Lone Coder: Life After the Bubble Burst

[Sy Ali]

On 4/17/06, Ken Burtch <kburtch-Zd07PnzKK1IAvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> My April blog entry is out and discusses poverty and employment in
> Ontario, and whether computers should be considered a luxury item
> anymore.
>
> http://www.pegasoft.ca/coder/coder_april_2006.html

I can say from exposure and discussion that the situation isn't like
most people believe.  The "poverty line" is a strange state where
people are even more desperate than the rest of us to spend any
surplus on entertainment.  This could be cigarettes, coffee, drinking,
cable tv, gambling and.. internet access.

People who aren't addicted to alcohol, caffeine or nicotine often turn
to television and the internet.  Sometimes when it becomes a tradeoff
one sort of person goes one way and another goes the other way. 
Television is awfully mind-numbing stuff, and so to is the internet.

Computers end up replacing television for some people, because the
bill really is significant enough to make it a choice.  The fact that
the internet is a job search tool makes it tempting for many to go
that route.

That's about the poverty line, where things like welfare can be
depended upon.  Below that.. a safe place to sleep becomes a luxury. 
Above that, computers become an elaborate part of the support
network.. they're required to be used for various kinds of government
services.. they're also an integral part of the job search.

If the government responded to poverty with a free $50 computer and
paid-for low-speed internet it would indeed be well-received.  This
isn't so hard to do, considering things like welfare startup fees are
allowable for essentials like pots and a bed.. I'd be willing to bet
that if a computer were listed it would go over just fine.


Now for the truth.. I'm adding to the problem by hiring work outside
of the country.  Good on-site IT people need to be here.. but good
remote brainpower can be found anywhere, and for a whole heck of a lot
less.  I'm able to keep my job and make a living because the business
can keep its costs down.

The upside is that I'd never look outside of the country for core
business partners and management (or salespeople!!).  Really smart
grunts can be found overseas.. but really smart partners can't.  Sales
and service people ought to have intimate cultural awareness, so I'd
never go overseas for that.. even if such services could be performed
remotely.  I'm willing to charge more to provide better service,
because people really are willing to spend more to get good service. 
Especially once they've tasted big-company crap like Dell's customer
service / technical support.

There are some things which will never be done well enough remotely,
and high-level communication is one of those things.  If ever I figure
out how to make high-level communications work well remotely.. I may
well move away.. and cut my pay (I'm paid less, the company makes more
money, everyone gets a better cut of the profits.. it all works out,
while I work on my tan)
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