[HN Gopher] Kaketsugi - A technique for repairing holes or tears...
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Kaketsugi - A technique for repairing holes or tears in fabric
(2021) [video]
Author : zdw
Score : 381 points
Date : 2022-05-03 13:58 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www3.nhk.or.jp)
(TXT) w3m dump (www3.nhk.or.jp)
| probotect0r wrote:
| If this is interesting to you, check out r/invisiblemending and
| r/visiblemending communities on Reddit. Folks on there are pretty
| creative!
| jjice wrote:
| I've always been interested in repair and have done a good bit of
| mending on my own clothes. I have a few black tee shirts from
| Target from about six or seven years ago that have just gotten a
| few small holes that I've repaired and you can't notice. Takes
| less than 5 minutes after a while from getting the thread out all
| the way to cutting it at the end.
|
| For down jackets, you can get yourself a roll of repair tape for
| ~$5 that's as simple as cut and place. I used to work for a large
| outdoors retailer and we had access to damaged and returned goods
| at crazy discounts. I got a $200 down jacket for $2.50. Add the
| $5 roll of repair tape that I still have and we've got a great
| jacket that I've worn for about four years now.
|
| It's kind of fun to do as well. Having sentimental value with the
| things you use is kind of nice, as long as you don't go
| overboard.
| kuon wrote:
| I think this is awesome. The technique is really mindblowing. I
| really enjoy seeing passionate and precise crafts.
|
| But it's not for me, I only wear old T-shirts I don't care about
| that are full of holes.
| praptak wrote:
| This craft was quite popular in Poland back in the day and went
| by the name "cerowanie artystyczne".
|
| People earned like 20 USD a month. You ripped the pair of jeans
| your Uncle from America (archetypal figure from that time) sent
| you? Cerowanie artystyczne to the rescue.
| alerolp wrote:
| tomlin wrote:
| Seeing someone have to repair a Supreme hoodie kinda ruined it
| for me, not gonna lie.
| pigtailgirl wrote:
| Supreme make great quality clothes - you might not like the
| hype around them but their box logo hoodies will last years -
| they are not cheaply made - that's the trick here tho - fast
| fashion - zara, h&m etc - is low cost but unlikely repairable -
| Anything Rei Kawakubo (CGD) - Raf Simons - Acne Studios - Thom
| Browne can all last a lifetime if maintained and repaired
| correctly -
| tomlin wrote:
| This is the company that asks teens to spend their last
| dollar on a brick with a Supreme sticker on it, right? Or am
| I mixing that up with another brand manipulating children for
| cash?
| pigtailgirl wrote:
| this is a lazy comment - I believe it was in conjunction
| with another new york artist who's studio is in the same
| building - Tom Sachs - he's an installation artist - and
| the brick was $30 - not accounting for taste huh- never the
| less - your point is extremely poorly made -
| tomlin wrote:
| I think you've let your brand loyalty blind you from a
| lot of the damage that brand has objectively caused.
| pigtailgirl wrote:
| looking at your history of comments- you might consider
| acquainting yourself with the guidelines - otherwise i'd
| suggest HN maybe isn't the right community for you -
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
| frostburg wrote:
| I really like Comme des Garcons (especially shirts, even if
| lately I'm wearing more Paul Smith and Etro) but it's very
| expensive (and like with many other high fashion brands only
| mainline items should be bought in most cases). Acne is great
| and almost reasonably priced in context.
| pigtailgirl wrote:
| two of my CDG SHIRT Shirts from 2014 - two CDG Play Shirts
| (not polo) from 2016 - still wear them regularly - black
| play one I had professionally redyed last year for $15 -
| looks brand new -
| thunderbong wrote:
| All comments here are about the technique. But I found the video
| to be quite different. Yes, the method of repairing clothes like
| this takes a lot of effort, time, and huge amount of practice.
|
| For me, the video was about many other things. It was about skill
| and craftsmanship, of course. It was also about apprenticeship,
| about a master and his protege. But it was also about love and
| affection and a father's guarded praise about his daughter. And a
| daughter's delight in becoming as skilled as her father. And
| about two craftsmen who take a lot of pride in their work and use
| it as a medium to make their customers very happy. This is rare
| in today's world. It was also about calm and peace, an almost
| meditative state that one gets into, when one is deeply immersed.
