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Lumen Metabolism Tracker US$373.99 (~A$510.33) Delivered (Save US$50) @ Lumen.Me

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Hi guys,

I'm Gerald. Have been a long time OzBargainer and have even posted a few deals (always in stuff I've believed were 'bargains'). I'm pretty excited as given my health background (I'm a dentist) I've been accepted as an Ambassador for lumen.me (they were looking for Ambassadors in health verticals and I just got lucky). What this means is that I got the ultimate OzBargainer dream of scoring a product for 'free'. Pretty certain the device is US$349 right now (as posted in the title).

Just now, I received the shipping notice that they've gotten DHL to send this 'Metabolism Tracker' from the US. Hopefully, it arrives soon and I'll be able to test it out myself rather than just read blurb about it online. I don't know about you guys but post-COVID with all these damn lockdowns I put on a bit of weight. I even cracked the triple-digit mark at 100kg's last year. That was a bit of a wake-up call as my weight normally hovers around the 85kg mark. Through a pretty strict but definitely 'dental-friendly' keto diet I managed to lose 15kgs in about 4 months. I have a full record of the results via the Withings Health apps and will be blogging about it on a website that I'm currently setting up.

I didn't use any gadgets like this Lumen device to accomplish the weight loss, just strict discipline and ZERO exercise lol. Anyway, I'm off keto and my weight has been fairly stable at the keto + full glycogen load weight (so about 86-87kgs) as my body seems to have remained fat adapted. Where I see this Lumen device coming into use is that it is designed to help you track where your body is getting its energy from - fat or carbs. Ideally, you should get energy from both sources but unfortunately, as we age, sometimes the body only uses carbs for energy and decides to just store fat. I'm sure some of you guys can relate to this.

Also, as you can probably tell from the length of this post, I'm starting my writing 'business' as these damn lockdowns have given me plenty of time to think about life. The Wife is pretty upset that I have added another 'Goal' to my list. I want to be a 'Real' Author - one that has an actual book on a bookstand in a bookstore. Not just another 'self-published expert' with an opinion and a few eBooks. I'm documenting the journey carefully and will be sharing it on my blog site which stands for In Search Of An Independent Second Opinion. Please keep an eye out for that as well.

To be even a Writer, I need to develop a readership and ideally should be producing 'original' content. A lot of the stuff written is unfortunately sales and marketing garbage with very little 'true' content creation. Dentistry unfortunately is not a very 'sexy' subject to talk about. However, being an unemployed dentist at age 46, it's something I really want and need to talk about. Dentistry is integral to my 'Existential Health' which is a separate concept to mental and physical health. It's kind of what gives our life meaning and purpose.

Unfortunately, people don't really want to hear about their 'Needs'. They only want to have the 'Wants' catered to. However, that often comes at the expense of their health :(. Topics that are really low hanging fruit that 'sell easily' are stuff we all want like weight loss without effort. That unfortunately isn't actually possible no matter what anyone tells you. Not even with this Lumen device. Devices like Lumen are just tools to help us achieve our goals and track our progress carefully.

Mod: Removed affiliate code. Affiliate deals are not allowed, see Guidelines)

Thank you for making it to the end of this post. I wanted it to be shorter but couldn't contain my excitement!

Stay safe all and look after your health!

Cheers,

Gerald

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closed Comments

  • Thanks Gerald. But I like my ice cream.

    • +2

      Dentist pro tip - try Denada out (available in Coles and some IGAs. Woolies doesn't seem to have any access to them). It's tooth friendly as it's sugar free. Tastes pretty good too. Just don't feed it to your dogs unless you want to get rid of them :(

  • +13

    wow you wrote so much and said literally nothing about the product.

    nice pyramid scheme tho, count me in!

      • Can you post your ebay link when you receive it - should go for a pretty price

        • Lol, I'm NOT gonna ebay it. I actually do want it, I just luckily managed to avoid having to spend money buying it due to being in a health sector and possibly the first person in Australia to approach them about it given my chosen profession.

    • +9

      We learned so much about OP instead

      • In case you can't tell that is the actual aim lol. Full disclosure/Complete transparency. People spot fakes pretty easily these days.

        • I suggest that if you want to become a writer that you should stop adding 'quotes' all over your writing as it's grammatically incorrect and also disrupts the flow quite a bit when reading.

