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The Hypothesis Driven Innovation Lab - Exposing our Assumptions

BresicWhitney is a lifestyle property group serving  modern buyers across inner Sydney, Australia. They saw an opportunity to shake up the real estate industry in Australia. They had an idea that would give buyers the information they needed - instantly. Partnering with us, we designed and tested a document delivery system.

The webapp gives potential buyers access to building condition reports amongst others, free of the standard $500 cost, at any time online or via their mobile device. Something no other competitor is offering their buyers. The platform then closes the loop by sending property agents a report notifying them of the download - giving them an opportunity to get in touch with the potential buyer.

Here, I outline the process from the definition of a problem through to the output of a solution in what appears to be a linear fashion. This is misleading, in that we employed an approach which allowed us to move backwards and forwards through the process at anytime. The key was to ensure we were learning, then delivering value from that learning at all times. This included research, design, and technology build, but also applied to the way in which we engaged the client and progressed the project in step with the relationship.

The Situation

The real estate market in Australia is dominated by realestate.com.au.  A property listing site that effectively holds a monopoly over buyers, sellers and real estate agents as the only significant market place to buy and sell property. REA offer an excellent service, with a broad reach - BresicWhitney offer the same excellent service, for a niche.

Forces in Australia’s intense love of property ownership and a culture of auctions over private treaty as the method of sale, make competition fierce. The sheer demand puts a strain on the relationship between buyers and agents, and has resulted in a less-than-optimal reputation for most realtors nationwide.

BresicWhitney have been grappling with this issue for some time and realised that if they don’t change the way they look at the business they will fade into irrelevance. When staring down the barrel of your own demise, you are prompted to really get to know yourself, and what value you bring to your clients. In this case, BresicWhitney consider buyers and sellers to be their clients, not just another vendor on their books.

The commonly practiced way to run an open-house (a viewing of the property for sale open to interested buyers) is for the agent to stand at the door and almost demand that the potential buyers provide their name and contact information - kind of like a gate-keeper. Most people just go with it and provide their details, but they generally don’t like it. It’s not a nice experience. This interaction immediately set’s up the agent for an adversarial relationship with any buyer; which is really not good for business. Further, it provides a full day of follow up phone calls that the agent will need to do on Monday usually, since almost all open-homes are conducted on Saturdays.

A new vision emerged. More focussed on empowering the buyer. This was when we were asked to join the conversation. The BresicWhitney stakeholders understood the importance of changing the way they operated, and had articulated a vision which was an ideal situation for success. A clear vision of the kind of interactions they needed to remain relevant in the market and industry, but with flexibility to explore different ways to support that vision. Conversely a vague vision, with its infinite flexibility, would have been much harder to define ways to deliver value.

Beginning the Engagement in an Agile Way

We met with the BresicWhitney team for a discovery session to understand the journey up to that point, and began to define what the engagement would look like. Whilst not being mature in agile practices, BresicWhitney did value the benefits and were open to taking our lead - provided we could demonstrate value.

Our proposal consisted of a set timeline, an estimated team of four Thoughtworkers, and some value based deliverables. We set out for a specified amount of time, with a goal to validate (or reject) a set of hypotheses, and to also to explore the problem space a bit ourselves.

There were no deliverables in the traditional sense and no set processes we would follow. We would however learn about the problem, confirm or deny the things we thought we knew, and define opportunities for potential solutions. We used a selection of the many items in our toolkit, some of those would be technology, many of them not.

We were allowed to go ahead on a toolkit and a promise because we were able to articulate the importance of eliminating risks as early as possible. It was agreed that this timeboxed project would focus on that very task: identifying and eliminating risks.

We set aside the hypotheses and aimed to learn as much about the key actors in the buying relationship as we could. This was important in that it allowed us to follow what we saw and learnt rather than simply following assumptions or common beliefs about the customers. One issue that presented was the Burden of Knowledge which meant that even though we wanted to ignore the hypotheses presented by the client, it was difficult to do so once we are aware of them. We dealt with this by engaging a researcher to observe buyer behaviors separate from us to ensure that the findings would not be tainted by our knowledge of the client’s problem hypotheses.

The research team consisted of two designers, plus the additional researcher addressing the burden of knowledge problem.

Our research began with qualitative methods aimed at understanding the kinds of experiences and journeys buyers and agents take when going through the process. We conducted interviews with agents and buyers, aiming to understand their tasks and activities over the course of their week. This was captured as conversations, rough sketches, and notes for later review. We augmented our research with a series of phone interviews with recent buyers who were both successful and unsuccessful in their property search.

We also began to craft the “as-is” journey map which provided the rich material to begin thinking about potential solutions. We needed to really understand the problem in order to create the right solution.

We followed this up with a contextual inquiry to better understand customers direct experience, and to unearth insights that they may not have been aware of themselves. This included observations at private showings and open-homes on a Saturday. It’s important to point out that there are two types of empathy at play here. Cognitive Empathy and Emotional Empathy.

Cognitive Empathy is the kind of information we gathered when discussing the different views, needs, and opinions of buyers with the key stakeholders. This is important as it helps to foster the idea that there are points of view other than your own, and that we ought to seek them out.

Emotional Empathy is the kind of understanding you get by feeling it yourself. Through observing, or discussion you can truly feel what it would be like to experience life as that person. This is often the most radical in its effect on executives and as a source of insight.

The output of the various observations and conversations was expressed as an Empathy Map. This guided us further in our discovery and is a helpful resource when attempting to articulate problem statements we were trying to solve.

Using some of the empathy maps and insights generated, along with some of the hypotheses put forth by the client, we were able to articulate the core problems, and if solved would have an impact. They were:

  • Buyers did not have confidence in buying guides, as they were an estimate by the agent of how much the property would sell for.
  • Buyers we reluctant to purchase property inspection reports at around $500 per report because they could not be sure the property would be within financial reach at the auction (due to lack of confidence in the buying guide).
  • Buyers didn’t have trust in their interactions with agents, and asked for more transparency.

To further validate these problem areas we conducted an email survey to 4000 recently engaged buyers who had a range of experiences with BresicWhitney. Our questions for this kind of qualitative research were more directed, and the goal was to confirm at scale whether we were on the right track with our problem insights.

With our new findings, we consolidated and refined the “as-is” journey maps to ensure it reflected the situation accurately. We then tested our understanding by playing this back to the stakeholders, something we also did at the end of our conversations with buyers.

Testing is not something you do at the end, it is an integral part along the way to ensure that the the problem you are planning to solve is valid. It’s vital that the design team properly understands the constraints, amongst other things.

So how do we build something awesome?

But we still had to test our idea with the buyers, and this is where the Innovation Lab is most obvious. Really the Innovation process started way back when we had some ideas which we explored with buyers, but this is where it starts to take form.

The Innovation Lab is not a specific place, it’s more of a way to describe the critical activities that allow us rapidly validate assumptions of all kinds.

With a limited amount of time - and a high level of confidence that we were solving the right problem - we proceeded to developing a solution. We were however, acutely aware that we were in fact testing two things; the problem and the solution.

We agreed to work on the following hypotheses:

#1 Providing potential buyers with information will focus the conversation on buying.

#2 If we provide information early in the process, buyers will prefer / seek out BresicWhitney.

We sketched rough interface ideas at the feature level on Post-Its. We were essentially generating material to work with at a more abstract level, comparing and evaluating whether these elements could begin to solve the problems at hand. The material generated blurred the lines between the interface, and a vision of the journey map. With iteration and refinement the ideas evolved, some died, and others emerged that solved the more basic of the problems experienced by the buyers.

The Prototypes

Prototyping in HTML can be quick. No need for big upfront design, just sketches that define the core feature proposed to solve the problem. We needed a way to execute a meaningful handshake with the buyer and provide them with the relevant property reports that would remove the problem of price guide accuracy. We had  to do it in a way that allowed them access in the first place.

Agents' needs could not be forgotten at this point also, meaning we needed to include a way for agents to identify who has downloaded (this is a legal compliance issue as well), and to provide meaningful reports and alerts. We used email to send short notifications, a good example of making best use of simple yet effective standardised technology.

Technology was a huge enabler in this phase, as was the team skillset which allowed a solution to be designed using technology as the fabric of the design process, not just the method for delivery.

The platforms chosen provided us with the ideal working conditions and material to visualise ideas, test them with real users, and iterate quickly at scale. An advantage over using paper prototypes.

