[jakejake]

There is something to be said for pursuing things that have absolutely no practical application. There is nothing wrong with amusing one's self and perhaps even learning things along the way.

I don't agree with the "I'm older and smarter than you" and "you should travel the world drinking on exotic beaches" points. That's not everybody's bag. Though, I would tend to agree with about the value of one's time and energy.

The thing about this project is that you could just switch the language from Brainfuck to literally anything that isn't an academic gag. You would do the same work and gain the exact same experiences. In the end, in addition to simply the learning experience, you will have produced something that may likely be usable to many people. Of course you won't be able to get the same lulz as you would telling people that you spent a year of your life writing a Brainfuck interpreter.