|
| A really beautiful video. It's not often that one gets to pause,
| reflect and be touched while constantly being swept in this river
| of information.
|
| Thank you.
| iancmceachern wrote:
| I recently had the exact same thought watching this video of
| Billy Strings and his father playing together.
|
| https://www.google.com/search?q=billy+strings+akd.his+dad&oq...
| [deleted]
| xcambar wrote:
| Seeing the customers bring their garments alongside their story
| was beautiful.
|
| They don't just get their clothes repaired, they get their
| memories alive, they care for the past events, good or bad.
|
| The father and daughter team in fact goes way beyond working on
| the clothes, they somehow heal the customers as well.
|
| A beautiful documentary, really.
| JPKab wrote:
| This reminds me of a product that I'm not sure exists that I want
| sooo bad.
|
| I've got a precious pair of jeans, and a hole right in the
| crotch. I want a patch I can glue on, no needle required, that is
| stronger than the existing cloth. Is this a thing?
| quesera wrote:
| The product exists. Fusible interfacing is a sheet of heat-
| activated glue.
|
| But beware repairing with stronger materials. This shifts the
| stress to the interface between the two fabrics, often at an
| already-weakened-but-not-yet-failed part of the old fabric,
| hastening a failure in the new location.
|
| Also some locations in clothing are more amenable to the
| increased bulk/stiffness. These are unfortunately not usually
| wear points.
|
| Good luck though, sometimes it works out!
| _Microft wrote:
| "Fusible interfacing" is the search term for "patchs that glue
| on". From my experiene the connection is not as durable as the
| existing cloth (especially the edges come off easily) and I'd
| still seam it with a line of stitches.
| jjice wrote:
| I know there are some places that will make the jeans with a
| reinforced crotch for this very reason (helpful for riding
| bikes). I think a lot of larger brands that user to make jeans
| like this have stopped, likely to increase profits
| unfortunately.
|
| I've sewn up crotch holes in the past with some scrap fabric
| and it's not bad, but it is a bit tedious. I'm wondering if
| sewing in a simple piece of scrap fabric and then adding a
| small iron on patch would provide decent reinforcement.
| vjvj wrote:
| I got a shabby and scuffed up 10 year old leather jacket cleaned
| recently. It cost me less than PS50 and came out great. Buying a
| new one would have cost PS250+
|
| I wonder where the biggest opportunities are to get people
| reusing and repairing their things rather than buying new ones.
|
| It's satisfying, usually functionally-equivalent and cheaper once
| you know where or how to get it done.
| Wohlf wrote:
| This is an option for a PS250 jacket but not for a PS50 jacket,
| so I guess the place to start is buying higher quality products
| that are worth repairing.
| hapidjus wrote:
| Why not? If you worn it until it needs repair you're probably
| fond of it.
| criddell wrote:
| I agree with you that I probably wouldn't want to pay to
| repair an inexpensive item of clothing, but I can't
| articulate why. If an item is poorly made, it may not be
| worth repairing, but price doesn't always correlate to
| quality.
|
| I've been thinking about this lately with a wristwatch. I
| have a 10 year old Seiko mechanical watch that cost me $50.
| To get it serviced will cost more than I paid for the watch,
| however there's nothing about the watch that makes it less
| worthy of servicing than a watch that would have cost 10 or
| 100x more.
| [deleted]
| avgcorrection wrote:
| > I wonder where the biggest opportunities are to get people
| reusing and repairing their things rather than buying new ones.
|
| Other than submissions like this one?