        • Some people.

          • +1

            @TheRealCJ: I'm being genuine in my appreciation TheRealCJ. I welcome feedback on writing as that is the only way I can continue to learn. It is not a matter of having 'no shame' (sorry about the quotes again renza - I'm using practising a conversational writing style and so grammar is all over the place). I would however like to not 'disrupt[] the flow' too much though. I can't footnote or cite at all on this platform and so have been using the 'quotes' both to highlight ideas as well as cite.

  • +1

    Give me $349
    I will ensure you never gain weight :D

    • I wasn't aware OzBargain had a no affiliate linking policy lol. Am pretty much an OzBargain user and complete noob at Affiliate marketing. Aim wasn't to affiliate market, that's just a bonus. The aim is to create awareness of the product. They've just sent me a 'free' one. Figured the least I could do was help them create more awareness of the product, especially if there is a chance that it works.

  • +2

    Sounds like Hocus Pocus to me.
    Good thing I can't hear text.

    • Might be, might not be. I am leaving my opinion open till I get it. Just pretty excited about getting it that's all. I did make full disclosures about the Affiliate program and stuff though.

  • +9

    This simply isn’t a bargain - further, you haven’t even used the device yet. Why not post a few months post device?

    • -5

      The bargain is not the device - that's just a tool. The 'bargain' is the awareness of the device for people who may actually want something like it to help them with their health goals. I said quite clearly to look around for a better discount code if people actually wanted to buy it. Even if it works well for me in a few months, there is no guarantee it will work well for another user. Weight loss contains quite a few variables. A device such as this one is not going to do anything for you unless you follow certain basic principles for weight loss.

  • edited

    • I registered as a logged in user on 30/06/2020. That's a bit more than 42 days. It's over a year ago. I've been using OzBargain as an unregistered user for a lot longer than that. These are facts.

      • I misread the join date and retracted my comment. My apologies.

        • No worries! No offence taken! I've been completely transparent in my writing and so am not too fussed about whether people think this Lumen thing is real or fake. As I've said, I don't actually know. All I know is that I've managed to score one for free and am advising that I've been automatically signed up to their Affiliate Program and that it pays wells. If I get paid via it, great, if not, so be it, at least I scored a free Lumen as I wanted one for myself anyway :)

  • +1

    https://lumen.force.com/helpcenter/s/article/How-does-the-Lu…

    Lumen uses a Co2 sensor and flow meter to determine the carbon dioxide concentration in a single breath that indicates the type of fuel your body uses to produce energy. The measurement of the Co2 concentration is achieved by using a unique breath maneuver. This breath maneuver is performed by inhaling a personalized volume of air, holding it for 10 seconds, and exhaling. The CO2 concentration values and range, which are measured and calculated by Lumen, are unique and personal to each individual.

    https://lumen.force.com/helpcenter/s/article/How-is-Lumen-di…

    Unlike ketone breath analyzers, Lumen will tell you if your body is burning fat regardless of if your body started to produce ketone bodies. You will also be able to see the level of carbohydrate usage that your body is using to produce energy, which can’t be detected by ketone breath analyzers.

    It’s important to reiterate that Lumen doesn’t measure ketone bodies but does measure if your body is burning fat and can therefore indicate if you are in a state of ketosis.

    https://lumen.force.com/helpcenter/s/article/Lumen-measureme…

    Burning ketone bodies for fuel produces more CO2 than burning fatty acids for fuel. Therefore, your Lumen levels may not clearly indicate a state of fat burn during ketosis.

    If it is just a CO2 sensor that measures CO2, how does it tell the difference between CO2 from carbs and CO2 from fats? It doesn't appear to strive for accuracy though from the quote above. I think you're better off using a ketone breath meter.

    • For full keto you may be right. There is another product similar to this called Biosense. It is a ketone meter.

      https://mybiosense.com/

      I do not have any affiliate links with them but would test their product out too and create awareness of it if they sent me out a free one too.

      As I stated in my post, Lumen is not so much about getting into full keto but rather a tool to help you check which energy source you are using. You do not have to be in a full state of ketosis to be fat burning. You just need to be fat-adapted.

      The science behind lumen I am sure is explained somewhere on their website.

