Steve Yegge is one of the bloggers I read almost religiously. His posts are full of insights on the software development topics and in general, and he is always ready with an amusing anecdote from his rich life. His last post Have you ever legalized marijuana? didn’t disappoint either. The author explains “Shit’s Easy Syndrome” (a difficult topic even for seasoned bloggers) in a gay romp that takes a reader from a light-hearted review of a book on “bugs in our mental software” to hapless VPs to many technical difficulties of legalizing a psychoactive drug extracted from the plant Cannabis sativa. But the most entertaining and educating part is the incredible story of the author’s life.

Proving well beyond a reasonable doubt that heavy pot smoking doesn’t affect mental abilities he regales his readers with some relevant events of his life. Apparently while smoking pot he (I am quoting Steve directly):

• …skipped three grades (3rd, 7th and 8th)
• …entered high school at age 11
• …graduated at age 14
• …had stellar SAT scores
• …was a U.S. Navy nuclear reactor operator
• …and much much more!

It is obvious for any impartial observer that smoking pot “on more occasions that [he] can count” at least since the 2nd grade (I assume he was 7 at that time unless he was a wunderkind and started school earlier) didn’t affect his academic nor professional achievements. Probably it even helped!

Implications are mind-boggling. Just think about positive implications for our elementary schools and the nuclear energy industry if we are bold enough to follow Steve’s footsteps.

I can attest that Steve is not unique in this respect. Once I’ve met a guy who skipped not 3 but 4 years (!) — 2001 immediately followed 1996 without anything in between. Later this guy went to space on several occasions (without any protective devices!), and not only met Elvis in the astral plane (a lot of people reported that) but was honored to sing duets with him! I don’t know how he did it — the guy is completely tone-deaf, but facts are facts.

Somehow it circles us back to “bugs in our mental software” and who/what puts them there. You didn’t expect this twist? Good job, Steve!