Newer isn't always better

After whining like a little brat in my last post, here is something more positive.  Double-edged razors and fountains pens.

These have cropped a few times on other sites I visit.  There seems to be a resurgence in popularity of both items in recent years and I too have become a convert.  Nothing too fancy - an Edwin Jagger DE89 and a Parker IM Premium being my current choices.  They were both about £30 and the razor in particular has paid for itself in no time.  Also, Feather razor blades for that added element of bleary 6.00 a.m. danger.

Apart from money saving, the other thing they have in common is that they are better than the modern, more expensive alternative.  Of course, the increased care required leads to a better result but they seem to me be intrinsically superior.  They are just better.

I have even been toying with the idea of trying a straight-edge razor.  That's where my 'gentleman of taste and refinement' fantasies will end - in a gushing fountain of blood as a slip of the wrist removes half my face.

Globalisation - Something for Everyone

This week we had a "Town Hall" meeting at work.  The name suggests a gathering of vocal citizens determined to debate the issues and vote on how their community should progress but it's nothing of the sort.  It's a big business, only the shareholders get a vote and then only at the AGM so the homely image of humble folks having their say is a bit whimsical.  It's all a bit American and it's not even an American business.

The talk was about the future of our team.  The big issue of the day is the transfer of work to Poland and the impact that may have on people at our location.  I should mention that we are an IT development team so the work is spread around a couple of places in the Western Europe, New York, Singapore and India.  The good news for those of us in Western Europe is that the work going to Poland will be coming from Singapore because that location is now longer categorised as low cost.

I do not really have a problem with globalisation, I am used to it.  My work in IT is going to India, Vietnam, Poland, wherever, sooner or later and I can only make the most of it whilst I can.

I, however, do resent being lectured on the virtues of low wages be someone who earns considerably more than me.  The big boss is nearing retirement after a lifetime of working in financial IT and he will not be living on baked beans and worrying about the gas bill.  Yet he dared to hold up the Polish workers as self-denying heroes who "first ask what the job is, not how much it pays."  Apparently, they are so keen to get started they do not bother with pesky details like "can I live on this".  Then again, it seems they are all going to be junior staff so I guess you can screw them - Polish rich kids can afford to do "interesting work" for a couple years before leaving for a banking job in London whereas their poorer compatriots have to get on their bikes now and work their way up.  So Poland will essentially be a site full of interns adding a bit of polish to their CVs.

I am inclined to say good luck to them, though it is a bit unfair that only those with the Bank of Mum and Dad behind them can do this.  Eighteen months later they will be in London and my employers will be starting to see the hidden costs of getting in a new bunch of juniors each year with no-one staying around to pass on their experience.

The question I have is, why should I bank with my employer?  Their systems are increasingly based in India, the staff in places like India and Poland.  State Bank of India has fifty branches in Britain.  Other than brand trust issues why should I not bank with SBI?  The only difference I can see between them is that my European bank has a senior management team that thinks they have right to a multi-million dollar pay cheque each year.  They seem very keen on asking how much it pays before they take up a new job.

Yeah, bring on globalisation.  I do not see why I should be subsidising my CEO's millionaire lifestyle.