideas, be honest with yourself. If something doesn’t meet essential criteria, don’t force it. Instead, learn from what didn’t work. Maybe your initial guess that families would embrace certain educational features was off. Ask why. Did you misunderstand your audience’s needs? Did you rely on outdated assumptions? Each test, whether it leads to acceptance or rejection of an idea, gives you valuable information. Over time, refining and testing multiple hypotheses helps you create stronger, more resilient boxes. This methodical approach guards you against flashy but hollow concepts and ensures that what you choose to pursue stands on a solid foundation.
Generating and testing new boxes is like planting a garden. First, you scatter seeds everywhere, hoping some take root. Then you observe which seedlings grow healthiest and nurture them. Similarly, after brainstorming numerous ideas, you carefully pick the ones that show promise and help them develop. If something fails, that’s normal. It can guide you to a better approach. This cycle of generating and testing ideas maintains a dynamic relationship between your creativity and reality. Instead of blindly trusting your first hunch, you use logic and standards to decide what’s worth pursuing. Over time, this balanced, iterative method leads to authentic innovation. You produce ideas that aren’t just new, but also achievable and meaningful.
Chapter 7: Embracing Broader Perspectives—Expanding Your Boxes to Unlock Vast Horizons.
Sometimes, the most transformative innovations come from questioning the biggest, deepest boxes that define who you are and what you do. It’s like daring to remodel the very foundations of a house rather than just rearranging the furniture. When BIC shifted from ballpoint pen maker to producer of all disposable plastic items, they created a far bigger box. This allowed them to explore numerous product categories, not just new pen designs. By enlarging the box that describes your identity, you open possibilities for radical change. It’s risky to challenge fundamental assumptions, but this is where the largest leaps occur. Suddenly, you’re not just making small tweaks—you’re broadening your entire map, seeing solutions and markets that never crossed your mind before.
Consider that some companies completely reinvent themselves. Nintendo started with playing cards and later embraced the world of electronic gaming. LG transformed from producing industrial chemicals to manufacturing cutting-edge electronics. These bold moves require a willingness to rethink your core identity. You might ask: Are we just a school student, or could we be a lifelong learner who explores many fields? Are we a local café, or a community hub that fosters creative exchanges? By rewriting your core definition, you discover fresh avenues for growth. Thinking big can feel uncomfortable, but it’s essential to break away from narrow horizons. Suddenly, entire landscapes of innovation appear where once you saw only a single path.
A bigger box is like a large container that can hold many smaller boxes inside it. Once BIC defined itself as a plastic goods producer, making lighters and razors became natural expansions rather than bizarre departures. Similarly, if you redefine yourself as a storyteller rather than just a novelist, branching into films, podcasts, or educational workshops feels logical. This layered structure—big boxes containing medium boxes, which in turn contain small ones—creates a rich ecosystem of ideas. Each level of identity supports the next, providing room to experiment. By thinking bigger, you ensure that your options aren’t limited by old boundaries. You gain the freedom to rearrange, combine, and invent new products, services, and methods that cater to changing needs and dreams.
Of course, thinking big isn’t always easy. It may mean leaving comfort zones and traditions behind. People might question you or feel unsure about the new direction. But remember that innovation often comes from these bold moves. Challenging core assumptions takes courage, yet it unlocks potential you might never have noticed. Over time, you may discover that expanding your box leads to long-term growth and adaptability. As society and technology evolve, so can you. The larger your conceptual box, the more prepared you are to handle future surprises. Instead of feeling threatened by change, you learn to welcome it, seeing every shift as a chance to reimagine who you are and what you can achieve.
Chapter 8: Envisioning Multiple Tomorrows—Strategizing With Ever-Adapting Boxes for an Uncertain Future.
Predicting the future is tricky business. Instead of betting on a single forecast, creative thinkers embrace multiple possible futures. This approach means preparing not just for Plan A, but also Plans B, C, and beyond. By imagining diverse scenarios, you remain flexible. If the world changes in unexpected ways—if a new technology disrupts your market or cultural tastes shift overnight—you’ll already have considered alternative strategies. Instead of panicking, you can adapt swiftly. This mindset contrasts with traditional planning, where we assume tomorrow will look like today. Instead, learn to think: What if things turn out differently? What else could happen? This approach helps you avoid being blindsided by surprises and positions you to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.
To plan for multiple futures, use two types of reasoning: deduction and induction. Deduction takes a known box and tries to fit information into it, asking questions like What are the major trends affecting us? It’s a useful approach, but limited by what you currently know. Induction, on the other hand, starts from information and seeks new boxes to hold it, asking What if a completely unexpected scenario emerges and reshapes our market? This method encourages more imaginative thinking. By blending deduction and induction, you not only handle familiar changes but also stretch into surprising possibilities that others might never consider. This combination is crucial for staying ahead of competitors who rely on overly narrow assumptions.
Think of the smartphone and touchscreen revolution. Before it happened, many companies assumed that improving glass screens would be the key to the future. But what if you imagine a scenario where glass becomes irrelevant, replaced by entirely different materials or interactive holograms? Planning with multiple futures in mind helps you consider groundbreaking innovations that might otherwise remain invisible. While others scramble to catch up to trends they never imagined, you’re already exploring new territory. This flexibility makes you not just a follower of change, but a leader who can steer the direction of your field. Multiple-scenario planning is like packing for a trip without knowing the weather—you bring clothes for sun, rain, or snow, so you’re ready for whatever comes.