    • +1

      To me looks clear that burning fat or carbs generate different amounts of co2, so measuring % of co2 in a defined volume should do it, specially if you calibrate it (eg. Measure co2 generated when surely on carbs or keto).

      But, it's not a bargain. This is ozbargain, not Oz science nor Oz writers. Sorry OP, but completely wrong place to advertise both the product and your writing desires.

      • Yes, I've since realised that and had a good chat with the moderators about it. I will not be making further dumbass mistakes like this one lol. I don't mind getting personally attacked, I'm the one who made the error and so should logically be the one punished. I am just concerned that I may have inadvertently harmed the reputation of Lumen who, as far as I can see have made the 'mistake' of sending a device completely free of charge to a terrible Ambassador. I will rectify that error on my own website when I can and this whole OzBargain post will be used as a primary source of evidence to see if Lumen has in fact made an error or rather a long term investment in a capable Ambassador.

        Regarding a bargain. That's a relative term depending on the individual circumstance of the person. They could be a potential buyer like me who couldn't find a working discount code and could only get a 10% discount if I bought 2 of them. I lucked out by reaching out and scoring a freebie. I only became aware of the Affiliate thing this afternoon just after reading the shipping email and was cutting and pasting the information from the emails they had just sent me as I was excited.

        • No worries, was not a personal attack at all and I apologise if you've perceived it as that. Was just stating the facts about being a bargain. Wish you well on your writing enterprise, may you write trilogies famous for decades to come!

          • @ald: Thank you so much alexus. I'm going to be writing non-fiction. I'm not creative enough to write fiction. I much prefer reading other people's stories than thinking up original ones myself lol.

            I guess I never really thought of OzBargain as a place just to get bargains even though it is in the name. I've always viewed it as being just another source of information.

      • To me looks clear that burning fat or carbs generate different amounts of co2

        Except their own FAQ pages state that burning ketone bodies for fuel produces more CO2. If you're truly in ketosis, the machine won't be able to tell the difference.

        • I would guess if you are truly in ketosis, you would be predominantly burning fat as your primary energy source. Burning fat is the aim. However, you do not need to be in ketosis to burn fat as fuel when your body is in its normal metabolic state. Every time you fast for a few hours, the body should automatically switch over. The biggest fast for most people is overnight sleep. I'd guess that testing with the Lumen should be done first thing in the morning before breakfast to see if the body is burning fat for fuel then. If it is not, then there most likely is something wrong with your metabolism that needs a medical professional that believes in more than the energy in v energy out model of weight loss. I'm one of those as I have bumped my calorie input up to about 2500-3000k daily on a 16/8 intermittent fasting routine and did a dirty keto for 4 months and lost 15 kgs. Now I eat about 1800-2200 calories per day in a breakfast, lunch and dinner routine to maintain the weight. That's why I'm eager for this Lumen to arrive so that I might have more of a clue what is actually going on with my own metabolism. You do realise I am writing all of this not to sell the Lumen. My affiliate links are completely gone. They were removed almost immediately. This site might not be OzScience, but it does have a large collection of readers who may benefit from a considered medical perspective of things. The device is pretty cheap as far as medical devices go if it does lives up to its claims. The other device I mentioned, Biosense, might be FDA approved as a medical device. I seem to remember reading that. Lumen is not FDA approved and so could very well just be another gimmick. As I have stated repeatedly, I just do not have any further knowledge about it at this point in time other than 1) It exists 2) I'm getting one without having to pay - the deal was I just had to interact using my professional knowledge with the general public to promote its existence 3) they signed me up to their affiliate program and I disclosed that.

  • +3

    What a bunch of waffle. Post should be removed because there are some people dumb enough to fall for this sort of thing/ maybe they are experiencing difficulties and are vulnerable.

    • Apologies if you find it waffle. That would be me and not lumen. If the mods think it should be removed, I do not have any issues with that. They've already removed the affiliate links and codes which means I am not deriving any benefit from these replies. I am doing so because I believe that the product has the potential to help some people. It may be all a marketing ploy, but I am unsure of that having never used the product myself.

  • Is this a device that tells you if you’re in ketosis? If so, what are the benefits over purchasing 100x urine strips for like $8?