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| > I wonder where the biggest opportunities are to get people
| reusing and repairing their things rather than buying new ones.
|
| Back in the day you repaired things because a really well made
| thing would last a lifetime with proper care. But Amazon and
| Walmart made it their mission to get people to keep buying
| clothes, so now clothes are cheaper and more disposable.
|
| I think the best thing we could do is encourage people to buy
| fewer things that are better quality. Maybe encourage
| manufacturers to have a warranty program that works with
| independent repair shops. You spend more with the intention of
| keeping it longer, and can get it repaired if needed.
| coryfklein wrote:
| > I think the best thing we could do is encourage people to
| buy fewer things that are better quality.
|
| I would LOVE to do this, but I have absolutely no idea how to
| identify quality. Is the $50 t-shirt at Macy's actually going
| to last me longer than the $10 that looks identical at The
| Gap?
|
| Since I don't even know, I usually end up taking the $10
| safer choice.
| robocat wrote:
| > I think the best thing we could do is encourage people to
| buy fewer things that are better quality.
|
| I'm unsure whether this would be good for the environment.
| What are the risks of not using it, or damaging it?
| Systematically, I believe our environmental footprint is
| approximately how much we earn, so deciding if the
| environment is better off for that choice is not obvious.
|
| I just buy good second-hand clothes since that is more
| likely to be good for my pocket (and perhaps with luck, the
| environment).
| Tijdreiziger wrote:
| Not really a measure of quality (rather of ethics), but I
| like Good on You's ratings:
| https://directory.goodonyou.eco/
| 0_____0 wrote:
| This question has led me away from big box stores and more
| to online clothes retailers. Certain brands give a really
| comprehensive breakdown of what their clothes are made of
| and how they're constructed. Right now I'm thinking of a
| pair of Outlier pants that I've had for about 4 years or
| more by now, probably have 500 wears in them. They have
| some minor fading and a couple of burn holes from standing
| too close to campfires, but are otherwise unscathed. They
| were something like $150 when I bought them but I was sold
| on the textile they used (very durable high-nylon synth
| blend), and in this case it paid off -- I would have blown
| holes in the knees of jeans 5 times over in the same
| period.
| mellavora wrote:
| And less repairable. Fabrics are more often a blend.
|
| However, we are fighting against the market on this. It is
| the same as the software subscription vs one-time-purchase
| model.
|
| The economy depends on people constantly consuming, buying
| new things. Trend started long before Amazon and Wallmart;
| they just accelerated it.
| Annatar wrote:
| Only the American economy depends on the constant
| consumption, and we can clearly see how that ended: with
| riots and looting in the streets, a true beacon, pinnacle
| of success.
|
| Other economies are much more content to pay for reuse and
| repair.
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| Well I think we can change that. There's no constitutional
| proclamation that says we have to be a consumer society.
| gen Z are much more conscious of these issues, we could
| help guide them towards more responsible purchases and
| intentional living, and the market should slowly follow
| supertofu wrote:
| I have a 12 year old all-season jacket from LL Bean that is
| full of holes. It has survived a decade of winters in NYC and
| upstate NY. It has a removable lining so the coat also works in
| Spring and Fall. In the summer I can use it as a small backyard
| picnic blanket.
|
| I love it so much and it is so functional that I refuse to
| replace it.
|
| I wish I could just mail it to a service that would fix all the
| holes, clean it, and mail it back.
|
| I'm sure I could find a local tailor, but local tailors aren't
| always easy to find, and the whole process is such a hassle.
|
| Seamstress-as-a-service? Any takers?
| 0x0000000 wrote:
| It's too bad that scumbags took advantage of LLBean's
| lifetime warranty so they ended it. You may still be able to
| send it back to them to repair, but a few years ago it
| wouldn't have cost you anything. Maybe worth a shot if you
| really love it!
| supertofu wrote:
| So, I looked into doing that back when LLBean had the
| lifetime warranty, but they offered to send me a new
| jacket. They wouldn't repair the old one. And I wanted to
| keep my old jacket.
| dekhn wrote:
| Aahaha, my parents used to abuse that service (finding old
| jackets abandoned by students at the end of the school
| year) and I told them to stop because it was taking
| advantage.
| whartung wrote:
| I have a similarly aged jacket from Orvis. Even in Southern
| California, I probably wear it 300 days a year. The inner,
| fabric lining has some holes in it, and I just took it to the
| local cleaner. They managed to stitch it all up and make
| it...umm...whole.
|
| Are they pretty? No. Only so much you can do, I guess. But
| it's functional, and it's inside, so, no worries.
|
| A daily driver jacket is just like an old friend.
|
| Linus was right.
