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Paying Tolls with a New Car
Posted by thetollroadsblog
In case you missed it, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced a new Temporary License Plate Program starting January 1, 2019. The new law (AB 516) states:
"This law requires licensed California dealers, of new and used vehicles, to attach temporary paper license plates on a vehicle at the point of sale if that vehicle does not display license plates previously issued by the DMV. The temporary license plates contain a unique number and expiration date. No vehicle can be driven off the dealership lot without the temporary license plate affixed to it unless it already has issued plates.."
If you recently purchased a new car and would like to drive on The Toll Roads, here are some helpful travel tips:
I bought my car prior to January 1, 2019 and I have paper plates from the car dealership. How can I pay tolls?
In order to drive The Toll Roads, a vehicle without a license plate must have a FasTrak transponder properly mounted to the windshield. It is illegal to drive The Toll Roads in a vehicle that does not have license plates or a FasTrak transponder. CHP patrol our roads to enforce this law.
I bought a car after January 1, 2019 and have a temporary license plate. How can I pay tolls?
Good news! Driving The Toll Roads with new temporary plates is easy. If you have a FasTrak or ExpressAccount account, simply add the temporary plate to your account and drive. If you have a FasTrak transponder, placing it on the windshield will not guarantee that tolls will be charged to your account; adding the temporary plate to your account will avoid the chance of fees or penalties.
If you don't have an account, you can pay tolls within five days before or after driving The Toll Roads by using the Pay Toll option found at TheTollRoads.com and on our free app for Apple and Android devices.
Does the temporary license plate number have to match the permanent license plate number?
No. Temporary license plates will contain a unique alpha/numeric configuration. When you receive your permanent plates in the mail it is important to add them to your existing FasTrak or ExpressAccount and remove your temporary plate to avoid the chance of fees or penalties.
To see all new laws affecting California drivers click here.
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, AB516, CA DMV, Mobility, new car, Orange County, Southern California, temporary license plate prorgam, The Toll Roads
Twenty years later, the 241 Toll Road continues to provide congestion relief for thousands of drivers
The year is 1998 – Bill Clinton is President, Titanic dominates the box office, gas is $1.06 a gallon, Google was just founded, and the first Harry Potter book is released. But, more importantly, a 24-mile segment of the 241 Toll Road, connecting the 91 Freeway to Irvine, opens. This segment provided drivers an alternative route to the congested 55 Freeway when traveling between Orange and Riverside Counties.
At the time, the project was one of the largest design/build contracts in U.S. history and was Orange County's largest transportation project in a decade. Twenty years later, more than 60 million tolls are collected on the 241 Toll Road each year and it continues to provide congestion relief for hundreds of thousands of drivers every day.
We dug deep in our archives for some great construction photos and here are 20 fun facts to celebrate the 241 Toll Road's 20th birthday.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) – a joint powers authority including the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency and San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency – was formed in 1986 to address Southern California's booming population, worsening traffic conditions and diminishing government funds.
Due to a lack of state funding, private toll revenue bonds and development impact fee revenue was used to finance and construct Orange County's Toll Roads. The majority of the tolls collected pay back the debt issued to fund construction.
The Toll Roads were constructed with wildlife in mind. Natural travel patterns of deer and other wildlife were tracked and monitored to determine the paths they most frequently used. The Toll Roads then built wildlife undercrossings at the locations where the animals travel the most, allowing them to move safely and quickly from point A to point B. One of the busiest wildlife undercrossing in Southern California is under the 241 Toll Road.
TCA was one of the first agencies in the state to use the design-build method for construction of public roads. The approach combined design and construction simultaneously to reduce the construction duration and cost.
The first 3.2-mile segment of the 241 Toll Road opened in October 1993 near Foothill Ranch and spanned from Portola North to Portola South. Click here to view when other segments of The Toll Roads opened.
The legislation that gave TCA permission to collect tolls mandated that tolls be collected electronically, which gave birth to FasTrak®. FasTrak is a system that uses a transponder to exchange information with a roadside computer, automatically deducting tolls from the user's prepaid account as the vehicle passes through the toll points without slowing.
Beyond Orange County, you can also use your FasTrak transponder for instant access to all of California's toll roads, lanes and bridges – even the Golden Gate Bridge.
TCA was the first toll road operator in the nation to offer a free mobile app for toll account management in 2012. To date, the app has been downloaded more than 1.3 million times to help customers manage their account or pay a toll from their smart phone or tablet.
During construction of the 241 Toll Road construction site, a TCA contracted biologist rescued a baby golden eagle that was found lost and weak in a temporary construction reservoir. The eagle was nursed back to health and released back into the wild.
A secret hollow rock, known as Bennet Rock, is perched at the top of a slope just north of the 241 Toll Road bridge over Santiago Creek. The legend is that it was constructed in honor of Jerry Bennet, TCA's Chief Engineer at the time, who wanted to preserve the natural and unique outcropping along the right-of-way. The rock didn't survive the earthwork, but the contractors had it recreated just for Jerry.
The iconic red rock formations on the northbound side of the 241 Toll Road as you approach the 91 Freeway are nicknamed the "Badlands," as they are reminiscent of the famous South Dakota badlands.
Santiago Creek Bridge is a 90-foot high bridge and sits at about 735 feet above sea level. The Windy Ridge Toll Point is the highest elevation point along the 241 Toll Road at 1,286 feet.
Irvine Lake, located near Santiago Canyon and the 241 Toll Road, is a reservoir that was built between 1929 and 1931 and provides drinking water to Villa Park and parts of Orange.
The 241 Toll Road has three tunnels constructed through the cut and cover process. There are three tunnels on The Toll Roads. The one seen here is located at the northbound 133/241 interchange.
There are four cell phone towers along the 241 Toll Road. Each tower reaches a height of 105 feet and they were intentionally designed to blend in with the natural landscape.
There are five mainline toll points on Orange County's Toll Roads. Tomato Springs Toll Point, closest to Lake Forest, was named after the location of a 1912 posse shootout that took place nearby.
The 51-miles of Toll Roads – State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261 – represent 20 percent of Orange County's highway system and make up the largest network of toll roads in California.
Tolls are collected three ways on Orange County's Toll Roads – FasTrak, ExpressAccounts® and one-time online payments.
On average, 1,000 new FasTrak accounts and ExpressAccounts are opened every day. As of Oct. 31, 2018, the number of open accounts totaled more than 1.37 million.
The Toll Roads and saving time go hand-in-hand. A weekday rush hour trip from the El Toro "Y" to the Orange/Riverside County Line saves drivers 15 minutes via the 133 and 241 Toll Roads compared to using the 5 and 55 freeways.
With more than 320,000 daily trips on Orange County's Toll Roads, that's 320,000 less trips on the already congested 5, 55, and 405 freeways; thereby improving mobility for everyone – even those who don't use it! The 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads continue to be the easiest and most predictable way to get to and through Orange County. Happy birthday – and thank you for providing drivers a choice for over 20 years.
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, ExpressAccounts, FasTrak, Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, Mobility, Orange County, Southern California, The Toll Roads, Transportation Corridor Agencies
Your Smooth Ride to Summer Fun
For many of us, Memorial Day marked the unofficial start of summer; however, the official start is June 21…just a couple days away!
On the bright side, things always look sunny on The Toll Roads of Orange County. The 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads make getting around Orange County easy for locals and out-of-town visitors. Here's a look at four summer destinations easily accessible via The Toll Roads:
Get artsy with Laguna Beach's arts and culture
The 73 and 133 Toll Roads offer easy access to Laguna Beach, Orange County's classic beach town. Visitors can enjoy the creativity and artistry of annual art shows such as the upcoming Sawdust Art Festival and Laguna Art-A-Fair beginning June 29. And, each evening from July 7 – Sept. 1, the Festival of Arts Pageant of the Masters faithfully recreates classic and contemporary works of art into living pictures that feature real people. BONUS: FasTrak® and ExpressAccount® members who are opted in to the Rewards program and who drive at least once in June will be rewarded with 25 percent off Pageant of the Masters tickets and 2-for-1 admission to the Festival of Arts. Click here, to opt-in.
Pack a picnic and head to Irvine Regional Park
Take the 241 or 261 Toll Roads for easy access to the 491-acre Irvine Regional Park, where families have picnicked beneath the groves of oak and sycamore trees for more than 100 years. The OC Zoo is within the park boundaries and there are pony rides and the Irvine Regional Park Railroad, too. For more summer fun, check out the park's free summer concerts (July 19 and July 26) and outdoor movies (July 27 and Aug. 3).
"Free Your Inner Farmer" at the Orange County Fair
From south Orange County, the 73 Toll Road to the 55 Freeway is the best way to get to the OC Fair. Visit the fairgrounds from July 13 to Aug. 12 for delicious food, carnival rides, concerts, farm animals, arts and crafts, monster trucks and more. BONUS: FasTrak and ExpressAccount members can receive $2 off admission to the OC Fair by opting in to receive promotions from The Toll Roads Rewards program. Click here to learn more.
Rock out at Irvine concerts
Take the 241 and/or 133 Toll Roads to the Orange County Great Park for a concert at the new Five Point Amphitheatre. More than just home to the Big Orange Balloon, the outdoor venue debuts with its first full season of summer shows under the stars, featuring top bands and artists from a variety of genres; plus food and drink options.
