If I remember correctly, the privatization of JNR was mostly political, and has little relation to the subsequent successes or failures of the railways. In other words, keeping it public would not necessarily have changed the outcome for passengers.

https://xcancel.com/shinobu_books/status/2043991756291879024

Can you describe how transparency over government has increased (by social media)?

I also use Schwab _Bank_'s checking account instead of Fidelity's Cash Management Account for similar reasons. The latter's debit card is issued by PNC Bank and administered by BNY Mellon[2]. They are large institutions, but I have no wish to deal with the finger-pointing when something goes wrong. Whereas at Schwab, I know who to blame: Schwab.

This type of specialization or "deintegration" seen with neobanks in the name of innovation seems to be a common pattern used to skirt accountability, and it is weaponized against the average consumer's already inadequate rights and ability to recover damages.

[1] https://accountopening.fidelity.com/ftgw/aong/aongapp/fdicBa... [2] https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/help-center/debit-c...

> I have given poor reviews to people who invested lots of time and energy in projects and probably even did good work on them, because they were _completely_ off strategy and completed before anyone who knew better could tell them they were a waste of time and energy.

Alignment is really hard to do when management claims they're there to "support" engineers and their decisions, and not dictate from above. I see this as a great CYA move, couched in empowering language.

It is even harder when they visibly reward shiny new features while trumpeting a pivot to reliable infrastructure, only to change their mind and behavior on a whim. Mixed signals.

I cannot speak to how effective these services are. My general experience with "proxy" services have not been great, due to inadequate care or training.

[1] https://www.healthadvocate.com/site/product-index/engagement...

In January 2024, the Taiwan government issued an erroneous "presidential alert" to the entire country of 23 million people, warning of a "missile" from China. Occurring just days before a presidential election, some allege that sending the alert was politically motivated.

Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/world/asia/taiwan-alert-c...

When a mail piece gets stuck or lost, there's no way to get help. USPS staff is generally unhelpful. It's a disaster.

The author understands Japanese sources and writes about how the various Felica-based systems operate and evolve.

Here's a good summary of NFC protocols used for transit gates: https://atadistance.net/2020/06/13/transit-gate-evolution-wh...

The Felica standard is fastest at 100ms per tap, and is used in Japan (e.g. Suica card) and Hong Kong (Octopus card).

Write a letter to your insurance company to dispute the explanation of benefits. Follow the instructions for the dispute process. Cite and attach relevant information, like what annual preventative labwork is mandated to be covered by insurance for people your age due to the affordable care act (I believe this is on healthcare.gov). Note that the labwork was preventative and NOT diagnostic. Then wait for them to process it.

Providers submit my explanation of benefits wrong (in their favor) almost every time I go into a clinic or hospital or lab. And it boils my blood to know they get away with it because 90% of the people just pay it.

Edit: if it's the provider's mistake, then you got to start with the provider.