Ahh, it makes sense now (sort of, heh-heh). Much obliged sampsa and AcaMetis for your replies. Lain does some things so quickly it's not always easy to follow. At any rate I finally realize it's largely about failgold for research, although he did complete Mids and GL for more easily understandable reasons. The way he uses Science Specialists and Cottage Economy to beeline Optics and Astro is truly amazing. Gotta try some of that in my own games. Cheers and thanks again for your expert analysis.