I am a Russian living in Russia.

No, the RT is not an adequate description of the Russian universe. Rather, it's a reverse side of the American mainstream media -- it runs news (and gains popularity by running news) which aren't covered there. At that point, you should blame your countrymen for watching the RT, rather than the Russians for funding it.

Why do Russians need the RT? When/if crap hits the fan, and all other diplomacy/informational channels are cut, Russia must have the means to broadcast its viewpoint globally.

Like in the game of go, a group lives as long as it has two eyes. Shutting down RT would be seen as suppressing the American dissident voice, so the tactical goal (gaining popularity) support the strategic goal (being a back-up informational channgel if Russia is isolated internationally otherwise).

It's one thing when you talk to your fellow compatriot and it's another thing when you talk to a foreign national. In the latter case you would be well bothered about such things as national prestige and you will be tempted to defend the Government of your country, even if you would bash it when talking to a compatriot.

However, neither of those misguided ideas would emerge had the America stayed off the Russia's shores. May be, the U.S. should just stop funding Russia's NGOs, in order not to irritate Russia's citizens? After all, it's an indisputable fact that the Arab Spring (so hailed in the West) was an economical disaster for the Arab states, which resulted in subsequent political backlashes, as seen in Egypt.

The problem that you do not get an awful lot of the Russian perspective outside of RT is, that it takes an awfully well-educated Russian to write in good English. An ordinary Russian who would like to share his perspective in English just hasn't read a few thousands English books that would allow him to write well (enough to be competitive as a writer and do not look like a moron because of his/her use of English). As the result, English authors and American/British perspective dominates in the English world. Breaking through the language barrier requires enormous effort, that is possible only for large structures, such as the Russian state.

You could try mail.ru -- a good old Russian e-mail provider. POP3 / IMAP are supported:

help.mail.ru/mail-help/mailer/popsmtp

As long as you do not send or receive top secret U.S. documents, I do not see why you should bother.

"If there is pressure on Russia for Pussy Riot or their anti-gay laws, and that pressure is maintained, there's a chance of changing those things."

No, there isn't a chance to change those things using pressure. If they are changed, it won't be because of the pressure. Pressure only serves to irritate Russian Government and the general Russian population alike. But stupid American right-wingers do not care.

Very often scientific research implies the need to do some programming. But in most cases, science comes first, and programming is a secondary (although often a crucial) skill. If you like to do science, go for a grad school in science (look for what science would you like to contribute to), and your programming skills will be in demand -- sometimes!

Good deal.

Nice THHGTTG reference. But it's actually half poetry, half essays.

Not that we _help_ Snowden... He is not welcomed and not granted an asylum. Also, Putin has publicly said that there's nothing news-worthy in Snowden's revelations, because it's the way all secret agencies in all countries work.

I find it strange that it comes down to the discussion of whether Russia is a "bastion of human rights"... Nobody's claiming that in Russia. We know our weaknesses and we work on them.

RT is not the Russian television. It's a Russian-funded and owned American opposition television. They capitalize on the stories that are omitted by the mainstream American media (because quite seriously, who would care about Russia?).

First, in the Russian press, there's no THAT clear distinction between commentaries and news.
However, the Russian press is diverse. I wonder what was your rationale for choosing the "Pravda"? (It's not even pro-gov!)
Also, I wonder why would you read the Russian press for the purposes other than getting informed about the local (regional) situation (which MIGHT be appreciably different from what is reported in the West).

I could advise you the following venues, which follow different editorial policies:
(1) lenta.ru
News/commentary website with opposition-leaning agenda.

(2) rusrep.ru
Magazine for the "middle class". Often runs interesting reports.

(3) izvestia.ru
Pro-gov-leaning newspaper. Interesting reads.

(4) mk.ru
A popular newspaper (more to the tabloid side). News/commentaries.

However, for purposes other than showing off, you would have to learn Russian to be able to read the press.

When it comes from the United States, it's fringe. When it comes from Russia, it's news. Because Russia itself is considered fringe in the West. Misplaced perceptions account for the fact that the same thing could be news, or not news, depending on its origin.

Meanwhile, transhumanist magazines like hplusmagazine.com make no distinction between the American and Russian contributors. The transhumanist community is genuinely international, and that's a positive fact if you consider it.

So, when a Western company hires a Russian freelancer to do a 100$ job, it's okey. But when a Russian software company sells its product worldwide, it's all fishy and KGB. Indeed, why are Russians allowed to run software-related businesses? All coders from Russia should work for Western companies for food.

I do not say that you should love Putin. Just that you shouldn't shy away from software produced in Russia because of him.