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Best Social Media for Business

Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley
Liar’s Poker meets The Social Network in an irreverent exposé of life inside the tech bubble, from industry provocateur Antonio García Martínez, a former Twitter advisor, Facebook product manager and startup founder/CEO. He also fathered two children with a woman he barely knew, committed lewd acts and brewed illegal beer on the Facebook campus (accidentally flooding Zuckerberg's desk), lived on a sailboat, raced sport cars on the 101, and enthusiastically pursued the life of an overpaid Silicon Valley wastrel. Weighing in on everything from startups and credit derivatives to Big Brother and data tracking, social media monetization and digital “privacy,” García Martínez shares his scathing observations and outrageous antics, taking us on a humorous, subversive tour of the fascinatingly insular tech industry. Chaos Monkeys lays bare the hijinks, trade secrets, and power plays of the visionaries, grunts, sociopaths, opportunists, accidental tourists, and money cowboys who are revolutionizing our world.
Reviews
"Facebook very carefully maintains a public relations campaign (almost more internally focused than external) to convince the world it is the best place to work… ever. It is all here… the creepy propaganda, the failed high-profile projects, the surreal manager/staff relationships, the cultivated cult-like atmosphere, the sharp divide between the have-it-all, and the "hope to have enough to escape" staff. Best of all it describes how the advertising media really operates, going back to the dawn of it, and how Facebook, Google, et al are merely extensions of a system that has existed for two centuries. For myself, having lived through much of the same experience at Facebook (from onboarding, the devotion, the cynicism, to the inglorious, frustrated exit bungled by one of the legion of Facebook's incompetent and narcissistic manager corps) I found myself going from laughter, to nodding agreement, to gut-wrenching bouts of PTSD as I turned the pages of 'Chaos Monkeys'. Now I no longer have to justify myself to people who ask me why I left Facebook - I can just tell them to read this book, since it explains it better than I ever could."
"If anything, the vivid metaphors he uses to describe the otherwise dull and esoteric details of identity matching and attribution will serve you well anytime you must summon a complete picture of this complex web in your head. Even non-specialists will find fascinating the descriptions of how private data is collected and sold, not to mention probably realizing they have been worried about the wrong kind of privacy violations. His detailed accounts of many of these meetings (confrontations) offer a unique behind-the-scenes vantage which many manuals for silicon valley success avoid, so the authors can remain in good stead with the figures involved. In reality, the unspoken “hard” part of any startup is not the actual hours involved, or the idea, or execution, but rather the unwavering conviction you must have to keep at it when things are totally falling apart. Every entrepreneur will immediately recognize what Antonio unabashedly portrays: the dreadful gulf between the inward awareness of all the chaos and flux at the startup, while preserving the outward image of polish, order and optimism. While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate “praying for Antonio’s soul,” as a previous reviewer stated, his relentless self-deprecation and raw honesty balance out some of the selfish decisions he makes in the book. He is extremely well read, and I suspect this background informs a somewhat tragic theme of the book— for a certain type of person, the only hope that can lift the cynicism and misanthropy of early life disappointment is to undergo a meaningful quest with loyal companions."
"I'm sure a lot of people are going to get hung up on some offhand sexist comments or the dirt thrown at Facebook's execs (and I'm sure that Martinez could have avoided both while keeping the book interesting)."
"I highly recommend this book if you have ever worked with or for a startup, are thinking of founding your own startup, or are simply curious about life in the Silicon Valley."
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Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
In this revolutionary book, Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, tracks the rise of behavioral addiction, and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. Alter brilliantly illuminates the new obsessions that are controlling our lives and offers the tools we need to rescue our businesses, our families, and our sanity.”. — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take. “For many, social media presents an ideal mode of expression, but it also holds the danger of becoming a crutch or – as Adam Alter’s brilliant new book illustrates – a behavioral addiction that threatens to undermine our mental health and relationships. Irresistible is essential reading if you’ve ever wondered why some experiences are so addictive, and how to regain control of your time, finances, and relationships.” —Charles Duhigg, author of New York Times bestseller The Power of Habit “In Irresistible , Adam Alter illuminates the surprising, fascinating, and frightening biological and psychological connections between a toddler hitting every button in an elevator, a surgical patient asking for painkillers, and the millions of people hooked on Facebook. But for your own sake, buy the paper version.” —Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game and Mastermind “There could be no better guide than Adam Alter to a technological landscape that’s increasingly designed to turn us into addicts. “We live in an age of addiction—seemingly benign and otherwise—and Adam Alter, mixing the latest in behavioral science with briskly engaging storytelling, wakes us to an age-old problem that has found troubling new expression in the era of ubiquitous technology. “[A] superb study of Internet addiction.” – Nature “A book [that] lives up to its title.” -New Scientist “Contains smart and ­fascinating analysis of how social media apps, gambling sites and computer games have been engineered to hook users.” -New Statesman (UK). “Adam Alter makes the frightening case that…modern connectivity threatens the health of not just our children, but everyone…Alter’s book is illuminating on the ways that designers engineer behavioural addiction…Fascinating.”— The Guardian “With a background in psychology and marketing, Alter brings a specialist eye to his material, and it shows…A fascinating, salutary read…Compelling.”— The Daily Telegraph (UK) “Digs down into exactly how technology has us hooked by tapping in to our deepest needs and desires…Irresistible brims with insightful studies, explaining arcane concepts in science and tech with great clarity.”— The Times (UK).
Reviews
"This is a well-written and entertaining, yet frightening book about how tech designers use our own evolutionary structures to get us addicted to their products."
"Well written."
"Absolutely essential review of the unkept and dangerous promises of technology."
"What an eye opening book."
"Important and interesting book about the cost of Internet addiction."
"Interesting book for those who take for granted what our cell phones and social media are turning us into."
"A must-read with no real conclusions as to how to solve the problem, but Alter warns that the consequences of internet addiction are manifesting in real-time."
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Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords: How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes (Ultimate Series)
Powerful bidding strategies using remarketing lists for search ads New ad extension features Automation capabilities using AdWords scripts Bonus Online Content that includes links to dozens of resources and tutorials covering: registering a domain name, setting up a website, selecting an email service, choosing a shopping cart service, finding products to sell, and starting up an Google AdWords account Readers are given the latest information paired with current screenshots, fresh examples, and new techniques. Perry Marshall is the number-one author and worlds most-quoted consultant on Google advertising.
Reviews
"I had recently hired an Adwords consultant for $500 a month to run the Adwords for my small bookkeeping business. To my horror, one month into the process I discovered that one of the ads they had written used the word "booking" instead of "bookkeeping". Nothing gave me the kind of practical, comprehensive, step-by-step breakdown of the platform that I needed to confidently manage the platform on my own."
"The classic that inspired the rest."
"Reading this book helped me realize what I have been doing correctly so far, but also how much money I have been wasting on Google ads."
"Loving this book already."
"great book but needs hand on experience to undertand."
"I am a first-timer on Google Adwords, the book to me is easy to read and very practical without too much technical jargon."
"Excellent and comprehensive."
"I read Perry's books before."
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Best Social Media Guides