If your summer plans take you further north, be sure to pack your FasTrak transponder. FasTrak is used to pay tolls on all of California's tolled roads, lanes and bridges. You can use it on the 10 and 110 Express Lanes to access L.A. Live, California Science Center or Dodger Stadium.
And be sure to never miss one of Shohei Ohtani's pitches. Drive the 241 Toll Road to bypass traffic on the 5 and 55 Freeways to catch a game at Angel Stadium. Go Halos!
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, Angel Stadium, California Science Center, Dodger Stadium, Festival of Arts, Five Point Amphitheatre, Irvine, Irvine Regional Park, Irvine Regional Park Railroad, L.A. Live, Laguna Art-A-Fair, Laguna Beach, OC Fair, OC Zoo, Orange County, Orange County California, Orange County Great Park, outdoor movies, Pageant of the Masters, Sawdust Art Festival, Shohei Ohtani, summer concerts, summer fun, The Toll Roads, Toll Roads Rewards, Transportation Corridor Agencies
The Toll Roads Rewards Program
Did you know if you drive The Toll Roads at least once during the month, you can receive special promotions from a local retail partner as a token of our appreciation?
Monthly deals range from restaurants to theme parks, and whale watching excursions to lift ticket discounts at local mountain resorts. This month's rewards? The Festival of Arts Pageant of the Masters!
The Toll Roads Rewards members who have opted in to the program and drive at least once in June will be rewarded with 25 percent off Pageant of the Masters tickets and 2-for-1 admission to the Festival of Arts.
It's simple – just be sure you're opted-in to receive promotional news and information from The Toll Roads. It's quick and easy too, here's how:
Visit TheTollRoads.com
Scroll to the bottom of your account dashboard, to view "Communication Preferences"
Here, you can do one of two things:
Check the "Yes" button to receive:
The Toll Roads Rewards, Promotions, News and other information about The Toll Roads
Road Alerts to stay in the know of major road closures, improvements and projects that may impact your drive on The Toll Roads
Bi-monthly Environmental Newsletter
OR view the left side of your dashboard and simply check the white box that reads "Opt in to Receive Rewards"
Once you've opted in to receive these communications, drive The Toll Roads at least once a month and a special offer will be emailed to you. Every month you drive, you'll get a new offer. BONUS: If you're opted in by the end of June, you'll also receive $2 off admission to the OC Fair.
See you on The Toll Roads!
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, Environmental Inisght, Festival of Arts, OC Fair, opt-in, Orange County, Pageant of the Masters, Rewards Program, Road alerts, Southern California, The Toll Roads, Transportation Corridor Agencies
Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area is a Special Place
If you've driven the 241 Toll Road at or near Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita, you've seen Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area (UCCCA); you probably even smiled to admire such a rare sight – open space in Orange County.
UCCCA is the Transportation Corridor Agencies' (TCA) largest mitigation site. At 1,158 acres, seven Disneyland's could fit within its boundaries.
Here, you're surrounded by rolling hills of coastal sage scrub, patches of Prickly Pear Cactus, tiny coastal California Gnatcatchers, and families of deer.
TCA's Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area was originally planned for residential development and a golf course; however, in 1996, TCA, in partnership with environmental organizations and the resource agencies, placed the nearly 1,200 acres of land into permanent open space. Conservation of UCCCA plays a critical role in supporting and providing habitat for the federally listed California gnatcatcher and coastal cactus wren. The site also provides valuable connectivity for wildlife movement between O'Neill Regional Park and Chiquita Ridge to the south.
In 2016 we prayed for rain, but despite the drought, the Gnatcatchers endured. And 2017's bountiful rain brought out rarely seen reptiles; all at the pristine Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area.
The next time you drive The Toll Roads (State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261), enjoy the view (and the perks of congestion-free travel!). Most of the slopes and hills adjacent to The Toll Roads were planted with native habitat to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Thriving native plants have been weaned off supplemental water and fertilizer for decades.
UCCCA is just one of TCA's 17 open spaces that have been conserved over the past 25 years. Check back soon to see what happens when we provide exclusive access to UCCCA to nearly 40 Plein Air artists to celebrate Earth Day. We can't wait to see what vibrant and colorful news this spring will bring!
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, cactus wren, coastal sage scrub, Deer, Earth Day, Environmental, Environmental Initiatives, Environmental Mitigation, Environmental Restoration, gnatcatcher, open space, Orange County, Plein Air, reptiles, The Toll Roads, Transportation Corridor Agencies, Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area
Restoration & Revitalization: 25 Years in the Making
We go together like peas and carrots; green eggs and ham, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. But toll roads and preserving the environment? Yes, it's true. (Cue the screeching brakes of car coming to a halt.)
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) does more than operate Orange County's 51-miles of toll roads. TCA protects the natural resources of more than 2,100 acres of habitat and open space in 17 locations. 2,100 acres – that's about two-and-a-half times as big as New York City's Central Park!
In the 1970s, when Earth Day was getting underway, studies showed the need for new roads to serve Orange County's growing population. By 1981, the future routes for what would become The Toll Roads, were roughly sketched onto county road plans. By 1990, TCA was working with the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Coastal Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Federal Highway Administration to secure environmental approvals and permits outlining the mitigation and restoration needed to move forward with construction.
Along The Toll Roads, nature's bright show has been more than 25 years in the making. The slopes and nearby hillsides were first seeded with a mix of native plants back when The Toll Roads first opened. Custom seed mixes designed for each slope's sun and moisture conditions sprouted into the mix of wildflowers, sages and shrubs seen today. The sustenance of the area's California gnatcatcher population over decades is one way we know the planning and planting were successful. Today, the small birds nest in sagebrush and eat insects attracted to the wildflowers and other plants. The colorful spring views for drivers along The Toll Roads are just a beautiful bonus.
Check out our Environmental Initiatives to learn how TCA has replanted native vegetation, restored habitats for threatened species, conducted scientific studies, removed invasive and non-native plants and improved waterways and creeks.
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, Earth Day, Ecosystems, Environmental Initiatives, Environmental Mitigation, Environmental Restoration, gnatcatcher, Natural Communities Coalition, Orange County, TCA, The Toll Roads, Transportation Corridor Agencies
What is Earth Day?
In 1970, a gallon of gas cost 36 cents and 18-year-olds could vote. In 1970, folks rocked out to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who with a lava lamp in their room. And, specifically on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was born.
According to the nonprofit organization Earth Day Network, the first Earth Day celebrations took place at 2,000 colleges and universities across the U.S. and 20 million Americans participated. Inspired by an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, the intent of Earth Day is to promote change in human behavior and provoke policy changes to protect the Earth our future generations will inherit.
Nearly half a century later, more than one billion people celebrate Earth Day throughout the world. Various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
How do The Toll Roads celebrate Earth Day? For more than a quarter century, the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) has been a leading agency in environmental stewardship, restoration and preservation. TCA has replanted native vegetation and restored habitats for threatened species at 17 sites throughout Orange County; resulting in more than 2,100 acres of habitat set aside for native animals to continue thrive as Orange County grows.
(Photo: flickr)
And this year, we're celebrating Earth Day by providing exclusive access to the Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area to nearly 40 Plein Air artists from SOCALPAPA. In French, "plein air" means "open air" or "outside" and the picturesque Upper Chiquita Canyon is a painter's delight. We're thrilled to open a pristine outdoor setting that is rarely open to the public, located near the south end of the 241 Toll Road in Rancho Santa Margarita.
(Photo: SOCALPAPA)
Fun Fact – Earth Day Network has announced their ambitious plan to plant 7.8 billion trees by Earth Day's 50th Anniversary in 2020. They report "trees are essential tools in the fight for a cleaner, sustainable environment and in one year, a single acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide produced by driving the average consumer car 26,000 miles."
Read on to learn more fun Earth Day facts and stay tuned to see how we prepare for this unique special event.
Tags: 241 Toll Road, Earth Day, Environmental, Environmental Mitigation, Environmental Restoration, Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, Orange County, Plein Air, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, SOCALPAPA, Southern California, The Toll Roads, Transportation Corridor Agencies, Upper Chiquita Canyon Conservation Area
ICYMI: TCA in the News
In case you missed it, here is some recent news reports about The Toll Roads:
What to say when you hear nobody drives The Toll Roads? Fake news! The Orange County Register highlights The Toll Roads' record breaking year with ridership increasing nearly 20 percent during the last three years. Traffic may be bad on OC's freeways, but more than 300,000 daily drivers are finding relief on the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.
Wondering where the tolls you pay go? Paying off construction debt. Because of the strong ridership and revenue growth, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, the government agency overseeing operations of Orange County's 51-miles of Toll Roads, are on solid financial ground.
So much so, that the Orange County Business Journal is calling it a Toll Road Turnaround. OCBJ lists the top 10 largest issuers of municipal debt in Orange County – the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, responsible for the 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads, and the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, responsible for the 73 Toll Road – ranked the top two. The key takeaway? "The result is that The Toll Roads handily meet debt their debt obligations. Plus, the TCA has more than $1 billion in reserves in case of shortfalls," reports OCBJ.
TCA's Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report highlights record-setting days on The Toll Roads when ridership reached numbers never-before-seen in TCA's 25-year history. For example, what typically falls in the middle of June? Celebrating Dads and Grads!