Equally important was having someone on the team who had these skills. The UX Designer on the team was also able to write front end code, which is an excellent anthropomorphic example of the concept of using digital artefacts as the material for exploration and design.

Quick and dirty sketches moved straight into an HTML prototype. Our view was that given the low frequency of access to buyers, a few times a week at best, we could make use of HTML as a prototyping tool rather than using paper sketches. Prototyping on paper is a fantastic method if you have regular contact with the end user to test each rapid iteration on. In our case we did not have this luxury.

We were now at the end of the first week, with only two weeks and two testing cycles left before the project ended.  I should point out that our HTML quickly evolved into a very small node.js app, which was just as fast and flexible to work with as we had an experienced developer on it.

It felt like we wanted some kind of document delivery system, but what exactly would this look like? There were existing solutions out there that do the basics such as Hightail, Dropbox, and even Google Drive. If we were designing in a bubble, we could choose any of these, and essentially build nothing… alas, this is not a useful solution for the client or the buyer.

Both the buyer and the agent needed a solution that would integrate into their existing processes and systems.

Drawing on a number of concepts in the evolving practice of Service Design, we spent more time researching and understanding a new user group; Operations Staff. This group were responsible for managing a number of processes including document management, website content management, and marketing. Our solution was drifting in this direction and it was important we understood all the constraints and opportunities.

Ironically, as important as understanding all the systems and enterprise integrations required are, the key to a successful prototype is to remain free from too many constraints. We needed to ensure we could easily define what we are testing. We resisted trying to solve everything, and focused on validating the problem and the solution as a concept before tackling it as a product integration issue. Our prototype did offer integration into the users’ everyday processes, and faked the enterprise integration component.

The Technology

It’s interesting to point out that we have already talked about technology as part of the design process, and it is definitely true that technology was a strategic enabler for the design process as much as it would become the method of delivery.

Using digital artefacts as the fabric of the design process affords a number of advantages, and comes with a number of challenges.

The good:

  • Working with the real, tangible elements increases the designer’s ability to visualise solutions, and to perceive the impacts good and bad
  • It’s easy to work at scale (scale for testing purposes)
  • It’s easy to work in a distributed team, or audience
  • User feedback is closer to what you would get for a finished product (this can also work against you)
  • It’s easy to release changes at high frequency

The bad:

  • It relies on having a technical method of deployment at the time of concept
  • User feedback can be skewed by interface noise such as disliking a colour, or having issues with the text on a particular button
  • It’s slower to make changes
  • There is a trade off between speed and validity of response, especially if attempting quantitative validation

The Technology Stack

Software: Starting in HTML, we quickly jumped into creating a responsive node.js app, which we used during prototyping. This still met our needs as a lean piece of software and a material for the design process.

Heroku scalable web hosting: an ideal solution for prototyping using code that provides a reliable stack but is scalable based on load required. The free account is ideal for this kind of project.

Magnum CI: The Continuous Integration product of choice for test and release automation, which allowed us to push out new releases as required without having to manage the details.

Mixpanel: This provided user based analytics which allowed us to track user behaviors and learn in real time how users were interacting with the prototype during and after our session with them.

Email: Still worthy of a mention, email is a key piece of technology which when used correctly can be an excellent product.

Lessons Learned

We started with learning goals focussing on who was interested in which properties - we could infer this by the types of documents downloaded. The analytics platform provided this information very well, but it pays to be very clear about what you want to learn before hand. It’s easy to miss a key interaction that would confirm what you really need to know, but without it you’re still just working on hunches. We were able to track exactly who downloaded which document and when, and from what location. This information was important to compare and validate the app against the current manual process.

Unexpected Learning

We were surprised by a number of things. Agents had described interactions with buyers the way they saw them, which were filled with assumptions and constraints. When we released this app, we were free to see behaviours without the assumptions and the constraints.

We learned that contrary to the way agents organised their time, buyers were not particularly interested in follow up calls on Monday following a Saturday open home.

We also learned that buyers were looking at the documents for many properties that matched their needs in the app, then would attend the open homes afterward. This did not map to what was initially expected. We thought buyers would attend an open home, then do the due diligence (accessing the reports) after, but it was the complete opposite in many cases.

These learnings helped us shape the product for the next round of testing, and eventual full scale build. Many of these were totally unexpected, but invaluable to the success of the product evolution.

Post Launch Research

Within four weeks of starting the project, the first property was sold primarily supported by the prototyped document delivery experience. We interviewed the buyer and further confirmed that our hypothesis for the buyers interactions over time was not accurate.

This particular buyer had attended one open home then viewed the reports for that home and others during the week. On the following weekend, the buyer attended one of the other homes (documents already viewed), and made an offer closing the deal within days.

This was a moment of validation of the process we had employed. It showed that the things we had learned in the process were accurate and valid for a live sale.

Further, it validated the prototyping process we use in our Innovation Lab.

Impact to the Business

This project was a key component of a broader strategic play in response to a change in conditions in the real estate market. Whilst there were other factors at play to set the context with clients and with agents (staff), both the prototyping and product build phase were wildly successful.

The new app delivered many positive outcomes for BresicWhitney. The buying cycle was reduced from weeks to one day and there was an increase in meaningful conversations between buyers and agents. Agents were also freed of spending their Monday’s making calls to people who didn’t want to hear from them, allowing them to focus on committed buyers. Buyers demonstrated a preference to BresicWhitney by traversing across properties online before and after their physical inspection. The net result was an increased trust in BresicWhitney, and an increased confidence of qualified buyers to bid at auction. See the full client story here

Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.

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Will High

Data Scientist

Will High, a data scientist with a PhD in physics from Harvard and TW alumnus, is author of more than 30 peer reviewed scientific publications. His specialties include Monte Carlo methods, Bayesian inference, image processing and quantitative visualization. With 10 years of experience quantitatively addressing hypotheses using rigorous statistical analysis, he is intimately familiar with the challenges of working with real-world data to achieve insight.

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90s | Pop Culture | Music | Quizzes

How Many Of These 90s One Hit Wonders Can You Name?

Universal Music

While some of these artists did have other songs or albums, they were never able to match the success of the song that we included, at least in the US. Scroll down to check your answers and listen to the full songs.

How many did you get? Check below to see how many you got right!

1. I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts

Much better known as "The Friends Theme Song," this might just be one of the definitive songs of the 90s, entirely thanks to the lasting popularity of the show that made it famous.

The Rembrandts actually had a Top 20-song in 1991, 4 years before Friends exploded onto the scene, but the fact that you didn't know that really says it all.

2. Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite

One quirk of the 90s was the resurgence of everything 60s and 70s (sort of like how the 80s and 90s are now making a comeback, hmm) and if there is one song that represents just how much the 90s loved the funk of the past, it's "Groove is in the Heart."

The music video for it is also completely bonkers, which is always an added bonus.

3. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb

If you were an angsty teen girl in the 90s, this was probably your theme song. Released as the lead single for the Reality Bites soundtrack, "Stay" launched Lisa Loeb to the top of the charts, making her the first unsigned artist to do so.

4. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinéad O'Connor

It shouldn't come as a surprise that a song written by Prince would be a major hit, especially since Sinéad O'Connor's arrangement of it perfectly channels the angst of lost love that the original (performed by The Family) seemed to miss.

While she's more famous now for her...eccentric behavior, feuds, and controversies, this song is definitely one of the definitive hits of the 90s.

5. Just a Friend - Biz Markie

While this one was technically released in 1989, it didn't really get popular until 1990, so we'll count it as a 90s song. "

6. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the perfect example of a song that you recognize immediately, and can probably name, but have no idea who sang it.

7. What's Up - 4 Non Blondes

Linda Perry is the badass lady behind many of the biggest pop songs of the 2000s (Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," anyone?) but before she found success as a writer and producer, she was the lead singer of an mostly-female rock band called 4 Non Blondes.

While "What's Up" was actually the second single off their debut album, it was the only one that had any sort of success. This is a song that is so very 90s, it's probably for the best that it stays there.

8. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger

Harvey Danger, like so many alt-rock bands of the 90s, came out of the Seattle indie music scene. That makes it a little fitting that their biggest (and only) hit was a song they wrote capturing the rage and frustration they felt at the commodification of the underground music scene they loved.

It also became the most popular song from the movie American Pie, despite not appearing on the official soundtrack.

9. What is Love - Haddaway

In the realm of One Hit Wonders, there are some that, when you hear them again years later, you can't help but wonder how they ever found success in the first place. "What is Love" is not one of those songs.

