I just launched a machine learning course
Happy 2020, new video, 500 blog posts in a row, new machine learning course
Hello hello hello!
Welcome to 2020. We’re already (over) 2 weeks in… can you believe that?
If you’re like me you brought in the new decade with your head face first in a toilet, only to wake up 8-hours later wondering where the New Years party had gone. Exhibit A of why I don’t drink.
This is the first edition of Eat, Move, Learn, Make for 2020! I’m still working on a better title but that’ll do for now. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
What I promise to bring here is a collection of things I’ve found thought-provoking over the past [INSERT TIMELINE HERE]. And other things I may have created which you might enjoy. Note: These things will inevitably crossover.
Enough chatter. Let’s start off heavy.
A question for the new year
I read a blog post by Paul Graham the other day called, The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius. And a question inside there hit me like a tonne of bricks.
If you could spend a year working on something which probably wouldn’t be important but would be really interesting, what would it be?
I’m still thinking about it. It’s been the thought topic of many strolls along the Northern Beaches.
The part which gets me is “probably wouldn’t be important”. Because anything I can think of which is interesting has some level of importance. Like:
Becoming a Kaggle Grandmaster
Starting a regenerative farm
Writing a novel
Walking the length of the Great Wall of China
What would you do? Leave a response. I’d love to know.
My first online product (a machine learning course)
I ran into Claire the other day. She asked how my New Year is going. I said excellent. Then she asked me if I have any goals or big plans for 2020. And I said no, not really, only to keep myself (self)employed.
I left the best job I ever had last June. Since then, I’ve been self-employed. And I’m enjoying it so much, I’d like to keep it that way.
How?
That’s it. A few years ago, I realised how lucky I am. How lucky I am to have the opportunities I do. The internet, a close family. It’s my responsibility to make something of it.
Last year, I took care of my own expenses. I don’t have many. Food, Jiu-Jitsu training, various bills. Creating things makes me happier than consuming things.
This year, I take care of my family’s expenses. I’m going to pay for all of the home utility bills for the year. And I’m putting it in writing so I have no choice.
To do so, I’m going to use the same formula as above. Keeping my own expenses low, whilst creating things relentlessly online.
The first of those launched this morning. It’s a machine learning course on Udemy. When I left my machine learning job, I wrote an article detailing 12 things I’d learned during my time there. It went pretty viral. From there, Andrei reached out to me asking if I’d like to build a machine learning course. And I said yes.
For context, Andrei is one of the highest-rated instructors on Udemy. I’m lucky to have been able to have partnered with him to build the machine learning course I would’ve liked when I started.
Whether you’ve got 0 coding experience or some coding experience, there’s an option for you. I poured my soul into it. Spending hours recording in the closet, sweating profusely whilst continually giving hand gestures even though it was only a screen recording.
The course is called Complete Machine Learning and Data Science: Zero to Mastery.
If you’re interested, there’s a promotion going on Udemy for the next 5 days.
So far, 1000+ students have signed up.
I plan on using the funds to:
Invest in better video creation (on machine learning and other topics)
Pay the utilities of the family home
Buy food
Are you a bandit, stupid, helpless or intelligent?
Rule 1: The average person severly underestimates the number of stupid people in ciruclation.
I laughed out loud when I read that. Especially the use of the word circulation. Think about it for a second. Circulation.
It’s from the book The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo Cipolla. I read it the other day and it’s been on my mind ever since.
There’s a graph in there with four quadrants (see the video below for more).
Intelligent - someone whose actions help themselves and others (net positive).
Bandit - someone who helps themselves and not others (net neutral).
Helpless - someone who helps others but not themselves (net neutral).
Stupid - someone whose actions harm themselves and others (net negative).
I’ve been in all four quadrants at some point. But for 2020, I’m working towards being in the intelligent quadrant. Or at least trending that way.
Maybe you’re the same.
500 days of blog posts
500 Days of Summer is one of my favourite movies of all time. I haven’t seen it in a few years but its come to mind because a couple of days ago, I crossed 500 days in a row of writing a blog post.
(as if I already didn’t talk enough shit?)
Writing online has bought me more opportunities than I could ever have imagined. Maybe that’s the answer to my question at the start.
If you could spend a year working on something which probably wouldn’t be important but would be really interesting, what would it be?
How about posting a blog post every day for a year? (and then some)
Two of my more recent favourites:
Once again, happiest of New Years.
Big dogs gotta eat,