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Adam Kalsey

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

Thanks O'Reilly

29 Jun 2009

Signing up for OSCON today, I was asked by the O'Reilly site to prove I was human. Of course, it required super-human effort to get it right.

impossible captcha

It took me three tries, and all three captchas were as annoying as this one. This is the one I finally got right. That second character? That’s a seven.

Tip: if you have a case-sensitive captcha, don’t include characters that could be mis-interpreted in your image. The letters W U O P S K Z C V all look the same uppercase or lowercase, especially when distorted as captchas are. I could be the number one, a lowercase L, or a capital I. O might be a zero. Even the capital and lowercase J look fairly similar.

Recently Written

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Jan 8: Culture is your company’s point of view in action—a framework guiding behavior, even in the unknown. You can’t copy it; it must reflect your unique perspective.
Think Systems, not Symptoms
Dec 15: Piecemeal process creation frustrates teams and slows work. Stop patching problems and start solving systems. Adopting a systems thinking approach helps you design processes that are efficient, aligned with goals, and truly add value.
Your Policies Aren’t Your Culture
Dec 13: Policies guide behavior, but culture is the lived norms and values of your team. Policies reflect culture -- they don’t define it. Netflix’s parental leave shift didn’t change its culture of freedom and responsibility. It clarified how to live it.
Lighten Your Process Burden
Dec 7: Everyone hates oppressive processes, but somehow we keep managing to create them.
Product Add-Ons Are An Expansion Myth
Dec 1: Add-ons can enhance your product’s appeal but won’t drive significant market growth. To expand your customer base, focus on developing standalone products.
Protecting your Product Soul when the Same Product meets New People.
Nov 23: Expand into new markets while preserving your product’s core value. Discover how to adapt and grow without losing your product’s soul.
Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.

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