It's nearly impossible to say whether it became popular because of Night at the Roxbury, or if Night at the Roxbury became popular because of it, but either way, "What is Love" is the 90s gift that keeps on giving.

10. Here Comes The Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze

It's not hard to see why this song became popular, seeing as it's just so damn catchy. Unfortunately for Ini Kamoze, out of the 7 singles he released between 1981 and 1995, it would be the only one to have any sort of popularity.

11. Jump - Kris Kross

These two almost-teens were responsible for not only one of the catchiest songs of the early 90s, but also the completely bizarre fad of wearing all of your clothes backwards, which was both impractical and not very comfortable.

"Jump" was the fastest selling single in 15 years, which is pretty incredible when you consider that Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith and Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly were only 12 and 13 years old at the time.

While they would release two more albums, and several more singles, none of them would have the same success as their debut. Sadly, Chris Kelly died of an overdose in 2013 at the age of just 34.

12. Steal My Sunshine - Len

There's something about this song that just screams summer, and it's impossible to listen to it and NOT feel some mad 90s nostalgia.

13. My Own Worst Enemy - Lit

As if it's not hard enough being considered a One Hit Wonder, but imagine having people think that your one famous song was actually by someone else?

Such is the reality for pop-punk band Lit, whose song "My Own Worst Enemy" is not only often mis-titled "Please Tell Me Why" but is also often attributed to the considerably more famous and well-known Blink 182.

At least they will always have this incredible music video.

14. Macarena - Los Del Rio

It is literally impossible to do a list of 90s one hit wonders and NOT include this song. If you were alive in the 90s, guaranteed you lose your damn mind and still do the full dance every time you hear this song.

And we're only just getting started...

15. Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega

Unlike a lot of one hit wonders, where you likely just remember the chorus and nothing else, Mambo No. 5 has become so iconic that you likely started singing it in your head the second you saw the name of the song.

16. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground

If you - for some reason - need to find a song and video combo that sums up rock music in the 90s, look no further than Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy."

Everything from the chill guitar riffs, to the moody lyrics, and especially the bonkers and nonsensical music video perfectly capture a very specific period of rock history. It seems almost criminal that so few remember this song.

17. Bitch - Meredith Brooks

Here's another example of a song that is not only more famous than the artist who sang it, but is also often attributed to the wrong artist.

In the case of "Bitch," it's often linked to Alanis Morrissette. To be fair though, it does really sound like it could be Alanis Morissette circa 1995, though it's probably still a jagged little pill for Meredith Brooks to swallow.

18. I’m Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65

Here's a song that we all know and remember. While it's true that we definitely remember all the lyrics to it, that's mostly because a good 90% of the lyrics are just repeating the words "da be dee, da ba di" so it's hard to say if that really counts.

This song also wins for having, hands down, the most bonkers CGI-atrocity of a music video.

19. Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex

While the 2000s had Darude's Sandstorm, we in the 90s had Cotton Eye Joe. Watch the video and decide which decade is the clear winner.

20. I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred

"I'm Too Sexy" is so iconic, I guarantee you still know all the words to it. Shockingly, it didn't start out as a dance pop track, but instead as an indie rock song. It's impossible to imagine it being that different.

21. Closing Time - Semisonic

Even to this day, if you stick around a bar until the end of the night, chances are you'll hear this song played as a subtle call to finish your drink and get out. It's not surprising considering the song's winning combo of a catchy hook and simple, repetitive lyrics.

22. In the Meantime - Spacehog

The only thing Spacehog is likely known for, other than this song of course, is the fact that it's lead singer, Royston Langdon (what a name!) was once married to Liv Tyler.

23. She's So High - Tal Bachman

Son of Canadian rocker Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive), Tal Bachman seemed destined to be a musician. Unfortunately, he never found success beyond 1999's "She's So High."

24. Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry

Growing up, I always thought Eagle-Eye Cherry was the name of a band, but it turns out it's the actual name of Jazz musician Don Cherry's son. Turns out having famous parents can have it's downsides.

While his song "Save Tonight" may be a one hit wonder, at least it's a very catchy one.

25. Connected - Stereo MCs

While they had more success in their native U.K. Stereo MCs only had one hit in North America, 1992's "Connected."

It also had the dubious honor of appearing in the 1995 Angelina Jolie movie Hackers.

26. Your Woman - White Town

This song, as trippy and catchy as it may be, has left enough people confused by the lyrics that Jyoti Prakash Mishra (White Town is a one-man band) felt the need to make an FAQ on the band's website largely devoted to answering fans' questions about the song.

27. Brick - Ben Folds Five

While it feels a little weird to include this on a list of one hit wonders, considering both Ben Folds Five and Ben Folds himself have released plenty of music over the years, none of their other work has achieved nearly the same level of success as "Brick" did in 1997.

And we haven't even gotten to some of the best one hit wonders yet...

28. No Rain - Blind Melon

The only thing more memorable than this song is the music video for it. Unfortunately Blind Melon's chance for further success came to an end in 1995 with the death of their singer Shannon Hoon.

They did try and make a comeback about a decade later, but it didn't end up going anywhere.

29. Would I Lie To You - Charles & Eddie

While David Guetta released a fairly popular cover of this song in 2016, nothing could possibly compare to the original. This is one of those songs that we tend to forget about, but anytime we hear it, it brings us right back.

Sadly, Charles Pettigrew passed away from cancer in 2001 at the age of 37.

30. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

Although people tend to remember this song as "I Get Knocked Down," no 90s playlist (and not just ones of one hit wonders) would be complete without Tubthumping.

31. I Touch Myself - Divinyls

While this was by far the biggest hit for Australia's Divinyls, they did have some success doing covers for movie soundtracks, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the 1992 movie, not the TV show), and Super Mario Brothers.

32. Lullaby - Shawn Mullins

It's pretty much impossible to listen to this song and not miss the 90s. The song had a resurgence in 2009, thanks to The Office and Michael Scott's "Need more Mullins."

33. One Headlight - The Wallflowers

There seems to be some sort of curse if you were the kid of a celebrity musician releasing music in the 90s. The front man of The Wallflowers, Jakob Dylan, is the son of the legendary Bob Dylan, and when you hear him sing you can definitely hear the similarity.

While The Wallflowers have released plenty of music over the years, nothing else has come close to their iconic single "One Headlight."

34. Missing - Everything But The Girl

This 90s dance track isn't even the original version of the song. It was originally released in 1994, but after it didn't end up going anywhere, it was remixed and released again a year later, at which point it exploded internationally.

This song isn't just one of the biggest dance anthems of the 90s, but probably one of the biggest of all time.

35. One Of Us - Joan Osborne

Any time a movie or a TV show is doing anything even vaguely related to faith, this song inevitably makes an appearance (looking at you, Joan of Arcadia). Not only that, but it has also been parodied pretty much to death over the last 21 years.

36. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia

Considered one of the biggest pop hits of all time, not many people know that Natalie Imbruglia's mega (and only) hit was actually a cover.

The original version, by the band Ednaswap, was only released two years before Imbruglia's version became the obsession of 90s kids everywhere.

37. You Get What You Give - New Radicals

Considering how similar this sounds to the songs U2 released in the 90s, it makes sense that U2 guitarist The Edge would say that this is the song he is "most jealous of."

The song definitely stands on it's own, though, and it served well as an anthem for all the disillusioned teens of the 90s.

38. MMMbop - Hanson

It almost hurts to admit that the sweet baby angels of Hanson are actually one hit wonders, the numbers don't lie. Their album Middle of Nowhere did sell exceptionally well, but none of their singles other than "MMMbop" did nearly as well.

History may see them as one hit wonders, but in our hearts they will always be superstars.

39. Informer - Snow

Let's be honest, the only reason we know the name of this song is because it's the only word of this song we understand.

40. How Bizarre - OMC

While they were pretty big in their home country of New Zealand, their super catchy tune "How Bizarre" was the only one that had any international success.

Bonus Round!

41. Barbie Girl - Aqua

There is no way you lived through the 90s and didn't know this song. While plenty of 90s kids loved other songs by Aqua (Dr Jones, anyone?), that didn't translate into success on the charts.

Possibly the best part about this song is the fact that, when Mattel sued the band over the song, the judge dismissed the case by saying "The parties are advised to chill." Now if that isn't peak 90s, I don't know what is.

How many did you get? Let us know in the comments!


