This is just great. I remember reading one of Gladwell's earlier versions of this argument -- I think it was a transcript of a talk, and it was all about Fleet

This is just great. I remember reading one of Gladwell's earlier versions of this argument -- I think it was a transcript of a talk, and it was all about Fleetwood Mac. I recommend trying to find that, too, because the Fleetwood Mac angle is really hilarious. I don't exactly buy this dichotomy of his, actually. I think that trying to force all creative people into two categories is a futile exercise if you take it too seriously -- there are more than just two kinds of creative people. And, yet, I appreciate the explanatory value of the dichotomy approach, even if it isn't particularly accurate -- it's dramatic, it's easy for people to understand (folks like dichotomies -- would "Hot or Not" have been as popular if it had included "Hottish" and "Maybe" options?) and it serves the main goal: To throw a big, dramatic spotlight on the late bloomers, who otherwise tend to be entirely ignored. In other words, two isn't the right number of categories, but I do think it is better than one.