The Syllabus
Capability must arrive slower than humility. This map covers the transition from fundamental sensemaking to research-grade intelligence.
Grounding & Cognitive Safety
- 01. Numbers as Meaning (Not Symbols)
- 02. Scale, Ratios & Comparison
- 03. Change & Relationships
- 04. Functions as Relationships
- 05. Graphs as Stories
- 06. Logic & Clear Thinking
- 07. Computing Without Code
- 08. Cognitive Safety & Attention
- A1. Sets, Relations & Formal Structure
- A2. Functions (The Formal View)
- A3. Logical Implication & Reasoning
- A4. Counterexamples & Boundary Thinking
- A5. Formal Graphs & Constraints
The Personal Dashboard
Large dynamic numbers (age in seconds).
The Vibe Rater / Converter
Relative value (Pizza Value Calculator).
The Habit Tracker
Change over time & local persistence.
Text Transformer / Decision Maker
Input/Output mappings and conditional logic.
Structure & Execution
- 01. Discrete Thinking & Structure
- 02. Algorithms as Thinking Models
- 03. Problem Decomposition
- 04. Recursion (Intuitive, Not Formal)
- 05. Introduction to Programming (Gentle)
- 06. Debugging as Thinking
- 07. Systems Thinking & Feedback
- 08. Cognitive Pacing in Complex Tasks
- A2.1 Time & Space as Costs
- A2.2 Formal Recursion & Termination
- A2.3 Core Data Structures
- A2.4 Graph Traversal & Search
- A2.5 State Machines & Executable Models
- A2.6 Failure Modes & Boundary Analysis
The Relationship Mapper
Graph visualization of friend networks.
The Project Breaker
Kanban boards via decomposition logic.
The Arcade Clone
Physics engine variables & parameter tweaking.
The Viral Simulator
Feedback loops and emergent behavior dots.
Uncertainty & Adaptation
- 01. Uncertainty & Randomness
- 02. Probability as Belief (Not Frequency)
- 03. Random Variables & Distributions
- 04. Data, Noise & Bias
- 05. What “Learning” Really Means
- 06. Building a Simple Learning System
- 07. Evaluation, Failure & Misuse
- 08. Emotional Stability Under Uncertainty
- S3.1 Probability Axioms & Formal Belief
- S3.2 Random Variables & Limits
- S3.3 Statistical Inference & Estimation
- S3.4 Bayesian Updating & Prior Sensitivity
- S3.5 Learning Theory & Generalization
- S3.6 Research Papers as Arguments
The Loot Box / Sports Better
Stochastic logic and confidence scores.
The Dirty Scraper
Data cleaning and selection bias checks.
Teachable Machine / Trend Line
Linear regression and no-code training data.
The Pivot
Backtesting and killing failed builds.
Integration & Power
- 01. World Models & Representation
- 02. Emergence & Complex Behavior
- 03. Multi-Agent Thinking
- 04. Incentives, Markets & Feedback
- 05. Ethics as Design Constraint
- 06. Limits of Intelligence
- 07. Integration Practice
- S4.1 The Alignment Problem (Formal View)
- S4.2 Scaling Laws & Emergent Failure
- S4.3 Control, Corrigibility & Oversight
- S4.4 Multi-Agent Risk & Arms Dynamics
- S4.5 Governance, Institutions & Power
- S4.6 Catastrophic & Existential Risk
Second Brain (RAG)
PDF context injection and mapping.
The AI Crew
Multi-agent node hand-offs and orchestration.
Clickbait Optimizer
Goodhart's Law in feedback loops.
The Safety Wrapper
Guardrailing and moderation layers.
Epistemic Survivability
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5.1
Formal Math for Intelligence
Linear Algebra (SVD), Calculus (Hessians), KKT conditions.
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5.2
Probability & Risk at Scale
Information entropy, KL divergence, Ergodicity, and Tail-risk.
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5.3
Advanced AI & Emergence
Transformer internals, Attention heads, and Scaling laws.
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5.4
Systems & Failure Modes
Distributed cascades and brittleness postmortems.
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5.5
Alignment & Power
Inner alignment, Corrigibility, and Governance research.
The Containment Breach
Research-Grade Artifact: Formal critique or reproduction of a frontier AI claim. Defensible under adversarial oral examination.