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December 25, 2017

Marketing Private Funds and Discretionary Account Services: Asia and Beyond (Eleventh Edition) – Thailand Chapter

David Duncan, a consultant in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group, has contributed the Thailand chapter in the eleventh edition of Marketing Private Funds and Discretionary Account Services, published by Deacons, the Lex Mundi member firm for Hong Kong. The publication provides a Q&A-style overview of restrictions on cross-border capital raising and marketing activities for asset managers in 16 jurisdictions, and covers the following topics:

  • General Activities: Attending, speaking at, and sponsoring events; offering business cards, publications, and other information at events; inviting and paying for people to attend lunches, dinners, sporting events, and other forms of entertainment; cold calling; restrictions on marketing activities; and restrictions on frequency of visits.
  • Investment Management Services: Appointing an offshore investment manager to manage a segregated mandate; restrictions on marketing activities; providing details on investment management services; responding to requests for proposals; attending “beauty parades”; requirements for agreements related to investment management services; etc.
  • Unregistered Offshore Funds: Non-public offerings, and requirements under local laws and regional agreements; ongoing obligations to maintain authorization or registration of a fund; appointment of a local agent to market a fund; restrictions on providing details of a fund; etc.
  • Servicing Clients: Information that may be sent to existing clients in relation to their investment portfolio or investment in a fund; and meeting with existing clients at their offices or elsewhere to discuss their investment portfolio or investment in a fund.
  • Miscellaneous Information: Government departments and regulators responsible for marketing of management services and investment funds, and principal governing legislation.
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In California, Abortion Could Become a Constitutional Right. So Could Birth Control.

Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Californians will decide in November whether to lock the right to abortion into the state constitution.

If they vote “yes” on Proposition 1, they will also lock in a right that has gotten less attention: the right to birth control.

Should the measure succeed, California would become one of the first states — if not the first — to create explicit constitutional rights to both abortion and contraception.

The lawmakers and activists behind the constitutional amendment said they hope to score a one-two punch: protect abortion in California after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal constitutional right to abortion under Roe v. Wade, and get ahead of what they see as the next front in the reproductive rights fight: birth control.

“The United States Supreme Court said that the privacy and liberty protections in the United States Constitution did not extend to abortion,” said UCLA law professor Cary Franklin, an expert in constitutional law and reproductive rights who has testified before the California legislature in support of the amendment. “If they said ‘no’ on abortion, they’re probably going to say ‘no’ on birth control because that has a similar history.”

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ended the federal right to abortion and left states to regulate the service. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should revisit other cases that have created protections for Americans based on an implicit right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution, such as the 1965 caseGriswold v. Connecticut, which established a federal right to contraception for married people — which was later extended to unmarried people.

Some congressional Democrats are now trying to codify the right to contraception in federal law. In July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Right to Contraception Act, which would give patients the right to access and use contraception and providers the right to furnish it. But the bill has little chance of success in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have already blocked it once.

Protecting access to contraception is popular with voters. A national poll from Morning Consult and Politico conducted in late July found that 75% of registered voters support a federal law that protects a right to birth control access.

California isn’t the only state where voters are considering reproductive rights in their constitutions.

On Tuesday, Kansas voters decisively rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to ban or dramatically restrict abortion. It failed by nearly 18 percentage points.

Kentucky voters will face a similar decision in November with a proposed constitutional amendment that would declare that the state’s constitutional right to privacy does not cover abortion.

Vermont is going in the opposite direction. Voters there will weigh a ballot measure in November that would add a right to “personal reproductive autonomy” to the state constitution, though it does not explicitly mention abortion or contraception. In Michigan, a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee a right to both abortion and contraception is expected to qualify for the November ballot.

In California, Proposition 1 would prevent the state from denying or interfering with “an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”

The proposed constitutional amendment doesn’t go into detail about what enshrining the right to contraception in the state constitution would mean.

California already has some of the strongest contraceptive-access laws in the country — and lawmakers are considering more proposals this year. For instance, state-regulated health plans must cover all FDA-approved contraception; pharmacists must dispense emergency contraception to anyone with a prescription, regardless of age; and pharmacists can prescribe birth control pills on the spot. State courts have also interpreted California’s constitution to include a right to privacy that covers reproductive health decisions.

The amendment, if adopted, could provide a new legal pathway for people to sue when they’re denied contraceptives, said Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor of law at the University of California-Irvine.

If a pharmacist refused to fill a birth control prescription or a cashier declined to ring up condoms, she said, customers could make a case that their rights had been violated.

Making the rights to abortion and contraception explicit in the state constitution — instead of relying on a right to privacy — would also protect against shifting political winds, said state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who was the director of a women’s health clinic in the 1980s. Although California’s lawmakers and executive officers are solid supporters of abortion rights, she said, the composition of the legislature and courts’ interpretation of laws could change.

“I want to know for sure that that right is protected,” Atkins said at a legislative hearing in June. “We are protecting ourselves from future courts and future politicians.”

The amendment would solidify California’s role as a reproductive rights sanctuary as much of the country chips away at birth control availability, Goodwin added.

Experts said two forms of birth control that are vulnerable to restrictions in other states are intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and emergency contraception like Plan B. These methods are often incorrectly conflated with abortion pills, which end a pregnancy instead of preventing it.

Nine states have laws that restrict emergency contraception — for example, by allowing pharmacies to refuse to dispense it or excluding it from state family planning programs — according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. In Alabama and Louisiana this year, abortion opponents introduced legislation that would restrict or ban abortion, and would also apply to emergency contraception.

“We’re seeing an erosion of abortion access that is playing out in statehouses across the country that have and will continue to target contraceptive care as well,” said Audrey Sandusky, senior director of policy and communications for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association.

Susan Arnall, vice president of California’s Right to Life League, said the proposed amendment is symbolic and merely echoes current laws. Arnall thinks the campaign is mostly about Democratic politicians trying to score political points.

“It just allows the pro-abort legislators to trumpet and give them talking points about how they’re doing something about the overturn of Roe v. Wade,” she said. “It is political virtue signaling. I don’t think it does much of anything else.”

Goodwin argues that the measure’s symbolism is significant and overdue. She pointed to the Civil War era, when enslaved people in Southern states could look to free states for spiritual hope and material help. “Symbolically, what that meant is a kind of beacon of hope, that those places did exist, where one’s humanity could be regarded,” Goodwin said.

But California’s reputation as a haven for contraceptive availability may not be fully warranted, said Dima Qato, an associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. In her 2020 study of contraceptive access in Los Angeles County, which has some of the highest rates of teen and unintended pregnancy in the country, Qato found that only 10% of pharmacies surveyed offered pharmacist-prescribed birth control. Pharmacies in low-income and minority communities were the least likely to offer the service, Qato said, worsening disparities instead of solving them.

Qato supports the constitutional amendment but said California should focus on improving and enforcing the laws it already has.

“We don’t need more laws when we don’t address the root cause of a lack of effectiveness of these laws in these communities,” Qato said. “Lack of enforcement and accountability disproportionately impacts communities of color.”

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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What can universities do to protect Russian and Ukrainian academics fighting for truth?

Academics’ struggle is a stirring reminder that the freedom of scholars and students to speak, teach and publish is neither inviolable nor dispensable, says Ron Daniels

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Johns Hopkins University
31 Mar 2022
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Democratic assessment: why, what, and how

Advice on instilling democratic principles into your assessment methods

For the past month, Vladimir Putin’s horrific, inhumane and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has cost thousands of lives and devastated a sovereign nation. It has also accelerated the suppression of the few remaining mechanisms in Russia for checking the excesses of autocratic power.

Russian military and political leaders have been compelled into obeisance on national television. Independent media organisations have been forced to broadcast state propaganda or close up shop. At least 15,000 citizen protestors have been arrested and detained.

After years of crackdowns on academics and students, Russia’s universities, too, have been cowed into complicity or refashioned into extensions of Putin’s government. This became chillingly clear on 4 March, when the Russian Union of Rectors (an organisation representing leaders of hundreds of Russian universities) released an open letter parroting propaganda and declaring universities’ unequivocal support of the regime: “In these days it is very important to support our country, our army, which defends our security, to support our president…Universities have always been a pillar of the State.”

By explicitly subsuming the aims of universities beneath the umbrella of an autocratic state, this disturbing statement undermines several of the ideals of universities: to pursue truth undergirded by reason and supported by evidence without fear of censorship or reprisal; to challenge conventional assumptions; and to check errant power.