Last year, Saturday, June 17, was a record high Saturday with 243,615 transactions and Monday, June 19, was a record high Monday with 306,382 transactions. Combined, that's more than 12 times the amount of daily Disneyland visitors!
Check out more fun facts about ridership by viewing our In The Driver's Seat information series.
"More people are using Orange County's Toll Roads every day. The value our roads as an alternative to Orange County's congested freeways is underscored by how many trips were taken and accounts opened in Fiscal Year 2017," said Mike Kraman, TCA's CEO. "The growth in revenue is a sign of a healthy economy and allows us to maintain a strong financial position and continue to invest in The Toll Roads."
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, Annual Report, Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, Orange County, Orange County Business Journal, Orange County California, Orange County Register, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, Southern California, Southern California Mobility, The Toll Roads
Time: The Perfect Valentine From Start to Finish
If only there were more hours in the day – to spend time with family, read a book, cook a meal, binge watch TV or, better yet, catch some ZZZzzs. It's too bad, we're spending more time behind the wheel instead of doing what we want.
According to the Global Traffic Scorecard, an annual study by transportation analytics company Inrix, in 2017, Southern California commuters experienced the most gridlock in the world. The. World.
Thankfully, there is the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads as an option to avoid Orange County's congested freeways. Not just for commuters, The Toll Roads are also great for day trips and weekend getaways.
Heading to Newport Beach? Jump on the 73 Toll Road and bypass all the traffic on the 405 Freeway while you enjoy scenic views. Traveling from Corona to the Irvine Spectrum? Take the 241 and 133 Toll Roads and get there in half the time.
What's not to love about getting to your destination quicker and with an ETA you can safely predict? For this Valentine's Day, you don't have to skip the flowers or chocolate; drive The Toll Roads and arrive on time to meet your Valentine.
Tags: 133 Toll Road, 241 Toll Road, 261 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, California, Corona, Driving in Orange County, Enjoy The Drive, ExpressAccount, ExpressAccounts, FasTrak, Irvine Spectrum, Newport Beach, One-Time-Toll, Orange County, Orange County California, Orange County Mobility, Southern California, Southern California Mobility, The Toll Roads, Toll road, toll roads, tolling, Transportation Corridor Agencies
Paying Tolls Online Now as Easy as Typing Your License Plate Number
An upgrade to The Toll Roads' online toll payment option allows drivers who don't have an existing account to pay online with just a vehicle license plate number. This means drivers no longer need to input where they entered and exited The Toll Roads in order to calculate their toll.
The new system feature is particularly helpful to visitors and those driving The Toll Roads for the first time — and those who only make 2-3 trips a year and choose not to have an account. . Instead of remembering the details of their trip, drivers can use the option to and let the system present the tolls due.
"All you have to do is enter your license plate number and dates of travel online and we'll calculate the tolls for you," said Lisa Telles, Chief Communications Officer for the Transportation Corridor Agencies. "We wanted to make it easier than ever for people traveling through Orange County to drive the largest toll road network in California."
Cameras capture the license plates of vehicles traveling on The Toll Roads. When a driver inputs a license plate number, the online payment system scans the database to identify any unpaid tolls for the date range specified. Once payment is processed, drivers receive a detailed statement with their trip details listed. Drivers who choose to can still use the original method by selecting "I'll Calculate My Tolls" and enter specific trip details to pay their tolls.
Drivers have five days to pay tolls online, through The Toll Roads mobile app or by phone after driving the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. Users access the online payment system from TheTollRoads.com by choosing "Pay Toll Now."
Paying tolls for a rental car is even easier. The Toll Roads of Orange County partner with most major rental car companies to allow tolls to be paid through car rental agreements. This minimizes the need to remember paying the toll and removes the potential of a rental car customer receiving a violation from the Toll Roads. Check with individual rental car companies to find out how they bill for tolls and if any additional fees apply.
No matter the reason for a visit to Orange County, driving The Toll Roads is a great way to get there faster and stress-free. Thanks to upgrades to the online payment option, it's easier than ever for anyone driving The Toll Roads to pay tolls and enjoy driving on 51-miles of congestion-free and stress-free roads.
Tags: 241 Toll Road, 73 Toll Road, AET, all electronic tolling, California, ExpressAccount, ExpressAccounts, FasTrak, One-Time-Toll, Orange County, Orange County California, Orange County Mobility, Southern California, Southern California Mobility, The Toll Roads, Toll road, toll roads, tolling, Transportation Corridor Agencies
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Call Center: (949) 727-4800
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Nightman Listens To – Steely Dan – The Royal Scam (Top 1000 Albums Series)!
April 10, 2021 March 30, 2021 carlosnightman2 Comments
Greetings, Glancers! I'm back once more to embark on a voyage of discovery and listen to a classic album which I have never heard before. I have a story about this one – well, not about the album, or even the band, but just bare with me. Back in the early 2000s I was recording a variety of demos on cassette with a primitive four track recorder – most of these involved getting very drunk, eating muffins of an illicit nature, and recording myself (and a friend) playing instruments we didn't know how to play. Inspired nonsense in other words. We would give each 'track' a name, and give each recording session/cassette a name. One of these was called The Steely Dan Sessions. I'm fairly certain neither of us had ever listened to Steely Dan so I have no idea where this name came from, but based on what little I know of the band I believe the name to be apt. That's about it really. Um, thanks?
What Do I Know About Steely Dan: They play experimental/prog rock? Eclectic? I don't know.
What Do I Know About The Royal Scam: Absolutely nothing.
Kid Charlemagne: Funky Stevie Wonder start. Nice shifts in tone. Love the shifts between minor and major. Clean and crisp production. Loose and free. Good melding of sounds and instruments. Good solo. I realise I haven't been paying attention to the lyrics, but they're taking about someone, not sure if it's a fictional figure or based on a real person. Ends with another solo, fading out. Good stuff, I like it.
The Caves Of Altamira: That funky sound and production continues. I didn't mention the vocals before, they're not standing out to me but that's not always a bad thing – here they slot in with everything else for a very suitable and coherent whole. Good use of the backing vocals too. It always takes something special for heavy use of brass to not tick me off, and these songs haven't annoyed me yet. This even has a brass solo. It's fine but I prefer the opening song.
Don't Take Me Alive: A distorted guitar intro hints at a different sound, but then the song begins in earnest and follows the vibe of what has come before. Nothing wrong with that, and it starts out with a badass solo. The vocals feel a little low in the mix, like they're behind the instruments? This was a stylistic choice as a lot of 70s music did something similar. Without paying specific attention, the lyrics sound more interesting than what you hear today – though that isn't saying a lot. I suspect I'd have to delve further and read them word by word then listen again, sounds like someone on the run or making a last stand.
Sign In Stranger: A slower jazz piece, heavy on the keys, still playing with that funk. Seems to be about a guy who can hide your mistakes or flaws or give you a new life/clean slate? It's exquisite piano/keyboard playing, just about held in place by the repetitive guitars. There's a big brass breakout towards the end where the guitar gets to cut loose and shred for a minute but this fades out too. Not a huge fan of every song fading out without a clean cut finish.
The Fez: More funk, this one feels more like a disco track than anything else so far. There's a blues vibe too, somehow. This is probably the most repetitive and simple track so far, not a lot to it and repeated lyrics too. It's fine, probably my least favourite so far.
Green Earrings: I think I know what we're getting now. Yes it's more funk so that seems to be their style, at least on this album. The vocals here remind me somewhat of Floyd's Animals. I can easily see me grooving along to this in the future – music which makes you want to dance or move which uses actual instruments is always preferable to me over digitized stuff, especially when it's actually intelligent and/or inventive. Some great guitar work here again.
Haitian Divorce: They're going for something closer to a Reggae sound. I'm not usually a fan of that sound when it's diluted or adopted by other genres, but this is okay. It's more laid-back and smooth than most of the other songs, good use of the wah and other effects. Some vocal parts remind of Bowie – very pronounced words and a similar delivery. I'm not sure this long needs the extra couple of minutes over most of the other songs – seems a little stretched when the same effect could have been delivered under five minutes, and it has an especially long fade-out.
Everything You Did: This is one of those songs which reminds me of cheesy sitcoms. Something about the combination of tone, instruments, and speed. It doesn't start out like that, but the verse and by extension the chorus definitely conjure up images of smiling American faces turning around to the camera in freeze frame, green lawns, and wood panel cars. The song is just okay for me, one of the weaker ones on the album.
The Royal Scam: So we close with the title track. Starts out with lots of tinkling and twinkling. To continue the unique to me feelings, this intro makes me think of 70s US movies, cars driving down city streets at night. Once again, no idea why, except to say that's the first thing I thought of when the song started. I'm still no in love with the vocals, too close to Bowie for my liking. The lyrics actually seem to be talking about streets so my feelings can't have been too far off. It rises and falls, stops and starts, there is guitar, brass, and organ throughout. I'm not a huge fan of this one either but still another couple of minutes to go. More of the same really.
