RJIb8RBYxzAMX9u

This is my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkGawXjsltc

I recall there was some issues with certain Visa cards. Ah right I did have issue where I couldn't load with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card. But I just switched to the Apple Card and it went smoothly.

So yes there may be some hurdles. However, since you can do this before arrival, you can figure out ahead of time which card(s) work and which don't.

Edit: just tried it with my CSR again and it still didn't work. Then I tried with a CapitalOne (Mastercard) card and that worked. Unfortunately, I don't have another Visa or Amex card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so I cannot say for sure if it's a payment network issue or bank issue. I had no issue using my CSR for contactless payments in Japan though.

You don't need a JDM model iPhone, as long as it's new enough (after 12?) The virtual Suica card works seamlessly on my US-model iPhone 12 mini.

If you have an iPhone, don't bother getting the physical Suica card. You can add one in the Wallet app, and also charge it with your credit card directly! Moreover, you can do this ahead of time, before arrival to Japan.

Wallet app -> "+" on top right corner -> Transit Card -> Japan -> Suica.

Choose PASMO or ICOCA if you want to be different. ;-) All three are functionally equivalent.

The virtual card will work anywhere the physical card's accepted, so transit, convenience stores[0], vending machines, etc. IMHO there's no reason to get a physical card, unless you want a souvenir.

I'm sure the same could be done on Android, but I don't know the procedures.

[0] At least in Tokyo, many convenience stores will also accept contactless credit card payments (i.e. Apple Pay), even foreign cards. The process is sometimes a little convoluted, however, so if you just want to grab & go, use Suica and say "Suica de" and 99% you'll be in & out in less than a minute.

In their defense, "real-time" has never been a precise term of art, even in the embedded computing space. Hence modifiers like "soft real-time" vs. "hard real-time" etc. IMHO, outside of embedded computing, it's effectively puffery, and should be treated as such.

Bad Apple!![0] animation but as a font ligature.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtutLA63Cp8

Just like nobody actually believes that the Earth is flat. Oh wait...

> - you can't rest your fingers on it. When you use it, you have to keep your finger(s) raised

I rest my fingers on the surface all the time and it's fine?

----

I'm also one of the dozen that like the Magic Mouse; in fact I have the first gen one that takes AA batteries, and it's still working perfectly. It's now the oldest mouse I've owned and used. Prior to it I think I had an early model of the wired optical IntelliMouse.

Wow, I can't believe I didn't know about this until now! I'm the lucky 10k[0] today.

[0] https://xkcd.com/1053/

Yes and no. Let's say everyone drives compact cars, then my risk level -- completely made up number -- is 20. However, if everyone's driving para-tanks while I keep driving my compact car, then my risk level rises to 60, due to aforementioned physics. Now, if I join everyone, then my risk level falls to 40, so I'm safer. But compare to the initial case, I'm still less safe. Hence the prisoner's dilemma.

> [...] awful for those of us who would be interested in driving small, efficient foreign cars.

I currently drive a small efficient car, but I'm seriously contemplating buying an electric SUV for my next car, even though I've no use for it. I don't drive a lot, but every time I drive, I see drivers on their phones, drivers who don't signal, drivers who race the lights, drivers who don't turn their head lights on at night, and other general poor situational awareness, etc. etc. And about once a month I see someone run the red light by a _large_ margin.

By absolute measurements SUVs are worse in most metrics including safety, but alas prisoner's dilemma prevails. No amount of defensive driving on my part is gonna trump physics, if / when my tiny hatchback gets T-boned by a lifted truck.

There are a few possibilities I could think of:

- LastPass breach related.

- Classic phishing / session hijacking: apparently Google doesn't _always_ re-prompt for password when you change password / security device, if you have a valid session cookie.

- Poor opsec from Linus (and by association probably also the rest of their upper management team).

Luke, Linus's business partner, was recently "promoted" to CTO and has been working on their many know infra / security deficiencies. Alas, he's a bit too late it seems...

Ah I see. So it's more about "hmm why did 100 (wo)men in black(tm) just all checked in -- something big must be going down -- oh they're all just here for the numismatic convention"; and not "hmm isn't that Bob who works for the FDIC? What's he doing here?"

> One by one, agents check into a hotel, each quietly offering a pseudonym to the guy at the desk.

This is actually the part that intrigued me the most. I'm no traveling salesman, but I've stayed at several different hotels over the years, and IIRC I was always asked to provide ID during check in. Cursory search seems to say that some states actually require it; in other cases it may be corporate policy.

So, do the FDIC agents (?) also have cover identities? Or are they forced to stay in no-name, possibly rundown and bedbug-ridden motels for the sake of the ruse?

> Except you could've, and still can.

For many scenes, the community is an integral part of the ecosystem. Unless OP is the only person who can develop anti-cheat software, s/he's beholden to the community even if s/he's among the leader(s).

> People need to learn how to adapt.

They will adapt by starting their own Discord and cutting OP out.

> [...] computer museum in Tokyo.

I looked up the address, and just want to clarify for anyone who may want to visit: the museum is in Oume City, about 1.5 hours away by train from Tokyo Station. While technically part of Tokyo Metro area, I think for most foreign tourists "Tokyo" only refers the 23 special wards[0]. So just beware it's not just a short hop away after you're done sight-seeing in e.g. Asakusa.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo

You know, I've never actually watched Silicon Valley, but I still recognized the quote because I've caught clips here and there on YouTube. I suppose now would be the time to binge-watch it.

Now that it's 2023 I can say this without reprisal: no shit Sherlock! /s

This is the automotive analog to the removal of headphone jack on smartphones. Except I was never all that bothered with the removal. I've been using BT headphones almost exclusively before AirPods. I guess I'm not sure what my point is; maybe that even if it's objectively worse other factors dominate in consumer purchase decisions.

