John Carmack's Obsessive Logic Used Thermite to Break Into School

Armed with a homemade thermite paste, 14-year-old John Carmack melted through a Kansas middle school window, not for malice, but to secure the logical consistency of an Apple II processor. This singular act of engineering brilliance redefined his life, marking the beginning of a trajectory that led from a juvenile detention center to revolutionizing 3D gaming with Doom and Quake. By viewing his life through a neurodivergent lens, we reveal a mind that treated the chaotic physical world as a series of inefficient systems to be bypassed by cold, calculated code. All documents, transcripts, and sources are available at nbn.fm/neurodivergent/episode/john-carmack. About Neurodivergent Neurodivergent is a stylized character study of iconic builders, artists, and outliers through a neurodivergent lens. Using AI, we examine how neurodivergent wiring shaped their success. Brought to you by Neural Broadcast Network (NBN).