Hacker News with Generative AI: Learning

In defense of shallow technical knowledge (seangoedecke.com)
Building a shallow understanding about how technologies you use work is very helpful, because it lets you have useful insights (about performance, quality, when the technology is a good fit, and so on).
Understand anything, anywhere with the new NotebookLM app (google)
Listen to Audio Overviews on the go with the new iOS and Android apps.
What Your Brain Looks Like When You Solve a Problem (gizmodo.com)
Researchers have revealed that epiphanies physically reshape brain activity. What’s more, they discovered that people remember epiphanies better than solutions reached through a more methodical approach. These results could have important implications for how instructors approach teaching in classrooms.
Spaced repetition memory system (2024) (andymatuschak.org)
A spaced-repetition memory system combines the Testing effect and the Spacing effect to enable efficient memorization of many thousands of facts (Spaced repetition memory systems are extremely efficient). Some people also use them for a broader set of tasks (see below). Spaced repetition memory systems make memory a choice, but they’re not just for rote facts: Spaced repetition memory systems can be used to develop conceptual understanding.
Spaced repetition systems have gotten better (domenic.me)
Mastering any subject is built on a foundation of knowledge: knowledge of facts, of heuristics, or of problem-solving tactics.
AI is like hyperprocessed foods for learning (blindsidenetworks.com)
Generative artifical intelligence is hugely disrupting the normal processes of learning with significant negative consequences.  I felt we lack a common framework to assess why this is happening and what to do about it.  By shifting the discussion away from the technology to how our brains actually learn, I believe we can shift the focus from making learning “easier” to making it more efficient and effective, thereby ensuring positive outcomes for learners now and in the future.
Art of Chording (2022) (artofchording.com)
Thanks for checking out Art of Chording. This book's goal is to enable anyone to learn stenography (or steno, for short.)
How to practice 'deep reading' (2024) (npr.org)
When was the last time you got lost in a book? These days, the act of 'deep reading,' or reading with intention, can be difficult to practice.
Ask HN: Escaping a Low-Paying Nepali IT Job and Ineffective Learning Cycle (ycombinator.com)
I'm drained by my unfulfilling, low-paying IT job in Nepal, which I keep to avoid financial uncertainty. My skills after 2+ years are limited to basic Linux command line. I study subjects like Java, DSA, and Computer Networks, but I forget what I learn, delete my notes, and restart, making little progress. My resume and interviewing skills are weak, and lying on my resume hasn't helped.
Math Machine – A notebook will show your kid how far they have travelled (kidswholovemath.substack.com)
At some point, math needs to be written down to solve it
Structuring Competency-Based Courses Through Skill Trees (arxiv.org)
Computer science education has seen two important trends. One has been a shift from raw theory towards skills: competency-based teaching. Another has been increasing student numbers, with as a result more automation in teaching.
Both novelty and familiarity affect memory (theconversation.com)
When getting ready to take exams, it can sometimes feel as though there’s no way all the information you need to remember is going to fit in your brain. But there are ways to create the right conditions to make your studying as efficient as possible.
Ask HN: AI tools to help you learn faster (GitHub, books, PDFs) (ycombinator.com)
It feels the way to learn in the age of AI should be totally different. Eg I came across https://github.com/AsyncFuncAI/deepwiki-open and it's amazing at helping you quickly understand a repo. What other tools like this exist for github repos / books / PDFs / whitepapers / etc?
Recognizing Patterns in Memory (2022) (timdbg.com)
Something I find frustrating is how hard it is to teach debugging skills. I think the biggest reason is because there are many things that can only be learned through experience. This is true for anything that requires pattern recognition.
Handwriting activates broader brain networks than typing (psypost.org)
While keyboards dominate modern classrooms, a new study in Frontiers in Psychology suggests handwriting may be irreplaceable when it comes to learning.
Ask HN: What is the most interesting thing you've learned lately? (ycombinator.com)
Ask HN: What is the most interesting thing you've learned lately?
Ask HN: Writing an Interpreter in Go or Crafting Interpreters? (ycombinator.com)
I'm thinking of learning about compilers and am pleased to find that there seems to be at least two very accessible choices, "Writing An Interpreter In Go" and Crafting Interpreters. Curious if folks here have experience with either and could provide recommendations?
Dopamine 'gas pedal' and serotonin 'brake' team up to accelerate learning (thetransmitter.org)
Mice learn fastest and most reliably when they experience an increase in dopamine paired with an inhibition of serotonin in their nucleus accumbens, a new study shows, helping to resolve long-standing questions about the neuromodulators’ relationship.
Ask HN: What are the best books with problem sets that test your understanding? (ycombinator.com)
What books with end-of-chapter problems have you found most valuable for truly mastering a subject? Can be any field – computer science, math, physics, economics, etc.
Show HN: LeetGPU, a playground to learn practice and hone your GPU programming. (ycombinator.com)
Learn, write, practice CUDA programming on LeetGPU.com, an online CUDA playground for anyone to write and execute CUDA code without needing a GPU and for free
Show HN: I Built an AI-Powered System to Help You Learn Any Skill in 30 Days (30daysmethod.com)
30 days is a Notion system that help you learn anything in only one month of discipline, changing your life is in your hand now.
Learn electricity and electronics fundamentals without taking a formal course (simonmonk.org)
Learn electricity and electronics fundamentals and up-to-date applications―all without taking a formal course
Getting the Firmware of a VTech/LeapFrog LeapStart/Magibook (prose.sh)
This is a very small blog post about my first reverse engineering project, in which I don't really reverse engineer anything yet, but I am just getting started!
Show HN: Owl, a Spaced Repetition App (owl.cards)
Memory is fleeting. Owl uses the science of spaced repetition to help you retain more knowledge and be more creative.
Breaking computers taught me to build them (danielsada.tech)
You know when you are on a hike, and there is a point where you are exactly midway through it? There is always a reflection moment in there, where some thinking happens. Sometimes you look back and realize: it’s been a long journey so far, hasn’t it?
When so much knowledge is produced every day, how do you keep up? (ycombinator.com)
Between newsletters, podcasts, Youtube videos, (tech) news, articles, and (of course) books, how does one keep up with it?
Glutamate Unlocks Brain Cell Channels to Enable Thinking and Learning (neurosciencenews.com)
In an effort to understand how brain cells exchange chemical messages, scientists say they have successfully used a highly specialized microscope to capture more precise details of how one of the most common signaling molecules, glutamate, opens a channel and allows a flood of charged particles to enter.
Ask HN: If you had 100 hours to learn something new, what would you learn? (ycombinator.com)
As a software engineer, To boost your career in this era.
Typed Japanese (github.com/typedgrammar)
If you can write TypeScript, you can understand Japanese!
A deliberate practice app for guitar players who want to level up (captrice.io)
Practice using a smart metronome that captures metrics and turns them into actionable insights; paired with an effective practice method focusing on speed, endurance, accuracy, and adaptability.