Things I want to learn about

Last updated: March 2022

This post compiles a list of things I want to learn along with some concrete technical things to read and try. It ranges from whole topics to concrete questions. The hope is that I will regularly update this list with the topics I stumble upon. If you have any suggestion on how to learn any of these topics please let me know!

Topics

This is a list of vague topics that seem interesting. I haven’t really researched any of these or what their prerequisites are.

• Computable analysis
• Distributed Algorithms
• Game theory and Algorithmic game theory
• Model theory
• Natural language processing
• Persistent homology
• POMDPs as a model of rational agents (and MDPs)
• Stochastic scheduling
• Fully homomorphic encryption schemes
• 20th century world history
• Structural equation modeling
• Item Response Theory
• Unification algorithms
• Multi-armed bandits applications
• Bayesian networks
• Homotopy type theory
• Cache-oblivious algorithms
• Simpson’s paradox
• Linear types practical applications
• Random walks
• Modern Monetary Theory and monetary economics more generally
• Geological periods, eras and eons

Concrete things to read and try

This is a list of concrete papers, technical books, libraries and reading lists I want to dive into at some point.

Theoretical computer science

• Pseudorandomness

Type theory and exotic PLs

• Learn TT
• The Little Typer
• Software Foundations
• Koka - Microsoft Research
• Eff
• Curry Lang
• Wyvern
• Programming language zoo
• Languages mentioned here

Applied Computer Science

Functional programming

• Haskell’s dimensional and safe-money
• Haskell’s lenses and optics
• Haskell’s servant
• Write You a Haskell
• Purely Functional Data Structures
• Programming Language Foundations in Agda
• Implementing a JIT Compiled Language with Haskell and LLVM
• Parser combinators like megaparsec

Rust

• Writing an OS in Rust and course on building an OS
• Let’s build a browser engine (in Rust)
• Learning Rust with Entirely Too Many Linked Lists
• Amethyst
• smartstring crate
• Rust WASM support
• Learn how Rust code coverage works internally (relevant PRs)
• rustc dev guide
• Learn about polonius

Linux & systems programming

• A short (and mostly wrong) history of computer networking
• What’s in a Linux executable
• Learning to use perf, tcpdump and other similar Linux tools
• A tour through (parts of) musl source code
• Learn to use drgn

Compilers

• Crafting interpreters

Physics

• The Feynman Lectures on Physics
• Physics for mathematicians

Probability theory, statistics and ML

Theory

• Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems: Networks of Plausible Inference
• Bayesian persuasion
• Too good to be true: when overwhelming evidence fails to convince
• Radically Elementary Probability Theory

Applied

• Spinning Up in Deep RL
• An Outsider’s Tour of Reinforcement Learning
• A Tutorial on Thompson Sampling
• The Book of Why
• PyMC tutorials

To be classified

• Philosophy of science
• Learn Q#. Quantum Katas, Q# Coding Contest.
• Serverless architecture (maybe follow Cloudflare Workers’ tutorials)
• Learn How To Draw
• Aumann’s agreement theorem
• Common knowledge (logic)
• Non-wellfounded set theory
• Raft algorithm (see a Byzantine failure IRL)
• Fair division procedures (experiments, Selfridge-Conway procedure, Stromquist procedure)
• d3.js tutorial by Observable
• CORE textbook on economics

Concrete questions

This is a list of concrete questions or clusters of related questions about a single specific topic. The questions might not be well-defined

• How can one define a measure space on an arbitrary manifold? Is it related to the concept of pushforward measure? When the Radon-Nykodim derivative exists, what is it’s relation with the manifold atlas?
• Given that 64.9% of philosophers surveyed here support the analytic–synthetic distinction, what are the remaining strongest arguments against logical positivism? If there are insurmountable hurdles to maintain logical positivism as a coherent theory, what are its strongest successors?
• In computational complexity theory, why are oracle separations sometimes provided as evidence of unrelativized results?
• What is, intuitively, a topos?
• How can I interpret elasticity in economics?