Thankfully, some automakers are beginning to dial back a bit on all-touch interfaces. I'm cautiously optimistic that within the decade most will find the right balance.

> Do you think the executives care about your letter?

Some do.

A few years ago I flew with $EAST_ASIAN_AIRLINE and had some complications with my checked baggage. The gate agent was courteous and patient in understanding and resolving my issues. After everything's sorted out, she gave me the typical "if you're satisfied with my service, please write or call ..." As the interaction was positive, and I've got nothing else to do on the flight, I wrote a brief e-mail expressing my satisfaction with the earlier service.

Maybe a week later, I received a reply stating that they were pleased that I had good service, and said gate agent would be commended. Of course I have no way of telling for sure, I don't believe that it's a canned automated response, given that it was sent days later, the reply's formatting's simple, and that the reply's grammatically correct but stilted.

In contrast, I flew with $US_AIRLINE last year, in first class. I went to the airport early and requested if I could be re-booked for an earlier flight. The agent "helpfully" re-booked me, but in economy. It was clear that the agent had overlooked that I was flying first class. It couldn't be re-booked and I got a look of "well it's not my fault and you shoulda told me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" Fine, I thought, but at least I still get express security lane and lounge access, right? I was assured that they'll call ahead so there shouldn't be any problem. That turned out to be a lie. The security agent didn't know what I was talking about when I got there. Same deal when I try to enter the lounge, but I guess the lounge agent took pity on me and "did me a favor" -- not "I apologize for the errors so far, and this is the least I could do" -- and let me into the lounge at least.

I should emphasize that at no point did I raise my voice nor disrespect the agents I'd spoken to, though by the time I was at the lounge I probably did sound slightly upset.

There was no WiFi on that flight, but you bet I wrote a lengthy complaint when I got home. I didn't even get an automated response back.

> Stop going to the place that treats you badly [...]

I agree that's likely the most effective approach. I no longer fly with $US_AIRLINE unless I absolutely have to.

I've not had a bad interaction with SWA thus far, and was in fact planning on flying with them sometime in February. Perhaps I should reconsider, but the alternative would be $$$ more expensive (and I may have to fly $US_AIRLINE), so I might still risk it. That's the rub, isn't it: when it comes down to it airline passengers, including myself, are quite price sensitive, so it's totally rational for airlines to optimize that over everything else.

> Abu Dhabi — a place with pre-clearance which I've been talking about — is in Asia :)

Apologies of course you're right. I'm too accustomed to conflating Asia = East Asia.

Oh wow 15 locations I didn't know there are so many! Alas there doesn't seem to be any in Asia, which is where I primarily travel to / from.

> Did you know that there's a US customs & immigration + TSA counter at Abu Dhabi?! [...] [a]nd the aircraft will fly as a domestic flight into the domestic terminal of your destination in the US.

This is also the case when you fly out of Shannon airport[0]. Incidentally, if you're arriving at LAX, there's another way to "bypass" immigration & customs, but it'll cost you dearly[1].

[0] https://www.shannonairport.ie/passengers/at-the-airport/flyi...

[1] https://reserveps.com/

> If there was another tier that had an even faster and more pleasant experience, maybe off to the side somewhere, I’d pay double.

If you're flying out of LAX then there is[0], but you'll be paying substantially more than double for the privilege.

[0] https://reserveps.com/

Ironically I felt reassured reading this. "[...] I'm evidently not persuasive enough. A good fraction of the things I complain about eventually turn my way after [...] evidence piles up" especially resonates with me. While I rationally understand it's just corporate bureaucracy / politics, sometimes I still wonder if I were just a bit more capable I'd be more persuasive.

If John fucking Carmack cannot move the bureaucracy this way, then it's folly for me to try the same. I should accept that we're playing checkers not chess.

Sorry I was being imprecise when I said daily in my original reply, when my main point was that consistency's more important than duration. IMHO, once a viewer base is established, one can be sustainable streaming ~3 hours twice a week. If that's still too strenuous due to her illness, then I'm even more sorry for her, and perhaps she should instead -- if not already -- focus her energy on applying for disability benefits / grants, and only treat streaming as a hobby.

At her size, unless she needs to take ~weeks off per month, and more importantly, at unpredictable intervals, she can afford to stream fewer days. Too many of them are incorrectly assuming that they need to stream daily, when (e.g.) MWF will suffice. What many viewers value over long streaming hours is predictable streaming hours[*].

I've observed many promising streamers stream daily and for too long, burn out, then unable to stick to even a reduced streaming schedule, thereby losing a substantial fraction of their viewers in the process. Then they became more demotivated, got sucked into a negative feedback cycle, and eventually quit streaming altogether. :-/

[*] Of course all else being equal, more time streaming ~ more income, but it's not sustainable, unless you're Amaranth & has an abusive spouse as her task master.

App [submission] as a service, or AasS. I guess that'll be my YC pitch for '23. Wanna be my co-founder? /s

> American culture is all about the price being the price.

Variable sales tax rates depending on locale / product / usage / other arcane rules; variable tipping rates based on type of service rendered, customs, etc.; services charges, delivery fees, resort fees, convenience (of printing your own ticket) fees, so on and so forth...

No, I think Americans are quite used to not just paying list price.

> How can this not be at least a nationwide, if not worldwide reality?

It is certainly not worldwide. Take Japan for instance. Your stuff[0] left in the open will almost never be taken. And in the event they went missing, there's a good chance it's because someone took them to the nearest police box.

[0] Umbrellas on rainy days are notable exceptions. But they're so cheap (a few dollars) many consider them "communal" items.

I'm not OP but not everyone could vote due to e.g. residency requirements, like me. So I "voted" the only way I could: with my feet.