Expecting uncertainty and welcoming it as a tool for innovation transforms how you approach problems. Instead of panicking when events unfold differently than planned, you ask, Which scenario is unfolding now? and then step into the matching strategy. This method keeps your mental boxes from hardening into unbreakable molds. By rehearsing different possibilities, you strengthen your capability to adapt. Over time, this skill allows you to identify truly original paths that others ignore. While rivals scramble to respond when unexpected shifts occur, you calmly shift gears, supported by your flexible mental frameworks. This advantage is not about predicting the future perfectly—it’s about building the mental muscles to thrive no matter what the future brings.
Chapter 9: Sustaining a Culture of Perpetual Reinvention, Constantly Crafting and Recrafting Your Boxes.
Creating new boxes and imagining flexible futures is not a one-time exercise. To keep innovating, you must nurture a culture—within yourself or your organization—that values continuous reinvention. Think of it as maintaining a creative garden. You don’t just plant seeds once and walk away. You must water them, remove weeds, and occasionally introduce new plants. Similarly, your mental frameworks need constant tending. Over time, you become skilled at spotting when a box has outlived its usefulness. Instead of clinging stubbornly to old viewpoints, you gracefully let them go and replace them with better ones. This habit ensures you never fall behind. You remain curious, alert, and ready to embrace emerging trends before others even notice they exist.
A culture of continuous reinvention thrives on open-mindedness and courage. Be willing to challenge sacred assumptions. Encourage others to share offbeat ideas, and listen without instantly judging. When people know it’s safe to propose the unexpected, you tap into a rich well of creativity. Over time, your team or community becomes more resilient because it’s not tied down by rigid thinking. As the world evolves, everyone knows they can shift viewpoints to keep pace. This atmosphere reduces fear of failure, making it clear that wrong guesses aren’t disasters but learning opportunities. By valuing adaptability, you turn change from a threat into an invitation to discover something extraordinary.
To sustain reinvention, learn to celebrate curiosity and inquiry. Praise those who ask, Why do we do it this way? or What if we tried another approach? Make time for exploration—read widely, observe market shifts, watch how other fields handle challenges. These actions feed your mind a steady stream of fresh insights. Over time, this constant flow of new data keeps your boxes from becoming stale. Instead of dreading disruptions, you welcome them as updates to your mental library. Reinvention isn’t about abandoning core values; it’s about ensuring those values remain relevant and effective as conditions change. When everyone understands that growth demands an evolving mindset, you produce an environment that’s primed for breakthrough after breakthrough.
Ultimately, sustaining a culture of perpetual box-crafting allows you to navigate complexity with confidence. You stop waiting for changes to force your hand and start proactively shaping the future. This dynamic mindset helps you spot patterns sooner, respond faster, and create unexpected value. Over time, what others see as chaotic and uncertain, you view as an opportunity to advance. Constant reinvention supports not just survival, but long-term flourishing. Whether you’re a student, a business leader, or simply a curious thinker, nurturing this adaptability is like always having a toolset ready to build new mental frameworks. As the world’s puzzle shifts and transforms, you’ll be among the few equipped to assemble the pieces into meaningful, game-changing pictures.
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All about the Book
Unlock your creative potential with ‘Thinking in New Boxes’ by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny. This insightful guide transforms conventional thinking, empowering you to approach challenges innovatively in business and life.
Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny are renowned thinkers and strategic consultants, specializing in innovation and creativity. Their expertise helps professionals break mental barriers and embrace new ways of problem-solving.
Business Executives, Marketing Professionals, Educators, Consultants, Creative Directors
Creative Writing, Problem-Solving Games, Design Thinking Workshops, Art and Craft, Strategic Board Games
Stagnant Business Strategies, Creativity Block, Ineffective Problem Solving, Fear of Innovation
Thinking in new boxes allows us to break free from constraints and explore infinite possibilities.
Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Daniel Pink
Best Business Book of the Year, Gold Winner at the Axiom Business Book Awards, International Book Award for Innovation
1. How can I enhance my creative thinking skills? #2. What techniques help in framing better questions? #3. Can I learn to think outside traditional boundaries? #4. How does collaborative thinking improve problem-solving? #5. What are the benefits of using visual thinking tools? #6. How do I identify and challenge assumptions effectively? #7. What is the role of metaphors in innovation? #8. Can I develop a mindset for continuous curiosity? #9. How can I apply new boxes to everyday problems? #10. What are some strategies for overcoming mental blocks? #11. How does brainstorming lead to innovative solutions? #12. Can I cultivate a culture of open-mindedness? #13. What exercises can stimulate lateral thinking skills? #14. How can diverse perspectives enhance creative outcomes? #15. What are the key steps in the idea generation process? #16. How can I leverage my existing knowledge creatively? #17. What methods help in refining and improving ideas? #18. How can I transform challenges into opportunities? #19. What role does playfulness have in innovation? #20. How can I evaluate ideas critically and constructively?
Thinking in New Boxes, Luc de Brabandere, Alan Iny, creative thinking, innovation strategies, problem solving, business creativity, strategic thinking, out-of-the-box thinking, management techniques, leadership and innovation, decision making
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1422144072
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