Does It Deserve Its Place In The Top 1000 Albums Of All Time: It has a very rich and full sound, no doubt aided by both stellar production and skilled musicianship. I was expecting it to be prog and while there are progressive elements, I would in no way class this as being part of the prog genre – it's important to remember than many 70s bands had that sort of expansive, adventurous vibe and were willing to experiment with sound and timing without actually becoming prog. If I can say anything negative it's that it stays fairly rigid within its own constraints – no song is particularly faster, slower, heavier, softer, than any other. By and large the songs are all of a similar length and most of them end with a fade out, which I'm generally not big on. This contributed to the second half of the album not being as strong or interesting for me. On first listen it's difficult to gauge quality or feelings, but there's definitely enough here that I'd want to listen to it again and see what else the band has. I can't speak to the band's influence and I've no idea how popular they were or still are or how many sales this had, but it sounds like something which should be on the top 1000 albums.
Colin Larkin's Ranking: 868/1000
What are your thoughts on The Royal Scam? Is this one of your favourites, or do you recommend a different Steely Dan offering over it? Let us know in the comments!
Music ReviewsColin Larkin, Music, Nightman Listens, Reviews, Steely Dan, The Royal Scam, Top 1000 Albums
Classic Rock Band Tier – Ranking Classic Rock Bands
Greetings, Glancers. It seems like this tier malarkey is all the rage these days, and every blogger, vlogger, and their embittered uncle is thrusting their own flaccid list into the unexpected orifices of subscribers. Not one to be out-thrust, this post will be my own grading of a list of bands. Before I get to that, I should point out that I only found out about this nonsense via my watching of Become The Night – a Youtube channel run by a musician and metal fan called Mike. If you're into reaction videos, metal, prog, insightful and entertaining rants on the current state of popular music, then it's one of the more eloquent and knowledgeable channels out there, while remaining fun to watch.
Mike seems to have used a site called tiermaker which allows you to create your own lists and categories, and drag and drop items into each, before sharing on Facebook or wherever. That link above takes you to the same list Mike uses in his video. In my post I'm going to go through the same artists, but give my ranking on each. It's partly a response to Mike's video, partly because I'm curious to see where I would rank each act, and partly because I couldn't think of anything more interesting to write about today. I should talk a little at the outset about where Mike and I differ. Obviously, obviously, each person is different, with our own tastes, preferences, baggage and all of that will greatly determine how we rank anything, no matter how objective we try to be. If we're being 100% objective, there would be no point in doing the list because one ranking would be the official ranking. Mike is big into production when it comes to music – listen to any of his song reaction videos, any of his videos really, and he'll harp on about production quite a lot – the mix, the tone, the tools – he knows a hell of a lot more about it than I ever will and that's mainly because I simply don't weigh production as highly as he does in terms of making a song. I'm being slightly tongue in cheek, and admittedly naive because obviously Production is one of the most important aspects of recording music. It's just that for me, it lies a hell of a long way behind talent, melody, emotion, and lyrics.
Lyrics and emotion are two points where I differ from Mike, and maybe from a lot of other fans. Where Production for me roughly falls into three large categories – crap, okay, and good, Mike has a highly trained ear for the slightest flaw (perceived or otherwise) in a recording and mix – I don't. My ear is much more attuned to emotion – I can easily tell if something is false or disingenuous, much more so than your typical listener and (without getting too wanky) I have a finely tuned degree of empathy when hearing and feeling any song. In Mike's own (near enough) words, he doesn't give a shit about lyrics and considers music and the playing of instruments as the most important element in creating a song.
He's wrong of course, and is not accurately defining the difference between music and song, at least as both have existed since the start of the 20th Century. Sure a song doesn't have to have lyrics to be considered a song, but most do, while a song usually needs (but not always) music before being called a song. Ignoring lyrics is essentially ignoring half of a song. It's one of the prime examples of how music and listeners and artists have been dumbed down over time, to the point that most people ignore lyrics unless they're deliberately provocative or ridiculously inane. Otherwise intelligent people have been taught to ignore words in songs, because words in songs have lost all meaning. If music is to become intelligent again and move away from its current mass-market, junk food approach, then lyrics need to be part of that equation. As always, I'm writing this off the cuff and chucking generalizations around – I'm aware that lyrics have been silly for most 20th and 21st Century popular music, but even The Beatles grew from childish declarations of love to often near God tier poetry. In Epic Poetry, lyrics told the stories with a cast of hundreds, sung to music which has been lost over time while the words remains. Popular music began showcasing more intelligent lyrics in the mid-sixties, but since it there have been more troughs than peaks in the art form, with the best lyrics tending to come from either cult acts or those with a small following. Various sub-genres of rap obviously focus heavily on words, perhaps moreso than the music. From a Business perspective, lyrics don't sell, music does. It's a little frustrating then when he berates modern acts (correctly) for being vain, reductive, and repetitive in terms of music and lyrics, but then completely dismisses the lyrics of some of the best songwriters in history. It's partly because his favourite acts are shitty lyricists anyway (Dream Theater anyone?) It's fine though, he mainly defines songs in terms of music while I define songs in terms of the whole package which comprises a song – a piece of music usually designed to be sung.
Enough bullshit for now, lets look at how his tier looked at the end – if you're curious it's probably best to watch his video first (plus you'll probably find it more entertaining than this).
That's not the easiest to see, so here's a more clear list:
S: Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd. Steely Dan. Queen. The Beatles
A: Cream. Creedence Clearwater Revival. David Bowie. Elton John. The Rolling Stones
B: ACDC. Aerosmith. Billy Joel. Deep Purple. Jimi Hendrix. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Rush
C: The Who. Fleetwood Mac. Black Sabbath
D: The Eagles. Grateful Dead. Bob Dylan
F: The Doors
Naturally, posting a list like this to a large audience on the internet is going to lead to all manner of angry frothing and gesturing. How dare someone else have an opinion, especially one that is so different from mine! Mike has a much larger audience than I do, so I imagine he's got a lot of hate over some of these choices. Because people are precious of the things they love, and because people are dicks. I disagree with some of his choices, as I will show in my own ranking, but I understand that he is who he is and I'm not here to change his mind. Or anyone else's. As always, leave a comment here and share your own ranking and reasoning. But there's no sense in arguing because this is almost entirely subjective and based on our own shit. If we try to be objective, then we have to fall back on tangible metrics such as sales, chart history, longevity, influence, followed up by less tangible stuff like musicianship, lyrics, originality. I'm not sure who even came up with this list of artists, or how they define each tier – I think there are too many tiers and I would replace a few of these acts with ones I deem much more suitable, but I'll cover these ones anyway.
So lets follow Mike's ranking from the bottom. The Doors – it was pretty obvious from the outset that Mike would stick The Doors here. He's not a lyrics guy, and perhaps more than any other act on this list The Doors relied more on lyrics and atmosphere than music. Being a lyrics and atmosphere guy, I rank The Doors much higher. The band were also massively influential (maybe more in terms of redefining what a front man can be) in terms of lyricism and songwriting, they're undoubtedly one of the most iconic acts of all time, and of course they sold and charted a bunch and are still spoken of highly today. I love a lot of The Doors songs and for a while they were one of my favourite bands. I fully admit that a lot of their catalogue is a little iffy – I credit that to the use of keyboards more than anything else. I agree that Morrison doesn't have the greatest voice from any technical standpoint, but it continues to moisten panties in every generation which is more than I can say for most vocalists. As much as I like The Doors, there's really only a handful of songs which I can say I both love and which had an impact on a wider scale. For example, Love Streets is probably my favourite song by The Doors, but it's not one you ever hear people talking about it. Ray Manzarek was a beast on the keys, it's just that the sound now feels dated and cheesy. Densmore – a decent enough drummer, nothing special. Krieger had some great riffs and solos and as a band they all experimented and stretched the boundaries of popular music – something Mike claims to pine for.
Next up, The Eagles. In what is going to be a recurring theme for this post, I'll have to take a step back and state that I'm not American. In my part of the world and in the time that I grew up in, no-one gave a shit about The Eagles. They made Hotel California and… that's it? I know they were a massively successful band but I think most of that success was internal to the USA. For whatever reason they never crossed the shores to me. They're a band whose back catalogue I have wanted to get into, and I'll probably get to them in the future on this blog, but for now they are looking like an F. The same will go for The Grateful Dead, except they don't even have Hotel California. Bob Dylan, I've never been a huge fan of and in most cases the songs he's written that I have liked, have been performed by other artists whose versions I much prefer. Again, he's someone I know I need to listen to and will. Known for his lyrics, I'm hoping those will have something I can enjoy and distract me from his voice. Either way, I probably wouldn't include Dylan on this list at all.
The Who haven't been given enough credit by Mike, presumably because he hasn't heard enough by them (admitting again that many of the bands I will rank low will be because I haven't heard a lot of their stuff). The Who are arguably the most energetic rock band of all time – Mike mentions that ACDC are ranked higher for him because he appreciates their energy even if he doesn't like many of their songs. The Who knock ACDC out of the park in terms of energy. Keith Moon is unquestionably one of the great drummers, Roger Daltry's voice can strip paint and lull a heart-attack victim to sleep, while Pete Townsend is at the forefront of progressive music. Of course Townsend would class his stuff as Rock Operas rather than concept or progressive albums, but they fall under the same wider umbrella of telling a larger story with linking themes and songs. The band is rarely mentioned as pioneers, but I think they influenced both metal and punk as well as rock overall. Admittedly they don't have as many hits as some bands here, but their sales and longevity speak for themselves. Great lyrics too.
