Finally Looks Like the US is Moving to Chip and Pin Cards
Jan 21st, 2012, 07:35 AM
#21
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<i>Throw in the very weakly-Metric UK, which is the leading financial center of Europe and the only country with universities that match the best in the US</i>
If one omits the <i>grandes écoles</i>
If one omits the <i>grandes écoles</i>
Jan 21st, 2012, 09:01 AM
#22
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It's really notworth arguing the matter......is chip and pin the last word in fraud prevention? No, of course not. Is it universal even within Europe? Apparently not; I have no reason to dispute travegourmet that Danish cards don't work in the rest of Europe. But the point being made is two fold..
1. EMV is the closest thing, at least today, to universal acceptance in Europe. Magnetic strip masy have been at one time but there are simply too many disturbing reports of too many Americans being left stranded on a Sunday in France unable to put petrol in their cards because all the French automated pumps only take chip and pin. Or you can't buy Dutch railroad tickets even at manned (or womanned) ticket windows and the list simply grows larger and larger.
2. While the arguments about costs to convert the whole US payment system are valid, as I noted more and more retailers in putting in new pos terminals do have the ability to take chip cards. There is clearly no reason under the sun why at least hybrid cards hould be made available to those who feel they need them at cost (probably about a dime a card)...visa and mc are moving in that direction, finally. But the banks still see a way to increase their profits by not making these hybrid cards universally available but rather making them perks on their higher priced cards. That is also a fact of just what is going on.
We see this, and that's the only pint I was trying to make, in so many different ways where American(ns) cling stubbornly to their own way of doing things. Is it vitally important? Is it absolutely necessary for an American in London to hear the temperature that day will be 10 degrees and not go scurrying to find a winter coat? Probably not but still it's a petty nuisance in a way that is probably unnecessary because these things should have been standardized decades ago.
Is a better method of fraud prevention for credit cards coming? Of curse but the question is when. I'm still sorry I bought my last 27 inch television set. I should have know HD televisions were coming. But isn't that the way of the world?
1. EMV is the closest thing, at least today, to universal acceptance in Europe. Magnetic strip masy have been at one time but there are simply too many disturbing reports of too many Americans being left stranded on a Sunday in France unable to put petrol in their cards because all the French automated pumps only take chip and pin. Or you can't buy Dutch railroad tickets even at manned (or womanned) ticket windows and the list simply grows larger and larger.
2. While the arguments about costs to convert the whole US payment system are valid, as I noted more and more retailers in putting in new pos terminals do have the ability to take chip cards. There is clearly no reason under the sun why at least hybrid cards hould be made available to those who feel they need them at cost (probably about a dime a card)...visa and mc are moving in that direction, finally. But the banks still see a way to increase their profits by not making these hybrid cards universally available but rather making them perks on their higher priced cards. That is also a fact of just what is going on.
We see this, and that's the only pint I was trying to make, in so many different ways where American(ns) cling stubbornly to their own way of doing things. Is it vitally important? Is it absolutely necessary for an American in London to hear the temperature that day will be 10 degrees and not go scurrying to find a winter coat? Probably not but still it's a petty nuisance in a way that is probably unnecessary because these things should have been standardized decades ago.
Is a better method of fraud prevention for credit cards coming? Of curse but the question is when. I'm still sorry I bought my last 27 inch television set. I should have know HD televisions were coming. But isn't that the way of the world?
Jan 21st, 2012, 09:47 AM
#23
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<i>If one omits the grandes écoles</i>
The Grandes Ecoles are not remotely in the same league with Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, etc. Indeed, they aren't even in the same league as places like ETH, Imperial, Hopkins, or even Michigan.
The Grandes Ecoles are not remotely in the same league with Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, etc. Indeed, they aren't even in the same league as places like ETH, Imperial, Hopkins, or even Michigan.
Jan 21st, 2012, 11:35 AM
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So, I have found that Amex has a chip card and they kindly sent me one. My tried and true Visa will be used for the other things. A simple resolution for now.
Reading all the points made above, I think that attaining a true "global economy" would require a miracle.
Reading all the points made above, I think that attaining a true "global economy" would require a miracle.
Jan 21st, 2012, 01:47 PM
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Actually Mihael...
I'll take a nice Philly Cheese Steak over anything our dear Frenc allies have to offer....
And I'll take a nice hot dog over a German wurst any day in the week and twice on Sunday!
A nice t bone steak beats an entrecote or whatever most of the time for me.
I'll take a nice Philly Cheese Steak over anything our dear Frenc allies have to offer....
And I'll take a nice hot dog over a German wurst any day in the week and twice on Sunday!