Universities are fact-generating and fact-checking institutions. This function is, by its very nature, an essentially democratic one. Indeed, the research that academics conduct often supports and enhances the work of democratic governance, including by bolstering the creation of just public policy. It also frequently challenges false or deceitful claims made by those in power, which is why autocrats like Putin and others around the world – and throughout history – have so little tolerance for independent universities.

In Russia, the sacred role of universities as stewards of fact continues to be fulfilled by brave faculty and students across the country, many of whom have weathered years of attacks on academic freedom. In the past month, thousands of researchers have risked their careers and livelihoods to bravely speak out against the invasion, sign petitions and even take to the streets. Other academics have fled the country to pursue their research or studies in other countries. Meanwhile, student-run magazines such as Doxa at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow have valiantly sought to publish truth and fact in the face of arrests and censorship.

Their fight is a stirring reminder that the freedom of scholars and students to speak, teach and publish is neither inviolable nor dispensable. With democracy in decline around the globe, fuelled in no small part by historic levels of polarisation and a startling rise in disinformation, universities cannot shirk their democratic obligations to create new knowledge and share that knowledge with the world. The expertise that universities cultivate has the capacity to cut through the din of cynical distortion and lies.

This leads to the question of what universities around the globe can do now to protect Russian and Ukrainian academics who continue to fight on behalf of truth and fact, and to reaffirm and renew universities’ role in liberal democracy as stewards of fact.

First, universities should stand behind the freedom of scholars in Russia and Ukraine in this time of urgent need. Universities throughout the world have opened classrooms, laboratories and programmes to scholars and students displaced by this conflict. At a moment when Russia is trying to silence independent voices, the world’s universities are offering academics who have fled these countries a place of refuge where they can tell their stories to the world and speak truth to power.

Universities also need to think beyond the war in Ukraine. This means protecting academic freedom, in peacetime and in conflict, in our democracies as well as in countries that might not otherwise be inclined to embrace those principles. We can do this. My own university, Johns Hopkins, has long operated a centre in Nanjing, China, in partnership with Nanjing University. The core principles of academic freedom are written into the governing documents of the centre, and the campus in Nanjing currently houses the longest active, uncensored, open-stack library in China – the only one of its kind when it opened in 1986.

Beyond these steps, universities’ responsibility to democracy also requires them to reinforce public trust in fact and expertise throughout the world. Without this trust, democracy will continue to wither.

Right now, vast quantities of academic research are trapped behind paywalls available to only a select cadre of experts. This prevents many people around the globe – not only individual citizens, but those who work in media, politics and civil society organisations – from accessing scholarship that could inform practice, policy and public opinion. It also inhibits facts entering democratic discourse.

Given that misinformation has been found to travel at six times the speed of fact, universities and their faculty need to be able to share data, research and insight more swiftly and more broadly. This is a reason for universities to more vigorously embrace the principles of open scholarship that will bring the knowledge and information they produce closer to democratic life.

Facts and independent experts are more valuable than ever. Universities must redouble their efforts to protect and support faculty and students and the research they conduct – and thereby reaffirm their role as pillars of democracy, not pawns of the state.

Ron Daniels is president of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US. He is also co-author of What Universities Owe Democracy.

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Roopa Farooki

Roopa Farooki was born in Lahore in Pakistan and brought up in London. She graduated from New College, Oxford and worked in advertising before turning to write fiction. Roopa now lives in south-east England and south-west France with her husband, twin girls and two sons. Bitter Sweets, her first novel, was nominated for the Orange Award for New Writers 2007. Roopa’s novels have been published internationally and translated into a dozen languages.


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July 19, 2022
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Akebia quinata- Plant ID

Attended the Through the Garden Gate in THE BEACHES.(Toronto) Took a picture of a vine growing on a trellis. Have not been able to identify it. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners concerning your plant ID.

The photo appears to show the flower and fruit of chocolate vine, Akebia quinata. The vine produces glossy dark green leaves that are oval-shaped, and grow in clusters of five. Vines produce many dangling purple flowers with three petals in the spring (ranging from March to May) and may remain evergreen in the mildest areas or in a sheltered location..  It should be noted that this vine is quite aggressive and needs frequent pruning to keep it under control and is considered invasive in certain areas. See Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata).

December 31, 2021


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Malaysia Shines at CIHT Kvarner Health Tourism Conference in Crikvenica, Croatia

By 8 November 2018

November 8, 2018 - How Malaysia became the world's best medical tourism destination, lessons in branding Croatian health tourism, and much more in an outstanding first day of the Kvarner Health Cluster CIHT conference in Crikvenica.

I had known in the back of my mind somewhere that the Kvarner health cluster was doing an amazing job at promoting health tourism on the northern coast of Croatia, but it was only today that I fully appreciated quite how well they were doing. An email exchange with leading global medical travel branding expert Ilan Geva recently led me to attending his specialised workshop on how to brand Croatia as a medical tourism destination in Zagreb earlier this week, and he filled me with enough enthusiasm and curiosity that I found myself on the road at 6am this morning - destination Crikvenica for the Kvarner health cluster's 6th Crikvenica International Health Tourism Conference at Hotel Omorika overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The conference, also supported by local regional and national bodies and tourist boards, included representation from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism and Croatian National Tourist Board.

I have attended a number of conferences in recent months in Croatia, and there were so many aspects of CIHT that really caught the eye, once one had devoured all the superbly presented information on the event website, including welcome video messages from four key international speakers. There are 18 international speakers in all, experts in their field back in their native countries, and each with some expertise to share to help the Kvarner health cluster and medical tourism in Croatia learn and grow. One of my favourite details - simultaneous translate available in both English and Croatian (speakers spoke in different languages - see photo above) - although I didn't use the service, the speed with which the panelists answered questions indicated what a high-quality job the interpreters were doing.

The high-quality nature of the international expertise was perhaps best illustrated after the introductions, as the Kvarner Health Cluster made a presentation to its six ambassadors in recognition of their work.

kvarner-health-ciht (3).jpg

Keith Pollard, Editor in Chief of International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), Claudia Mika, founder and CEO of Temos International in Germany, Lutz Lungwitz, President of the German Medical Wellness Association, Daniel Coulton Shaw, co-founder of Global Clinic Ranking and Smile Clinic Slovakia, Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of Bagatin Clinic in Zagreb, and Ilan Geva. Geva was put to the back of the list for the presentations, as he was given an additional gift - a Luka Modric football shirt, which he had jokingly requested previously. A nice touch.

It was particularly pleasing seeing young Bagatin get recognised for his efforts. There is no more avid - or effective - promoter of medical tourism in Croatia today, and his tireless travelling of the globe and local lobbying to move the story forward has placed his as the key person in developing the Croatian medical tourism story.

With such a star-studded lineup, I was expecting some great information and presentations, but I was not quite prepared for what followed. Malaysia has been named as the best in medical tourism travel for several years in a row, and Sherene Azli, CEO of the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council was on her second visit to Croatia to explain how they did it. It was perhaps the most impressive presentation I have heard in my time in Croatia - of how to make an industry go from nothing to the world's best in just a few short years. And I was not the only one who was absolutely stunned at the Malaysian approach and cohesion of all the major stakeholders; I overheard one of Croatia's most successful clinics (I will not mention which) approach Sherene after the presentation, gushing with praise at the achievement, and lamenting the fact that such togetherness could be achieved elsewhere but not in Croatia.

kvarner-health-ciht (4).jpg

Sherene kindly gave TCN an interview in the November Crikvenica sunshine, which I will publish in full in the coming days. It is quite a story, but I leave you for the moment with two things - the slide above listing all the major stakeholders who are all working as one, with Sherene coordinating all. About 90% of her job is managing the stakeholders, but 100% unity of the relevant institutions from marketing to arrival at the airport. A dedicated medical tourism waiting lounge is the first contact, which includes a transfer to the clinic. And the second teaser for now - take a tour of the Malaysian medical tourism experience in the official video below.

And then perhaps the nicest moment of the morning session of the first day of this Kvarner health conference - a thank you to Croatia from Sherene not only for some thoughtful hospitality she had never encountered in 60 other countries she has visited, but hospitality which showed her how Malaysia could improve its service and hospitality thanks to her experience in Croatia.

kvarner-health-ciht (1).jpg

I am probably the only Muslim in the room, she said, as she showed us a slide of two tiny details that made her feel truly welcome and that had never happened anywhere else. On the left, prayer mat, qibla and Koran which she found in her room, on the right Halal breakfast options.

