When have you gone into an electronics store, picked up a desirable gadget, and found that it was labeled "Made in Russia"? Probably never. Russia, despite its epic intellectual achievements in music, literature, art, and pure science, is a negligible presence in world technology. Despite its curren[...]

Stalin ordered his execution, but here Palchinksy's ghost leads us through the miasma of Soviet technology and industry, pointing out the mistakes he condemned in his lifetime, the corruption and collapse he predicted, and the ultimate price paid for silencing those who were not afraid to speak out.[...]