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What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

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Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#51

Post by gogusrl »

interactivecode wrote: post #28
marcyb5st wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More than that (which is an amazing feature, don't get me wrong) is the fact that there is a single app for every public transportation system in the country. Compare that to Italy/France/Spain (those that I know) where, depending where you are traveling to, you have to download, sign in, and give your credit card details to N different apps in different states of disrepair/being barely maintained. Virtual credit car…

In The Netherlands you just tap your card when you get in and when you get out. the fare is computed based on how many stops you went. No app needed. Supports all the virtual cards too like apple pay etc...

dumb question but what happens if you forget to tap out ?

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#52

Post by rkomorn »

tpm wrote: post #39
tietjens wrote: post #27

Instant free bank transfers by IBAN. In comparison with how tightly-guarded personal email addresses are protected (GDPR, etc.), it's shocking how common it is to freely give out your IBAN.

Why is that shocking? You can't really do anything with my bank account's IBAN unless you want to send me some money.

It is shocking because ACH fraud in the US is shockingly easy to commit if you have the equivalent to someone's IBAN (ie routing + account number).

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#53

Post by bombcar »

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #49
bombcar wrote: post #22

If I can go the other way - one thing the USA has that Europe, at least, doesn’t - the ADA. US businesses are basically all wheelchair accessible - easily, too. Most sidewalks have curb cuts at street crossings. Ramps are commonplace. This is NOT the cause in Europe, and not only in the historic old buildings. Even using a stroller is noticeably different; I can’t imagine being in a wheelchair in some cities.

Basically every building in Ireland is wheelchair accessible in some form. Has been for well over twenty years at this point. It had a number of unexpected consequences, like making it much harder/illegal to rent flats over shops in much of the city centres.

The apartment (flats) issue is one that has some exceptions, in the USA, as I've seen single family homes and small duplexes, along with larger complexes that have inaccessible units - I think over a certain size, at least some percentage have to be accessible (just as a bathroom has to have at least one accessible stall, but is not required to have more).

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#54

Post by tpm »

rkomorn wrote: post #52
tpm wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that shocking? You can't really do anything with my bank account's IBAN unless you want to send me some money.

It is shocking because ACH fraud in the US is shockingly easy to commit if you have the equivalent to someone's IBAN (ie routing + account number).

Never mind individuals, but how are businesses sending money to each other then? Would it not be much cheaper to use a system like SEPA/IBAN too?

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#55

Post by rkomorn »

tpm wrote: post #54
rkomorn wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is shocking because ACH fraud in the US is shockingly easy to commit if you have the equivalent to someone's IBAN (ie routing + account number).

Never mind individuals, but how are businesses sending money to each other then? Would it not be much cheaper to use a system like SEPA/IBAN too?

I don't actually know how B2B works, first hand.

As a consumer, though, the way things work in Europe (at least where I live) just make more sense to me than what I experienced in the US.

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#56

Post by melesian »

bombcar wrote: post #22

If I can go the other way - one thing the USA has that Europe, at least, doesn’t - the ADA. US businesses are basically all wheelchair accessible - easily, too. Most sidewalks have curb cuts at street crossings. Ramps are commonplace. This is NOT the cause in Europe, and not only in the historic old buildings. Even using a stroller is noticeably different; I can’t imagine being in a wheelchair in some cities.

Blinkered nonsense.

Yes, of course Europe doesn't have any US laws but to suggest that it doesn't have legislation about accessibility is simply wrong. Guess what... the legislation generally applies to buildings and construction post-dating the legislation. Applicability to earlier structures will vary depending on feasability and justification (cost, traffic).

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#57

Post by Nextgrid »

tpm wrote: post #36
octo888 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What an Orwellian nightmare. These systems require real-time GPS data. Just as buying a ticket with cash is becoming increasingly hard in parts of Europe, I can see a near future where having a phone sending constant GPS updates becomes a requirement (a requirement in an strict sense, or the sense that the alternative is unreasonably cumbersome or more expensive)

Sending GPS updates from the subway?

At least on iOS, it doesn't access the GPS directly. It asks the OS for updates to the device's location with a certain degree of precision. It's up to the OS to blend various sensor data (GPS, cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth beacons - the latter is used underground to get a good position fix without a line of sight to the sky) and send that to the app. If it was using GPS continuously it would drain your battery very quickly. So if the device can get a good idea of its location via Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, it will not even bother turning on the GPS.

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#58

Post by Nextgrid »

rkomorn wrote: post #31
tietjens wrote: post #27

Instant free bank transfers by IBAN. In comparison with how tightly-guarded personal email addresses are protected (GDPR, etc.), it's shocking how common it is to freely give out your IBAN.

It helps that, to be able to use an IBAN for withdrawals, you basically have to "sign" a recurring transfer agreement. Otherwise it's pretty much always a "push" transaction from buyer to seller. Better than being able to commit ACH fraud merely by virtue of having the bank's routing and account number. Side note: shout out to both MB Way and Multibanco payments in Portugal that have made it so I haven't have to give…

But there is no cryptography or any kind of identity verification involved in "signing" such an agreement. If I know your IBAN I can subscribe to such an agreement on your behalf.

I'm not sure about Europe, but at least in the UK, what makes such a system secure is that the account holder can reverse any "pull" transaction for over a month, with the merchant being on the hook. So it reduces the incentive to exploit it (or at least shifts the risk off the account holder), to a level where it's pretty much never done.

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#59

Post by Nextgrid »

rkomorn wrote: post #52
tpm wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that shocking? You can't really do anything with my bank account's IBAN unless you want to send me some money.

It is shocking because ACH fraud in the US is shockingly easy to commit if you have the equivalent to someone's IBAN (ie routing + account number).

Can ACH not be reversed? My understanding is that the European systems are just as vulnerable, but what makes them "secure" is that they can be reversed no-questions-asked, making such an attack pointless unless you know the account holder isn't going to notice it for months.

Re: What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them?

#60

Post by quickthrowman »

bombcar wrote: post #53
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically every building in Ireland is wheelchair accessible in some form. Has been for well over twenty years at this point. It had a number of unexpected consequences, like making it much harder/illegal to rent flats over shops in much of the city centres.

The apartment (flats) issue is one that has some exceptions, in the USA, as I've seen single family homes and small duplexes, along with larger complexes that have inaccessible units - I think over a certain size, at least some percentage have to be accessible (just as a bathroom has to have at least one accessible stall, but is not required to have more).

Residences and rental units are not required to be ADA compliant. A multi-tenant residential building must be ADA compliant in the common and public areas of the building.

For residential rental units, landlords must make ‘reasonable accommodations, unless they would impose undue financial or administrative burden,’ which means if you get paralyzed while renting an apartment that isn’t ADA compliant you’re probably fucked unless you can afford to add a ramp yourself, and pay to have it removed when you leave. Adding a wheelchair ramp would be an undue financial burden, so a landlord isn’t required to add one. Replacing the door to a unit with a 36” wide door would likely not be considered an undue financial burden, so if you live in a building with ADA compliant public spaces and elevators, you’re probably OK since the landlord will likely install a larger door.

Government owned housing is required to be ADA compliant.

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