"I have only come across this halal option once before on my travels," she said. "At the Zagreb Hilton last year."

Well done Croatia. Those little details make a big difference.

kvarner-health-ciht (2).jpg

Sherene was not the only fascinating speaker. The first morning session consisted of the following:

Is Kvarner health a tourism destination following the EU scenarios for health tourism development? Milena Persic, Full Professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Croatia.

Developing a medical travel strategy for a hospital or clinic. Keith Pollard of IMTJ. Keith, pictured above right, is a fellow Brit and also kindly gave an interview on the potential of Croatian medical tourism, one which I will also publish shortly.

How to use TRUST in building the brand of your country, hospital, and people. Ilan Geva from the United States.

Understanding Chinese perceptions towards Croatian medical tourism: a Fishbein model based on competitive analysis. Christine A. Lai, Professor at the State University of New York Buffalo State, USA.

University Eye Hospital Svjetlost - from a single practitioner office to an international chain of eye care centers. Ivan Gabric from Eye Hosptial Svjetlost in Croatia.

A global patient stream turning online - the key ingredients to grow your patient base. Martina Viduka, Clinic Relationship Manager of Qunomedical, Germany.

France Surgery - the key to success. Carine Briat-Hilaire, CEO and Co-Founder of France SURGERY, France.

Development of international cooperation in the Lublin Medicine Cluster in the field of scientific research and innovation in medicine, health, and education. Dariusz Matosiuk, Vice-Rector for science at the Medical University of Lublin, Poland.

Quite an international field, with some truly fascinating topics, even for a non-medical person such as myself.

(Ilan Geva at the Bagatin Clinic Croatian branding workshop in Zagreb earlier this week)

"Tell us a little about the branding of Croatian medical tourism from an industry perspective, and how can it be improved," I asked the first panel from the audience.

"Croatia doesn't have a medical tourism brand. Period. I told you I am direct, but that is the truth. It has GREAT potential. It has some brilliant businesses such as Bagatin, which are doing incredible things, but private businesses cannot brand a country. The politicians need to provide the legislative framework for medical tourism to operate effectively. Then they need to set a budget. Then they need to get the hell out of the way and let the professionals deliver."

It was a theme echoed by Svjetlost's Ivan Grabic, whose frustration with the lack of national branding and promotion was not hard to detect. I asked him what he would do with a blank paper and pen and a mandate to deliver medical tourism in Croatia. He was extremely candid - and smart. Bring the clinics together to agree what they can offer. Then go to the government and involve the official stakeholders, for only the State can create a country brand, not a private company. Then agree a budget, which is where the fun begins. Gabric said that for every euro spent on marketing his eye clinic, he knows he will get 15-20 euro of business. Creating a Croatian medical tourism brand will not only take time to be successful (several years for France Surgery and the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council), and so it will be seen as a shot in the dark with no immediate results. And that's where things break down with official cooperation and funding.

So the current state of the Croatian medical tourism industry, which has the potential to bring in BILLIONS to Croatia is this (from this Englishman's perspective):

1. The biggest brand for health care in Croatia does not mention Croatia - it is Kvarner health.

2. The biggest advocate of Croatian medical tourism is one private clinic in Zagreb (and soon in Split) - Bagatin.

3. Some of the best eye surgery (and probably the best for quality and price) in Europe is to be found in Zagreb and 6 other locations in the former Yugoslavia - Svjetlost.

4. There is a hospital in Zabok which is the exclusive partner of the world's best hospital, Mayo Clinic, on a new healthcare initiative - the OneOme RightMed pharmacogenetic test - which can save hundreds of thousands of lives a year and save hundreds of billions of dollars.

5. ALL the international medical tourism experts agree on the potential of health tourism in Croatia. And ALL the experts say the next step is for all the stakeholders to work together to make that happen.

kvarner-health-ciht (4).jpg

Here is Sherene's slide on how Malaysia did it again - a reminder of how Malaysia did it.

In the front row at today's Kvarner Health cluster conference were senior representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian National Tourist Board - all key players.

Can Croatia do a Malaysia? Over to you, Croatia.

As for me, now I REALLY want to go and visit Malaysia... Learn more about the Malaysia Healthcare Medical Council here.

To follow the latest news regarding the Kvarner health cluster and medical tourism in Croatia in general, follow the TCN medical tourism tag.

For more on Kvarner health and the Crikvenica International Health Tourism Conference, click here.


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Flight Control Trim System

I am looking for someone who can write a sketch for an Arduino Uno that will take input from a incremental optical rotary encoder and using a L298N motor controller control a DC Linear Actuator. When the encoder is turned clockwise, the linear actuator will extend, when the encoder stops, the actuator stops, when the encoder turns counter clockwise, the linear actuator will retract. The speed of the encoder turning controls the speed of the linear actuator extending or retracting. In addition to writing the sketch I will need a copy of a schematic of how to make the electrical connections for all of the components. Thank you.

Beceriler: Arduino, Elektronik, Mikrodenetleyici, Elektrik Mühendisliği, PCB Düzen

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Hello, I have read your job description and I have understood what you want to be done. I am an aeronautical engineer and I have programmed Arduino for 3yrs. I can deliver a good job. Please hire me. Thank you in adva Daha Fazla

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ScorpionTrack DRIVER S7-ALS

  • Location on demand via PC, laptop or smartphone
  • Tow-away & tamper alerts
  • Low vehicle battery text alert
  • Transferable from one vehicle to another
  • European coverage included as standard
  • 3 year warranty
£189.00 Fully Fitted (inc VAT)

Availability: In stock

£189.00 Fully Fitted (inc VAT)

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£189.00 Fully Fitted (inc VAT)

About This ScorpionTrack DRIVER S7-ALS

ScorpionTrack S7-ALS Stolen Vehicle Tracker: Thatcham CAT S7-ALS Approved Vehicle Tracker.

Suitable for all types of cabbed vehicle.

Price includes: Nationwide Installation at Home / Workplace, fitted by a ScorpionTrack Approved Engineer.

  • GPS, GLONASS & Galileo accurate to within 10 metres
  • European coverage included as standard
  • 365/24-7 monitoring
  • 28 day health check
  • Tow-away alert
  • Tamper alert
  • Low vehicle battery text alert
  • Privacy mode
  • Thatcham TQA & Insurance Company approved
  • Transferable from one vehicle to another
  • Online paperless registration & account management
  • Suitable for 12 volt or 24 volt vehicles
  • 3 year warranty
  • Location on demand via PC, laptop or smartphone
  • Free Android or iOS Apps available
  • Journey History, Geofence Alerts, Private/Business Mileage, Driver Behaviour & more

ScorpionTrack S7-ALS is suitable for all cabbed vehicles with 24/7/365 theft monitoring delivering you security and peace of mind whilst offering a comprehensive range of driver convenience features for life on the road.

Key features include:

  • Ultimate Accuracy & Reliability - GPS, GLONASS & Galileo satellite location provides ultimate accuracy especially in built-up areas whilst multi-network roaming GSM technology ensures ultimate reliability.
  • European Coverage - Included as standard with no hidden charges.
  • Health Checks - A pre-set self-diagnostic check once every month and every time a system alert is generated.
  • Full 24/7/365 Theft Monitoring - Upon unauthorised movement detection, the ScorpionTrack device discretely notifies our 24/7/365 Monitoring Centre of a possible theft.
  • Tamper & Tow Away Alerts - Receive early warning theft alerts based on ignition, GNSS, ADR tag & battery status - plus alerts if the vehicle is towed or moved using a transporter.
  • Privacy Mode - Privacy Mode allows a driver to stop recording live location and historical journey data. Activating Privacy Mode does not inhibit the theft tracking functionality of the system. In the event of a confirmed theft, access to location data and other status information will be restricted to the 24/7/365 Monitoring Centre who will engage with the Police as per normal theft protocols.

  • Journey History - Generate latest and historical journey reports.
  • Geofence Alerts - Set geofence locations to get in-app alerts or generate reports when vehicles enter and exit these locations.
  • Private and business mileage - Produce reports to check against expenses and HMRC compliance.
  • Live Dashboard - Customisable graphs and charts of journey related data.
  • Driver Behaviour Analysis - Provides driving style data to help reduce your motoring costs (fuel, wear and tear) and increase safety. This data is not shared with any third party.
  • Modes - Avoid false theft alerts by setting Transport Mode when travelling by ferry or Garage Mode when your vehicle is being serviced. Modes can be set via the mobile app.