    • Nope, it isn't. Biosense is a ketone tester.

      • I’m talking about ketone testing strips. Does this perform the same function or does this device have extra benefits I may not know about?

        • Ketone strips and ketone testers by definition only measure ketones. This device supposedly measures Metabolism according to their tagline. How it does so according to their website is by measuring CO2 levels on exhalation. Carbs usage results in a higher CO2 level than Fat usage. Presumably they have done plenty of studies to back it up and have peer-reviewed scientific studies. That is what their website says anyway. I haven't read any of the studies as I really didn't think too much past scoring one for free and posting about it lol.

          • @gerald1ABAuthor: Ah I see, so it uses CO2 to model your metabolism, rather than ketones. Is there an advantage to using CO2?

            Seems like you'fd measuring carb vs fat usage either way.

  • OzBargainers, we are meant to be a community. Please all respect that. If you have negative comments, feel free to place them up but have justification other than your 'gut feeling' in doing so. Did I pay for the Lumen? No. I clearly disclosed that. Have I used the thing? No, I also disclosed that. Would I have been paid if someone buys it? Hopefully yes if they used my Affiliate Link or discount code. I disclosed that too.

    Was I wrong in placing the Affiliate links up on Ozbargain? Definitely YES. It breached the site's conditions that I wasn't aware of. Am definitely Guilty of that and do sincerely apologise. So stop punishing Lumen with the negative links as it wasn't their fault. It was just my own lack of research into the posting guidelines that is at fault. Lumen themselves are innocent parties. Their only fault is in sending a device out to a Noob Ambassador just cos he is in a health vertical they want to target.

  • +2

    If I wanted to be scammed I'd stop blocking the numbers that keep telling me that I owe money to the ATO

    • Hey, I do that too. But the difference is, I am not trying to scam anyone. I don't know if Lumen are trying to scam anyone either. All I did was place a post on OzBargain with full disclosure up. Unfortunately, how I did it was against the rules in OzBargain but the mods made it compliant pretty quickly.

    • That comment made me giggle

    • You can get a discount if you pay via iTunes cards

  • +1

    The expression health vertical makes my eye twitch.

    • Sorry, it's a commonly used term in our CPD programs. I didn't coin it or mean it as a marketing blurb.

      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2266012/

      Geeze after all these comments to defend Lumen due to my dumbass error, I've definitely earnt my lumen device now lol.

      Sorry once again Ozbargainers. It was not my intent to 'scam' you guys. It was however my intent to engage and interact with the general public in a field outside of my own. I've learnt quite a bit from this and it has given me plenty of content and thoughts to write about so thank you.

      I will continue to respond to the negative comments as that is only fair for lumen. They should not be punished for my errors. That just isn't right on principle.

  • Even if the product and sales model was legit, why would you want to monitor metabolism?

    • Monitoring and tracking of anything you are seriously focused on is a must. I monitor and track the number of words I am writing per day. My goal is pretty modest at only 500 words. I set the goals according to the SMART principle - Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Timely.

      Similarly, if you want to achieve weight loss or conversely weight gain, you have to track certain things. Metabolism is just one of many variables that ideally should be tracked.

      • Seems a bit ridiculous.

        • Maybe. As I have said repeatedly, I have no personal experience with the device. I only just got the email this afternoon just before I posted. I got excited as I scored a freebie. Publicly posted it in good faith with full disclosure and now am being publicly flogged. I guess that's what angry mobs do.

          • @gerald1ABAuthor: Mob doesn't seem angry to me. Just haven't been sold the product effectively.

            If you want to pursue your writing career perhaps offer your writing services instead of shilling a product you don't have any belief in. Good copywriters are few and far between, won't take you long to get gigs.

            • @malich: I'm not actually shilling, just writing lol. The affiliate thing is just a bonus if it works. Besides, where did I put that I was trying to actually sell the product? I'm a dentist. The only thing I've ever 'sold' is to convince people to look after themselves. You'd be surprised at how difficult that is to do ethically without 'selling'. I'm not a salesperson, but I am a communicator. Whether I'm an effective communicator or not depends on if the right people are taking away the right message. I disclosed all my interests in the product openly. That was not a sales tactic. It was the ethical thing to do. I'm a believer that information should be freely accessible to those that need it if you can sort through BS from fact. You should only pay for information if you want it packaged up neatly so you don't have to do the hard yards in research yourself. The problem with that is then you are potentially not getting the stuff from truly authoritative sources. As evidenced in these posts, the general public thinks that everyone is selling and out to get them. That might be usually the case but is not necessarily always the case.