The True Story of Fake News: How Mainstream Media Manipulates Millions
You will see the powerful and deceptive methods of manipulation that affect us all, as numerous organizations and political activists cunningly plot to have their stories seen, heard, and believed by as many people as possible. The depths of lies, distortions, and omissions from traditional mainstream media will shock you; and now they’re colluding with the top tech companies trying to maintain their information monopolies. Mark's YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and more than 400 million views, and his viral videos have been mentioned on the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News , the Washington Times , and other media outlets around the world.
Reviews
"I believe a person that is not ready to be awakened may experience severe soul pain and Mark forgot to put "Trigger warning" on the cover but still I believe for awakened people this is going to be great laugh and joy to read pages and see how death of media complex is unravelling and humanity awakening while people that still caught in nets of news manipulators may feel really bad but after few weeks I believe healing effects of truth will be refreshing."
"The book mentions how our leftists media is trying to persuade us to accept insanity like there being more than 2 genders, and how the media is pushing fake hate crimes committed by leftists in attempt to frame Trump supporters as Nazis,white Supremacists,KKK members, and racist."
"A lot of people don't know history and how much the media has been involved with the CIA and FBI and the rest of our federal gov't to create stories, manipulate events, etc."
"The news media has become so untrustworthy, the majority of sane Americans have seen this before even reading Marks book!"
"Great book and well written!!!!"
"Excellent book; this will not disappoint."
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Best Direct Marketing

Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords: How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes (Ultimate Series)
Powerful bidding strategies using remarketing lists for search ads New ad extension features Automation capabilities using AdWords scripts Bonus Online Content that includes links to dozens of resources and tutorials covering: registering a domain name, setting up a website, selecting an email service, choosing a shopping cart service, finding products to sell, and starting up an Google AdWords account Readers are given the latest information paired with current screenshots, fresh examples, and new techniques. Perry Marshall is the number-one author and worlds most-quoted consultant on Google advertising.
Reviews
"I had recently hired an Adwords consultant for $500 a month to run the Adwords for my small bookkeeping business. To my horror, one month into the process I discovered that one of the ads they had written used the word "booking" instead of "bookkeeping". Nothing gave me the kind of practical, comprehensive, step-by-step breakdown of the platform that I needed to confidently manage the platform on my own."
"Amazing book by Perry Marshall."
"Reading this book helped me realize what I have been doing correctly so far, but also how much money I have been wasting on Google ads."
"Loving this book already."
"great book but needs hand on experience to undertand."
"I am a first-timer on Google Adwords, the book to me is easy to read and very practical without too much technical jargon."
"Excellent and comprehensive."
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Best Social Aspects of Technology

Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work
Over the past decade, Silicon Valley executives like Eric Schmidt and Elon Musk, Special Operators like the Navy SEALs and the Green Berets, and maverick scientists like Sasha Shulgin and Amy Cuddy have turned everything we thought we knew about high performance upside down. New York Times bestselling author Steven Kotler and high performance expert Jamie Wheal spent four years investigating the leading edges of this revolution—from the home of SEAL Team Six to the Googleplex, the Burning Man festival, Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Red Bull’s training center, Nike’s innovation team, and the United Nations’ Headquarters. “Meticulously researched and innovatively conceptualized, Stealing Fire is not just a bible for the second psychedelic revolution (drugs not required), but a manual to getting more: out of your body, your mind, and your happiness.” ( Neil Strauss, New York Times best-selling author of The Game ). “An electrifying, fast-paced journey into the deep potential of the human brain.” ( David Eagleman, Stanford University neuroscientist, bestselling author, presenter of PBS's The Brain ). Based on incredible stories and cutting edge data, it reveals how our brain and body can be optimized to its greatest potential.” ( Andrew Newberg, MD., director of research Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine and author of How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain ).
Reviews
"As an indie author, musician, daily meditator, and adventure racer, I have spent much of my life in pursuit of these states, seeking the experiences, performance, and insights detailed in this book -- I have long recognize the value of these states, and this book does a fantastic job of exploring why I have found them so valuable, and why they're worth continuing to pursue."
"We are at the forefront of big changes."
"Better than anything I've ever read, this book makes a logical case for the altering normal mental state - through a variety of ecstatic experiences - and leaves the reader to decide - it they wish - which pathways forward call them...."
"Absolutely invaluable!"
"I was so absorbed in this book and excited to be reading this material that I signed up and am nearly finished the Flow Fundamentals course."
"Wonderful complete book to help us all get into a new level of consciousness, goal setting, development in our lives."
"Expands on the FLOW State covered in "The Rise Of Superman" and ties together several other concepts."
"Yeah 5 stars."
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Best Advertising

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. He was a reporter for the Washington Post from 1987 to 1996, working first as a science writer and then as New York City bureau chief.
Reviews
"Not stuff I usually read."
"If you are one of those people you know its the equivalent of moving a mountain to succeed but it helps open your eyes a bit at what factors come into play during a tipping point."
"An entertaining page turner that presents countless opportunities to serve as a useful reference tool."
"I am a fan of Gladwell's books."
"From hush puppies to teen smoking and everything in-between, the topics are all connected by the tipping point and the little things that can make the focus on them change in a big way."
"I liked Outliers better, but this is a good book."
"Nice book."
"Great book."
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Best Human-Computer Interaction

Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality
An inventive blend of autobiography, science writing, philosophy and advice, this book tells the wild story of his personal and professional life as a scientist, from his childhood in the UFO territory of New Mexico, to the loss of his mother, the founding of the first start-up, and finally becoming a world-renowned technological guru. His style is wonderfully discursive, reflecting his wide range of interests and experiences.”. ―Emily Parker, The Washington Post. “ Dawn of the New Everything spirits us back to a time when a plurality of ideas about what the Internet could be were still in play . “Jaron Lanier is both cheerleader and doomsayer in a highly personal story of virtual reality . a studied and nuanced interrogation of VR’s potential, as well as a gentle critique of what he sees as a failure of imagination when it comes to the medium’s current proponents.”. ― The Guardian. Integrating memoir, science writing, philosophical reflection, and down-to-earth advice, he reveals that virtual reality can clarify how the brain and the body connect to the world, giving us a deeper understanding of what it means to be human . This culturally significant title with its compelling personal narrative proves yet again that Lanier is a thinker whose work should be read and contemplated.”. ― Booklist. “Perhaps surprisingly for a book about the birth of virtual reality, this is a deeply human, highly personal, and beautifully told story .”. ―Dave Eggers, author of The Circle. It’s entirely unexpected and disarming to read about these concepts from an unabashedly subjective point of view. Not just for entertainment, but because Mr. Lanier has thoroughly convinced me that it’s the beginning of an enormous paradigm shift in the very way humans relate and communicate.”. ―Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor and director. “The author is an evangelist for the good side of VR, which now offers insights into human perception and cognition that are forcing a radical re-evaluation of who we are. A spirited exploration of tech by a devotee who holds out the hope that bright things are just around the corner.”. ― Kirkus Reviews.
Reviews
"(focused on digital networks) and You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto (focused on Web 2.0), this book lacks a focused narrative arc and is decidedly retrospective. Earlier works focused on challenging inherent assumptions and cautioned about potential consequences; this book, however, is a somewhat nostalgic take on the development of concepts of VR and has much more autobiographical tone (Lanier points out that most chapters begin from his boyhood and end around 1992; he does reference to many more developments since then, but the narrative arc is not a linear one nor complete, limiting a reader's ability to extrapolate). Interspersed with the 52 or so definitions of VR (some of which are just snarky, others filled with references that may be obscure for the casual reader), Lanier gives a autobiographical account of his growing up, learning to experiment with gadgets, and the general fascination of VR and mixed reality concepts."
"I have been waiting for this book to come out since I first started working in VR, and heard Jaron give a spellbinding talk in 1999."
"This is something a little different from Lanier's other writings."
"The book presents a biography as well as non-fiction texts – the life of a pioneer in the field of virtual reality, and ideas about this technology."
"Like: His views on AI and social media are an compelling and insightful, and worth reading."
"His appendix on Phenotriopic Programming was especially exciting."
"I'm not a techie and didn't have any particular desire to learn about the history of VR, yet I found myself pulled into the book and Mr. Lanier's world."
"Reality from the source of VR."
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Best Business Software Guides

Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, Second Edition
Design for minimum complexity and maximum creativity Reap the benefits of collaborative development Apply defensive programming techniques to reduce and flush out errors Exploit opportunities to refactor—or evolve—code, and do it safely Use construction practices that are right-weight for your project Debug problems quickly and effectively Resolve critical construction issues early and correctly Build quality into the beginning, middle, and end of your project. He is the author of several books, including Code Complete and Rapid Development, both honored with Software Development magazine's Jolt Award.
Reviews
"readable encyclopedia of best practices on software quality, covering topics such as how to build classes, use data and control structures, debug, refactor, and code-tune. Yes, it would be nice if the book was updated to include substantive material on languages like Ruby or Python (cf. p. 65, Python "also contains some support for creating larger programs") but, in the words of Gertrude Stein, "Not everything can be about everything" -- though Code Complete does come pretty close. McConnell also sprinkles the text with classic words of wisdom, e.g. "The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own skull" (Edsger Dijkstra), "Never debug standing up" (Gerald Weinberg), "Copy and paste is a design error" (David Parnas), "Any fool can defend his or her mistakes -- and most fools do." It is important to point out that even though this volume is encyclopedia-like, it does have both a sense of humor (e.g. "the encryption algorithm is so convoluted that it seems like it's been used on itself") and a clear authorial voice (e.g. "Though sometimes tempting, that's dumb."). 33, after quoting Edward Yourdon at length, McConnell adds "This lusty tribute to programming machismo is pure B.S. I found this to be bizarre, given that in the 1995 edition of "The Mythical Man-Month" Brooks states in no uncertain terms that he has changed his mind on this: "This I now perceive to be wrong" (p. 265). On a different note, although some of the on-line accompanying material is fascinating (e.g. the links to the original Dijkstra and Lawrence articles in ch."
"Very readable, excellent real-world examples and case studies, and many valuable insights."
"I'm a self taught programmer going on 5 years now doing it full time, and I have learned a lot of techniques that have filled in some holes in my skills."
"The Microsoft code way."
"Bad humor, takes a long time to convey information, but is useful."
"I'd also recommend the more recent Clean Code, especially for Java programmers, as it goes into more depth, even providing actual case studies in which code is dramatically cleaned up."
"I make all of my new programmers at least read selections from it (in fact that is part of our training program.)."
"Great book on software development."
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Best SharePoint Guides

Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Step by Step
Experience learning made easy—and quickly teach yourself how to boost team collaboration with SharePoint 2013. Olga M. Londer , MCSE, MCT, is a technology evangelist for Microsoft Corporation and has served as a technical lead on numerous projects for major clients.
Reviews
"Good step by step guide and easy to following."
"This book will take through the basics, from an end user/site owners perspective, and show you how to do most things that end users regularly do in SharePoint like create lists, export lists to a spreadsheet, adding webparts to a page or removing them etc. The book is split into 15 chapters with each chapter covering a different topic from the very basic navigating around SharePoint (how to get to site settings, view all site contents etc) through to a basic overview of content management (document sets, creating page layouts etc.)."
"Excellent book and very helpful when learning SharePoint 2013."
"Seems thorough and understandable, though I have not gotten into it a lot, Let me know what can be done in Sharepoint, which I want to pursue further, especially project management features."
"Very helpful."
"Want to learn about SharePoint 2013?"
"Want to learn about SharePoint 2013?"
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Best Microsoft Project Guides

