Sometimes we get really lucky. There’s a product in the market that exactly meets our needs. It need not be The Perfect Thing, but importantly, it’s the perfect thing for you.

That’s all we are really looking for– great quality products we can afford that solve our problems just right, and maybe, just maybe, offer an extra something delightful into the mix.

But because we’re each individuals, with our own unique problems and preferences, we don’t often get The Perfect Thing. The market for The Perfect Thing may not be big enough to make it worth making, if it’s even possible to make your Perfect Thing. So we often compromise and it’s fine. There are plenty of good things out there.

A lot of pointless fighting on the internet happens between folks who have found or are very close to having The Perfect Thing and by those who are far away. It’s a tired argument. The folks who are happy with what’s out there aren’t defending it because they think it’s right for everyone– they are terrified at losing The Perfect Thing. And the folks who are unhappy are convinced they can’t get what they want because of obstinance instead of accepting that what they want may not be what enough people want.

It’s really nice to not have to think about things. My favorite products are The Perfect Thing, because I stop thinking about them. I don’t think about the TV stand I have. I don’t think about the bar we bought. I don’t think about my office chair. I don’t think about my home theater speakers. I am not sure I love these things the way I love my guitar, which I think about constantly. I just spend hundreds of dollars on my guitar 1. But in some ways, maybe I love these things even more. They occupy no space and use no energy.

There’s a lot of relentless optimization/maximization out there. It’s exhausting. Don’t make it a hobby unless it’s fun. It’s fun for me to think about guitar equipment. It’s not fun for me to think about email apps.

  1. Copper shielding and a plek fret leveling and setup. ↩︎