I had a pretty good feeling that I'd come back to a comment like this. I was simple articulating why I believe many "hackers", historically the folks we'd call

I had a pretty good feeling that I'd come back to a comment like this. I was simple articulating why I believe many "hackers", historically the folks we'd call "geeks, are popping pills. It's not completely inconsistent when you consider the culture they're living in. I was not trying to lend any legitimacy to it. That's just putting words in my mouth. Furthermore, arguing about the legitimacy is a completely different matter, and deserves its own thread altogether IMO. I would be with you on amphetamines being illegitimate, a subtle form of cheating. However, what is one man's cheat is simply "clever" or "brilliant" to another. You ought to be prepared to spell out exactly what you mean by "cheating", and in what context, before you try and rail against me for suggesting something as innocuous as I did. Finally, if you think higher education is for 'self-development and learning', then you're either living in the past, or have a naively idealistic view on what the current situation is in colleges across the country. If colleges are about one thing, it's about getting a job. The school I attend is incredibly competitive, and there isn't room for self-development. If you want self-development, you're better off dropping out. 0.02c