Fleetwood Mac is a band I should love but I haven't bothered going from album to album yet. I do love quite a lot of their songs so I can only assume there will be others I'd like, and they crossed more successfully than other bands that bridge between rock and pop. Black Sabbath, as Mike points out, are probably the first metal band. At least in terms of what we think of as Metal today. We all know Ozzy isn't the most appealing of vocalists nowadays, but back then he could belt it out and that's what it was all about – being loud, being aggressive, and being in your face. Tony Iommi is probably second only to Jimmy Page in creating memorable guitar riffs. While the band quickly ran out of steam, their first few albums remain essential parts of metal. They're far from my favourite band, but I appreciate what they did, the ground they broke, the fans they awakened. I take them more as a greatest hits band – a few songs from each album would make one single great album, leaving the majority of stuff I pass over.
The B and A tiers are where I will change most stuff around. Starting with ACDC. I've never been a fan – I think they're the prime example of pop music under the guise of rock. I feel the same way towards ACDC as I do towards hair metal – sure ACDC is more authentic, but it's marginal. ACDC is just a better Status Quo. They're the Nickleback of the 70s and 80s. I just can't take them seriously, with their lyrics like a bad Carry On movie or a thirteen year old boy's idea of sex. Sure they have some memorable riffs and the odd decent song, and they've sold more albums than is humanly possible… doesn't mean they're any good. I've never liked any of their singers either – ever skinned a fox? While it's still alive? Neither have I, but that's what I think Brian and Bon sound like. Only their sales keep them from being lower.
Aerosmith I used to like when I was a kid. They had a couple of decent albums in the late 70s, then again in the early 90s. I can't say too many of their songs have really stayed with me over time – while I like them, they've fallen away while songs from other bands have kept afloat. Mostly a fringe band for me, I don't have anything bad to say, but I don't have any massive positives either, beyond liking (not loving) a lot of their songs. Billy Joel is an artist who, until a few years ago, I had no idea had sold so many records. This must come down to not being American again. As an outsider I knew Uptown Girl, and that one about not starting fires, and that was about it. Yet he is somehow one of the biggest selling artists of all time? How did I not know this? Is it like Garth Brooks syndrome and it's only idiots buying multiple copies of his stuff? Actually, let me check Wikipedia to see if I know any of his other stuff – there must be songs I know that I wasn't aware were by him. Nope. There are songs there which I have probably heard, but don't recognise from name only. He's another I'll have to delve into on the blog. For the purposes of this post though, he'll be going low.
Deep Purple was always a dad rock band to me, even when I was a kid. There was another kid on my street when I was growing up, and his dad loved Deep Purple. They were always playing when I was in his house. Incidentally, it was in that house that I first watched (most of) John Carpenter's The Thing. Another example of a movie being put on and then us sneaking in unattended. Anyway, it took me a while to actually listen to Deep Purple for my own purposes, and in truth I still haven't heard most of their stuff. I know their biggest songs, but little beyond that. Jimi Hendrix on the other hand I know fairly well. There's no doubting Hendrix's skill as a guitarist and there are quite a few songs I like. The problem is there are very few songs of his I truly love. He broke ground as a front man – ground which remains to this day largely, and sadly untouched in rock and metal. As a vocalist though he was quite limited, but I think it's his style of singing which gets on my nerve more than his actual voice – a languid funk which never changes from song to song. Hendrix's songs also come almost entirely from within the psychedelic period and are therefore of their time much more than many other artists here. If he'd been alive longer I have no doubt he would have branched into other territory and made stuff I liked more.
Lynyrd Skynrd. Another quintessential US band and therefore another band I don't really give a shit about. Mike's a Southern guy so I can understand him liking this lot. For me, there's Free Bird and nothing else. Rush is a band people have been telling me to listen to for so long that I've given up caring. Maybe I'll listen one day. The few songs I've heard have had elements I've liked. But they've also had Geddy Lee. I have little doubt I would like Rush if I took them time to listen to their stuff properly – I just haven't done that, or been given the impetus to do so. Into A and Cream – nope. They didn't last nearly long enough or sell nearly enough or chart highly enough to be in this tier. Sure, they were influential, but mainly in setting up acts a few months later who were much more influential and much better. Creedence Clearwater Revival – I used to think they were a made up band, like Spinal Tap. Then I found out they were real. I still didn't care. Another band for Southern US guys trapped in time – a poor man's, no, a destitute man's Led Zep. Honestly, I only know a handful of their songs – their covers I don't care for, Proud Mary annoys the nips off me, but I quite like Bad Moon Rising.
Man, I should have made a video for this instead of typing. But that would take more effort. Bowie next – if you follow my blog you'll have seen me going through the Bowie albums – I'm up to number 86 or something by now. I think it's clear by now that Bowie is someone I appreciate and respect more than I actually like. He does have some songs I love, I have found some songs I've liked. I'm not a fan of his vocals or delivery, and too much of his stuff is in the glam genre which I like as much as I like Country music (not at all). But credit to changing the game, to always trying something new stylistically, and for pushing boundaries. Elton John I probably wouldn't include on the list at all – he hasn't been rock since the early 70s, and even then it was touch and go. I can't think of a single Elton John song I love, and there are very few I like. I haven't listened to a single album by him so there could be a treasure trove of stuff out there, but I'm very aware of all of his singles.
The Rolling Stones are wildly hit and miss for me. I can't remember if I've posted it yet or not, but I am starting to go through their albums again. I've listened to all of their albums up until the mid 70s before, but they didn't make an impact on me. 10 years later I'm doing it again to see if my opinion has changed. Just that short bluesy stuff doesn't do a lot for me personally, and they had so many covers and almost covers in their early days that it's a slog to get through. Jagger is a great front man without being a great singer, and the rest of the band are just okay. But they've sold so much and they're still headlining, and some people genuinely prefer them to The Beatles. Led Zep – you know my feelings – I think they're the greatest classic rock band of all time. Pink Floyd – immense in all the tangible categories, great lyrics and emotion too. I like patches of their early and later stuff, but it's that run from Dark Side to The Wall which cements them – four flawless albums. Steely Dan – I haven't posted it yet, but I have already listened to and written about one of their albums (A Royal Scam I believe) and as far as I know that's the only stuff by them I've heard. I need to know more to adequately comment, but based on that single album they're not top tier. Queen are as big as they've ever been and their songs have already proven to stand the test of time. The Beatles I probably wouldn't have included here, but they were the turning point so it's fine. Either way you cut it, they're top tier anything. Lets take a look at my ranking:
A little different then. And because it's not very clear, and because I don't like the categories, I'm going to rejig it a little below:
A: Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd. The Beatles
B: Queen. The Who. The Rolling Stones. David Bowie. The Doors.
C: ACDC. Aerosmith. Deep Purple. Jimi Hendrix. Fleetwood Mac. Black Sabbath
D: Cream. Elton John. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Rush. Billy Joel.
E: The Eagles. Grateful Dead. Bob Dylan. Steely Dan. Creedence Clearwater Revival.
That looks better. Or worse. Who knows. If it was me, and because I am me it most likely is, I would have replaced Elton with Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles with Alice Cooper, Steely Dan with Thin Lizzy or Motorhead, Billy Joel with Santana, The Grateful Dead with The Kinks.
Right, I'm done with this. Think differently? Chuck in a comment. Want me to do more reaction type posts to Youtubers or lists or other nonsense? Tell me to. Want me to listen to any songs by any of the artists I've ranked low above? Let me know and I will. Adios for now!
The Spac HoleACDC, Aerosmith, Become The Knight, Billy Joel, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Classic Rock, Classic Rock Tier, Controversy, Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynrd, Music, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, Steely Dan, The Beatles, The Doors, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, YouTube

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Think that food poisoning is only a risk with chicken that's too pink or deviled eggs left on the picnic table too long? It turns out that salmonella, a type of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, also can taint packaged snacks and cereals. Find out what you need to know about food poisoning.
Think that food poisoning is only a risk with chicken that's too pink or deviled eggs left on the picnic table too long? It turns out that salmonella, a type of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, also can taint packaged snacks and cereals.
That's what prompted a recall of kid-favorite Pepperidge Farm Goldfish® crackers, Ritz Crackers and Kellogg's Honey Smacks® cereal. The key lesson: Just because food is processed and boxed or bagged for a long shelf life, that doesn't make it bacteria-free.
The ingredient being blamed for the current scare is whey powder, an additive used in flavoring. A frozen dinner, Swiss rolls and one brand of bread also have been recalled because they contain the whey powder. And there may be more recalls to come, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Salmonella, bacteria commonly in the intestines and feces of people and animals, causes about 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths in the U.S. per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most illnesses are due to eating contaminated food.
Beef, chicken, pork and turkey — including frozen entrees, pot pies and chicken nuggets.
If this list weren't extensive enough, any food can contain illness-inducing bacteria if it's touched by another contaminated food or unclean surface, utensil or hand.
How likely could you get sick by eating these foods? That's uncertain, says Dr. Taege.
Symptoms can show up 12 hours to three days after eating the tainted food.
If you have symptoms or are around someone who does, keep your hands clean — especially before putting them near your mouth. Salmonella will be in the stool of the infected person and can spread due to improper hygiene.
Also, avoid food that is recalled and thought to be contaminated. Even if you have already eaten some of it, destroy whatever is left.
"Foods involved in recalls usually don't appear suspicious or concerning," says Dr. Taege.
Do not eat leftovers that have an abnormal appearance or odor. And always be wary of improperly cooked foods.
