That makes sense. The Russian angle, too: prior experience showed thdm to bd good at programming and optimization. One told me it's because access to good hardware was limited for many and so people got the most out of what they had. He said some even coded and debugged algorithms on paper before going to Internet cafes.

I'd probably try to get more in OSS projects but they can be a rowdy bunch. Gotta have manager or leader that can keep the egos and nationalism in check. ;)