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Mobile payments I think will take off in the US, its just going to take a generation to catch on. I'm 33 and most of the 20 somethings are all using Venmo and

Mobile payments I think will take off in the US, its just going to take a generation to catch on. I'm 33 and most of the 20 somethings are all using Venmo and other payment apps. Give it time. We're a car culture. US cities and suburbs were designed for cars long ago. Hence the focus on the next iteration of cars: self driving. Plus, isnt the bike sharing thing turning into a disaster in China with stolen bikes? Really, facial recognition when you walk into work is sign of our lagging technology? Sounds more like over engineering a trivial thing. We've got rockets landing themselves, electric cars driving themselves, the re-emergence of VR with augmented reality on the way, blockchain technology (started in the US), and were still leading in AI by the way. The big stuff on the near-horizon are sea-steading communities experimenting with governance, quantum computers, lab grown meat, exoskeletons, and more useful household robotics. The long term R&D bets are whats paid off for us and there is no reason to assume they wont continue too. China can copy us 6 times over due to their population, but if their emphasis is always on "get it out the door now!" then they will just be waiting around looking for the next thing to copy from California. I'm getting kinda tired of this anti-US sentiment articles.

Zarath 9y ago
Do you have a source on the bike stealing in China? I was in Shanghai and there were practically more bikes on the sidewalks than people, I don't think people even bother stealing bikes.
- noetic_techy 9y ago
  Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-dockless-bike-share.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-... "But their popularity has been accompanied by a wave of misbehavior. Because the start-ups do not use fixed docking stations, riders abandon bicycles haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks. Thieves have taken them by the tens of thousands, for personal use or selling them for parts. Angry and mischievous vandals hang them in trees, bury them in construction sites and throw them into lakes and rivers." http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-collapsing-2017-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-col... "Bike-sharing companies – with their capital-intensive, cash-burning, ride-subsidizing business model – were among the hottest startups in China. ... But this is how quickly a frenzy can deflate... On Thursday, Chinese media reported that Mingbike, with operations in major cities, had laid off 99% of its staff, after consumers had complained that they’d been unable to get their deposits..."
- NotQuantum 9y ago
  I'm unsure about bike stealing, but I know it's cheaper for them to buy new bikes rather than fixing up old ones. They just throw them out in large piles in disrepair.[1] [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-pedals-to-new-heights.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-p...
- qiqing 9y ago
  Last I heard (informally), the price of 2nd-hand bikes has fallen through the floor in China, and it is no longer economically viable for thieves to steal bikes due to risk and high opportunity cost, which led to a sharp reduction in bike theft.
untog 9y ago
> Mobile payments I think will take off in the US, its just going to take a generation to catch on. I'm 33 and most of the 20 somethings are all using Venmo and other payment apps. Give it time. Venmo is good for payments between people, but for everyday transactions the US needs to upgrade its infrastructure. It will, but it's far behind the rest of the world in allowing tap payment and the like.

Zarath 9y ago

Do you have a source on the bike stealing in China? I was in Shanghai and there were practically more bikes on the sidewalks than people, I don't think people even bother stealing bikes.

noetic_techy 9y ago
Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-dockless-bike-share.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-... "But their popularity has been accompanied by a wave of misbehavior. Because the start-ups do not use fixed docking stations, riders abandon bicycles haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks. Thieves have taken them by the tens of thousands, for personal use or selling them for parts. Angry and mischievous vandals hang them in trees, bury them in construction sites and throw them into lakes and rivers." http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-collapsing-2017-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-col... "Bike-sharing companies – with their capital-intensive, cash-burning, ride-subsidizing business model – were among the hottest startups in China. ... But this is how quickly a frenzy can deflate... On Thursday, Chinese media reported that Mingbike, with operations in major cities, had laid off 99% of its staff, after consumers had complained that they’d been unable to get their deposits..."
NotQuantum 9y ago
I'm unsure about bike stealing, but I know it's cheaper for them to buy new bikes rather than fixing up old ones. They just throw them out in large piles in disrepair.[1] [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-pedals-to-new-heights.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-p...
qiqing 9y ago
Last I heard (informally), the price of 2nd-hand bikes has fallen through the floor in China, and it is no longer economically viable for thieves to steal bikes due to risk and high opportunity cost, which led to a sharp reduction in bike theft.

untog 9y ago

> Mobile payments I think will take off in the US, its just going to take a generation to catch on. I'm 33 and most of the 20 somethings are all using Venmo and other payment apps. Give it time. Venmo is good for payments between people, but for everyday transactions the US needs to upgrade its infrastructure. It will, but it's far behind the rest of the world in allowing tap payment and the like.