An Introduction to Project Management, Fourth Edition
Includes information on AtTask, a leading web-based project management tool, and a guide for using this powerful software for portfolio optimization. in mathematics at the University of Notre Dame while on an Air Force ROTC scholarship.
Reviews
"I feel like this book does what it can to simplify things while still giving tons of detail but doesn't fully succeed in giving you a clear checklist or flowchart to take away."
"I like the level of detail about each topic and the examples provided, The only issue that I had was I purchase the digital version for my Samsung tablet, which meant I had to install the KIndle product."
"Needed for a class, but kept after."
"It doesn't go into mind numbing detail but topics are addressed multiple times throughout the text."
"Class would have been better with a different instructor, but thank god this book is well laid out and easy to follow."
"lol But it's my fault for waiting till the last minute to get it, which resulted in it not being in the local book stores with just 3 business days left before the class was scheduled to start."
"This book came in very good condition nearly new with all the CDS intact, thanks very much needed it because I am a little loss in my class!"
"Locations force you to search for figures mentioned in a assignment instead of being able to find a specific page."
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Best Windows Server Guides

Windows PowerShell Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Scripting Microsoft's Command Shell
Learn how to use PowerShell on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Tour PowerShell's core features, including the command model, object-based pipeline, and ubiquitous scripting Master fundamentals such as the interactive shell, pipeline, and object concepts Perform common tasks that involve working with files, Internet-connected scripts, user interaction, and more Solve tasks in systems and enterprise management, such as working with Active Directory and the filesystem. Q&A with Lee Holmes, author of "The Windows PowerShell Cookbook". With the release of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, Windows PowerShell has added many significant features to address the realities of modern, multi-machine environments. PowerShell has also made many changes to simplify and improve its fundamentals (scripting and built-in commands.). By breaking the "PowerShell Cookbook" into a series of simple, isolated recipes, I hope that they see evidence that you don't need to be an expert in PowerShell to start using it or improving your day-to-day tasks.
Reviews
"Has a decent set up to powershell at the beginning that explains some basics but then it jumps right into it."
"This book is probably not for a programming novice, but it makes an excellent reference book that's full of examples."
"Essentially there are many different problems and solutions given for those problems. It addresses many things that are better handled with a fully working example."
"Decent book, excellent reference when learning posh."
"Great!"
"Well written but I would not call it complete."
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Best Management Information Systems

Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions
Enterprise Integration Patterns provides an invaluable catalog of sixty-five patterns, with real-world solutions that demonstrate the formidable of messaging and help you to design effective messaging solutions for your enterprise. Do you want to understand how a system designed using integration patterns can be implemented using Java Web services, .NET message queuing, and a TIBCO-based publish-subscribe architecture? Utilizing years of practical experience, seasoned experts Gregor Hohpe and Bobby Woolf show how asynchronous messaging has proven to be the best strategy for enterprise integration success. The authors also include examples covering a variety of different integration technologies, such as JMS, MSMQ, TIBCO ActiveEnterprise, Microsoft BizTalk, SOAP, and XSL. A case study describing a bond trading system illustrates the patterns in practice, and the book offers a look at emerging standards, as well as insights into what the future of enterprise integration might hold.
Reviews
"Arrived on time, used , but in very good and clean condition, almost like new."
"Going further, when you consider that an application can coordinate its own interaction with internal subsystems using Enterprise Integration Patterns, this design philosophy truly applies everywhere."
"Excelente."
"In the present resurgence of functional languages, this book should be highly regarded for its depth of focus on messaging patterns and their proper use."
"We were trying to explain the problems with passing a large file up and down a messaging bus to our bioinformatics users, when I ran across Enterprise Integration Patterns."
"This is the third pattern book in my collection (the other two are Analysis Patterns by Martin Fowler and the definitive Design Patterns by the Gang of Four) and IMHO this is the best example yet of where patterns can really improve the development process."
"This book is a must for any developer, manager, or systems architect engaged in designing, developing, or deploying distributed systems based on messaging patterns."
"great book, must read for everyone looking at Enterprise Integration. However I feel that this book needs a upgrade by referencing new technologies."
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