| jjice wrote:
| Might be able to go to the local tailor. Definitely depends
| on the place, but a tailor is likely to do that kind of work
| for you. A lot of tailors I know also have professional
| cleaning equipment, so that might be the double whammy.
| stinos wrote:
| _It 's satisfying, usually functionally-equivalent and cheaper
| once you know where or how to get it done._
|
| It sure is (currently wearing pants which are probably 20 years
| old - as such their style is also back in fashion if I see what
| youth is wearing these days), but only if you were raised or
| self-thaught to hold that in high regard. Or I could even say
| 'if you have common sense' but that's perhaps just bias from my
| part.
|
| _I wonder where the biggest opportunities are_
|
| I'm tempted to say 'education' and 'have politics push for it'
| but I honestly don't know at this point. Seeing what it takes
| to even get a slight notion of something being fixed for other
| global problems (climate, biodiversity) I'm not exactly
| optimistic about that.
| coryfklein wrote:
| If you didn't watch the entire video, I highly recommend it. What
| a beautiful style of story-telling; I was expecting a quick
| explanation of what kaketsugi is, but instead I got so much more.
| It was an inspiring look at the relationship between a mother and
| father, and between people and their clothes, and it was utterly
| heartwarming.
| an_ko wrote:
| If you or others wish for more of this type of optimistic slow
| mini-documentary, NHK's "Document 72 Hours" is a show which
| camera crew stay in 1 ordinary public place continuously for
| the titular 72 hours, at all hours of the day.
|
| They interview people they come across, and collect small and
| honest stories of people's lives. The show has been going for a
| long time, and they consistently manage to find heartwarming
| little stories in places you wouldn't expect to find them, with
| nothing but kindness and attention. One of my favourites so far
| was at a coin-operated hot ramen vending machine at the side of
| a road. The English narration is pretty cheesy, but I suppose
| it's part of the style.
|
| You can watch the most recent episode here:
| https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/72hours/
|
| For archives and discussion, have a look into
| https://www.reddit.com/r/NHKWorldFans/.
| ben30 wrote:
| I'm glad I've learnt how to sew.
|
| - Repaired a rucksack - sports kit - night clothes - ripped jeans
| - I've fixed my son's pricelessly irreplaceable red toy dog. (We
| joke (not joke), car, or toy dog, we save the dog)
|
| Each time has been rewarding, and calming in the repetitive
| nature of the task.
|
| I followed the instructions here:
|
| https://www.instructables.com/Finishing-the-Case-With-a-Slip...
| shijie wrote:
| I'm not aware how prevalent this technique is in Japan, but here
| in the US it is totally unheard of. I watched the whole video.
| What an exquisite result. So impressive. It makes me realize the
| level to which some people dedicate toward their craft. I am not
| at the Katetsugi level of craftsmanship in my own profession, but
| this documentary inspires me to get there!
| Animats wrote:
| It's called "invisible reweaving" in the US. It used to be a
| routine service offered by dry cleaners, and a few places still
| offer it. Clothing is so cheap today it's rarely worth the
| trouble.
| aitchnyu wrote:
| In 90s India, dry cleaners did dyeing and darning too. And
| puncture shops offered vulanisation and retreading bald
| tires. Now they are all but gone.
|
| To digress, Now I'm looking at
| https://www.reddit.com/r/Visiblemending/ with interest. Seems
| Reddit environmentalism is endorsing long lasting clothing
| and keeping them alive longer.
| happyopossum wrote:
| >vulanisation and retreading bald tires
|
| There's a reason those are largely gone - retreaded tires
| have been the cause of many accidents and blowouts over the
| years...
| serf wrote:
| it's gone for regular pedestrian vehicles mostly, but
| it's still fairly common in the U.S. to see retread shops
| near any semi-truck hub areas.
| _jal wrote:
| The tailor who made my last two suits from will do it. I have
| not had reason to ask about pricing (yet).
|
| They aren't cheap and I really like their work, but I don't
| think they're the sort of place that people travel to buy
| from. So I imagine other tailors offer it.
| crispyambulance wrote:
| Yes, "reweavers" are extremely rare.
