Rise Of A Powerhouse ~ How the young knowledge workers of Central Europe are pushing .....

BusinessWeek ^ | DECEMBER 12, 2005 | staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Slide Show >>

They came from around the world, young men with handles like SnapDragon and Bladerunner attacking computing problems so complex that even experienced coders could only stare at the screen in bewilderment. Only one mastered the final algorithm problem: Eryk Kopczynski, a.k.a. Eryx, a reticent Warsaw University student who wears his long hair in a ponytail and says his life's ambition is to "discover some interesting notion."

Kopczynski's triumph in this year's TopCoder Open, sponsored by Sun Microsystems, was no fluke. He was following in the footsteps of a slew of computing geniuses to emerge from the monolithic Soviet style buildings of Warsaw U. "Poles like to compete," says Warsaw U computer science student Marek Cygan, winner of this year's Google Code Jam. No kidding. Warsaw University is ranked No. 1 in the world in top coder events, ahead of the likes of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Just like India's best tech schools, Warsaw U has confounded a scarcity of resources to identify and nurture bright students.

As the race for top talent heats up globally, it turns out that Central Europe houses one of the planet's richest creative pools. U.S. movie director Brian De Palma recently wrapped up filming in Sofia of The Black Dahlia, a version of the James Ellroy noir novel starring Hilary Swank and Scarlett Johansson. The producers painstakingly recreated the streets of 1940s Los Angeles on a Sofia movie set. Why Bulgaria? Super low costs is one reason. But there's more: "The crew is probably the best I've seen anywhere," says David Varod, head of Bulgarian operations for Los Angeles-based Nu Image/Millenium Films, which co-financed the picture.

[Publius6961]

Software aside, the genius of what we pejoratively refer to as ''old Europe'' will eat our economic lunch.

Thank you for that series of nested opinions. I'll try to respond with a straight face.

Well, no I can't. You shot yourself in the foot (rhetorically) when you exposed your worship at the oxymoron, "while they effectuate efficient domestic healthcare, farm subsidies,taxing, transportation...

aka Socialism

Why don't we wait and see, rather than start a whizzing contest.
My money is on the less government-encumbered system and which that will be remains to be seen.

By the way, if the U.S. economy is dying "because they have been abused for the short-term benefit of friends of this administration., a most puerile assertion, but I digress. How are these friends of the administration going to enjoy their long term profits? Move to Europe?

[TalBlack]

"it turns out that Central Europe houses one of the planet's richest creative pools."

Damn right. Computer coding in general is a repository talent because it is the last meritocracy left. A person, irrespective of race or gender can find their place in the rank of coders. This is the cutting edge to the future because it will result in the tools that people will need to succeed and even survive but also because it is pulling massive intellectual talent that might have gone elsewhere but for PC.

[Erasmus]

How 'bout code that has a comment, on the average, every 20 lines, and then it's like this:

a += 3; /* add 3 to a */

< ]B^(

[Milhous]

Let me know when they produce one single software product that's worth money. To the best of my knowledge, all they've come up with so far is a wide assortment of viruses, worms, and trojan horses.

Some of these central European geniuses post to sci groups on usenet. They seem to value knowledge more than money.

[durasell]

They seem to value knowledge more than money.



The Erdos Effect.

[Milhous]

Although the American capitalist pig in me always jumps when somebody shows me the money sometimes my inner Erdos gets to do a little research. :)

[durasell]

Durasell Rule #1 For a Happy life: Balance the true believer with the wised-up cynic. Those who possess neither true believer or are incapable of being wised up are doomed to impoverished mediocrity.

[SierraWasp]

Man-O-man, middie! You're still pumpin it into that fan tryin to see what'll stick to the FreeRepublic.com walls, aren'tcha? Too funny!!!

[El Sordo]

Wasn't Japan supposed to have done that to us in the 80's too?

[Marine_Uncle]

"How 'bout code that has a comment, on the average, every 20 lines, and then it's like this: a += 3; /* add 3 to a */ "

Well I won't go that far.

[Orbiting_Rosie's_Head]

Reverse Polish Notation

I've always used an HP RPN scientific calculator. Started with an 11C, which was stolen. Replaced it with a 32S II about 17 years ago. I love to watch the response from non-tech borrowers. Where's the "equals" button? ;-)

[middie]

Japan's failure was to tie the yen to the dollar and invest too much into the U.S. office building real estate market.

[El Sordo]

Just as 'Old Europe' will have its own missteps and failures.

France's economy sure doesn't have anyone quaking in their boots.

Many things may still happen. If the vision of Eurabia comes to pass, the US won't have too much to worry about where economic competition is concerned.

Nuclear war may be another matter......

Only time will tell.

[middie]

So true about time and unexpected and unforeseeable events. That said, all the signs are coming into view relative to the strength of the euro as a continental currency and the total eliminations of tariffs and trade barriers among the EU nations verus the U.S, dollar and our trade policies.

I am not a sayer of sooth, (I don't even know what a sooth is) but I think it safe to say that at some point the British, Danes and Swedes will join with the rest of Eurpoe and adopt the euro as currency. And, while it is unlikely that many Americans lie awake at night worrying about the threat to the almighty dollar posed by the euro, perhaps they should.

The emergence of a new currency backed by some of the riches nations and used as a medium of exchange by the world's wealthy trading bloc could pose a serious threat to the dollar's stature as the world's preferred reserve currency.

The presumption that has been conventional wisdom since the end of WW II that the dollar is dominant is in line for a significant challenge. Both George Will and Dr. Henry Kissinger have raised a similar caution.

It shouldn't go unoted that the euro rose 60% against the dollar in its first two years and now, at the end of its third year, it is the strongest currency on earth.

The historical significance of the euro is to construct a world in which there is a bipolar economy of the euro and the dollar; the unipolar world of the dollar's economic hegemony is over.

[middie]

See my current post on this

[middie]

See #35

[middie]

Rather than launch an attack on my bona fides it might be informative for you to do a little reading on the EU and the rapid strength acquired by the euro in the almost 4 years since its introduction in Europe. Your xenophobic and jingoism skirts are showing. The facts, whether one likes them or not, are still the facts. And the facts are as I relate in #35.

[SierraWasp]

I read it and until Europe, particularly "old europe," sheds it's cowardly ways and backs up it's own program of defense and quits leaning on the US, the Euro will fluctuate but never dominate! Besides, the prophet Daniels explained to Nebuchadnazzer how the image had feet of iron and clay that would NEVER adhere and continually fall apart. That, my friend was the EU!!!

Please re-think you view of a united europe and the flimsy EU. There never has been and never will be a nation as exceptional and basically secure as the United States of America until the return of our Lord. Merry Christmas, middie!!!

[Balding_Eagle]

Thanks, for years I've used RPN with my HP 12C.

I've often wondered how/why of RPN. It's all so common sense.