It’s always an illuminating event to find a name for a phenomenon you’ve known existed but didn’t really find a way to communicate it to others. One famous example of it is AJAX. It’s been around for years, got more exposure upon Google Maps, but didn’t really hit the mainstream until Jesse James Garrett labeled the technique AJAX and wrote an article about it.

I have an (annoying, some people say) habit to not only strive for but also buy the best. I don’t really understand people who when seeing me carrying a Powerbook come and wonder: “isn’t it terribly expensive?” Well, yeah, if you compare it to a €799 wholesale store laptop. But come on, it’s my workplace, a hobby and a communication vehicle in one. Why should I settle for anything short of the best?

Lars Pind, my kind host here in Copenhagen, recently posted an entry that really resonated with me:

When you’re a maximizer, second best is not good enough. Good enough isn’t good enough.
It’s not a materialistic thing at all. And it’s not snobbish. It’s a question of aesthetics and value. Why waste this precious life surrounding us with anything less? It’s greatly motivating and uplifting to surround yourself with the best there is, and help make it even better.

That’s me. A maximizer. It’s heartening to find out I’m not that freaky after all.

Me, I find that same kind of satisfaction in a really well thought out business model, in well performed music, in a slick software user interface, in a superbly written article about Ketchup in the New Yorker, in a perfect piece of Parmigiano, a well-executed business move, in an outstanding show by Eddie Izzard, in a beautiful piece of clothing, in a uber-functional perambulator, or in the Californian coast line (yeah, this isn’t man-made like the others, but whoever did it did a pretty impressive job. Kudos!)

Amen. Thank you, Lars, for (among many other things) helping me to take another step towards finding out who I really am.