"The best way to avoid salmonella poisoning is to use proper food hygiene and properly cook and store food," says Dr. Taege.


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Argyri Panezi
Postdoctoral Fellow, Digital Civil Society Lab, Stanford PACS
Argyri Panezi is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab. Argyri's work explores the effects that disruptive technologies have on citizens, on institutions, and the law. In the Digital Civil Society Lab, she is examining digital civil society interactions with libraries and other cultural heritage institutions, and the relevant legal frameworks incentivizing distributed methods for building a content infrastructure accessible online. She specializes in Internet law and policy, intellectual property law, with an emphasis on digital copyright, as well as data protection, intellectual goods management, and law and economics. Ultimately her work aspires to illuminate the effects that algorithmic speed and AI might have on domains such as labor and consider policy responses to scenarios of technology dystopia.
Argyri has a long-standing interest in law and technology. She received her LL.B. from the University of Athens, her LL.M. from Harvard Law School and her Ph.D. from the European University Institute in Florence. Prior to her doctoral studies she practiced competition law in a private law firm in Brussels. In 2014 she was a visiting scholar at Berkeley School of Law where she explored sustainable models for creating academic digital libraries. In 2016-17 she was a Global Fellow at the New York University School of Law, affiliated with the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy. During the course of her doctoral and post-doctoral studies, she has advised libraries on contracts and e-licenses and has also taught courses in IP law and digital humanities.
Her current work is on digitization and AI. Argyri has previously written on digitization, on copyright issues related to digital libraries, and on the European legal framework applicable to cultural heritage institutions. Her thesis examined the legal challenges for the creation of digital libraries and explored normative directions for copyright rules and exceptions currently applicable to libraries. She enjoys topics related to art, sciences and the law, the transformation of institutions traditionally holding infrastructural roles within society and their adaptations to remain relevant to the generations of digital natives.
Digital Civil Society Conference
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Digital Civil Society Lab
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Project on Democracy and the Internet
Open Source Projects as Critical Digital Infrastructure


40 Is The New 30!! Look How AMAZING 41-Year-Old MEL B'S Body Looks . . . Her Body Is Better Than Rihanna's Or Beyonce's!!
TV host and singer Melanie Brown and her husband Stephen Belafonte were out on a yacht in Ibiza, Spain, on June 30. Her friends enjoyed laying out and getting sun. Stephen threw food at the two girls, who were in the water.
Mel is currently co-judging on the 11th season of America's Got Talent. And that's the only place we're gonna see her for a while. MTO has learned that Mel and her fellow Spice Girls have been forced to postpone their 20th anniversary reunion tour.


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You are at:Home»Biotech News»Industry lobbying on WHO overshadowing public health policy, researchers suggest
Industry lobbying on WHO overshadowing public health policy, researchers suggest
By Biotech Express on May 18, 2022 Biotech News
A new article looks at how producers of such products as commercial milk formulas, processed foods, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals and electronic gaming software have been ramping up efforts to influence United States policy toward the WHO.
Has the World Health Organization become collateral damage in the wars over global commerce? Producers of such products as commercial milk formulas, processed foods, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals and electronic gaming software have been ramping up efforts to influence United States policy toward the WHO. This, University of California, Davis, researchers suggest in a new paper, compromises a global health governance system that should be free of commercial influence.
The article, published today in the May 2022 issue of Global Health Governance, is the first comprehensive study of lobbying expenditures directed at the U.S. government related to policy towards the WHO, the lead United Nations authority on health. Data uncovered through Freedom of Information Act requests — and through analysis of other public documents and disclosures dating back to 2006 — reveal cross-industry coordination aimed at shaping WHO operational policy and public health guidelines, as well as the funding of the WHO itself, Russ said.
"It's not about any one administration or party," Russ said. "This intensifying corporate lobbying over U.S. positions on global health is problematic because it elevates commercial interests in processes shaping global health objectives. Furthermore, these corporate entities have vast, concentrated pools of private wealth to draw on that public-interest groups lobbying for health policy cannot match."
The WHO recommendations that were targeted by lobbyists, according to researchers, include common health-promoting policy efforts such as:
constraining inappropriate marketing of infant and toddler formulas that can confuse parents making choices about breastfeeding and children's nutrition
encouraging consumers to limit sugar and alcohol in their diet
broadening access to essential medicines, including COVID-related programs
drawing attention to the addictive effects of video games
Although not directly linked to this coalition, the tobacco industry has undertaken simultaneous lobbying in recent years on efforts to criticize the WHO for limiting input by commercial actors in shaping global health policy, with one tobacco-linked group recommending a 25% cut to U.S. funding for the organization, according to researchers.
The researchers noted that the U.S. has stronger disclosure laws than other member states of the WHO, making a similar analysis of European Union countries impossible.
Bombay HC Issues Notice To Bill Gates, Serum Institute, DGCI, Others Over Plea On Alleged 'Vaccine Death'


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Home » Professional Networks » Division of Organometallic Chemistry
Being an active, trusted, and sustainable voice of EuChemS on any matters relating to the large and interdisciplinary field of fundamental and applied organometallic chemistry, providing and coordinating activities such as congresses, schools and workshops of interest for students, researchers and others interested in or actively employing organometallic chemistry
Division History
Following the founding of the Federation of European Chemical Societies in 1970, it was decided to establish a Working Party on Organometallic Chemistry at the General Assembly in 1972.
The Polish Chemical Society organized the inaugural meeting which was held in April 1974 in Nieborów in Poland. This first group represented 11 Societies from 10 countries (names of delegates in parentheses): Austria (K. Schlögl), Belgium (M. Gielen), Czechoslovakia (V. Chvalovský), Federal Republic of Germany (H. Lehmkuhl), France (J. Tirouflet and J. Deschamps), Ireland (D. A. Brown), Italy (G. Costa), Poland (S. Pasynkiewicz), Sweden (M. Nilsson), Switzerland (L. Venanzi). Two additional Societies were represented by observers: The Netherlands (J. G. Noltes) and United Kingdom (E. Abel, K. Wade).
Professor Stanislav Pasynkiewicz was elected as the Chaiman.
The 1st European Conference on Organometallic Chemistry was held in September 1976 in Jabłonna near Warsaw, Poland.
The Working Party has published six editions of the booklet "Organometallic Research Centres in Europe". The printing of the first four editions was financed by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker. The last edition was published in 1995.
Notes based on the recollections and records of Prof. Antoni Pietrzykowski (second secretary of the Working Party) and Prof. Jan Čermák (former president of the Division).
Former Chairs
Stanislav Pasynkiewicz
April 1974 – September 2001 (since 2001 Honorary Chairman)
Peter Kündig
September 2001 – September 2007
Helena Grennberg
Jan Čermák
September 2014 – November 2020
Martin Albrecht December 2020 – present


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Puzzle & Dragons' small but enthusiastic North American fan base
gungho
Via Gamebiz.jp, there's news that the North American version of Gungho Online Entertainment's hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons has surpassed 4 million downloads. This isn't an especially impressive figure, but as someone who has played the English version since it's release [1], I'm continually surprised by the amount of fan engagement that I see on the game's English Facebook page, in chat forums, and over on Reddit. Check it out and see for yourself. Puzzle & Dragons may only have a few million English-speaking fans. But they're pretty hard core. In its home market of Japan, P&D has over 26 million users. I confess, I'm such a fan of the game that I have English and Japanese versions of the game running on my mobile. ↩
Puzzle & Dragon booth at Tokyo Game Show 2013
Via Gamebiz.jp, there's news that the North American version of Gungho Online Entertainment's hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons has surpassed 4 million downloads.
This isn't an especially impressive figure, but as someone who has played the English version since it's release [1], I'm continually surprised by the amount of fan engagement that I see on the game's English Facebook page, in chat forums, and over on Reddit. Check it out and see for yourself. Puzzle & Dragons may only have a few million English-speaking fans. But they're pretty hard core.
In its home market of Japan, P&D has over 26 million users.
I confess, I'm such a fan of the game that I have English and Japanese versions of the game running on my mobile. ↩
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Hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons invades Japanese arcades
Japanese hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons has been released as an coin-operated arcade game, thanks to a collaboration between GungHo Online Entertainment and Square Enix. It's called Puzzle & Dragons Battle Tournament, and it lets players take on their peers in real time. One of the most appealing aspects of the mobile version of Puzzle & Dragons is the ability to build and collect a team over time. So I was skeptical of an arcade version of P&D. But as VS Media points out, players in Japan can use an IC card to save their data, and pick up where they left off later. There are a number of promo movies over on the game's official padbt.com site. But the video below from YouTube user Frank Moers gives perhaps the best overview of the actual gameplay. So I encourage you to give it a look. Gameplay costs 100 yen, or about a dollar. A list of locations where you can play can be found here.
Japanese hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons has been released as an coin-operated arcade game, thanks to a collaboration between GungHo Online Entertainment and Square Enix. It's called Puzzle & Dragons Battle Tournament, and it lets players take on their peers in real time.
One of the most appealing aspects of the mobile version of Puzzle & Dragons is the ability to build and collect a team over time. So I was skeptical of an arcade version of P&D. But as VS Media points out, players in Japan can use an IC card to save their data, and pick up where they left off later.
There are a number of promo movies over on the game's official padbt.com site. But the video below from YouTube user Frank Moers gives perhaps the best overview of the actual gameplay. So I encourage you to give it a look.
