Notes

One thought each, still changing.

A question, a claim, an observation. They change as I learn more; push back on any of them.

Questions 12

How can a self-learner reach MS-level CS theory?The curriculum, sequence and resources for MS-level CS theory, and how to know you got there.

How can a self-learner build professional software-engineering craft?Mid-level engineering craft, free resources, professional shipping, and learning with coding agents.

What is an independent researcher, and how do they sustain themselves?What defines independent researchers, what keeps them going, and how they trade off against academia.

Which APIs and tools query scientific papers programmatically?How researchers and agents retrieve papers, citation graphs and author metrics through APIs.

How is the R&D-as-a-service market structured?The segments, players and value propositions of R&D as a service.

How do physical phenomena give rise to formal mathematical systems?From physics-informed ML to nature-inspired mathematics: how observation and formal systems relate.

How does someone become a sustainable independent researcher?The steps, finances, tools and credibility signals needed to research independently for the long term.

How does peer review work at top ML conferences?The review pipeline, anonymity rules and yearly timeline of ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR and CVPR.

How do aneural biological systems process information and learn?How plants, slime moulds and single cells sense, decide, remember and communicate without a brain.

How should a beginner learn programming without tutorial hell?Why novices stall on syntax, and how a mental model of the machine gets them building.

Do Product Hunt launches still measure real startups?Whether launch counts still track startups being built, now that agents make shipping cheap.

Where is the moat once foundation models commoditise?If models become interchangeable, whether the desktop agent harness becomes the defensible layer.