My First Tech podcast

28:58

What happens when AI becomes vastly smarter than humans? It sounds like science fiction, but researchers are grappling with the very real challenge of ensuring Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is safe for humanity. Join us for a deep dive into the cutting edge of AI safety research, unpacking the technical hurdles and potential solutions. We explore the core risks – from intentional misalignment and misuse to unintentional mistakes – and the crucial assumptions guiding current research, like the pace of AI progress and the "approximate continuity" of its development. Learn about the key strategies being developed, including safer design patterns, robust control measures, and the concept of "informed oversight," as we navigate the complex balance between harnessing AGI's immense potential benefits and mitigating its profound risks. An Approach to Technical AGI Safety and Security: https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/DeepMind.com/Blog/evaluating-potential-cybersecurity-threats-of-advanced-ai/An_Approach_to_Technical_AGI_Safety_Apr_2025.pdf Google Deepmind AGI Safety Course: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9kjlF6lD5UqaZvMTbhJB8sV-yuXu5eW…

My First Tech

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Algorithms for Artificial Intelligence: Understanding the Building Blocks 25:23

7 weeks ago25:23

25:23

Ever tried to understand how AI actually learns, only to get lost in a sea of equations and jargon? This episode is your fast track through the fundamentals of machine learning, breaking down complex concepts into understandable nuggets. Drawing inspiration from Stanford course materials, we ditch the dense textbook approach and offer a clear, conversational deep dive into the core mechanics of AI learning. Join us as we explore: Linear Predictors: The versatile workhorses of early ML, from classifying spam to predicting prices. Feature Extraction: The art of turning raw data (like an email) into numbers the algorithm can understand. Weights & Scores: How AI weighs different information (like ingredients in a recipe) to make a prediction using the dot product. Loss Minimization & Margin: How do we measure when AI gets it wrong, and how does it use that feedback (like the concept of 'margin') to improve? Optimization Powerhouses: Unpacking Gradient Descent and its faster cousin, Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) – the engines that drive the learning process. Whether you're curious about AI or need a refresher on the basics, this episode provides a solid foundation, explaining how machines learn without needing an advanced degree. Get ready to understand the building blocks of artificial intelligence! Stanford's Algorithms for Artificial Intelligence: https://web.stanford.edu/~mossr/pdf/alg4ai.pdf…

My First Tech

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C: The Bedrock of Modern Tech 26:57

9 weeks ago26:57

26:57

It's over 50 years old, yet the C programming language remains a fundamental building block beneath countless technologies we use daily, from operating systems to embedded devices. Join us as we dive deep into the core principles of C, guided by the classic Kernighan & Ritchie text. We explore its history, key syntax, control flow, functions, and the low-level power that explains why C still matters profoundly today. The C Programming Language (2nd Edition): http://cslabcms.nju.edu.cn/problem_solving/images/c/cc/The_C_Programming_Language_%282nd_Edition_Ritchie_Kernighan%29.pdf…

My First Tech

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The Hidden Value of Open Source: Beyond Free Code 23:52

11 weeks ago23:52

23:52

Open source software powers our lives, from our phones to our fridges. We uncover its enormous economic impact, revealing how much businesses save (trillions of dollars!), the importance of different programming languages, and how to ensure its sustainable future. The Value of Open Source Software: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=65230…

My First Tech

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AI Agents: From Smart Homes to Deep Learning 31:10

13 weeks ago31:10

31:10

Ever wondered how AI is transforming our lives, from smart homes to the stock market? In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of AI agents – systems that can perceive, reason, and act to achieve goals. We'll unpack the core concepts from "AI Foundations of Computational Agents," delve into real-world examples like trading and tutoring agents, and discuss the blend of neural networks and logical reasoning that powers them. Get ready to understand the building blocks of AI's future! Artificial Intelligence: Foundations of Computational Agents (3rd Edition): https://mrce.in/ebooks/AI%20Foundations%20of%20Computational%20Agents%203rd%20Ed.pdf…

My First Tech

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Decoding Databases: Indexes, Tradeoffs, and the Quest for Speed 38:40

15 weeks ago38:40

38:40

Unlock the secrets behind lightning-fast data retrieval! We explore the inner workings of database storage engines, from simple bash scripts to complex B-trees. Discover how indexes work, the trade-offs between speed and storage space, and how data warehouses organize vast amounts of historical data. Designing Data-Intensive Applications (free chapters): https://www.scylladb.com/wp-content/uploads/ScyllaDB-Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications.pdf DDIA book: https://dataintensive.net…

My First Tech

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LLMs: Magic or Math? A Deep Dive into Language Models 15:19

17 weeks ago15:19

15:19

Large Language Models are everywhere, but how do they actually work? Join us as we unravel the science and engineering behind these powerful AIs that can write, translate, and even create. From pre-training to fine-tuning, we explore how they learn and what it means for the future of tech. Foundations of Large Language Models: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.09223…

My First Tech

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System Design Deep Dive: Beyond the Code 25:21

19 weeks ago25:21

25:21

Dive into the core of software engineering and system design with us! This episode, we're breaking down key concepts, real-world case studies, and emerging trends using the fantastic insights from ByteByteGo's System Design 101. Whether you’re prepping for an interview, just curious about how systems work, or simply love a good tech deep dive, we've got you covered. We demystify everything from programming languages and network protocols to API security and cloud-native architectures. Get ready to unlock the secrets behind building, deploying, and managing modern applications. Key Themes Covered: - Programming Languages (Compiled vs Interpreted) - Network Protocols (HTTP, TCP, UDP) - API Security and Authentication - Software Architecture Patterns (MVC, MVP, MVVM) - Design Patterns - Solid Principles and "KISS" - Microservices - Database Types and Management - Cloud Computing (IaaS, PaaS) - Cloud Native Approach - CI/CD - Technical Interviews - Object Oriented Programming - The Human Side of Software Development ByteByteGo's System Design 101: repository and document .…

