Dear Shantikam: Thank you for posting the interesting idea. Frankly speaking, I don't see why such ventures will not work. In fact such idea of doing business in a ship in the international waters is not new. I have heard that in many big cities, ships go offshore to International waters where the ship turn into a floating gambling casino. People go and enjoy the weekend away from onshore legalities and return home. Good business and good entertainment. In fact, the venture for offshore software engineering will probably work even with better success if the both these ideas are combined. That is say, there will be a permanent Offshore Floating Las Vegas Ship where one section will be dedicated for Software engineering to be stuffed by immigrant engineers from India, Philippines, China, Russia and other places. During weekends, onshore local civilians will go for the gambling. They may even built the ship big enough so that they may add a (say) China Town in one section which will be stuffed directly from Hongkong or Taiwan or Shanghai. The business will definitely fly. Only bad news for the Software engineers, their take home pay will be far less than $1800 per month except for the lucky ones who win in gambling. Anyhow, I think it is a question of time that such ventures will be a part of our civilization. I think the days of Mr. Buckminister Fuller are fast coming to reality.
Rajen Original Message ----- From: "Shantikam Hazarika" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 1:12 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: April Roses - 2005 > I would like to have your views on the following that I got on my mail > a few moments ago: > > quote: > http://www.forbes.com/business/forbes/2005/0509/048.html > > Two San Diego entrepreneurs have come up with a very literal twist on > offshoring software development jobs. This pair wants to get their > hands on a 600-cabin cruise ship and park it off the coast of El > Segundo, Calif., just over the 3-mile border that marks international > waters. They'll pack the boat with engineers who will write code day > and night. > > The two founders of SeaCode, David Cook and Roger Green, are confident > their plan will float. All they need to do is classify their workers > as "seamen," so that they're protected by international maritime laws > that skirt the need for those pesky immigration visas. The workers > will fly in and out of Los Angeles International and board the ship > with a sailor's card from the Bahamas, where the ship likely will be > registered. This lets the company avoid U.S. payroll taxes on the > foreign coders. Cook, a former supertanker skipper, plans to dock in > Long Beach once a month to resupply and dispose of waste. > > Programmers--sorry, seamen--hired from places like India and Russia > would have their own cabins, work eight- or ten-hour stretches on > either a day or night shift and have the rest of the time to sleep, > play shuffleboard or take a water taxi to shore. Cook imagines a > four-months-on, two-months-off work cycle. Take-home pay will be about > $1,800 a month, compared with $500 per month for an experienced > engineer in India. "We're not a slave ship," says Cook. Adds Green, > "It's like the International Space Station." > > SeaCode's pitch is that it will still charge the same rates as > developing-world firms (Green says Indian firms hide behind amazing > markups) while offering clients freedom from killer flights to India, > Israel and other faraway destinations to check in on projects. Work > will also get done faster with two shifts. "Try to get American > software engineers to work at night," says Cook. > > Cook and Green, who used to be chief information officer at > chip-equipment manufacturer Cymer, have already raised an undisclosed > amount toward a $10 million ship. Their backer is Barry Shillito, a > San Diego angel investor and former assistant secretary of defense. > Right now the two are close to making an offer on a 34-year-old boat > called the Carousel, currently steaming around the Canary Islands. > Says Green: "We're looking for a couple of anchor clients." > > As much as it sounds like a joke, the plan could work. "Nothing tells > me that it's flatly prohibited," says San Francisco maritime lawyer > James Walsh. That's because a "seaman" can be defined broadly as > anyone who works on a vessel. But don't count on locals to be happy > about a colony of programmers floating just over the horizon. "It's > not my prerogative to tell them to take a hike. I'll leave that to the > Coast Guard," says Kelly McDowell, mayor of El Segundo. unquote > > Regards. > > Shantikam Hazarika > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