              BTW I'm only kidding with the angry mob thing. I don't need to start a writing career writing services for other people. I just want to write because I want to write. For me. No one else. The simple reason that I'm an 'unemployed dentist' in the post is that I choose not to work because luckily I can. I have been rewarded well enough in life to choose to do what I want to do away from the rat race. Does it mean I'll say no to what's effectively free money? Hell no. With regards to money, the more the merrier. I think most people would agree with that. However, I will not comprise my ethics in doing so. I never have and never will.

  • Poying something just so I can neg this scam.

    • I'll repeat myself. The post was not intended to scam. Full disclosure was made about the facts surrounding the case. I made an honest mistake by putting the affiliate links in this post. The OzBargain community is free to punish me regarding that. The moderators already have and have flagged my account. I accept all that as I am guilty of breaching the terms of the site.

      However for the product itself, as I have no personal information about it other than what lumen has provided on their website, I am in no position to comment about whether it works or doesn't work. I simply do not know. As I find out more I will be posting about it online. Given the fairly vicious feedback on OzBargain thus far, this is probably not the best medium to attempt this type of communication.

      On the bright side, I've exceeded my daily word writing target by quite a lot and managed to successfully engage an audience in discussion. That's not bad for day 1 of publicly being a Writer which is the first step to becoming an Author.

      • Sounds like magic crystals that help you lose weight.

        • Lumen doesn't help you lose weight. I clearly explained that. You have to lose weight yourself. It just helps you track metabolism to make your life a bit easier.

          It's like I do not need to use notion.so to be a successful writer. It just however makes the journey towards being a successful writer that much easier. I know I'm successful as a writer as I'm writing and writing a hell of a lot thanks to you guys right now. However, the next step is, becoming a successful communicator. That's only going to happen once I build some sort of trust in the readership I think. We are all too used to getting scammed. I get it. I've been scammed many a time. However, I've also read a lot and come across a lot of useful completely free information. I've put some of that in these replies as this stuff is all source material for the books I am writing anyway.

          • @gerald1ABAuthor: Is your booked titled "How to bore people and scam them 101"?

            • @mandelbrot: If that will entertain a readership, I don't see why it can't be. If for whatever reason I do name a book that, I'll definitely attribute the name to you. I am attempting to save this entire thread in my notion.so as source material, so please continue engaging in conversation. I'm finding it fascinating how the general public reacts completely differently to the LinkedIn crowd. I guess I already kind of expected it as patients do seem to be their own worst enemies.

  • Are "obvious bullshit" and "well that's why you don't listen to a dentist about anything but teeth" valid reasons for negging?

    • Mind you, maybe if we buy the magic box he wont have to try and make a living as the world's worst shill.

      • Thank you Joke042 for keeping the attack personal to me in the first post and de-identifying Lumen by keeping your statement generalised in the second post. I am in full agreement with you. There are plenty of magic boxes out there in the world promising everything but delivering nothing. I wouldn't mind making a living as the world's worst shill as that way I'd starve to death and do the world a favour. My posts and descriptions have been genuine. This again is fact. Some readers will see that, others won't. That's just how we as humans process the information around us. As long as I know that what I have written is genuine and not a scam, I can sleep that night. That's all that really matters. I truly do not know if Lumen is the real deal or a magic box. Personally, I have a Withings Body Cardio Scale that retails at $249 usually. I got it a bit cheaper via OzBargain. I also have two Fitbit Aria's (one broke and the other is a bit weird). I have two Qardio scales (again one broke - Qardio support was great and they delivered me a free replacement no questions asked) and Tanita one still going 10 years later that I received as a wedding present. I never posted about any of these as I bought them a bit cheaper due to OzBargain or cheap deal research sites to find the best price. I never scored one for free or got invited to any Affiliate program for these things simply because I wasn't aware that I could till relatively recently. Of the scales mentioned above, my favourite is the Withings. If I had to buy it again, I'd probably buy the Body+ as the Cardio doesn't seem to read my heart rate too well. A bit inconsistent.