Gameplay costs 100 yen, or about a dollar. A list of locations where you can play can be found here.
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Puzzle & Dragons retains steady growth pace as it moves to markets abroad
Checking back in on our Puzzle & Dragons expansion watch, GungHo Online Entertainment's hit mobile game surpassed 26 million downloads as of March 23, maintaining it's steady pace of growth (see chart below). Of course as it's Japanese user base saturates, overseas markets will become more important. The company has recently reached the following milestones in overseas markets, according to Gamebiz.jp: March 7th – reached 3 million downloads in North America March 11 – reached 1 million downloads in Hong Kong and Taiwan March 15 – reached 2 million downloads in Korea The US and Europe will be key markets moving forward, so we'll keep an eye on GungHo's efforts there. China could be interesting too after the company tests the waters in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Checking back in on our Puzzle & Dragons expansion watch, GungHo Online Entertainment's hit mobile game surpassed 26 million downloads as of March 23, maintaining it's steady pace of growth (see chart below). Of course as it's Japanese user base saturates, overseas markets will become more important. The company has recently reached the following milestones in overseas markets, according to Gamebiz.jp:
March 7th – reached 3 million downloads in North America
March 11 – reached 1 million downloads in Hong Kong and Taiwan
March 15 – reached 2 million downloads in Korea
The US and Europe will be key markets moving forward, so we'll keep an eye on GungHo's efforts there. China could be interesting too after the company tests the waters in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
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Puzzle & Dragons still killing it, tops 13 million downloads
The Puzzle & Dragons X Evangelion collaboration that began in Japan back on February 24 has now extended to global versions of the hit mobile game, including the US. It will likely be a smart tie-up for GungHo Online Entertainment, since the intricate artwork that helped make Puzzle & Dragons such a big hit at home will certainly be appreciated by anime fans abroad. You can read more about the collaboration on the P&D Facebook page.
The Puzzle & Dragons X Evangelion collaboration that began in Japan back on February 24 has now extended to global versions of the hit mobile game, including the US.
It will likely be a smart tie-up for GungHo Online Entertainment, since the intricate artwork that helped make Puzzle & Dragons such a big hit at home will certainly be appreciated by anime fans abroad.
You can read more about the collaboration on the P&D Facebook page.
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Filmmaker Freddie Wong gets lost in Puzzle & Dragons
Freddie Wong
Filmmaker and famous YouTuber Freddie Wong has just released a fun short film over on his RocketJump channel called Cave Quest. The video puts him in the role of a cave explorer, who encounters one of the baddies from GungHo Online Entertainment's Puzzle and Dragons along the way. Interestingly it's shot at Bronson Caves, a location used for the old 1950s Adam West Batman series. This looks to be part of a GungHo promotional effort for Puzzle & Dragons, and given that Freddie has nearly seven million subscribers on that particular channel, it's a smart tie-up for GungHo with over 160,000 views in just a day [1]. Check out the clip below, or the accompanying behind-the-scenes video. Puzzle & Dragons recently surpassed 3 million downloads in the North American market, and GungHo no doubt wants to grow that number further through efforts such as this one. ) Freddie thanks GungHo "for making the video possible." ↩
Filmmaker and famous YouTuber Freddie Wong has just released a fun short film over on his RocketJump channel called Cave Quest. The video puts him in the role of a cave explorer, who encounters one of the baddies from GungHo Online Entertainment's Puzzle and Dragons along the way. Interestingly it's shot at Bronson Caves, a location used for the old 1950s Adam West Batman series.
This looks to be part of a GungHo promotional effort for Puzzle & Dragons, and given that Freddie has nearly seven million subscribers on that particular channel, it's a smart tie-up for GungHo with over 160,000 views in just a day [1]. Check out the clip below, or the accompanying behind-the-scenes video.
Puzzle & Dragons recently surpassed 3 million downloads in the North American market, and GungHo no doubt wants to grow that number further through efforts such as this one.
Freddie thanks GungHo "for making the video possible." ↩
GungHo Online Entertainment has announced that its hit game Puzzle & Dragons has surpassed 25 million downloads. This comes just shortly after the two year anniversary of its initial launch. The game needed 29 days to acquire its most recent million, which is pretty consistent with its performance over the last six months or so. [Via Gamebiz]
GungHo Online Entertainment has announced that its hit game Puzzle & Dragons has surpassed 25 million downloads. This comes just shortly after the two year anniversary of its initial launch. The game needed 29 days to acquire its most recent million, which is pretty consistent with its performance over the last six months or so.
[Via Gamebiz]
Why Japan's top money-making games don't forget you on Valentine's Day
It's a very snowy Valentine's Day here in Tokyo today, and I expect many of us will be spending the evening indoors with our significant others. If you find yourself alone this evening, however, don't despair – because your favorite mobile games probably have something special in store for you. It's not unusual for game and app developers to hold special Valentine's Day campaigns. In fact it's pretty common these days. But some of the most successful campaigns are the ones that prompt you to give some love back. And by love, I obviously mean money. Two of Japan's most successful video game publishers both have interesting Valentine's campaigns currently ongoing, and I'd like to take a quick look at them right now. Let's start with GungHo Online Entertainment, whose 'Hearts-a-flutter' event in Puzzle & Dragons (promo pictured above) began on February 12 and will go on until February 19th. GungHo will be rewarding players with a number of goodies, including: a free magic stone on February 12th–13th, 18th–19th a free Tamadra every day from February 14th–17th (used to awaken new skills in your collected monsters) [1] What's smart about this kind of campaign is that it sucks you deeper…
It's a very snowy Valentine's Day here in Tokyo today, and I expect many of us will be spending the evening indoors with our significant others. If you find yourself alone this evening, however, don't despair – because your favorite mobile games probably have something special in store for you.
It's not unusual for game and app developers to hold special Valentine's Day campaigns. In fact it's pretty common these days. But some of the most successful campaigns are the ones that prompt you to give some love back. And by love, I obviously mean money.
Two of Japan's most successful video game publishers both have interesting Valentine's campaigns currently ongoing, and I'd like to take a quick look at them right now. Let's start with GungHo Online Entertainment, whose 'Hearts-a-flutter' event in Puzzle & Dragons (promo pictured above) began on February 12 and will go on until February 19th. GungHo will be rewarding players with a number of goodies, including:
a free magic stone on February 12th–13th, 18th–19th
a free Tamadra every day from February 14th–17th (used to awaken new skills in your collected monsters) [1]
What's smart about this kind of campaign is that it sucks you deeper into the game. You have a chance to level up your existing monsters, and with the free stones you'll be closer a chance to try the Rare Egg machine (requires five stones), which you normally have to pay for. And maybe it's no coincidence that GungHo is giving out four magic stones, expecting that users might be willing to pay the extra 100 yen (or $1) for the fifth one, so they can try the Rare Egg machine [2].
GungHo regularly holds holiday campaigns like these for Puzzle & Dragons, most recently with a New Year's campaign that yielded great results in North America in particular.
Another Japanese company, Line Corporation, is holding a Valentine's Day promotion in many of its casual games. The company's 'Love is Priceless' event is featured in three games — Line Pop, Line Pokopang, and Line Bubble — running from February 13th until February 15.
For a span of 62 hours, players will have access to free in-game items which usually require payment to use. So much like GungHo's tactic, Line is hoping to bring you into the item-purchase process, giving you a taste of fun gameplay that they hope you will pay for later on after the event concludes. Both Line and GungHo have been active promoting these and other holiday events on their respective Facebook pages, realizing that its a necessary part of connecting with with global fans.
Like holiday sales in retail stores, such promotions are always a popular way to connect with customers, and they certainly appear to be working for both GungHo and Line. The two companies were among the top app publishers in sales in 2013, with GungHo ranking number one, and Line not too far behind at number six.
As in app purchases become more and more important to app revenue, game publishers in particular should take note of these holiday tactics and capitalize on such opportunities whenever they can.
So what's your favorite Valentine's Day game promotion this year? Do feel free to let us know!
Note that I'm playing the North American version of the game, and the promotion may differ in other regions. ↩
There are other ways to get magic stones in the game, but they do require some time. ↩
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How Puzzle & Dragons connects with Japan's commuters
People often look at GungHo Online Entertainment's hit game Puzzle & Dragons and wonder why it's such a strong mobile title. I've already written much about exactly why I like it personally, but there are some other reasons that I think have really contributed to its success here in Japan. I started thinking about this recently when I saw someone complaining about Dungeon Keeper on Twitter, and how it kicks you out of the game when you lose a connection [1]. Lots of games require persistent connections, and that's certainly fine provided your day doesn't take you through a maze of underground subway tunnels like many of us who live in urban centers such as Tokyo. But it really got me thinking about Puzzle & Dragons, and how and where I have been playing it over the past year or so. What's remarkable about the game is not just that it doesn't require a persistent connection, but that it only really requires a sporadic connection. During my own subway commute here in Tokyo, there are certain blind spots on my route where I usually can't get a network connection. And because I've traveled that route so often, I can usually…
People often look at GungHo Online Entertainment's hit game Puzzle & Dragons and wonder why it's such a strong mobile title. I've already written much about exactly why I like it personally, but there are some other reasons that I think have really contributed to its success here in Japan.
