sonabinu

I think this is the best structured class out there that teaches how to scale LLMs . Hope the 17 year old knows linear algebra. Building an intuition for the shape of the matrices is important. A lot of understanding the 'building from scratch' means understanding choices like why RoPE instead of the original frequency based positional encoding. Start with Karpathy and then go to CS 336

The views of Terrance Tao on this is a great read https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.16753

Great project for kids interested in EECS. I wonder if a miniature version can we done at a fraction of the cost as a cool high school project.

I’m watching the Frontier Systems videos - https://cs153.stanford.edu/

The one issue I had with the CS336 course was the delivery of the RL components. I liked Lectures 5 & 6 from CME 295 better

https://cme295.stanford.edu/syllabus/

I’ve heard good things about the diffusion models class as well - CME 296. Seems like a good next step.

https://cme296.stanford.edu/syllabus/

I brought a group together to do this class using the YouTube videos and course materials available online. It is challenging but rewarding. We tackled it one lecture video per week. Started with over 30 learners and by last session we were down to 8.

The repo - https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book?tab=readme-ov-fi...

What I like most are that most libraries are lively without being distracting. There is some movement but it’s not excessive. I’ve found it a great place for focused study and deep reading.

This is a position paper.

poetic justice (pun intended)

I kept wondering why this sounds like what Jim Simons would have done! Now I know

There are weekends where I spent 3 to 4 hours reading at the public library. It is definitely a deliberate act, not always supported by other family members but it is possible. I am able to do 20 to 30 books a year. All the best! I hope you are able to get started. Happy reading.

Could also be husband and kids ;)

I have my reading material next to my work desk. I read 15 to 20 minutes before I start work and most days read about 15 to 20 before bed. I also read over the weekends and have chosen that over TV and other entertainment. I carry a book with me to places where I have to wait - doctor's office, DMV, airports, school conferences etc.

Thanks for sharing this. I was debating buying the book.

I was actually thinking Jean Paul Satre when I read his answers

Ericsson’s book Peak is a great read on the topic https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Secrets-New-Science-Expertise/dp...?

I take classes at community college to up/revise skills in foundational mathematics. What I love is the small class sizes, the presence of adult students and the teacher engagement. This alongside the need to finish hw, keeps me on track

In Feynman's 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!' there is a chapter where he describes his observations on 'how does it feels to go to sleep' as part of an essay for a class. This and other lectures/writings from Feynman gives cues to his technique and also the almost impish curiosity with which he approaches a problem. IMHO the best way to master or learn from him, is read/watch his works/lectures.

A very powerful story! thanks for sharing

Learning a new skill that’s very different from what you do at work. I’ve found passion in reading and learning about financial markets and their cyclical nature.

Is it even possible that this article made it to press!

Chess was invented in India - legend from China? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess

This is true in any profession. Building intuition comes from doing more and more with incrementally difficult challenges. There comes a point at which one can make connections and apply what you know from one area into another, and creativity kicks in.

Looks like an interesting article but behind a paywall

Interesting how this title has magically now become - “What a musician turned cognitive scientist wants you to know about life” in the article

Interesting how it dropped off from the front page in less than 5 hrs

It’s really good! I especially like how he explains the code with the Attention is All You Need paper. His State of GPT talk at Microsoft is a great follow up. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s6zNXZaIiiI

Short term TBills are a great place to park money.

I’ve done few math pre requisites at community college. In my experience, the educators care a lot about the students. They are very helpful.