The ScorpionTrack mobile app allows you to remotely access and manage security, safety and convenience features including:

  • Touch ID or Pin Code Log-in
  • Enable/disable multiple alert types
  • Account management, preferences and modes
  • Find my vehicle with directions
  • Vehicle location & status updates

Account settings, vehicle location and journey history are just some functions available on demand via mobile app or online portal. Using the familiar Google interface you can toggle between Satellite, Map and Street View.

Why Choose ScorpionTrack?

  • Award Winning vehicle tracking device
  • Insurance Approved
  • Cheaper Insurance
  • British Designed and Manufactured - Best British Product
  • 24Hr Monitoring by Scorpion European Control Centre based in Britain
  • Technologically Advanced System - Developed with high recovery rate performance in mind
  • From Scorpion Automotive, a Trusted Brand established in Vehicle Security since 1973
  • Scorpion Automotive supplies to other leading vehicle manufacturers inc. Aston Martin, Ford, Renault, Toyota, Subaru, DAF, Triumph

Why You Need ScorpionTrack

  • A vehicle is stolen every 6 minutes*
  • Large volume of stolen cars never recovered
  • Violent car theft on the rise in the UK & Europe
  • Car theft practices changed to overcome latest vehicle technology & vehicle security
  • Over 75% of vehicles are stolen with keys resulting in house break ins and personal attack on occasions
  • Your car is ten times safer from theft if fitted with a security device**
  • Over 2,700 vehicles are stolen every day throughout Europe***

* Police recorded crime and Crime Survey England & Wales for year ending March 2017
** UK Home Office statistics – The Solution
*** Source: Europol

Subscription Options:

  • Monthly DD Payment Option - £9.95 inc VAT
  • Annual subscription - £109.95 inc VAT
  • 2 Year subscription - £195.95  inc VAT
  • 3 Year subscription - £279.95 inc VAT
  • 4 Year subscription - £329.95 inc VAT
  • 5 Year subscription - £369.95 inc VAT
  • Lifetime subscription - £399 inc VAT

Customer Reviews


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The World’s Most Successful Conglomerate Buys… Itself

The pandemic saw a rapid drop in companies paying out dividends or buying back shares. That trend has now reversed. Even though most stocks are above pre-pandemic levels and have been for some time, buybacks are still moving higher.

  • Special: Stock Caught Trading Under Secret Name
  • One such company that’s gotten into the buyback game in recent quarters is Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B). The conglomerate operated by Warren Buffett has been making small purchases of its shares, with an estimated $6.4 billion buyback in the current quarter.

    Buffett follows the old-school view of stock buybacks, where the buy has to be attractive based on the company’s valuation and one of the most efficient ways to create value for shareholders.

    Many buybacks today are simply done to offset the shares created for executive compensation, or made without any respect for the current price or value of the stock.

    Despite Buffett’s views, these buybacks have been fairly steady in recent quarters, even as Berkshire shares have trended towards all-time highs. Since Buffett isn’t likely to declare a dividend or split shares any further, buybacks look like a top way to unlock value going forward.

  • Special: This Could Be the Perfect Electric Vehicle... Stock?
  • Action to take: The company’s B shares trade at about $275, and have risen a solid 55 percent in the past year. Historically, when tech stocks have been leading the market, value plays like Berkshire have lagged. There could be further profits ahead.

    Besides buying shares outright, traders might be able to make a decent profit on the September $300 calls, which last carried a bid/ask spread of about $3.25. At $325 per contract, it’s a less expensive way to control 100 shares than buying them outright.

    Disclosure: The author of this article has a position in the stock mentioned here, and may make further trades in this company after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article.

  • Special: Stock Caught Trading Under Secret Name
  • WP Post Author


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High Voltage Transformer In Mundka

High Voltage Transformer In Mundka

Trutech Products is a trusted name in the domain that you can recall to buy High Voltage Transformer in Mundka. We have a wide range of transformers, AC/DC chokes manufactured at our in-house facility to meet the diverse need of the customers according to the requirement of their industries. We have the right resources and manufacturing facilities to ensure the designs are up-to-the-mark.

We are renowned among the most trusted High Voltage Transformer Manufacturers in Mundka. Our team is our backbone which has helped us keep our products and technologies, high and up-to-the current trends. We have our roots here in India, but presence all over the world. You can contact us from any part, and we will try our level best to provide the delivery to an extent in the meantime.

Being one of the promising High Voltage Transformer Exporters and Suppliers in Mundka, we also take care of the after-sale support required by most of the customers. You can call us or drop an email to place your order. Our customer spokespersons would be glad to assist you to choose the right product as per the need of your industry.

Contact Now


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    The WOKE Olympics - Special Report!

    "A special report on the woke Olympics! Amongst other news “women’s” weightlifting results are in. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics viewership has never been lower, yet virtue signaling has never been higher. Find out everything you need to know about the Olympics in the special report! "
  2. Laron

    Trump's Desk

    Just admiring people's creativity.
  3. Pucksterguy

    Silly Memes

    I thought about creating a thread for silly jokes. They can be memes, gags whatever you want it to be...


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Ramón Amezcua is one of the most important electronic musicians in Mexico and Latin America, known to many as Bostich from the Nortec Collective, a member of Fussible along with Pepe Mogt and recognized as one of the originators of the Nortec Collective movement that has traveled the world . Ramón arrives with Toner, a song from his Point Loma project, a journey full of electronic and analog synthesis that makes us vibrate at unexpected frequencies. Next to him, Jairo Guerrero / B-Liv, who intervenes the piece to give us a Side B that makes Toner sound in a high contrast black and white with many Techno fissures.

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Food - Picture of Pane & Vino, Miami Beach

Photo: Food

From Review : Amazing! of Pane & Vino
Sara E wrote a review May 2017
6 contributions
No words to explain how delicious is the food and the quality service! 100% recommended! I went with my boyfriend and my mom and I felt is the best place to spend time with your family.
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Date of visit: May 2017
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12 Awe-Inspiring Hotel Infinity Pools

12 Awe-Inspiring Hotel Infinity Pools

Last Updated on June 22, 2020 by Iris Sinilong

Imagine rich, deep blue water as far as the eye can see. Imagine yourself relaxing in this tranquil, surreal setting as you gaze blissfully into infinity. This could be your next dream vacation!

Infinity pools are brilliantly designed with a concealed wall just below the water line and a basin to catch excess water. From the right angle, these pools give the illusion of having no definitive edge, so it’s as if the water is suspended in mid-air.

Join us as we wade through 12 of the most spectacularly awe-inspiring hotel infinity pools from around the world.

12. Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay (Singapore)

Measuring 490 feet, this is the longest elevated pool ever built. The vanishing edge provides a spectacular view of the city. Incidentally, the Marina Bay Sands is said to be the most expensive single resort ever constructed, with a value upwards of $8 billion!The first infinity pool on our list is truly magnificent. The Marina Bay Sands hotel’s gigantic, cruise ship-shaped SkyPark features a swimming pool that towers 55 stories above the Singapore skyline, well over 600 feet above the sidewalk below! If you have a fear of heights, this one might not be for you 😉

Guests can expect to pay about $300 per night – not a bad price to swim up in the clouds!

11. Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali (Indonesia)

Ubud Hanging Gardens is a luxury resort in the sleepy heart of Bali, Indonesia’s volcanic island paradise. With ancient Balinese temples nearby and spectacular mountain surroundings, it’s the perfect place to commune with nature. And there’s no better place to embrace your spirituality than in the resort’s amazing double-level infinity pool overlooking the tropical rainforest.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more luxurious, each of the hotel’s traditionally styled rooms is also equipped with smaller infinity pools. Booking in advance, a night in one of the resort’s villas costs roughly $300 – $500.

10. Golden Triangle Resort, Anantara (Thailand)

Nestled on a hilltop in the jungles of northern Thailand – in the heart of Southeast Asia – the Golden Triangle is a throwback to classic Asian traditions.

The resort’s infinity pool resembles a natural river—its banks covered in vegetation brilliantly emphasizing the effect.

One of the more expensive on our list, a couple of nights at the Golden Triangle could run you about $915.

9. Jade Mountain (St Lucia)

With terrific beachfront views, Jade Mountain’s individually designed, glass-tiled infinity pools offer the ultimate in relaxation – if you can afford the minimum charge of $950 per night.

