If you want an animal, go to the zoo.

If you want a guru, go to the mountain-top.

If you want a rock star, wait around the stage door at Madison Square Garden and hope you get lucky.

If you're seeking a craftsman, talented developer, smart or brilliant programmer, someone with a particular skill set -- or any other combination of human qualities and technical capabilities, ask for those things.

You may find you get what you need -- minus the mythology, attendant fantasies, and egos (yours and theirs).