Adam Kalsey

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Personal

Matrix Geeks

15 May 2003

The local news interviewed some people who were camped out in line to get tickets to the Matrix. Invariably the people interviewed were geeks. And not successful, well adjusted, tech company executive geeks, either. These were people whose primary source of light is the glow from their monitors at 4am and whose facial hair appeared to be growing them, rather than the other way around.

It got me thinking about why geeks of all types love this movie. Forget about the pat answers such as "there’s finally an original story from Hollywood." The real reason is that the hero is a computer hacker. In this movie, the geeks save the world.

Recently Written

The Pumpkin Talks Back
Nov 6: I gave my flaming jack-o'-lantern a voice, a camera, and a personality, and let it insult trick-or-treaters for six hours.
A Skills Wheel for Product Designers
Oct 18: I love Petra Wille's PM Wheel for product managers. I couldn't find an equivalent for designers, so I built one.
Where Does Product Marketing Belong?
Mar 6: The debate about whether PMM reports to product or marketing has a simple answer once you ask the right question.
The Rise of Vertical Software
Feb 15: AI makes execution cheap. Deep industry knowledge becomes the real moat.
Using Chatbots as a Tutor
Feb 11: A prompt that turns your LLM chatbot into a custom tutor.
How to Interview Product Managers
Nov 9: Most people never learned to interview, so when thrust into hiring a product manager they ask bad questions. Here's how to ask better ones, with lots of examples of real questions.
AI as Your Strategic Thinking Partner
Oct 12: AI becomes a lens on your own logic. It doesn’t replace your judgment—it sharpens it. By asking questions you wouldn’t think to ask yourself, it turns private reasoning into something visible and testable.
Your OKR Cascade is Breaking Your Strategy
Aug 1: Most companies cascade OKRs down their org chart thinking it creates alignment. Instead, it fragments strategy and marginalizes supporting teams. Here's what works better than the waterfall approach.

Older...

What I'm Reading