|
| Master tailors who create bespoke clothing and work with very
| expensive wool fabrics may still have a reweaver that they
| use. It's only economically sane if one is dealing with
| suits, for instance, that start beyond $2000.
| CommieBobDole wrote:
| I remember my dad telling me about being in the Marine Corps
| stationed in Norfolk, VA back in the early '60s. He mentioned
| that there was an Asian lady who ran a shop in town that could
| do this - apparently she made good money repairing damage to
| military dress uniforms.
| [deleted]
| joeblubaugh wrote:
| It's not unheard of - in the US this type of repair is called
| "reweaving"
|
| https://mensfashion.thefuntimesguide.com/mens-suit-repair-re...
| hangonhn wrote:
| It's not unheard of but I had a really hard time finding
| anyone capable of doing that kind of work in the Bay Area.
| Even when I did find someone the work was not great. Maybe I
| would have better luck in a bigger city like NYC? I think
| perhaps people being unaware of this technique has lead to a
| drop in demand over time and thus a diminishing supply of
| practitioners.
| naravara wrote:
| I've had this done to a pair of suit pants by a not
| particularly notable dry cleaner and they did a great job. It
| was expensive though. I think it's not so much that it's
| unheard of here as it is that very few people in the US have
| clothes they care about preserving enough to justify the cost.
| I think it cost me about $60 to have my pants rewoven and I
| could have gone to Macy's and gotten a new pair for that money.
| I could probably have gotten 2 or more at H&M or Uniqlo. Unless
| the pieces have sentimental value or you have a really elevated
| fashion sense it won't be worth it.
| abirch wrote:
| I loved the Art and Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance and this here
| is pure quality. Creating quality makes me happy but it's a
| shame that I don't get to always create quality at my current
| job.
| colechristensen wrote:
| Persig's wife just released a book of unpublished writings of
| his
|
| On Quality: An Inquiry into Excellence: Unpublished and
| Selected Writings https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063084643/
| redweer wrote:
| https://scienceandkindness.net/ is out of St. Paul, MN. I
| believe you can send them your clothing. I follow them on
| instagram because I think they do some really cool repairs.
| gonzo41 wrote:
| Poor form smoking in a suit! Those people are doing what art
| restorers do when canvas paintings get damaged and they weave the
| canvas back together. Its amazingly impressive.
| Annatar wrote:
| Smoking is very common in Japan and especially during after
| hours with coworkers.
| zerof1l wrote:
| I found their website. https://www.oriwa.net/ The pricing seems
| quite reasonable considering the skill and time required. For
| example, about 42 USD for up to 5mm in diameter hole in a suit.
| coolspot wrote:
| Now when it is on the HN frontpage, many SV folks will send
| their Patagonia jackets to this shop.
| Bost wrote:
| I think the Mars Colonists will really benefit from learning
| this craft. Or maybe even the ISS astronauts... you know just
| in case, your trip home gets postponed.
| Steltek wrote:
| I hate to be that comment but that site on mobile is ridiculous.
| Scroll down just a little bit and your view of the article is
| reduced to a tiny porthole that's maybe 5 lines tall. Everything
| else is occupied by a banner video thing and a cookie footer.
| colanderman wrote:
| In this case, that video _is_ the story. The "article" is not
| much more than a caption.
| Steltek wrote:
| Yeah, I realized that when I got back to a computer. The
| video had an exaggerated "Close" button next to it and I was
| expecting more of a text article. On my phone, I had hit
| "back" before digging deeper due the poor site layout.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| TrackerFF wrote:
| I had this beautiful bespoke suit which had just been hanging in
| the closet, due to me gaining some weight. After slimming down I
| wanted to wear it again, only to find a couple of large and very
| noticeable moth holes on one of the lapels.
|
| Welp, money down the drain I thought. Local dry-cleaner tipped me
| about _" invisible mending"_, so I did some research. Ended up
| shipping it to the UK, and paid around PS120 for getting the
| jacket repaired - with excellent results. Some might say that's a
| steep price, but the alternative was binning a PS4000 garment.
| kretaceous wrote:
| That was one of the most beautiful videos I've ever watched.
|
| Thanks for this!