I started thinking about this recently when I saw someone complaining about Dungeon Keeper on Twitter, and how it kicks you out of the game when you lose a connection [1]. Lots of games require persistent connections, and that's certainly fine provided your day doesn't take you through a maze of underground subway tunnels like many of us who live in urban centers such as Tokyo.
But it really got me thinking about Puzzle & Dragons, and how and where I have been playing it over the past year or so. What's remarkable about the game is not just that it doesn't require a persistent connection, but that it only really requires a sporadic connection.
During my own subway commute here in Tokyo, there are certain blind spots on my route where I usually can't get a network connection. And because I've traveled that route so often, I can usually anticipate when I'll lose my connection and when I'll get it back [2]. P&D will always handle these drops like a champ. The actual dungeons (or rounds/levels) don't need a connection at connection at all. So if you suddenly go offline, you won't even realize it until you finish the level and the data tries to sync. So in reality, the game only really needs a connection during times when it phones home to sync data, such as:
The initial start screen
Entering or exiting a dungeon
Powering up or evolving a monster
If you happen to run into network issues during those times, you'll typically see a 'Connecting' message, followed by either a 'retry' option or an error message (see below).
So very often I'll find myself beginning a dungeon before going through a long underground stretch that has no signal, just so that I have something to do during that blacked out period. You've no doubt done something similar at some point, perhaps downloading all your podcasts or syncing an RSS reader before a flight.
The end result for P&D is a pretty frustration-free gaming experience, far removed from the likes of Dungeon Keeper mentioned above. And of course, a game that does not need a persistent connection is not unique to by any means, but I think the lesson to be learned here is that you want to make a game that's a mainstream hit in the Japan market (or for a similar urban population with developed public transport), you need to make sure it doesn't frustrate users when they suddenly lose a connection.
Thumbs up, but no more than necessary
I probably don't need to point out that in addition to handling sporadic connections really well, P&D is a really easy game to play with one hand – again, a great advantage for Japan's legions of train commuters who stand hanging one-armed from a strap during rush hours. You only really need your thumb to play, and since all the puzzle movement is in the lower half of the screen, you never find yourself reaching uncomfortably to the top half during gameplay (see lower left). No fingers necessary!
When Apple rolled out Control Center with iOS 7, it did lead to some unexpected problems for P&D players however (and probably many other games too). If you've played the game for any length of time, you'll notice that sometimes when you try to bring an orb up from the very bottom row, you will sometimes inadvertently launch Command Center. It's a huge annoyance (see lower right), and as much as I love the convenience of Command Center, I'm sure the folks at GungHo we're not too pleased when it came out.
But overall, Puzzle & Dragons is still a pretty amazing little mobile game, one that I regularly see people playing during their commute – provided that I don't have my head down playing it myself.
Command Center sometimes gets in the way :(
I have not confirmed whether the game actually does this or not, but given that it came from Richard Gaywood, a super smart dude from TUAW (where I once briefly blogged), I'm taking this as a certainty. ↩
Usually my network 'blind spot' is between Omotesando and Futakotamagawa. Coverage has improved much over the years, thankfully. I should also point out that this is also a great game if you're annoyed by the tunnels on the bullet train! ↩
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I experimented with a lot of mobile games in 2013. But the one that I kept coming back to again and again was GungHo Online Entertainment's hit title Puzzle & Dragons. The game is most popular is its home market of Japan, where it has seen 23 million downloads to date. But like many Japanese online services, the domestic market is near saturation for P&D, and GungHo has been making efforts push the game abroad. The North American version – the version that I play – doesn't look like it has had the same success, with only 2 million downloads as of November. But it's slowly making progress, especially in terms of revenue, and I'd like to take a look at how exactly it's doing that. Most recently P&D saw a holiday boost in revenue, largely thanks to two smart promotions: 48-hour Godfest – This New Year's promotion gave players a 3x chance of getting rare and powerful cards, including the game's coveted god-type cards, using the game's Rare Egg Machine (a sort of in-game lottery where you can earn rare monster cards). To use the machine, you either need to have accumulated five magic stones (P&D's in-game currency) or…
Puzzle & Dragons exhibit, Tokyo Game Show 2013
I experimented with a lot of mobile games in 2013. But the one that I kept coming back to again and again was GungHo Online Entertainment's hit title Puzzle & Dragons. The game is most popular is its home market of Japan, where it has seen 23 million downloads to date. But like many Japanese online services, the domestic market is near saturation for P&D, and GungHo has been making efforts push the game abroad. The North American version – the version that I play – doesn't look like it has had the same success, with only 2 million downloads as of November.
But it's slowly making progress, especially in terms of revenue, and I'd like to take a look at how exactly it's doing that.
Most recently P&D saw a holiday boost in revenue, largely thanks to two smart promotions:
48-hour Godfest – This New Year's promotion gave players a 3x chance of getting rare and powerful cards, including the game's coveted god-type cards, using the game's Rare Egg Machine (a sort of in-game lottery where you can earn rare monster cards). To use the machine, you either need to have accumulated five magic stones (P&D's in-game currency) or buy stones with actual money. As you can see in the App Annie chart below, the game's revenue shot up over New Year's, in both the US and Canada, thanks to this enticing promotion.
Rare Egg Machine was adjusted/renewed – This recent adjustment decreases the chances of a three-star card and increases your chance of a four-star card. This took place on December 10, and the effects of the adjustment are pretty clear as you can see below, for both the US and Canada (note that I've varied the scale for clarity).
Puzzle & Dragons, US market, grossing rank, Dec 29 – Jan 13
Puzzle & Dragons, Canada market, grossing rank, Dec 29 – Jan 13
On a bit of a sidenote, it always really surprises me to see how active English-speaking fans on the game's Facebook page, as well as on forums and discussion pages dedicated to the game. That's not a very tangible measurement of the game's success, of course, but for me it has always been a good indication that the game, which is very Japanese in both concept and design, has not been lost in translation.
In addition to activities like the ones we saw during the holidays, a number of cross-brand collaborations have helped P&D over the past year as well, most notably the Clash of Clans promotion that it held with Finnish gaming powerhouse Supercell.
But if we look at the game's progress over the past year in terms of revenue alone (see below), then it's easy to see what a productive year this has been for GungHo.
Let's see what 2014 holds for the company.
Puzzle & Dragons, US market, grossing rank over 2013
Hello Kitty dungeon featured in latest Puzzle & Dragons collaboration
We previously told you that Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment would be working with Rovio's iconic Angry Birds on a Puzzle & Dragons collaboration. The results of that collaboration just went live in the P&D app today, as a special in game event showcasing a special 'Piggy Island' dungeon. As you can see in our video above, the special level includes most of the same Angry Birds characters that many of us know so well. For me, the most interesting part of how this was presented was that the Angry Birds theme music is featured in the collaboration. It was a pleasant surprise [1]. Of course it's Rovio's hope that by featuring their feathered friends inside Japan's most popular mobile game, that they can get a little more exposure to the lucrative Japanese mobile games market. So far it looks to be working, and as I write this Angry Birds is ranked 69th overall in the Japanese iOS app store. It was ranked 432nd the same time yesterday (see picture below)[2]. Typically these collaborations result in a rather temporary spike in this way. But for Rovio, I expect they'll be quite happy to find another channel through which to…
We previously told you that Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment would be working with Rovio's iconic Angry Birds on a Puzzle & Dragons collaboration. The results of that collaboration just went live in the P&D app today, as a special in game event showcasing a special 'Piggy Island' dungeon.
As you can see in our video above, the special level includes most of the same Angry Birds characters that many of us know so well. For me, the most interesting part of how this was presented was that the Angry Birds theme music is featured in the collaboration. It was a pleasant surprise [1].
Of course it's Rovio's hope that by featuring their feathered friends inside Japan's most popular mobile game, that they can get a little more exposure to the lucrative Japanese mobile games market. So far it looks to be working, and as I write this Angry Birds is ranked 69th overall in the Japanese iOS app store. It was ranked 432nd the same time yesterday (see picture below)[2]. Typically these collaborations result in a rather temporary spike in this way. But for Rovio, I expect they'll be quite happy to find another channel through which to connect with fans in Japan.
The Finnish company appears to have found Japan relatively difficult to crack in comparison to other markets, with so many other strong character brands to go up against. Although when we spoke with Rovio representatives earlier in the year, they emphasized that they wanted to take things slow. Japan is a hard nut to crack, but this is a good step.
Source: App Annie
As with past P&D collaborations (see Batman: Arkham Origins), Clash of Clans), players can collect special themed monsters to power up and evolve. Some of these special monsters have been less than great in the past, but the Angry Birds characters I've collected so far (surprisingly) do not suck. ↩
For 9pm Japan time. ↩
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"Mit Ohne is a sound documentation of an audio/visual installation by Yves Netzhammer and Steinbrüchel. The installation entitled "The feeling of precise instability when holding things" was part of the group exhibition "Wohnträume/Wohnräume" exhibited 2003 at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich, Switzerland. The audio sections by Steinbrüchel where composed in sync with the visuals by Yves Netzhammer and succeed in translating and supporting the poetic vibrancy and slow morphing movements of the 3d rendered animation. For the exhibition an atmospheric fragile and detailed work was created involving a three-part projection and multichannel sound which conveys an abstract audio and visual approach to the environment surrounding us and the concept of a room itself." (label info) Limited to 500 copies.