Software Developer and Performance Engineer
Economy
Support Your Favorite Dealer
May 20th
I have to side with the dealers when it comes to whether they should be in business or not. Why should a auto manufacturer headquartered in one location decide the fate of family-owned dealerships across the nation. Our free market should decide who lives and who dies. It is true that in bankruptcy all contracts are null and void. But that protection should only be extended to the company and not give it the power to bankrupt thousands of other businesses in the process.
When Encron and Worldcom fell years ago, they took down a number of companies with them. There was not much shouting, but in this case, we are talking about thousands of companies, many of which have been in business for decades, and deserve a fighting chance if they can make it work.
Best Car Dealers May Not Survive
May 16th
I read an article Sunday in my local newspaper about how a bad dealer is being kept by GM while a dealer they liked is being let go. I thought about this for a minute and realized that it makes total sense. GM is going to keep the dealers that sell lots of cars. Those dealers that sell fewer new cars are not as good for GM. It turns out that the good dealer does great repairs, has good people working the used car lot, and lots of customers like them. They make plenty of money and do a great job for their customers. But because they don’t sell as many cars for GM, they will be let go. Whenever I see something that doesn’t make sense, I always look for the money reason. In this case, the money reason is simple. GM wants dealers that sell lots of new cars. Customers want dealers who take care of them. So it is safe to assume that a number of great dealers are not going to make the cut.
Use Gift Cards, Not Checks!
May 15th
Stimulus checks don’t work because they are money. It can be deposited to a savings account and forgotten about. Or, they can be used to pay utility bills, lower the balance of credit cards, or help pay the next mortgage payment. These expenses were going to be paid for anyway, so the stimulus check does nothing to increase demand in the economy. Gift or money cards on the other hand are not exchangeable for cash, start loosing value over time, and cannot be used to pay utility bills or mortgages. They have to be used for purchases, and if they are not used, then their value is lost. If everyone were given $800 cash cards, they would have to spend that money on a new TV, computer, or some other purchase allowed by the card. The card should be backed by the government instead of a company like Visa or American Express who would make a large amount off the fees. If the idea is to get demand going by having the consumer spend the money, use a tool that ensures the money has to be spent on things instead of a check which just helps in paying the bills.
Signed up for Atlassian Stimulus!
May 14th
Atlassian is offering Jira and Confluence for $5 each. Click here to get signed up. I signed up for 3 years of each. They have great software and though I can not use it right now, I have it available for the time when I can use it. There is not much time left to sign up so make sure you get your license. $30 for 3 years of each is a steal. It is limited to 5 users, but most startups I have been in usually have just 3 or 4 developers anyway.