| dehrmann wrote:
| I've had a reweaver mend holes in a sweater. It came out well,
| but it's not cheap, and it works better for some patterns than
| others. I'd really only recommend it if the clothing item would
| cost more than $200 to replace.
| yboris wrote:
| An amazing series of videos of Japanese professional repairs:
|
| _Shuuri, Misemasu_ - or The Fascinating Repairmen
|
| https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVZvdZul6yhFTkZyGiXjh...
| robocat wrote:
| Thanks! I loved this one of a guy fixing a 70's(?) suitcase:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRzy7LJXYVg He has a huge
| workshop full of suitcase parts, so must do many per workday at
| a guess. Serious skills - I loved the careful masking of the
| existing stickers when he repainted it. Although he did leave
| the castors on when spray painting, which seemed odd to me.
|
| And this guy is fixing kitchen graters (although for a short
| moment they show him making new ones too). Perhaps used by
| chefs, since it looks like he has about 5 of the same type to
| fix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_XeZZkff0g Although they
| show a lady at the end opening the mail for her fixed one. Made
| from copper, and I guess he is puts a zinc coating on it (over
| a charcoal fire no less!)
|
| I wish I understood Japanese so I could get more of the
| context.
| kelvinquee wrote:
| Reminds me of this absolutely fascinating video of restoration of
| antiques (few centuries old) into "like new" condition for
| museums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIoi-DSm0e4
| kinow wrote:
| I tried learning invisible stiches to repair some clothes -
| nothing as hard as kaketsugi - but later found out about easier
| techniques that leave the the results are visible but still looks
| good.
|
| - Sashiko https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashiko - Boro
| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boro_(textile) - And this sub
| with heaps of exampled and tips
| https://www.reddit.com/r/visiblemending/
| Shadonototra wrote:
| Why name a something that's been a thing in the west since the
| beginning of time with a japanese buzz name? what's the goal?
| Annatar wrote:
| For you and anyone else to expand their foreign language
| vocabulary.
| werdnapk wrote:
| That Japanese "buzz name" is just what it's called in Japanese
| for "invisible mending". What do you want them to call it in
| their native language?
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| it's just the Japanese name for it
| msie wrote:
| Because English is not their primary language and the world
| doesn't revolve around the English language???
| goodpoint wrote:
| Those foreigners speaking unamerican languages!
| klik99 wrote:
| For those who don't want to watch the whole thing - check out the
| repair @ 9:54 - truly amazing work - they show the detailed work
| leading up if you rewind from there.
|
| Personally I have a bunch of patches I like that I sew over holes
| - we use flowers for our AirBnB sheets and it can really add to
| the personality. It's also a lot less time consuming than this
| work!
| abetusk wrote:
| Wow this is awesome.
|
| Here's a random YouTube link I found [0]. I guess the basic idea
| is to get a patch of the same material, line up the pattern (if
| any) and fray the ends of the patch to have the threads expose.
| Then go through and interleave the frayed thread ends to
| seamlessly fold into the garment's fabric.
|
| [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haiA_4tBrjw
| dekken_ wrote:
| seems similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi
| _Microft wrote:
| Kintsugi seems to be more about owning the mistake while this
| is meant to be as little noticable as possible.
| Steltek wrote:
| I mistook the name for that technique as well and my first
| thought was, "I thought the whole point is to not be
| invisible?"
| dirtyid wrote:
| It's reweaving but seems like the duo are pioneer in developing
| methods for repairing different materials. Almost like bespoke
| art restoration. The work on extra fine tshirts was impressive.
|
| I do some basic mending for clothes that gets retired to gym use,
| little obvious patches/sewing with slightly off color material
| and pretend it's knockoff Kintsugi. But I also learned value not
| being precious/sentimental with clothes and enjoy wear them
| pretty hard. Personally it feels better to just wear new clothes,
| especially now that performance fabrics are becoming popular.
| Won't wear anything without elastane if I could hep it.
| sedatk wrote:
| This is an interesting contrast to kintsugi in which you repair
| broken ceramic with gold paste, to make the damage even more
| visible to appreciate its part in the history of the object.
| Annatar wrote:
| These two are takumi in every traditional sense of that word.
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(page generated 2022-05-03 23:00 UTC)