My First Tech

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Machine Learning Mastery: Strategies for Success with Andrew Ng 22:15

21 weeks ago22:15

22:15

Are you working on a machine learning project and feeling overwhelmed? This episode dives into the practical strategies outlined in Andrew Ng's " Machine Learning Yearning ", offering a roadmap for building and improving your AI systems. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and make rapid progress by understanding key concepts like: Setting up effective development and test sets: Discover how to choose data that reflects your future needs, and why your dev and test sets should come from the same distribution. Avoid the pitfall of using training data that does not match what you want to perform well on. The importance of a single-number evaluation metric: Understand how to establish a clear, measurable goal for your team, and how to combine multiple metrics into one. Learn the difference between optimizing and satisficing metrics. The power of iterative development: Learn to quickly build a basic system and then use error analysis to identify the most promising directions for improvement. Error analysis techniques: Explore how to manually examine misclassified examples to identify error categories and prioritize your work. You will also learn how to evaluate multiple ideas in parallel. Discover the importance of cleaning up mislabeled data. Understanding bias and variance: Learn to diagnose and address the two main sources of error in machine learning models. Explore how to interpret learning curves and compare your algorithm to human-level performance. The critical role of human-level performance: Discover how comparing your system to human-level performance can help you estimate optimal error rates and set achievable goals. Tackling data mismatch: Learn strategies for addressing situations where your training and dev/test sets come from different distributions, including how to create artificial data. Debugging inference algorithms: Use the Optimization Verification test to pinpoint problems in your scoring function or search algorithm. End-to-end learning: Understand the pros and cons of end-to-end learning, and how to decide when to use it. Pipeline design: Learn how to choose appropriate components for your pipeline, balancing data availability with task complexity. Understand how to analyze your pipeline by parts to focus on specific improvements. This episode will equip you with actionable strategies to make your machine learning projects more efficient and effective, helping you become a "superhero" in your field.…

My First Tech

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Diving into Operating Systems: Virtualization, Concurrency, and Persistence 21:39

22 weeks ago21:39

21:39

Join us to discuss about the book " Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces " which teaches operating system concepts through a dialogue format between a professor and student. The excerpts cover various topics, including CPU and memory virtualization, concurrency, persistence (file systems and devices), scheduling algorithms (like MLFQ, lottery, and CFS), process management, memory management (paging, segmentation, allocation), and distributed systems. The book uses a combination of explanation, code examples, and figures to illustrate concepts, and includes homework assignments and references to seminal operating systems papers. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying mechanisms of operating systems and the trade-offs involved in designing them.…

My First Tech

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Thinking Like a Computer Scientist: A Python Programming Journey 18:26

23 weeks ago18:26

18:26

This episode explores how to approach problem-solving through computer programming using Python. We'll learn about the core concepts in " Think Python ," including variables, expressions, functions, and control structures , and how these elements work together to create effective programs. We'll focus on developing a "computer science" mindset, and using concepts like incremental development and debugging to tackle complex problems. We will also discuss data structures like lists and dictionaries, object-oriented programming, and file handling to write practical programs, with examples drawn from the textbook. Think Python 2nd edition: book…

My First Tech

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Structure and Interpretation: Exploring the Foundations of Computer Science 10:32

24 weeks ago10:32

10:32

Join us as we delve into the classic textbook, "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" ( SICP ), exploring its key concepts and timeless principles. From abstraction and recursion to metacircular evaluators and logic programming, we unpack the ideas that have shaped generations of programmers. We’ll discuss how these ideas are still relevant today, drawing on concrete examples and explanations from the text and our own exploration. We will be referencing different concepts in the text, including Lisp as a language for describing processes, data abstraction, generic operations, message passing, stream processing and the implementation of evaluators, to fully understand this foundational text.…

My First Tech

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Logic, Proofs, and the Mathematics of Computation: From Simple Predicates to Complex Algorithms 33:59

25 weeks ago33:59

33:59

This episode explores the mathematical concepts underlying computer science. We'll begin with logic and proofs , examining predicates, propositional formulas, and truth tables . We'll then discuss induction , recursive definitions , and structural induction for analyzing data types. The podcast will cover state machines , the stable marriage problem , and how derived variables help in proving termination. We'll also touch on binary relations, generating functions , and basic probability . Finally, we'll delve into the connections between these concepts, random walks , and a simplified version of Turing's code , showing the link between math and cryptography. This episode is ideal for anyone wanting to grasp the mathematical side of computer science. Mathematics for Computer Science: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-science-spring-2015/mit6_042js15_textbook.pdf…

My First Tech

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Unlocking the Power of Algorithms: A Deep Dive into Competitive Programming 27:25

26 weeks ago27:25

27:25

This episode delves into the fascinating world of competitive programming, exploring the crucial role of algorithms and their real-world applications. Uncover the importance of time complexity in crafting efficient solutions, going beyond simple code to strategies that optimize performance. Explore a variety of fundamental algorithms, from classic sorting techniques like binary search to powerful data structures like vectors, sets, and maps. Gain insights into the art of complete search, a powerful approach to problem-solving that guarantees correct answers by systematically exploring all possibilities. Journey into the realm of greedy algorithms, understanding how making the best choice at each step can lead to elegant and efficient solutions. Discover dynamic programming, a technique that blends the thoroughness of complete search with the speed of greedy algorithms. Join us as we unravel the secrets of competitive programming and learn how to master the algorithms that power the digital world. Competitive Programmer’s Handbook: book…

My First Tech

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Mobile App Reliability: An SRE Perspective 18:33

27 weeks ago18:33