A nice t bone steak beats an entrecote or whatever most of the time for me.
Jan 21st, 2012, 01:47 PM
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Michael - all I can say is the best restaurant I ate at in 2011 was Momofuku Ko. There is a lot of good eating in the US. Of course, #2 was Joel Robuchon in Paris, and #3 was Geranium in Copenhagen, so Europe does okay too. Test Kitchen (South Africa) snuck in at #4.
Not sure what that has to do with the reality that American and British universities are currently the best in the world. My guess is that this is down to the fact that English is the language of academia and the fact that both countries have quite rich universities that leverage their wealth to hire all the top minds. Whatever the reason, my statement that American and British universities are the best is a statement of fact. You can disagree, but whether you measure academic output, reputation, or quality of students, US and UK universities dominate.
Perhaps if our continental friends spent more time thinking about why their universities have fallen so far behind and less time pretending that pointing this out is some sort of Anglo-American arrogance, then we wouldn't be having this conversation? Don't shoot the messenger. Continental universities are simply not world class.
Not sure what that has to do with the reality that American and British universities are currently the best in the world. My guess is that this is down to the fact that English is the language of academia and the fact that both countries have quite rich universities that leverage their wealth to hire all the top minds. Whatever the reason, my statement that American and British universities are the best is a statement of fact. You can disagree, but whether you measure academic output, reputation, or quality of students, US and UK universities dominate.
Perhaps if our continental friends spent more time thinking about why their universities have fallen so far behind and less time pretending that pointing this out is some sort of Anglo-American arrogance, then we wouldn't be having this conversation? Don't shoot the messenger. Continental universities are simply not world class.
Jan 22nd, 2012, 10:18 AM
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travelgourmet,
I sent the last two paragraphs to a firend of mine who is a Fellow at Oxford and while being French, completed all post-secondary education in England. Here is the reply I received:
"Interesting viewpoint...
It is true that US and UK universities currently dominate the top places in rankings that I have seen, but these were mostly produced by British newspapers, so that might have an influence... It is not exclusive though. For scientific topics, certainly, there are some continental universities which I would rate as being on a par with Oxford and Cambridge, such ETH in Zurich, or Ecole Normal Superieure in Paris, for example. What is perhaps more unique, and certainly valuable, is the polyvalent nature of the big collegiate universities in the UK and of the Ivy league ones in the US.
And as for continental universities "falling behind"... I'm more concerned about UK universities falling behind their former standards, which I see happening around me all the time! Given the level of disinvestment in UK universities and the tendency to turn education into a commodity in recent years, I have no confidence that this is not going to get even worse. One thing is for sure: European or not, there are some excellent universities emerging outside the Anglo-Saxon world, and the UK/US ones shouldn't rest on their laurels. And finally, we should never under-estimate Anglo-Saxon arrogance: in my experience, it knows no bounds, and is second only to the Gallic kind
It would be disingenuous to deny that young people coming out of the top US and UK Universities in my field - Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Berkeley to name a few - invariably make excellent research students (that's the only outcome I can really comment on). They are also usually more self-confident, and this can make them annoying, and a bit blinkered, but it often means they overshadow others who may be just as good, but come from a less "go get it" culture."
I sent the last two paragraphs to a firend of mine who is a Fellow at Oxford and while being French, completed all post-secondary education in England. Here is the reply I received:
"Interesting viewpoint...
It is true that US and UK universities currently dominate the top places in rankings that I have seen, but these were mostly produced by British newspapers, so that might have an influence... It is not exclusive though. For scientific topics, certainly, there are some continental universities which I would rate as being on a par with Oxford and Cambridge, such ETH in Zurich, or Ecole Normal Superieure in Paris, for example. What is perhaps more unique, and certainly valuable, is the polyvalent nature of the big collegiate universities in the UK and of the Ivy league ones in the US.
And as for continental universities "falling behind"... I'm more concerned about UK universities falling behind their former standards, which I see happening around me all the time! Given the level of disinvestment in UK universities and the tendency to turn education into a commodity in recent years, I have no confidence that this is not going to get even worse. One thing is for sure: European or not, there are some excellent universities emerging outside the Anglo-Saxon world, and the UK/US ones shouldn't rest on their laurels. And finally, we should never under-estimate Anglo-Saxon arrogance: in my experience, it knows no bounds, and is second only to the Gallic kind
It would be disingenuous to deny that young people coming out of the top US and UK Universities in my field - Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Berkeley to name a few - invariably make excellent research students (that's the only outcome I can really comment on). They are also usually more self-confident, and this can make them annoying, and a bit blinkered, but it often means they overshadow others who may be just as good, but come from a less "go get it" culture."
