
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the function $f(x) = ax^2 + bx + b - 1$ ($a \neq 0$),  
(1) Find the zeroes of $f(x)$ when $a = 1$ and $b = -2$;  
(2) If for every $b \in \mathbb{R}$, the function $f(x)$ always has two distinct zeroes, determine the range of values for the real number $a$.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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