        As you can see, being from a health-related background, I am willing to spend on my own health. If I can get something for free, and can even earn a buck off it if it works why not? I don't know of anyone who says no to effectively free money.

        • I don't know of anyone who says no to effectively free money.

          People with morals.

          • +1

            @Joker042: What does morality have to do with money? Aren't those completely separate issues?

            • @gerald1ABAuthor: Do you write so much you don't even bother to read what you're writing anymore?

              • +1

                @Joker042: Pretty much. The writing trail is evidence in itself.

                • @gerald1ABAuthor: I'm glad you have dentistry to fall back on when your attempt at a writing career debuts to observations that you've obviously had a lot of practice putting people to sleep.

                  All the best making money from the side shilling.

                  • @Joker042: Thank you Joker042. I found this last post genuinely funny. And yes I agree with your first comment fully. Most of the time when I am talking, the patients really aren't in a position to do much talking. Some do try their damned best though.

                    Regarding the side shilling, yes that's all that any affiliate programs are. They are all pretty much the same I'd guess. I don't actually know as I don't have any other experience apart from this one which has gotten off to a pretty disastrous start lol. Doubt for most people they'd be able to ever replace their day job with any single affiliate program.

                    However, as I said, if you are fully upfront in your disclosures, I personally do not see any problems with any of them. It's not as if you are forcing anyone to purchase any product. At the end of the day, people should just have access to information directly from a primary source. Secondary sources like myself as demonstrated in this case lack authority. I didn't design the product and have never even seen or used the product. All I know is that one is on its way to me and I shared the information in full including the affiliate program details. For that, I have been duly punished by the OzBargain community and I will continue to apologise for my error. It was a completely innocent one.

  • I follow a few pro-keto doctors and this device isn't one they recommend, was actually mentioned in a podcast as something they would specifically not recommend. Basically they said there are lower cost options that actually work better.

  • +3

    There's no way you're actually trying to become a professional writer; even an amateur would(SHOULD) know that posting life experiences to a bargain-hunting crowd in replace of a product/deal description is just plain ignorant.

    You're supposed to know your audience and write for them, or write your piece, then find your audience.

    Another piece of advice, just people you're able to drag a paragraph on and on while monitoring your vocabulary, doesn't mean you should do it. Writer's are supposed to give the reader the most they can with as little as they can.

    Do you know what a serial comma is? You should; they covered it plenty in primary school. So why the hell is it being used to emphasize words? And why do MOST(not all, -1 again for inconsistency in format) have capital letters?

    I will stop myself there, as it's not my job to teach you how to write.

    When the mod deleted your affiliate link, he should have done us all a favour and deleted the entire post.

    • You are definitely on point with this post and I fully agree with the 'know your audience' statement - 100%. Thank you also for your literary critique of my conversational writing style complete with grammatical inconsistencies pointed out. I actually do not know what a serial comma is but will Google it. English is one of a few languages that I speak and I have had to learn it with a great degree of difficulty. I obviously am still missing some of the finer nuances of this language I am trying so hard to master. I am of Asian descent. Apologies if my primary school education was not up to typical Western levels.

      As a Professional Writer, I am literally getting paid per page flip on via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited Program which I will disclose that I am an affiliate of. I am trying to master the ability of being able to drag a paragraph on and on whilst monitoring my vocabulary so that I receive a maximal payout. I receive about half a cent per Kindle page flip. It is not much money. Therefore I need many page flips.

      Thank you for taking the time to teach me how to write properly. I do sincerely appreciate it as I endeavour to constantly learn and improve.

      • +1

        I am trying to master the ability of being able to drag a paragraph on and on whilst monitoring my vocabulary so that I receive a maximal payout.

        Please stop making deliberately wordy content.

        Here are two responses which get the same point across. Which is easier to read?

        • If you write overly verbose content, people will get bored. Write good content and people will want more of it.

        • In my humble opinion you'd be better off creating content that people actually want, rather than trying to add as many words to each sentence so that you can make it longer and maximise your payout at the expense of the reader's enjoyment. I've found that people prefer to read sentences that are more compact, in fact if you have a look at some writing advice you'll see that being succinct is a common one.

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