Math Academy - The Fastest Way to Actually Learn Maths

Math Academy: The Fastest Way to Actually Learn Maths

TL;DR Math Academy is an AI-driven adaptive learning platform covering everything from 4th-grade arithmetic to university-level linear algebra and machine learning mathematics Its headline claim: four times the speed of a traditional class, compressing roughly 180 classroom hours into 20-40 hours of focused practice The mechanism is what makes the claim worth taking seriously - fully adaptive diagnostics, spaced repetition, and mastery-based progression with no filler It is built for exactly the adult who always meant to go back and fill the gaps: the data science course you cannot follow, the notation that stops you cold The honest caveat: the speed claim assumes you sit down and do the work consistently - the platform cannot manufacture motivation from nothing The Gap Between Knowing Maths and Being Good at It Most adults who went through mainstream education have a complicated relationship with maths. They were taught it, they passed it (or did not), and then they mostly stopped doing it. Somewhere between primary school and the end of formal education, the subject either clicked or it did not - and for a significant majority, it did not. ...

April 22, 2026 · 7 min · James M
How BASIC shaped a generation of programmers in the 1980s

How BASIC Shaped a Generation of Programmers

TL;DR BASIC shaped how a generation thought about programming not because it was good, but because it was the only language shipped with the C64, Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Apple II - the machine booted straight into it The gateway effect was real: zero installation, instant feedback, and a language readable enough that magazine listings could be typed in and modified by children Its flaws left marks too - type coercion taught loose thinking, and GOTO-heavy structure fuelled the structured-programming backlash Platform-fragmented dialects meant BASIC skills never fully transferred, an early lesson in lock-in BASIC’s real legacy is the idea that a computer should be programmable by its owner out of the box - something modern computing has largely abandoned When you powered on a Commodore 64 in 1983, the first thing you saw was: ...

April 9, 2026 · 12 min · James M
What expertise means when AI can pass any exam

What Does 'Expertise' Mean When AI Can Pass Any Exam?

TL;DR AI can now pass virtually every professional exam, breaking the long-held assumption that passing an exam equals having expertise What exams actually tested was knowledge retrieval under pressure - a bottleneck that no longer exists when machines can retrieve and apply knowledge better than any human Real expertise is what remains after knowledge retrieval is automated: judgment, integration of context, responsibility, and taste - none of which appear on any exam Professions built on credentialing (law, medicine, engineering) are being forced to confront that their proxies for expertise never measured the thing they cared about New models of assessment - portfolio-based credentialing, apprenticeship, outcomes tracking, and community reputation - will replace exams, but none of them scale as easily In 2023, Claude passed the bar exam. In 2024, it passed the CPA exam and medical licensing exams. By 2026, there’s barely an exam left that AI can’t pass, often on the first try. ...

April 6, 2026 · 7 min · James M
Very Very Large Numbers Banner

Very very large numbers

What Are Very Large Numbers? Large numbers exist on a spectrum so extreme that human intuition breaks down. From the observable universe containing roughly 10^80 atoms, to numbers so impossibly vast that they dwarf the atoms themselves, these magnitudes challenge our ability to comprehend scale. But they’re not just abstract curiosities. Large numbers appear in computer science (combinatorics, compression), physics (entropy, quantum possibilities), and mathematics (set theory, ordinal numbers). Understanding them requires leaving behind our everyday sense of “big” and embracing the mathematical structures that define these hierarchies. ...

April 21, 2024 · 4 min · James M
Music Production Courses

Music Production Courses

Ableton Ableton Certified Training ADSR Ask.Video Coursera Groove3 London Academy of Music Production MacProVideo Point Blank Music School Producertech Skillshare Udemy Tomas George - music producer, composer & audio engineer Ableton Live 11 - Music Production in Ableton Live - learn music production, recording, editing, music mixing, songwriting & music theory Cubase Ask.Video Groove3 London Academy of Music Production Sonic Academy Steinberg Logic Pro Udemy Tomas George - music producer, composer & audio engineer Music Production in Logic Pro X - The Beginners Guide! - learn the basics of setting up, creating music & music production in Logic Pro X Music Production in Logic Pro X - The Complete Course! - creating, recording, mixing music & mastering in Logic Pro X Maschine ADSR Ask.Video MacProVideo Maschine Tutorials Producertech Masterclass Armin van Buuren Teaches Dance Music deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking Mix With The Masters Learn the entire process of music production, mixing and mastering from the world’s top engineers and producers through seminars and online videos ...

January 19, 2024 · 2 min · James M
DevOps Explainers Banner

DevOps Explainers

Most engineering concepts are easier than they look once someone explains them clearly. This page collects short explainer notes on the fundamentals I find myself re-explaining most often, each paired with the best external visual or video I have found on the topic. APIs An API is a contract: this is what I will accept, this is what I promise to return, this is how I will behave when something goes wrong. Everything else - REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets - is just a different way of expressing that contract over the wire. ...

December 15, 2023 · 5 min · James M
Blockchain and Crypto Resources Banner

Blockchain & Crypto Resources

Curated YouTube Channels Explore these trusted YouTube channels covering blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Web3, and market analysis. Educational & Technical Andreas Antonopoulos - One of the most trusted and engaging educators in the Bitcoin industry, explaining blockchain fundamentals with clarity and depth Coin Bureau - Comprehensive informational portal to the cryptocurrency ecosystem with detailed project analysis MMCrypto - In-depth coverage of cryptocurrency and blockchain topics for learners at all levels Market & Trading Altcoin Daily - Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, NFTs, altcoins, metaverse, mining, trading, and investing insights ...

December 1, 2023 · 2 min · James M
List of Personal Development Courses Banner

List of Personal Development Courses

A comprehensive guide to reputable online courses and programs designed to support personal growth, self-improvement, and skill development. University Platforms Harvard - Professional Learning Harvard’s platform offers rigorous self-improvement courses from one of the world’s leading universities. Self-Improvement Courses edX EdX provides courses from top universities and institutions, with many available at no cost. Self-Improvement Courses Specialized Learning Platforms Udemy Udemy offers affordable, practical courses across numerous personal development topics. ...

May 28, 2023 · 1 min · James M
Blockchain and Web3 Courses Banner

Blockchain & Web3 Courses

Overview Whether you’re a beginner exploring blockchain fundamentals or an experienced developer building decentralized applications, these curated courses provide structured learning paths from foundation concepts to advanced smart contract development. Beginner-Friendly Resources Start with fundamentals and core concepts: CryptoZombies - Interactive, game-based introduction to Solidity programming. Perfect for complete beginners to learn smart contract basics through engaging gameplay. Blockchain Council Certified Blockchain Developer™ - Professional certification program with structured curriculum covering blockchain architecture, consensus mechanisms, and development fundamentals Web3 University - Open-source education hub with accessible guides and tutorials. Great for understanding Web3 concepts without heavy technical prerequisites. ...

April 18, 2023 · 2 min · James M
AI explainers - foundational concepts

AI Explainers

TL;DR A curated set of the clearest technical explainers of foundational AI concepts - the ones that build real intuition, not just vocabulary Covers fundamentals (backprop, neural networks), transformers and language models, and generative models like diffusion Authors include Andrej Karpathy, Stephen Wolfram, and NVIDIA’s developer team - high signal, low fluff Read one piece slowly rather than skimming five - the value is in working through the maths, not collecting links Pairs well with the courses list if you want a structured path after the explainers click A curated collection of clear, technical explanations of foundational AI concepts. These resources help build intuition about how modern AI systems actually work. ...

February 15, 2023 · 2 min · James M