Alexander De Ridder - Co

The speaker discussed their upbringing in Bruges, Belgium, a UNESCO world heritage historical city. Bruges was once one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, with a vibrant trading marketplace where people from all over Europe would come to sell and trade their goods. This influx of money made Bruges a beautiful historical town and this mercantile history has had a lasting impression on the speaker, who has adopted a business mindset focused on solving problems and providing service.

The speaker was raised in a small town and felt like a 'free range chicken', with independence and freedom from a young age. Growing up surrounded by beautiful architecture from multiple epochs has made an indelible impression on him, making him able to recognize when something is off or not quite right. This appreciation of beauty carries through to his software development, where he believes in the concept of beauty being linked to the divine and striving to create something that is beautiful and meaningful.

The conversation discussed the concept of beauty and how it is reflected in the physical world. It was argued that beauty can act like a candle that spreads light and that too much of the modern era is focused on creating functional things without considering their aesthetics. The speaker then asked the other person to name something beautiful they had seen or admired in the last couple of years. The other person mentioned the French open source projects that they had observed and admired for their beautiful code and structure. They concluded that the French had developed an eye for beauty due to the fact that they were surrounded by it growing up. Lastly, they mentioned that humans have hardware that enables them to appreciate beauty.

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