The pools range in size from 400 to 900 square feet, and incorporate a shallow lounging area and a deeper swimming section. Situated above the Anse Chastanet resort, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Jade Mountain has been billed as the island’s most romantic hotel.

8. Dionysos Hotel, Kumlubuk (Turkey)

Perched atop a canyon, surrounded by mountains, dense forest and wild gardens, the Dionysos Hotel offers both seclusion and the world at your fingertips. Gazing down the canyon and out to sea from the hotel’s luxurious swimming pool truly creates an infinite illusion.

The hotel has been designed to replicate a village, with 43 mountainside suites. Each room includes a private terrace offering a remarkable view of the Mediterranean Sea. Beaches are just a few minutes away if you prefer the hands-on experience.

The Dionysos Hotel offers basic rooms, cottages and ultra-swish private pool villas. Prices range from $297 – $645.

7. Hotel Caruso, Salerno (Italy)

Located in Salerno, Italy, Hotel Caruso – a former 11th-century palace – overlooks the hills of the Amalfi Coast, as does the infinity pool, which appears to seamlessly blend into the sky and the sea. An autumn stay in this continental paradise will cost guests $500 per night for a double room.

6. Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, Swaimeh (Jordan)

The luxurious five-star Kempinski Hotel Ishtar in Swaimeh, Jordan, boasts two infinity pools: the Lazy Pool and the Sunken Pool. The stunning amphitheatre-style design and luxurious ambiance of these pools must surely make Kempinski a candidate for the best place in Jordan for some rest and relaxation.

With bed-and-breakfast rates starting at $195 per night, Kempinski is clearly one of the more affordable hotels on this list.

5. La Résidence Phou Vao, Luang Prabang (Laos)

Situated above UNESCO World Heritage site Luang Prabang, La Résidence is one of Laos’s premier mountain resorts.

The hotel offers scenic cycling and walking tours, but for those who prefer a slower pace, the resort’s elegant infinity pool allows guests to soak up the natural beauty without lifting a finger. Soft green lighting under the water delicately mingles with the lush canopy beyond.

A room for two at La Résidence starts around $360 per night.

4. Hotel Villa Mahal, Kalkan (Turkey)

This Turkish luxury resort was voted the most romantic hotel in Europe by ratings agency Condé Nast Johansens. With such stunning views over the seemingly endless Mediterranean from its triangular shaped infinity pool, it’s easy to see why.

Among the smaller hotels on our list, the Villa Mahal features only 13 hotel rooms—making it a natural escape for honeymooners in search of some privacy. Prices start at $3,250 per couple for 14 days.

3. Munduk Moding Plantation, Bali (Indonesia)

Located on a working coffee farm, the Munduk Moding Plantation resort offers a combination of natural beauty, freedom to roam, and a gigantic 60-foot infinity pool overlooking scenic hills, mountains and the Java Sea.

Rumour has it on a clear day you can see as far as 30 miles!

At $279 per night, excluding seasonal charges, this resort offers very good value to its guests.

2. Hotel Costa dei Fiori, Sardinia (Italy)

Located on the island of Sardinia, this hotel has one of the most spectacular infinity pools ever created. Just look at that view! From the right angle, guests can sit on the terrace and feel as though they are right next to the Mediterranean.

High-season prices at the Hotel Costa dei Fiori start at about $350 per night.

1. Post Ranch Inn, California (USA)

High upon the cliffs of Big Sur, California, the Post Ranch Inn was originally a homestead owned by some of the first settlers. While still the property of their descendants, the ranch has now evolved into a getaway spot for tourists. It combines the best features of the modern world with the advantages of a traditional mountain getaway: solitude and freedom combined with luxury and comfort.

The Inn has two infinity pools, the Jade Pool and the Meditation Pool (featured above). Prices start at about $675 per night for this luxurious setting.

Now we want to hear from you! Tell us about some of the most amazingly awe-inspiring infinity pools you’ve ever seen.

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Logo Tropentag

Tropentag, September 19 - 21, 2016 in Vienna, Austria

"Solidarity in a competing world - fair use of resources"

Ethical Certification and Sustainable Transformation of the Cocoa Value Chain: Insights from Ghana

Franziska Ollendorf

Justus Liebig University Giessen, Dept. of Political Science, Germany

This contribution explores the local and the governmental dynamics evoked by 3rd party ethical certification schemes in the global cocoa value chain through the lenses of a civic governance concept. It provides a comprehensive insight in the implementation processes and the outcomes of one project of UTZ certification in Ghana. The results shall inform the normative discussion on fair global food systems.

Increasing consumer awareness of serious grievances in the global cocoa value chain – like child labour, severe poverty and deforestation – led to a rising demand for fair and sustainable chocolate products. Additionally, the cocoa industry fears a future decline in cocoa production due to aging cocoa farmers and trees, and therefore is more concerned about the sustainability and the long term supply of cocoa. Hence, recently ethical certification schemes are introduced by the cocoa industry. However, being understood as a promising innovation for improved sustainability of the cocoa production and farmers' livelihoods, the actual local outcomes still have to be assessed. Furthermore, in order to evaluate whether these interventions lead to more fairness in the global cocoa industry, we also need to consider the implications for the governance of the cocoa value chain and to reflect on the political scope of industry-led certification programmes.

In Ghana, the world's second largest cocoa producer, four certification programmes are conducted: Organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ. Building on empirical data collected during fieldwork in Ghana in 2015, the study analyses one case of UTZ certification. The paper discusses effects at the institutional and at the local level. At the institutional level, a hybridisation of the sector governance caused by the implementation of certification projects can be observed. At the local level, we find immediate positive effects, particularly on the quality and quantity of cocoa beans. However, other findings reveal problematic developments, for instance, the creation of inequalities among the farmers, missing participation of the target groups in decision-making or an increasing lack of public capacity to regulate the sector. These tendencies should be addressed and analysed carefully before considering certification as the new panacea for a sustainable transformation of the cocoa sector.

Keywords: Certification, cocoa, Ghana, global value chains, governance, rural development

Contact Address: Franziska Ollendorf, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Dept. of Political Science, Karl Gloeckner Str. 21E, 35394 Giessen, Germany, e-mail: franziska.ollendorf@ggs.uni-giessen.de

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Logo Tropentag

Tropentag, September 19 - 21, 2016 in Vienna, Austria

"Solidarity in a competing world - fair use of resources"

Silvicultural Treatments of Exotic and Native Tree Monocultures and Influence on Biodiversity Facilitation in Southern Ecuador. Preliminary Results

Darío Veintimilla1,2, Baltazar Calvas2, Reinhard Mosandl3, Bernd Stimm3, Patrick Hildebrandt2, Sven Günter4

1Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Dept. de Ciencias Naturales, Area de Ecología, Ecuador
2Technical University of Munich, Dept. of Ecology and Ecosystems Management, Germany
3Technical University of Munich, Inst. of Silviculture, Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan, Germany
4Thünen Institute, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics, Germany

Forest plantations with exotic species in southern Ecuador have been characterised mostly by having negative externalities in both ecological and economic aspects. After 10 years of research in mountain forests in southern Ecuador on aspects of restoration and reforestation few native tree species with good growth response in comparison to exotic species have been identified. The knowledge transfer project "New Forests for Ecuador" aims at testing the potential shelter effect of exotic Pinus patula plantations and natural stands of Alnus acuminata for natural regeneration and enrichment planting of native tree species in order to provide a tool for conversion of monocultures into mixed forests. 51 sample plots of 24×24 m of core area where established in eight different sites of Pinus and Alnus stands within the Province of Loja. The initial parameters (soil, mesofauna, mycorrhizae, light intensity and microclimate) were measured before applying silvicultural treatments. Silvicultural thinning treatments with three different intensities (reference, strong and slight intervention) were applied for Pinus stands, and two for Alnus stands (reference, strong intervention). Inside of each sample plot, nine native tree species were randomly planted and its growth was measured during one year. Preliminary results show a positive response to the canopy opening in Pinus and Alnus stands of four native tree species in terms of survival and growth. It is expected that the final results provide scientific basis for developing suitable tool for conversion of forest monocultures into mixed forests with higher ecological and economic values in mountain ecosystems of southern Ecuador.

Keywords: Alnus acuminata, mixed forest, natural regeneration, Pinus patula, reforestation, shelter effect

Contact Address: Darío Veintimilla, Technical University of Munich, Department of Ecology and Ecosystems Management, Munich, Germany, e-mail: darioalfredov@yahoo.com

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